Why I Like Slayers

And finally I get to this...although looking at the state of incompleteness that my economics homework is in, I doubt that I will be getting to this anytime soon. Or finishing it, at least. I can multi-task. That doesn't necessarily mean that I am any good at it, merely that I can. It's amazing how easily I get distracted...anything from people talking outside to music that I'm playing on the computer distracts me. Then again, if the thing I'm working on happens to hold any kind of appeal to me, then I am dead to the world until I'm either finished, or so tired I can't work anymore. Hmm...writing Inversed used to be like that...Though most of THAT monster was done when I was supposed to be doing other things, like writing essays.

And the above paragraph attests to that. Geez, it seems like I can never even stay on topic for more than a few lines...

Anyway, on to why I like Slayers.^_^.

A little background for you all who might not have heard of the anime. Slayers is basically a fantasy/adventure/comedy, with just the right blend of humor mixed with hints of a deeper plot/meaning. I'm not sure where the title came from, or if there was any particular reason for the creators to choose this particular name, but my opinion is that it is either derived in part from the show's heroine, Lina Inverse, or her (in)famous trademark spell, the Dragon Slave (which is a mangled version of the spell's original name, the Dragon Slayer). There's three series, a bunch of OVAs (or OAVs...I think they're OVAs though...), and a few movies.

As mentioned above, the show's main character is Lina Inverse. There's a huge variation in the cast from the OVAs and movies to the series, but Slayers is all about the adventures of Lina, so she's there for both. Lina fans are in for a treat^_^. I'm going to need probably another 5 or 6 pages to get down all I want to say about her supporting cast, so I'll leave that either for later, or for never. Hey, I never claimed to be consistant^_^.

Mainly what got me into Slayers was the characters, not the storyline. At least, not at first. In my opinion, the movies and OVAs are great for pure comic relief, and pretty graphics, but they are completely lacking in a decent plot. The series did a much better job of actually giving Slayers some depth, but some parts are still lacking. Oh, well, I didn't really watch it for the plot at first anyway.

When I say characters, I actually mean Lina.^_^. Well, the other ppl are in there too, and they are very important, but Slayers wouldn't be Slayers without it's main character, ne?

After what seemed like an endless infatuation with Sailor Moon and Fushigi Yuugi, Slayers and Rurouni Kenshin came on my list of anime favorites. I'll leave RK for another day...but Slayers was refreshing in its startling different heroine. Ok, so Lina eats like a pig, and has magical powers like most of the other animes. But here was a female character that could stand all on her own. She is not somehow dependent on a man (how many times was Sailor Moon saved by Tuxedo mask? And I'm not even going to START w/ Tamahome and Miaka...), and what she wants, she gets it, on her own power. Sure, some of her methods aren't exactly moral, and Lina certainly plays hard and fast with the rules, but througout the series, you do get to see that her heart's in the right place. And most of the time she picks on the bad guys anyways (either that or her hapless traveling companions...I guess that's just a price to pay to travel with the infamous Lina Inverse). It's INTERESTING to see Lina give explainations and justifications to her actions. And it's funny to see her blow stuff up too.^_^

Another thing about Slayers is its lack of romance. Don't get me wrong, I like romances in general. It's amusing to see people blushing or angsting over some love problem or another. But too much of it tends to grate on my nerves. There are only so many embarassing and awkward situations you can put a potiential couple through before it gets a little annoying (I will not say Tamahome and Miaka...oops, I just did!). Not to mention it feels terribly fabricated, like you just know that the artist/author is feeling sadistic and wants to make the couple suffer or prove their love one more time. Slayers doesn't overdo things, as far as the romances go. Most of it is either very subtle, or doesn't get rubbed in your face once every few episodes. It's nice to not have to go through one emotional trauma after another along with the characters.^_^

That is not to say that because Slayers lack romance, it lacks character interaction or development. It's interesting to see the 'team' dynamics of Lina and her 'gang' so to speak. Each member contribute their thing to the group as a whole, making it balanced and run smoothly. When one member is missing, there is always the sense that something's not complete, like when Lina's not there to boss people around and lead in the fights, when Gourry isn't there to chop things up or make stupid comments, when Zelgadis isn't there to show off his impressive magical/fighting skills and look for his cure (or at least talk about it) or when Amelia isn't there to make justice speeches or be bright and bubbly.

As I've mentioned before, the plot in Slayers takes a while to surface. The structure actually seems to be pretty well definited for all three of the series. The first third of the series is usually character introduction/development, leading up to the first 'boss', so to speak. Some kind of showdown ensues around the middle/end of the first third of the series (Rezo/Shabranigdo, Mazenda/Kanzel/Garv, and Valgarv), and following that is what most fans call the 'screwball' episodes. Some of the screwball episodes actually have some content, but most are just for fun. Then the last third wraps up the loose ends from the first third, and the gang confronts their final enemy, and have another showdown!

If that was all, then I wouldn't say that Slayers is all that interesting, plot wise. There aren't any mindbending plot twists, no profound or innovative insights (well, we can argue that in many ways...). All in all, the plot of Slayers is easy to understand. What interested me was the overall progression, and revelations made, in the story. Slayers characters, be they protagonists or antagonists, have interesting depth once you try to examine their motivations and purposes. What is nice is that while they are hinted at in the series, nothing is ever really clear cut, leaving plenty of room to do analysis, or to ignore it all together. I think that looking at the things behind the story gives it more flavor, and it also makes it more interesting for me. But I can also choose to ignore it if I wish, if I don't want to ponder the angst involved in Rezo's blindness, it's easy to let it fall into the background. It's rather versatile.

That is not nearly all that I wanted to write, but it'll have to be enough for now^_^. Econ homework waits for no poor undergraduate.^_^

Majo-chan