"Slayers Next" (1996) TV series

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

5 April 1996 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Sword And Sorcery | Anime

Cast

Megumi Hayashibara

...

Lina Inverse (unknown episodes)

Runtime:

30 min (26 episodes)

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Quotes:

Gaav, the Demon Dragon King: I *HATE* people who hypocritically brandish Justice all over the place. Now BE GONE.

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Slayers Revolution" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Give a reason

I didn't know what to expect, but this was ***amazing!***

First of, I have to say that till date I have still not seen the original "Slayers" and there for all of the characters were unknown to me. I don't know for "Slayers", but "Slayers next" captured my heart.

The story follows the handsome red hair girl Lina who has special powers and their friends, Amelia, blond guy Gourry and the weird Zelgadis who has stones on his face. They fight evil demons- for cash, of course- and are searching for the Clair Bible in order to save the world...

-------------------

It's hard to explain how I felt the first time I saw this anime. I was ashamed and proud, confused and overwhelmed at the same time, just like a little kid. I don't know how you would feel if a character you never knew anything about ( Lina ) suddenly enters a spa, with nothing but a towel cowering her body, and starts making intimate comments while watching herself in the mirror ( "Wow...I'm hot!" "My breasts should grow a little bit more..."). And then in the next scene she would spot Amelia naked in water and comment some more ( "Her breast are too large for her age!" ). Needless to say she became my hero that instant!

"Slayers next" is a magical and weird experience. At one moment you feel like you are in a Bill Murray comedy and the next like you are in a Ingmar Bergman drama. This was an anime I always wanted to see, but never had the chance to. Granted, some episodes were weaker then the others ( Amelia visiting her dad, the king ), but all in all I would give only praise to the director Takashi Watanabe for managing the 26 episodes. The stories are so full of shining ideas that you don't know which one is better, but I liked very much the one where Martina casted a spell on Lina, making her feel the pain of everyone she kicks. At first Lina didn't know what was going on so Xellos decided to show her: he took Gourry's arm and placed it on Lina's breasts. She kicked Gourry in the genitals and he fell on the floor. But then she felt "that" pain too.

Before I saw it, I thought it would be one of the worst animes out there. After I saw it, I realized it was one of the best animes out there. I think that's the highest compliment I can make.

Grade: 8/10