Slayers

Publisher
ADV
Director
Hiroshi Watanabe
Production
Bandai, Kadokawa Shoten, King Records
Country of origin
Japan
Format
OVA
Running time
60 minutes
Year
1996

Slayers Great

By John Huxley
5th Sep 04

You might want to turn around and go back the way you came right now. I'll admit it - Slayers is another of those series with which I've not no experience whatsoever. Sure, I've heard of it, I've read my fair share of reviews and I even have a good idea of what to expect, but I'd not actually watched a single minute of Slayers until recently. So, if you were expecting an opinion from a Slayers veteran I can only recommend that you look elsewhere. Anime UK News has a good list of UK anime sites which should be able to provide you with a more clued-up review. Well, if you're still with us, that probably means you're a Slayers virgin too. Don't worry, it's not an especially difficult series to get to grips with, so Slayers Great is as good a starting place as any.

The concept is as simple as they come. Two rival sorceresses(eseses) - the cute, petit Lina Inverse and her well endowed nemesis Naga the Serpent (please note that I'm not mentioning their bust size for descriptive reasons alone; this is actually one of the main driving forces behind the comedy in Slayers) - vie for money, power, admiration and more money in a familiar fantasy land of kings, fairies and dragons (presumably).

This 60 minute OVA follows our two heroines as they visit Stoner, a city famous for its magical golem trade, a place where skilled craftsmen sculpt the living statues to be sold on street corners as souvenirs and gifts. Lina and Naga, desperate for food, warmth and a little money, see an opportunity to play hero when a rogue golem rampages through the streets and sets its sights on an unfortunate young girl. Jumping to the rescue, they manage to save the girl and proceed to pester her for a favour in return. The reluctantly grateful girl, Laia Einburg, introduces Lina and Naga to her somewhat dysfunctional family. Expert golem sculptors, her father and brother may be legendary for their skill but don't exactly see eye-to-eye when it comes to aesthetics. However, the bickering siblings are presented with an opportunity to ‘resolve' their differences when the two local overlords employ their services to create the ultimate golem with a view to competing in a single battle for supremacy. Sensing that there are riches to be had, Lina and Naga stick around to see if they can't bag themselves a pretty penny or two, but their involvement in this little escapade escalates when the Einburg's decide to draw inspiration from the two lovely sorceresses with quite bizarre consequences...

Although the story might not be the most riveting fantasy based tale around, the lively personalities of the central characters should be more than enough to keep you distracted for the duration. Lina and Naga's constant bickering and backstabbing (strangely, they travel together despite being rivals) is entertaining for the most part, even if the gags and puns (most of them about breast size) do begin to wear a little thin after the third or fourth time around. This being my first experience with Slayers, I'd imagine that the Lina/Naga coupling could prove to become tiresome after several viewings, but for the time being it's still a relatively fresh experience for myself.

Whilst you're bound to get a few laughs and giggles out of Slayers Great, the humour on offer simply isn't as ingenious as its closest rival, Dragon Half. The current benchmark for this sub-genre (that I've had the pleasure to watch, at least), Dragon Half's sharp scripting and witty humour makes Slayers Great look positively average in comparison. It simply lacks the inventiveness of its competitor; there's far too much reliance on startlingly obvious, timeworn gags and they're too few and far between to really have the desired impact. By the umpteenth time you've sat through another scene in which Naga teases Lina about her diminutive breast size, you too will be craving something a little more inspired.

You only need take one look at Naga to understand why Slayers is a fan favourite, and it's true that the character design certainly has plenty of appeal. Whilst the designs may be a little too generic for some, they are full of colour and benefit from a versatile art style that helps bring the characters to life. It's this, above all else, that saves Slayers Great from mediocrity. The story, humour and action may well have been bettered elsewhere, but the lively, energetic attitude of the central characters will keep you smiling until the end. A flawed yet enjoyable experience, it goes without saying that everyone should have at least one Slayers title in their collection (although you might want to ask a Slayers expert which is the pick of the bunch), yet probably no more than one.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English 2.0 and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, Slayers trailers, ADV previews

Release information: UK: 19th July 2004, ADV

Notes: The cover artwork, featuring a montage of characters from the OVA, is a little busy for my tastes but otherwise does a good job of reflecting the content of the series. You're unlikely to mistake this for a dour melodrama, that's for sure. The single sheet leaflet that comes packaged inside the box repeats the cover artwork (albeit minus the Slayers Great text), and there's a plain chapter listing on the reverse. With the only notable extra being a selection of four Slayers trailers, this DVD might be too basic for some. The audio and subtitle options will please those of you who only had access to an English language video tape (or vice-versa), but otherwise there's very little to tempt you to part with your hard earned cash here.

-- John Huxley 5th Sep 04

Slayers Images