Anime: Slayers Try

Well first of all this wasn't in the manga at all. It was written by the studio or production company so it's bound to be doomed.

I personally watcheda alll slayers series on tv so my enjoyment is quite high. It's worth watching, just not by putting effort into watching like dvd renting/buying.

I think it was just made for the money or it's just bound to get old.

If you're a fan of slayers, slayers next this is great to watch but it might seem stale with the "repetitiveness" and just getting old.

Animation
The animation is gorgeous, so amazing watching slayers to slayers next and finally slayers try. if you compare slayers and slayers try it's a remarkable improvement.

Sound
Great music, once again. I love the opening and the BMG is awesome and it really adds to the scenes.

Story
Well this time they get right to the point, save the world again. So, like slayers next they have to travel and search for something and get into some situation.

The situations and the stories are just not as juicy and interesting as it was in slayers next. Even ignoring the repetitiveness of the jokes it's still not as funny as the other series.

You are gonna be more disappointed if you've seen slayers and slayers next since you've already some of these jokes and whatnot. This time there is 1 more filler instead of the usual 3, but they really weren't that funny compared to the fillers in the other series.

Character
we meet one new character, filia which doesn't work out too well. She's obviously there just to butt heads with Xellos.

It just seems too organized, like there is an even number of characters like everyone is paired up with somebody and it's just not as good of a chemistry/blending.

Value
I loved watching, although it's not as good as the other ones since it is getting old and whatnot.

(Writers note: If you read this review, RATE this review. Authors thrive on feedback, whether it is a simple happy face, or an in-depth critique.)

I’m trying a different writing style for this review. Any comments or criticism would be appreciated.

Slayers Try, the sequel to Slayers Next, is not as good as the original Slayers, nor Slayers Next. The animation is a bit weaker, the sound, especially the opening and ending music, is not as good, and the story is less interesting. Thankfully, this difference in quality is a small one, with many of the Slayers franchise’s staples still in place, with Lina Inverse and friends setting out to save the world once again, with plenty of action and random comedy to fill Slayers Try’s 26 episodes.

Every Slayer’s series needs comic relief, usually more than one. Lina is still the same food guzzling, sarcastic, Gourry-beating super-sorceress we all know and love. Martina and her weirdo imaginary God Zoamelgustar are missing in action, replaced by Filia, a hot-tempered priestess of the Fire Dragon God. Filia is a gold dragon who is having trouble getting used to her human form, to the point where tail will shoot up from the back of her robe whenever she gets upset, which is quite often. Filia is one of the funniest characters in Slayers Try, stealing scenes from Lina with her temper and outrageous naïveté.

The rest of the cast, with the exception of Sylpheel and Martina, are still in place. Zelgadis is as reticent as ever, with his no-nonsense approach to most situations helping to keep the story grounded. Amelia is still doing her “Champion of Justice” routine, and Gourry is still as clueless as ever. Xellos is still Xellos, with the added bonus of being Filia’s foil. Whenever Filia’s temper erupts, it’s usually because of Xellos.

While the story may be lacking the energy and originality of Slayers and Slayers Next, the sense of humor is, for the most part, still intact. The plot revolves around yet another “The world will be destroyed if Lina doesn’t Giga Slave” routine. This worked well in the original Slayers, and was improved upon in Slayers Next. Slayers Try is the weakest of the three, with more plot holes and annoying character moments than the first two. Still, it’s funny enough to warrant a recommendation regardless, especially for any Slayers fans.

Summary:[/I]

Animation: About the same as the first two, but with a few more scheduling/budget problems cropping up during the middle episodes, with an overuse of still frames and jolty footage. The character’s facial features are attractive during the serious moments, and appropriately hilarious when super-deformed or chibi’d. The background animation has a bit of a washed out look, but the variations are plentiful, and original. The magic scenes are re-used a little too often, especially Lina’s “Dragon Slave”. Still, it’s better than a lot of the recent schlock that has been made with computer animation.

Sound: The opening and ending credits, like the first two series, are a cliché couple of soft/medium rock songs with a female vocalist and a lot of synthesizing. Slayers Try’s OP/ED isn’t as catchy as it’s predecessors, however. A lot of the background music seems recycled from the first two series. This is to be expected when dealing with a franchise anime, and it works well regardless. Lina’s seiyuu is still one of my all time favorite voice actresses, with the rest of the seiyuu doing an excellent job as well. The sound effects were spot on, though I did spot a couple of flaws during the middle episodes.

Story/Plot: Not as good as the first two series, but it’s still funny, and it’s still Slayers. Lina and the gang, having defeated the big bad from Slayers Next, have opened up the barrier around their continent, allowing people to cross the ocean and visit the rest of the world. The exploration is cut short when a bad guy from another dimension starts causing trouble for Lina and friends.

Characters: They’re back, they’re bad, they’re hilarious! After 52 episodes, the creators have got the comedy elements down cold, with plenty of belly laughs coming from all of the characters. Even Zelgadis evokes more than a few belly laughs over Slayers Try’s 26 episodes. The new villains are particularly villainous, with evil and diabolical plans that put Lina and her companions in more than a few life-or-death situations that are frequently interrupted by random comedy.

Rewatchability: I’d consider watching the series again if I didn’t have 600 hours or so of unwatched anime sitting on top of my television.

Enjoyment: I liked it. I’ve quickly become a big fan of the Slayers franchise. With all its faults, Slayers Try is still a faithful continuation of the Slayers universe. It’s funny, it’s action packed, it’s adventurous, and just plain fun. Not as good as the first two series, but still worth a look.

Nothing less than what I'd expect from the Slayers' Universe. I waited a while before picking this one up, just to get the full effect of it without bias from previous seasons. Slayers Try is one of the better things I've seen in the entire Slayers universe.

Now the whole world is involved!

Well because Shabranigdo's barrier has warn off, our party now can go to the outer world! Also, they get to meet Filia, a beautiful young Shrine Maiden that seems to have a tail...and newer evils are prophecized to arise in this non-magic world, even those beyond the power of the Dragon Slave.

Once again, a usual Slayers type of story, where our lovable party must now go abroad in the unseen world. The excitement of adventure stirs from the very beginning, and throughout the story more and more "strange" lands are explored. Unlike the other prequels, I found Slayers Try to be the most adventurous so far, and with that thrill comes new comedy. The story as a whole gives a message about racism, and how it is covered up by those who claim to be good. Focusing on the story is unusual in a Slayers series, but it manages to stay on task, with a few filler episodes here or there.

The first half is getting to know the bad guys, since the good guys are assumed. The second half, after episode 14, develops the characters a little more, and then begins to get serious. The conclusion like always is very powerful, despite any flaws in the story, which is another thing I love about this anime.

I only complain that characters that die in this series were minor, and death didn't have as much drama as the predecessors. I was thinking about forgiving this, but it really killed any desire for me to look back to this series again.

Characters - tough to diagnose...

I got a sense of poorly scripted phrases here or there, which really killed a lot of the characters' appeal. Also, Xellos' personality is so confusing, that it's really pointless trying to guess what he'll do, as his randomness and enigmatic behavior irritate me considerably. Another problem is that many times the characters would get boring, lengthy monologues or discussions that that are practically worth skipping to get a drink, or ignored to talk to someone on instant messenger. Finally, all of the character's except Filia don't ever seem to get serious enough about some things, and it left the series dry of the dramatic elements it needed to have a strong conclusion.

The seiyuu are as great as before - so I won't say anything.
The music, though, is just as great as before; I noticed that this music grew even more on me since I took my break from Slayers and at this point I would download an available soundtrack if I could. As for the opening number it's a nice little beat, and the closing is appreciable, too. Overall, the sound lives up to it's expectations.

Animation...

Well I can't say it's any better obviously, since the same designs are applied to all of the characters. I can't really say too much here, since the graphics aren't different at all from what I expect from the Slayers universe as a whole.

(Read my review on The Slayers to get a full description of the animation.)

Not a bad addition, at all.

If you saw The Slayers, but didn't see Slayers Next, then you can still watch Slayers Try. Same could go if you only saw Slayers Next. If you haven't seen any of Slayers, don't even bother looking at this one, since the characters won't make any sense from the start.

I liked Slayers Next more, but I liked this more than The Slayers. A fantastic addition, but it needs a little work.