Back in 1996, Slayers The Motion Picture was one of the first fansubs I possessed (along with the first 7 eps of Escaflowne and Evangelion). Then I picked up the Software Sculptors VHS boxsets for the first series. And I would make a point of catching the OAVs/Movies when they played at cons.
The appeal of the franchise was that it was a fantasy story I could relate to. The behaviour of the characters resembled the behaviour of players in the games of D&D I’d played, far more than Loddoss War ever did. The braggarts, jerks and idiots, who are the heroes of the Slayers world ring a lot truer than the po-faced serious fantasy of Loddoss.
However, I did eventually lose interest, the OAVs and movies began to have diminishing returns and I didn’t bother with the two other TV series. And it looked like the Japanese market had lost interest too, the last anime release being the underwhelming Slayers Premium in 2001. So it was a bit of surprise to see a new TV series come out of nowhere this year.
And judging from the first episode, it’s reassuringly nostalgic fare. Opening with Lina beating up some pirates (apparently she’d beaten bandits into near extinction so she was leaving them alone for a while to get their population back up) we’re in familiar territory. And the rest of the episode plays as a riff on the running gag of the chasm between Lina’s view of herself and the view of her by the rest of the world.
In fact it was so reassuringly familiar I was thinking “I do hope we get a fish person showing up” (NOOOONSA!) and a few minutes later that wish was fulfilled. Despite the difference in character design – there’s less of the angular exaggeration of the old series – it still feels familiar just through the writing and the voice acting.
Also familiar is the fact that the animation isn’t the best. And it never was on the Slayers TV shows. The pirate battle often feels like ambition is outstripping talent, and there’s some wonky editing later on.
But it’s like an old friend showing up, you can overlook their flaws because you’ve not seen them for so long. The question is, will it outstay it’s welcome?