Let's talk about Slayers

Yeah, I don't imagine the original TV series' would benefit that much from HD, but those OVAs and movies really should... I'm still baffled by this decision to pull the Japanese BD release so close to what was supposed to be the release, from my limited abilities and the help of Google translate it seems they're being very apologetic but also very vague about the reasons in the standard Japanese corporate fashion.

I'm kinda gutted I missed out on getting the novels, looking at the ludicrous prices some of the second hand English volumes go for now. Anyone have any opinions on the manga?
 
I have to admit, what put me off Slayers for the longest time was the '90s look' - as in, when people joke about 90s anime and how the faces/eyes looked, etc. I'm glad I finally took the plunge though, as the humour and pacing really does stand the test of time - I definitely laughed more watching it than I had watching any other anime show for a long time.
 
Oddly enough, that's never bothered me about Slayers at all. Anyone who knows me also knows I'm a massive fan of '80s character design - Differences like those between the original Dirty Pair and Flash designs make me want to punch things, there isn't much in that mid-to-late '90s style I enjoy from an aesthetic point of view. Slayers however somehow gets away with it. It just hits a sweet spot for me somewhere where it works (perhaps the colours and backgrounds help?) and I'd even go so far as to say I really like the character designs. Hell, I'm buying artbooks now, I must do.

It seems to be one of those series' people either really warm to or really don't. I know there are a couple of regulars (to use the term loosely) here who really aren't keen - I could be wrong but it seems like the subjective nature of the comedy element of the show is the most divisive, which is understandable.
 
I think I'm just oblivious about things like character designs. I do occasionally notice things but I probably lack enough knowledge to have an established preference. That or I'm just oddly forgiving for the most part.

I think one of the reasons I like Slayers comedy is that it can both do the simple slapstick "throw a fireball" but it can also put surprising thought into things such as the use of a fireball on a fishman and the way his comrades mourn with a feast. I think it benefits from being interested in fantasy settings in general, since it does use the setting and tropes for humour quite often.
 
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That second hand copy of the ADV classics collection arrived yesterday, and I was cheeky and had a quick look at it.

As one of the uninitiated, I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised. This looks like the kind of madcap, screwball stuff that anime, when done right, does so well. It feels like I've had my first mouthful of a new favourite meal.
 
Did you watch any yet HdE? Stick Great in if you want a baptism of fire. Some people seem to find it a bit too stupid, but it has in stitches every time.
 
I've been away this weekend, so no chance yet to investigate it thoroughly (I've got until midweek before i hnd it over to the young lady I bought it for.)

I did take a quick look at Slayers Premium before, though, and one short scene with Luci Christian and Crispin Freeman had me chuckling away. Octopus bad guys? How can this fail?

Gotta say, on the point of the animation style, I really like this stuff. It's not the kind of thing that makes me go 'Oh yeah, I gotta have this!' but it's very slick and fluid. One of the things I love about anime is the variety in arts styles that you see, and what's on display here is relly in keeping with the tone of the show, from what little I've seen.
 
I think Slayers Premium is kind of the "fan service" film, in that it brings all the characters from both TV and OVAs together (well, many of the major ones appear at least). You'd probably get more out of it after watching the TV series but it's good to know it can still work alone (plus it might be neat to watch it first, then the TV series and then see what difference it makes when you watch Premium again).

Slayers Premium is also the one with the commentary in which Crispin Freeman keeps making the same joke related to Japanese pronunciation and it either keeps going over Cynthia Martinez's head or she's just ignoring it. Either way, I found it entertaining. I can't recall if the commentary is spoiler free for other parts of Slayers though.

I feel like I should mention Rune Soldier, although it doesn't really have anything to do with Slayers (it does technically have something to do with Record of Lodoss War though, interestingly). If you like Slayers, there's a good chance you'd like Rune Soldier and Comedy Fantasy shows aren't really all that common (sadly).
 
Dub guys eh? To each their own, there are dubs I enjoy and dubs I don't but Slayers is one I just couldn't take. Anyone but Megumi as Lina is absolutely heretical as far as I'm concerned.
 
I did actually get a chance to listen to a bit of the old ADV dub from the Slayer motion picture way, way back and... it's... not good. In fact, I remember having a really hard time actually making out a lot of the dialogue.

Really a shame, as I like a lot of Kelly Manison's work with ADV. But that laugh she does for the sidekick character is just unbelievably forced.

I thought the brief bit of Premium I saw was great, though - Luci Christian and Crispin Freeman debating whether she should leave him behind and go off and eat octopus - it really made me laugh!

"Seriously, Octopus is NASTY." :p
 
I just happened to originally watch Slayers dubbed, possibly before I knew subtitles were a thing. I'd like to watch the whole thing subtitled at some point but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I'll maybe make an effort for the next time I watch it, which might end up being sooner rather than later if I keep talking about it.

It might be worth noting that Lina has a different dub voice in the OVAs and such to her voice in the TV series, some of the other voices change occasionally too (Luci Christian only does Amelia's voice in Premium, though Amelia does start with a different voice than she ends up with in the TV series too). I think Xellos is the one with the most dramatic voice change at some point (I think his Premium voice is quite different too, though maybe I'm getting mixed up).

HdE said:
Really a shame, as I like a lot of Kelly Manison's work with ADV. But that laugh she does for the sidekick character is just unbelievably forced.
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I thought Lina was Naga's sidekick...

If you don't like Naga's laugh then that might be a barrier for the OVAs, she kind of does it a lot.
 
So I managed to pick up the Slayers S4+S5 BR for £4.26... Is this a show I can jump into S4 with or should I really source S1-3 first?
 
I'd say getting the first three is probably a good idea. The fourth and fifth seasons are at least partly about doing "fanservice" type references to previous events/characters. Still, from a story point of view I think you could probably pick things up quickly enough and Slayers tends to be episodic or arc based in general.

Alternatively, you could probably pretty easily get away with watching just the first season then four and five, you'd even get most of the references and the little bit of relevant story background. The second season would have some relevance but only the odd bit extra and I think the third is probably the most skippable.
 
You may even still be able to grab a copy of Funimation's RIDICULOUSLY good value for money package of Slayers, Next and Try in one (big) box. It's basically three full length seasons for just a bit more than the price of one.
 
Yeah I was looking at that one... I can get it from Supermart USA for £25.10 inc shipping. Unless (if pigs flew on their release) the 3 separate UK editions are somehow superior?
 
I don't think the separate editions are superior, I've seen both and didn't notice significant differences. I guess there's maybe PAL changes to the MVM releases but I don't know much about that. I think the R1 version actually has an extra feature somewhere that's not on the MVM release but I could be wrong.
 
msgeek said:
Yeah I was looking at that one... I can get it from Supermart USA for £25.10 inc shipping. Unless (if pigs flew on their release) the 3 separate UK editions are somehow superior?
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No idea, I'm afraid.

I can tell you, though, that Slayers isn't generally regarded as having super high quality video in any particular format - excepting the most recent series.

You really may as well take the plunge for the price, in my opinion.
 
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