Slayers Evolution-R
(Funimation,312 mintes)
http://www.funimation.com/slayers/
53 light novels and Slayers continues its run as one of the more impressive anime franchises in history with 5 anime seasons, 3 OVAs, 5 movies, games, and a few manga titles under its belt. The dungeon and sorcery parody series has done quite nicely for itself, establishing itself as a main stay in anime culture.
Originating as a series of novel series by Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi, Slayers follows the misadventures of Lina Inverse, a sorceress whose power is only matched by her domineering attitude. Throughout the series’ run, she found herself challenged by potent sorcerers, demons, and other would be world conquerors, with nothing less than the fate of the world at stake.
Over time, other strange characters began joining her on her quest such as the memory deficient swordsman Gourry Gabriev, a chimera sorcerer named Zelgadis Greywords, and the magically inclined princess Amelia Wir Tesla Seyruun. In the last set, the group encountered the magical imp Pokota, a displaced prince who has decided to tag along with them for the time being as they begin a new journey to resurrect Rezo the Red Priest, a former adversary who once nearly brought the world to the brink of destruction, in order to save Pokota’s people from a mysterious plague. Along the way, they encounter a magical suit of armor named Nama who, much like Pokota, finds itself on the wrong side of Lina’s temper before permanently joining the group on their adventure.
Along the way, Lina and the crew are forced to tangle with a mysterious assassin, a cavalcade of monsters, and a potentially apocalyptic struggle for the world. Not to mention the various conflicts that arises between each other.
While Evolution-R is billed as the fifth season, it would be more apt to describe it as the second half of season 4. Many of the dangling plot threads are picked up upon and given a satisfactory conclusion by season’s end.
Naturally, the series’ light hearted nature is still ever present with the non-stop barrage of jokes and the melodramatic one-off episodes woven in between the plot. There are some misses, but for the most part, the writers nail the humor. Lina is still overly arrogant, resulting in several battles, while Gourry and Amelia remain good natured but intellectually challenged as ever, with Zelgadis playing the straight man.
Like last season, there is a shift in tone halfway through, as the gang encounters the assassin Zuuma once again, leading to scenes of graphic violence intertwined with gruesome deaths. Naturally, the comedic aspects of the series are pushed into the background in favor of building the plot but never vanishes altogether as there are still several lighthearted moments to found spliced throughout.
Like the last season, anyone looking for bonus features will be sorely disappointed. Funimation went through the trouble of reuniting the original cast, so a commentary or a featurette spotlighting them would have been appreciated. As far as what is included here, textless openings and closings are all viewers are going to get.
Slayers Evolution-R isn’t a season new viewers want to start from. It’s reliance on the show’s continuity make it essential for dedicated fans to pick up. Newcomers would do better to start from the beginning if they want to get the most out of this release. For everyone already indoctrinated into the world of Slayers, Evolution-R is icing on the cake. The rollicking adventures and frenzied battles are what fans have come to expect and appreciate from the series. Couple that with the nostalgia of seeing several past faces, and this is a set no Slayers fan should be without.
Slayers Evolution-R - B
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