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Slayers is a Japanese animated series based on a collection of novels (unreleased in Italy) written by Hajime Kanzaka and illustrated by artist Rui Araizumi.
It consists of three seasons (1995-97) with 26 episodes each. Here in Italy it is practically unknown since it came to Mediaset with the ridiculous and lengthy title "Un Incantesimo Dischiuso tra i Petali del Tempo" and was only broadcast twice (in the summer of '97 and early '98) before disappearing into oblivion, except for sporadic reruns on pay channels.
Slayers takes place in a parallel universe, a sort of fairy tale-like and sometimes bizarre medieval reality, caught in the eternal struggle between the forces of Evil, the demons, determined to plunge the world into the primordial Sea of Chaos, and those of Good, the dragons, intent on maintaining the current order of things; both races master magic and can take human form if necessary.
The protagonist and narrator is Rina Inverse, a fifteen-year-old red-haired sorceress, greedy, gluttonous, and overbearing, who roams the world attacking bandits to spend their loot on lavish feasts. Her "partner" Gourry Gabriev (renamed with the rather unchivalrous 'Guido'), despite being a bottomless pit himself, is an unbeatable swordsman, handsome and kind-hearted, but very naive and foolish, often unaware of what is happening around him.
The adventure begins when the two find themselves holding the Stone of the Sage, a magical power amplifier coveted by Zeno, known as the Red Monk, a sorcerer who wants to use it to cure the blindness that has afflicted him since birth. Zeno then unleashes his henchmen, led by Zelgadis, a young man whose skin has turned to stone scales, who betrays him and joins Rina and Guido. Zelgadis wants to use the stone to return to being a normal boy and take revenge on the Red Monk who turned him into a monster. But what everyone, even Zeno himself, ignores is that the Monk's eyes have always been closed because a fragment of the body of the Great Demon Sabrani-Vodoo, leader of the forces of Evil, is trapped inside them. Five thousand years ago, the dragon Cephied had broken him into seven parts, sealing them in the bodies of as many human beings.
And the first season of Slayers narrates the battle of Rina, Guido, and Zelgadis first against Zeno and then the Great Demon. Starting from the tenth episode, the fourth undisputed protagonist of the series joins the three, Amelia, a thirteen-year-old princess of the Sailune kingdom, interested not so much in court life as in becoming a defender of justice to enter history books and legends (a true Don Quixote in a skirt).
In the second season, Slayers Next, our heroes find themselves a few months after the previous adventure, seeking the Claire Bible, an ancient magical text. They will find themselves involved, without knowing why, in the fight between Gaav, a half-demon half-dragon hybrid, and Fribrizio, the prince of the Underworld, who, despite looking like a child, is one of the four Demon Kings created by Sabrani-Vodoo at the dawn of time.
In the third season, Slayers Try, the villain is WarGaav, the last of the Lost Dragons, a lineage that five thousand years ago was unjustly accused of betrayal and exterminated by the other dragons. During his wanderings around the world, Gaav encountered the only surviving young dragon and decided to make him his disciple, giving him a name that also included his: WarGaav.
But now that his master is also dead, WarGaav, mad with grief, decides to destroy the entire world by summoning Dark Star, a sort of living black hole that travels from one universe to another. However, first he must gather four magical weapons, including the Sword of Light that Guido possesses as a family heirloom and from which he has no intention of parting. Rina & Co. will try to stop him with the help of the evil yet likable demon Zeross (already appeared in NEXT) and the golden dragon Philia.
Despite the disgraceful treatment it received in Italy, Slayers had enormous and immediate success in the rest of the world, especially in France, England, and the United States, as well as of course in its homeland, where it captured a broad and diverse audience (of every age and gender) and broke viewing records held by classics like Lupin III, Saint Seiya, or Sailor Moon, thus becoming the major Japanese animated phenomenon of the late '90s.
And the reasons for its success are all there: the drawings and animations (superb for the TV standards of the time) still shine, the bright colors suit the lively character of the stories, and even the music is well-chosen.
The characters, then, are not the usual, boring, flawless heroes, nor the usual misfits who must find courage within themselves, but cunning individuals who, despite acting for their own benefit (sometimes just to save their skin) end up inadvertently performing good deeds, much like Bud Spencer and Terence Hill in the golden days of "Trinity" and other masterpieces.
But aside from the technical realization and the charismatic and hilarious characters at the same time, Slayers surprises for the solidity and originality of the plot. The fantasy setting (its history, geography, spell types) is perfectly conceived, and the plot is intelligently constructed: some episodes are dedicated to pure fun (to slow down a pace otherwise too frenetic), but at the same time, a good dose of action, twists, and a pinch of drama and sentiment at the right moment ensure that the whole does not fall into parody, but has nothing to envy from 'serious' fantasies.
Not only literary sagas like "The Lord of the Rings" or "Narnia", but many classics of Japanese animation come off worse in comparison with Slayers. Take, for example, the much-praised "Dragon Ball".
In Slayers, battles upon which the universe's fate depends are resolved in the span of one (maximum two) episodes, unlike Dragon Ball which wastes on average ten thousand episodes just to create unnecessary suspense.
And again: in Slayers, the most powerful enemy, Sabrani Vodoo, is faced first, and after his defeat, due to a matter of power dynamics, things get complicated instead of improving. In Dragon Ball, Goku & co. do nothing but face increasingly stronger enemies, as if in a video game, so much so that they seem more intent on accumulating points than reflecting on what they are actually doing.
In short, for lovers of fantasy fiction and Japanese animation, Slayers is the ultimate: a unique and unrivaled cocktail. But, even if not, it remains a work that deserves a look from everyone, as it is capable of capturing anyone who loves perfectly balanced adventure and comedy.
Watching it is wisdom, missing it—well, it's not life-changing, but it's a bit like having never read "The Three Musketeers," seen "Raiders of the Lost Ark," or hummed "Rock You Like An Hurricane" by the Scorpions, if you know what I mean.
It's up to you. As far as I'm concerned: "Slayers, or nothing."
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