The Slayers have suffered their worst defeat. Though Demon Dragon Lord Gaav is dead, the
Hellmaster Phibrizzo has captured Gourry, Lina’s bodyguard and closest
friend. The truth of Xellos’ mission to
guide The Slayers is revealed and Lina discovers her magic might hold the key
to Phibrizzo’s greatest aspirations: the end of the world. Unfortunately for Phibrizzo, he just pissed
off the wrong Sorceress. Lina, Zel,
Amelia and Martina join forces with some old friends for the most important
battle to date. But The Slayers could
barely survive Gaav, what chance do they have against the Demon Lord of the
Underworld himself? What role will the
wild card Xellos play in this fight? And
just how far will Lina go to save the person she holds in her heart most
dear? The Slayers have their game faces
on for this one, it’s time to save the world…again.
This is the kind of finale where, after the final seconds
have passed, you need to sit down and let it all sink in, wash over and pass
through like a nice gentle breeze. It
wasn’t perfect and it definitely felt like I was watching a totally different
show for a little bit, but damn if Slayers Next didn’t deliver one helluva
photo finish as only Lina Inverse could.
My concerns about Phibrizzo held up for the most
part. Though I don’t know if him being a
kid either amplified his despicable acts or not. Either way, resurrecting an entire city to be
his soulless soldiers and actually killing each of The Slayers was as low as
you could possibly go for a villain (don’t worry, everyone was revived and ok). So I guess when you hit said lows, the comeuppance
youre going to get is going to be…well biblical. And biblical it was…but I think im jumping
ahead a bit. I guess to finish my
thoughts on Phibrizzo…he, like many other foes in Slayers Next, never measured
up to the bar set by Rezo 2.0 in Season One, which is definitely going to knock
off a point or two in my final grading.
But let’s backtrack and try and break down all the epic
and dramatic (shocking) twists of the Slayers Next finale. Im glad that though Lina tried to fake happy
her way past Gourry’s abduction, the others didn’t let her forget it and all
helped her get her mind set for the final battle. These last four episodes were certainly a
test of Lina and Gourry’s deep bond over the last two seasons and how far
either would go for one another. Lina
ended up almost destroying the world and Gourry leapt into the hole of oblivion
to bring Lina back as a result. Which
gave us a much deserved and awesome kiss…which was promptly forgotten by both
and suddenly things got back to normal.
What’s more, Lina and company weren’t alone in their
final battle with Phibrizzo. Zangulus
made an overdue but welcome return to square off against a possessed Gourry and
continue his underrated streak of being awesome. It’s a shame he only showed up now and
subsequently became Martina’s final main squeeze…cause I could actually do with
a whole subplot of Martina and Zangulus or a side series cause they made a
great pair, even if they only met in the last couple of episodes and got
married…happy endings all around I guess.
Sylphiel also returned…and she was not missed at all. Not only did she really not serve much
purpose in the last act (then again neither did Zangulus but I will always welcome
his appearances) but they still didn’t change her voice actress in the English
dub. Sylphiel admittedly does get some
big dramatic moments in the finale (gotta talk about drama in a bit too) but
the effect feels lost because her voice is one note, one tone, all boring, all
the time. I was really hoping that if
she did come back they would amend this cause the rest of the voice acting this
season has been stellar. This goes
double for Lisa Ortiz as Lina, who did an amazing job giving Lina some dramatic
depth as the sorceress was pushed to the breaking point but never truly broken. Her voice work is one of the main reasons I
love Lina Inverse as a whole.
Let’s talk about the tone of these last 8 episodes. Balancing the trademark humor of the series
and the new, darker storytelling approach was a tough battle for Slayers Next to
figure out. Several early episodes
attempted to be more serious with sprinkles of humor but, in my opinion, some
of the seasons best episodes were in the middle when it was back to the feel
good journeys we found in Season One.
That said, Phibrizzo’s level of ruthlessness left little room for
humor. As I said above, we had to watch
each of The Slayers die by his hand before Lina was pushed to unleashing the
Giga Slave. It wasn’t unfamiliar
territory for Slayers Next but it also ran the risk of totally evaporating the
feel good vibes that made the show so special.
Thankfully, the drama did come with great payoff. Martina especially gets MVP of this set, even
the season as a whole. She finally put
aside her petty rivalry and gave Lina the courage to act and save Gourry even
if it meant the end of the world. And
when Lina finally unleashed the Giga Slave and became the Lord of
Nightmares…WOW. Not only did Lina look
like a legit Super Saiyan but she gave Phibrizzo exactly what was coming to
him…his own death but the rest of the world wasn’t coming with him. The payoff was great even if the villain was
uneven. And in the end, a win is a
win. Everything that makes the Slayers
great came through in the end, that being the unbreakable bond between Lina, Gourry,
Zelgadis and Amelia. No matter how dark
this show wants to try and go, that will always be the shining star of this
franchise.
Guess it’s time for final thoughts. Slayers Next tried some different approaches
from its rough draft first season. The
animation got a major upgrade. The
Villains might not have had a lot of depth but they brought the menace in
spades. The stand alone adventures were
more hilarious than anything in Slayers so far and The Slayers themselves
brought all of the comedic gold. Whether
its fighting over food or working as a well oiled machine against monsters, the
core quartet of heroes endured it all and grew in their friendships (though I
doubt they’ll do more with the Lina/Gourry romantic angle anymore, at least for
now). Slayers Next also gets bonus
points for fun new cast additions.
Martina and Xellos were incredibly likeable and brought their own crazy
and mystery that helped them fit right in with the core team. I have a feeling we’ll see Xellos again down
the line but I also hope Martina returns as her rivalry with Lina was a big
highlight of the season. While not every
episode was a total win, I can tell you there was at least one thing to like
about every story. And if you can stand
some of the darker moments that both equally shocked and worked, you’ll find
yourself enjoying a sequel that definitely surpasses its predecessor. I knew the best was yet to come…and maybe it
still is with Season 3.
9/10
And with that, I’m Katsucon bound. I’ll be back in two weeks for a new series
before we head into the Anime Corner’s 5th Anniversary. Don’t think we’re done with Lina Inverse yet
either. I’ll just announce it here that
my big Anniversary review for Year 5 is going to be Slayers: The Motion Picture.
After that you can expect the return of The Slayers in May when I review
the third season of this epic fantasy comedy, Slayers Try. I told ya 2019
was going to be the Year of The Slayers. See ya in a couple of weeks everyone.
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