Review for Slayers: Evolution-R (Review)

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Introduction
For reasons outside of my control, I couldn't review Slayers Evolution-R prior to its release in the UK. I've had to be just like the little people and wander into a virtual anime emporium, and part with my all too real cash. Fortunately, I've grown very fond of the Slayers franchise as I have watched its UK release since season 1, and I eagerly grabbed the final collection once the requisite confluence of a suitable sale and sufficient free time occurred. It may be a little late, but here then is the review for Slayers Evolution-R

Lina Inverse is a powerful sorceress in a pint-sized package. She's into wealth redistribution. She takes on the toughest of bandits, the meanest of monsters, with an arsenal of powerful and destructive spells, and then liberates them from their gold, gems and magical artefacts, redistributing it into her own pocket. Somehow though, she's become one of a group of adventurers, working together to fight evil, defeat monsters, and make enough money to fill their stomachs. After all, fighting the Dark sorcerer Rezo, and the resurrected Shabranigdo tends to unite people against adversity. And if that isn't enough, searching for the Clare Bible and defeating the nefarious plans of the Monsters, taking down the Dark Demon King Gaav in the process ought to suffice, and then getting in the middle of the battle between Gods and Monsters and taking on the Dragon Race in the process really ought to make an impact. Gourry Gabriev is the heroic figure, a dab hand with a sword, if not too bright of intellect. Zelgadis is a powerful warrior/magic user, who in the pursuit of more power was cursed so that his skin turned to stone, and is now looking for a cure. Amelia is a trainee sorceress, and heir to the throne of Seyruun, who has an unwavering belief in goodness and justice, and who as an apprentice, continually manages to rub Lina the wrong way. Their misadventures resumed after a well-earned break in the fourth series, Slayers Revolution, and now with Slayers Evolution-R, we get to the conclusion.

The previous collection saw Lina drawn into a grand conspiracy, as she was being framed for acts of destruction that she didn't actually commit. The stuffed toy Pokota was the culprit, but he was trying to prevent the magical technology of Taforashia falling into the hands of the nation of Ruvinagald. One thing led to another, and the demon beast Zanaffar was let loose to wreak havoc across the world, calling forth one of those last ditch battles that Lina and her friends usually wind up fighting. Anyway… The thing about Pokota is that he isn't actually a cuddly toy. He's a disembodied spirit inhabiting the cuddly toy. His actual body lies in suspended animation in Taforashia, along with the rest of the population, put there when threatened by a deadly disease. The saviour who did so was none other than the red priest Rezo. The seal will stay in place until Rezo breaks his spell, or he dies. Wait… Rezo's still alive? That's the blind priest from season 1 who turned into Shabranigdo and almost ended the world before Lina and the others defeated him… That Rezo…

Thirteen episodes are presented across two discs by MVM, and you can read the synopses on the next page, or skip forward to the conclusion.

Picture
Slayers Evolution-R gets a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer and for this final adventure with the Slayers gang, Madman Entertainment in Australia have at last given it the native PAL treatment. No more ghosting or judder, at the expense of a 4% speed up. Slayers still gets the bright and colourful image as in the earlier series. However, brighter moments, especially during scene transitions, are prone to an odd strobe effect for a frame or two. The character designs aren't much altered, Zelgadis is a little bluer, lines are cleaner, and consistency greater courtesy of modern animation techniques. The world design is also recognisable from the earlier incarnations, but there is a tad more detail this time around. Where Slayers Evolution-R really shows its youth is in the actual animation, which has an energy, vibrancy, and more importantly scope and imagination that the earlier series simply couldn't afford. It's still a simpler animation compared to its contemporaries though, and it is still recognisably Slayers.

Sound
You have a choice between DD 5.1 English and DD 2.0 Japanese with optional translated subtitles and a signs only track. It's a comfortable zone of familiarity if you have experienced the original Slayers. Both the majority of the English and Japanese casts return, and both dubs are like welcoming old friends. The audio in both versions is fine, with an upgrade in terms of clarity and fidelity down to modern technology. The music of Slayers makes a welcome return, but somehow sounds grander and fuller. The dialogue is clear in both versions, but I did have to turn the volume up a tad on the Japanese version. To be honest, what little I sampled of the English dub didn't immediately impress me with its surround presence, and it may as well have just been a stereo track.

For some bizarre reason, what has for the previous four series been always translated to 'Monster' in the subtitles, is in this collection left untranslated as 'Mazoku'.

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