The story's main protagonist is one Lina Inverse whose blade is nearly as quick as her temper (overshadowed only by her ability with magic). She's considered to be witty, intelligent, the natural leader of the group and also very powerful. It's a refreshing change to see a strong female lead in an anime during a time where this was almost unheard of.
Where the show really shines through is in its cast of characters that compliment each other very well. Without rehashing what others have said so well already, I will say that of all the anime I've seen, I have yet to find characters that are so memorable. Watching the next couple of seasons is like reuniting with old friends.
As for the main story arc, it's quite good and I don't think anyone would be disappointed. The action as well, when it heats up is also most excellent. I will say that as far as big climactic end battles go, Slayers is definitely among my favorites. They're not too lengthy but not too short either. They are flashy and they are awesome.
Each season of Slayers has a story arc that is started and completed within that season. It is wrapped up nicely so if you're worried about getting into a lengthy series know that you'll be well served and satisfied by watching just one season.
One final note is that the Slayers movies are only play a minor involvement in the Slayers universe and are not nearly as good as the TV series. If, like me, you were hesitant to get into this series because you had seen one of the movies and didn't care for it, let me assure you that TV series is *WAY* better than the movies and you would do yourself a disservice to miss this.
