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Slayers Next

» written by hinatasou [Discuss]

Synopsis
Of all the books of sorcery without exception the most famous one is the Claire Bible. It in itself is a legend imparted to the world. Supposedly, inscribed is the remaining knowledge of the Water Dragon King after he exhausted all of his strength in the battle with the Demon Lord Shabranigdo 1000 years ago. It is a mysterious book, which faithfully records the deepest secrets of sorcery unknown to the dark lords and demons of the netherworld. Those who have been touched by this knowledge wrote it down in various forms. Those different versions are known as Claire Bible manuscripts.

Review
By popular opinion, Slayers Next is the best out of the three series, Season 1 and Try. Next is a continuation of the storyline from Season 1 setting several months after Amelia, Lina and Gouury, and Zelgadis have parted ways. They reunite in the distant kingdom of Xoana and from there travel the ends of world in search of manuscripts of the Claire Bible. From Season 1, Zelgadis risks everything to reverse Rezo’s spell and turn himself from a chimera back to a normal human being. Two new characters join the adventure. Martina the Princess of Xoana, who once lived a life of luxury, vengefully stalks Lina. The second is Beast Master Xellos, the mysterious and powerful priest, who has his own agenda. The closing of the series, episode 23, marks the return of Sylphiel and the swordsman Zangulus. With all these characters you can be assured of one thing: Lina Inverse will never stop, and she will let no one stand in her way!

The Breakdown
No doubt one of the best anime series of all time.

» The Pros

Slayers Next is bountiful in humor, more so than Season 1 and Try, with some of the funniest filler episodes of the series. My new list of favorite moments is when Zelgadis is used as an anchor for a ship, Lina and Amelia dress up as Sailor Scouts and sing a lost festival dance like Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch (Girls who are in love, give their love to you | You, who shine so bright, my darling~!), the sport of brass rackets, seeing the Slayers gang wearing silly animal costumes and ending the episode with Lina receiving a kiss from Xellos on the cheek and Zel pondering the meaning of his existence, and the return of cross dressing this time with Gouury, Zelgadis, and Xellos as women.

» The Cons

To fully appreciate Slayers Next I recommend first watching Slayers Season 1 (there is a statue of Rezo in episode 1). Slayers Next completes Season 1 with the resurrection of the town of Sairaag, the place where Lina fought the demon beast Zanaffar and copy Rezo, and the sudden disappearance of the holy tree Flagoon. However, there is a drastic historical inaccuracy. In episode 18 when Lina sees a vision of one of the many possible outcomes in the fight with a piece of Shabranigdo from Season 1, Amelia was present when she wasn't supposed to be. A lesson to be learned for all you future animators and plot writers.

» Animation

8.5

The animation resembles Season 1. The character design for Gaav, the Demon Dragon King, is the original Samurai Deeper Kyo. He has the long flowing red hair, and carries his sword on his shoulders. There's a flashy interlude where the commercial break would enter in sort of like the effect in the opening to Sorcerer Hunters. Vrumugun, the wizard with limitless copies of himself from Season 1, makes a very short cameo appearance at the final moments of Next.

» Sound

9.5	One of my favorite opening themes, better than Slayers Try, Megumi Hayashibara sings Give a Reason. The Japanese voice cast was excellent. Please, stay away from the english dub like the plague.

» Story

9.0

Slayers Next goes off on a different tangent than Season 1. It starts straightway into the search for the Claire Bible. Episode 3 is reminiscent of the rivalry Lina and Nahga had being pitted on opposite sides except now it's Lina and Gouury versus Amelia and Zelgadis. Episodes 4-5 introduce the grand plotline of the series, fighting against the hierarchy of monsters beginning with Saygram, a servant of Gaav. Episodes 8-13 Kanzel and Mazenda, two monsters specializing in dimensional magic and their attempt to secure the holy throne of Seyruun. Lastly, episode 18 to the end of the series two high-ranking monsters Demon Dragon King Gaav, who loves war the most, and Hellmaster Phibrizzo, the controller of death. As stated in Inuyasha, the strongest monsters are those that take on the form of a human. A single Dragon Slave amplified doesn't work against Saygram and Kanzel, the perfected Ragna Blade is useless against Gaav, and even a double Dragon Slave couldn't stop Phibrizzo. It would take god-like strength similar to DBZ in order to defeat Gaav and Phibrizzo. Initially seeking the Claire Bible for the purpose of helping Zelgadis obtain his human form, that reason changes to finding a power that can defeat a monster aka. the Lord of Nightmares and the secret of the Giga Slave. Slayers Next is also more dramatic and romantic than Season 1. The theme of the anime is to be true to yourself and your feelings. We see short bursts of love Lina has for Gouury and catch some moments of Zelgadis and Amelia blushing in front of one another. Next ends with the marriage of Martina to Zangulus. As Lina and Gouury run off in the end, Sylphiel utters that she is coming this time. That is a lie. Sadly, you never see Sylphiel again in Slayers Try.

» Recommend

9.5	Even funnier than the original. After this, the box set for Slayers Try awaits you.

» Other Information

Language: English or Japanese with optional English Subtitles

Extras: Interview with US voice actors, character sketches, sneak peeks, art gallery, cast information

Package: A brief overview of the main characters, Lina, Amelia, Gouury, Zelgadis, Xellos, and Martina. WHERE IS THE BELOVED SYLPIEL????