"Slayers is one of those anime that I WISH I could have watched as a kid."
It was one of those classics that was part of the great anime boom of the 90's. just a year before DBZ made it's debut in the west. And while it may come across as cheap because of it's obvious budget restrictions. Slayers is very self-aware on multiple levels and try's to make the most of what it does. and frankly it does a lot of things better then most modern day shonen.
For Example: lets take ..."Bleach" A Shonen that feels the need to throw buckets of dialogue and exposition about HOW attacks work and WHY someone was able to dodge a certain attack. which just break the flow of the scene instantly and just makes me shout at the screen. "FIIIIIGHT ALREADY!"
None of that in Slayers. if there's combat, IT'S JUST COMBAT and details surrounding the scene are handled either before or after the matter at a campsite or an Inn. Which isn't only more satisfying to look at, but makes more sense. Nobody interrupts a life-threatening fight scene to explain how an attack works or extensively compliment their adversary on how smartly they dodged their magic-super-beam!
Slayers DOES things and SHOWS things. and only explains things if it needs to! I don't need to know how Lina's Dragon Slave works. I see what's happening right there on the screen. she uses an incantation that summons the forces of dark magic and launches it in an all destroying ball of energy. I don't need a single word of exposition to come to that conclusion.
The same is done with the jokes in the show. it's the 90's so we're bound to get some more cringy material here and there but they never linger on them for too long. making the fast pacing work for the jokes that do work. the lesser are more easily forgotten and the more memorable ones have more impact.
Moving on to the Characters.
How do you even put this...our main character Lina is special (especially in this day and age). In a current anime world where Moe is the norm and self confident girls in anime are either blank slates, tsundere's and other stereotypes. Lina is one of those Spunky happy go lucky types that you rarely see anymore.
She has a few stereotype staples like the "Food-lover" gimmick but she is very multilayered beside that. with genuine emotional shifts and opinions. She's a greedy treasure hunting adventurer, but would shove all of that aside if a hairy situation requires her expertise. even her Goofy moments are balanced well with moment where she's alone in her bedroom processing and monologueing about how to handle a situation they have to face.
Goury on the other hand is relatively simple. but contrasts Lina pretty well. I've alway's felt that people who watch the show actually experience it through Goury, he's a simpleminded warrior that regularly needs explaining about whats going. so as Goury is getting information so are we, which creates a natural form a exposition. he's capable, and likable but not really deep. I would have liked to see him a little more worked out.
The remaining main cast members are quite enjoyable as well. and they don't play into the obvious pitfalls like making Zelgadis Lina's Rival. I was especially worried about Amelia being the whiney little brat type but...she's actually pretty fun to watch. she's may be the over enthusiastic kid in the group BUT she isn't useless! not as powerful as Lina but still is a capable mage that can hold her own.
I would say only the villains hold a bit of a weak spot, you don't really get to know them as well as the rest of the cast and they leave a lackluster impression. even when certain heartfelt moments take place on the villains side. it...doesn't leave a strong enough imprint for one to really care. then again drama isn't the strong point of Slayers.
And that also ties in with the Story of Slayers. because...well there isn't a real grand scheme or goal for our cast collectively, It's more problems they face on the way and try to overcome. making things feel a bit episodic...but they're not. which is actually quite smartly done, every episode usually has a problem that occurs and is solved. but also ties in with the overarching plot. not everything though sometimes it's just complete filler, still...it's enjoyable filler.
And that is probably Slayers greatest strength. even if you know the episode has nothing tied in with the overall arc it's still fun to watch. without giving to much away I was very skeptical about the episode where Lina would get married. the whole setup just screamed "dud-filler-episode" and I was proven wrong, they played it out great!
In overall Slayers is a fun ride for anyone interested in a classic DnD, Medieval Fantasy adventure.
