It’s hard to believe that, thirteen years later, Slayers could re-emerge onto the anime scene. Airing last year in Japan, and arriving States-side March of this year (2010, for all you time travelers), Slayers Revolution has recaptured the hearts of otaku the world over. Everyone’s favorite small-statured sorceress, Lina Inverse, has returned with her dull-witted companion Gourry Gabriev (a sword-swinging savant) and our re-united with old companions Amelia and Zelgadis in their journeys on the sea to take on pirates while the decimated bandit population recovers. (Note: Someone always pays the price for Lina’s greed/temper/boredom.) Amelia and Zel brought with them a detective from the neighboring kingdom of Rumigald, who makes many attempts to arrest Lina for the destruction of the kingdom’s magic tanks. As it turns out, the culprit is a small animal named Pakota who can also cast the dragon slave spell, Lina’s trademark, and he’s on a mission to destroy all the magic tanks and find out who stole the technology from his own kingdom.
This new misadventure is very much in the similar vein of all previous Slayers TV series. Revolution’s comedy is combined so smartly with action and hints of drama that, at times, the show can be really hard to classify. But it’s that quality that hooked me on the series long ago, just as it has been drawing in fans throughout the years. It doesn’t need any extra bells and whistles to entice people to buy it; it’s great story and voice acting is bonus enough. In fact, it’s completely wonderful that they retained all the original English voice cast, with the exception of the character Xellos. Another nod to loyal fans is the fact that both new opening and ending songs are sung by the legendary Megumi Hayashibara. In point of fact, her songs make the series memorable every bit as much as the characters.
There are many anime that are absolutely essential for someone to watch to have true otaku street cred. Slayers is one of those anime, and Revolution starts off pushing all the right buttons out of the gate. Its tireless gag comedy and strong adventurous plot have made it a shining new chapter in an already classic series. Long-time fans will likely be as giddy as I was to get their hands on this two-disc set. However, for newcomers to the Slayers universe it might be a good idea to go back and watch, at the very least, the first three TV series to get a feel for the characters and certain recurring and referenced plot points that link all the separate series together in continuity. Slayers Revolution has done its predecessor seasons proud, and there couldn’t be a reason good enough not to see it.