After a decade long hiatus the Slayers return with more high-fantasy/anime
parodies, slapstick humor and fan service than you can throw fireballs at.
Instead of one season of 26 episodes, the latest addition to the franchise now
consists of two 13-episode season titled Slayers Revolution and Evolution-R
(cue the cringing here). Revolution starts where Slayers TRY left off in
1997 with the self-described genius sorceress and beautiful Lina Inverse (a
description that is totally belied by her arrogance, temper and reckless use of
spells that levels entire cities) and her companion, the swordsman Gourry
Gabriev, attacking pirates to give the now-endangered bandit population a
chance to recover. And for better and
worse, after a decade of waiting, little has changed with the Slayers.
For fans, the first episode is a return to form with the all too
familiar hijinks involving Lina’s nonexistent bust and her infamous reputation
that quickly leads to the iconic pair being ultimately reunited with the mystic
swordsman Zelgadis and justice-and-love obsessed Amelia. More hilarity ensues
when Lina gets arrested on the charge for being herself and her first episode
debut is spoiled by a new character (Pokota) casting her signature spell: the
Dragon Slave. Even after a decade the Slayers greatest strength is still here— the
interactions between the cast and the long-running gags all at Lina’s expense.
Admittedly, some of the humor would alienate new viewers as there is a lot of
fan-service involved with longstanding jokes and even a clever cameo of an old
Slayers movies-exclusive character.
Slayers Revolution and Evolution-R, then, is an animated love letter
welcoming old fans back while inviting newcomers to visit past seasons (note:
all on Netflix). Most of the old cast of voice actors since Slayers NEXT makes
an outstanding return, except for Xellos, Prince Philionel and Rezo; although their
roles are covered very well by Michael Sinterniklaas, David Brimmer and Liam O'Brien
respectively. The opening and ending themes are done by series veteran Megumi
Hayashibara (also the Japanese voice actress for Lina) and the entire is soundtrack
comprises of completely remastered tracks.
Alas, after ten years, the Slayers still suffers from the same problems
as the original three seasons— a total lack of character development of the main
cast. For being stars of the series, they are rather static: Gourry’s lack of
intelligence is used as an excuse for exposition and Amelia is Sailor Moon
without the transformation sequences. Granted, these personalities are often used to
hysterical and entertaining effect, but when the plot starts to get serious it
leads to a form of predictability. However, the antagonists and new cast
members are so well fleshed out with complex motivations and personalities that
it makes up for any lack of character development. Even so, there is a lot to
be desired when interesting characters like Zelgadis and Lina are neglected
until the last few episodes in Evolution-R.
Slayers Revolution and Evolution-R are neither a revolution nor evolution
of the series from the 90s. Nevertheless, it’s an explosive reminder of what
made it a classic then and why it’s a force to be reckoned with in the present.
Beware bandits, pirates, and demon lords— Lina Inverse is back!
