Ages ago, Lina Inverse faced the Red Priest Rezo…twice
and twice defeated him, once when his body bore forth the ancient demon
Shabranigdo. Never did one day Lina
think she would be on a quest to resurrect one of her greatest foes. However, in order to save Pakota’s home of
Taforashia, that’s exactly what needs to happen. With time running out for Taforashia, the
road to Rezo’s return becomes paved with thieves, monsters and the return of an
ancient evil that nearly wiped out the Slayers once before. For Pakota, for Taforashia, it’s time for
Lina Inverse, Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia to do what they do best…ok the second
thing they do best besides eating…it’s time to save the world one more time.
Well, we’ve come to it at last, the series finale of
Slayers Evolution R and with it, the conclusion of The Year of the Slayers here
at the Gundam Anime Corner. And I’ve
gotta say, wow. If this is the potential
final bookmark in the franchise (though given how shows like Full Metal Panic
and Fruits Basket are getting sequels and remakes almost a decade after their
first airings), then Evolution R went out with a bang. While the humor took a backseat for much of
it, that small sacrifice didn’t detract from a finale that looked all the way
back to the beginning of the Slayers franchise and produced some solid and
satisfying conclusions to several long running story arcs.
However, before the good could begin, we had to get in
one last true attempt at humor…that sadly didn’t work as well as I think the
writers hoped. Turning the soul of Rezo,
trapped in the Hellmaster Jar, into a dim witted sage before he fully woke up
bombed hard, mostly. A lot of that
episode basically had Rezo as a discounted (and somehow way more annoying)
version of Excalibur from Soul Eater, aka he thinks he’s wise and leading
people to greatness but is really just an idiot. Having Ozzel as his predominant mouth piece
wasn’t funny either. The frustration
over this episode was immense and thankfully Lina had the same exact reaction I
did, going nuclear and smashing a field of jar regardless of whether or not
she’d end up destroying Rezo’s jar in the process. That bit was classic Slayers comedy
gold. And turns out it might be the last
true bit of old school Slayers humor given everything that came next.
Bringing Rezo back into the fold after so long proved to
be one of the best moves Evolution R made all season. Rezo has had far reaching effects for several
of the main Slayers cast since the beginning.
For Pakota and Zelgadis, both had to contend with their own separate and
conflicting views of Rezo: Pakota believing Rezo could do no wrong; and Zel still
dealing with a mentor’s betrayal that turned him into a stone monster. This clash was great and brought about good
vulnerable moments for both characters, Zel especially with his cries of
anguish when he learned he could never fully become human again. It’s easy to hate Rezo for all that he’s
done. However, Evolution R has been
playing an equally interesting and head scratching game with his resurrection. Ozzel came to Lina and company to destroy the
jar back in Slayers Revolution but also risked her life to protect it all
season long. Even Rezo himself couldn’t
make up his mind if he wanted to come back or not. Was Rezo reveling in tormenting Zel and
Pakota’s situations that he had a hand in or did he truly feel guilt for the
atrocities he’d committed in order to get his sight back? Then there was Xellos and his own
agenda. What was it all leading
too? I’ll admit, Rezo coming back at
last and restoring Taforashia seemed like too neat a way to wrap everything
up. Thankfully, Evolution R was more
clever than I gave it credit for. It
even openly addressed the continuous indecisiveness of Ozzel and Rezo
throughout the season, props.
Turns out a certain theory about Rezo’s return proved to
be true. Brining Rezo back also brought
back Shabranigdo, aka the big bad Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis fought all the way
back in Season One. Yep, the red demon
kaiju’s essence was still sealed away in Rezo’s eyes, even when he took on
Pakota’s body. This brought us to the
ultimate showdown of epic proportions.
Shabranigdo’s design with the new animation was truly monstrous and he
brought a real sense of apocalyptic weight with him, all kinds of lava, demons,
fire and brimstone, the works. And for
the first time, I really thought this was going to be it for everyone. Zel, Amelia, Gourry and even Xellos took
heavy hits during the final battle.
Meanwhile Lina grappled with being forced to use the Giga Slave again,
aka the attack that could destroy the world.
It’s rare to see the Slayers in such dire straits and Lina freaking out
the way she was. Honestly, this was
golden and once the Slayers Next theme song kicked in behind the action, I knew
this was going to be so good and I was right.
Teamwork, massive stakes, a sense of worry and the never ending sense of
boundless Slayers optimism. As a cherry
ontop, even Xellos had to admit that Lina’s victory had earned her and her
friends the title of “Slayers.” God I
think I clapped a little bit at that.
In a way, the final episodes are filled with so much
drama, action and scope, one could almost wonder why we don’t spend a lot of
time wrapping things up a bit more thoroughly, especially if this is it for the
travels of Lina Inverse. At the same time,
a simple montage and Pakota finally being able to return to his father and his
home (while getting new ears sewed on that he lost in battle) was fitting and
just as well deserved. And really,
that’s all that’s needed. The Slayers
will go their separate ways but you know something will eventually come up that
will bring them back together. As Lina
and Gourry run off again with Xellos smiling in actual appreciation (I think),
this marks the end of the tale begun in Slayers Revolution. But it’s not truly the end of The Slayers, is
it? Nope, the adventure will always
continue for Lina Inverse and company, even if we don’t see it in Anime form. And it will for all of us so long as we
remember to “Eat, Drink and enjoy the journey.”
Man, I feel like I was about to tear up there. Guess we had to reach the conclusion
eventually. So how was the grand final
chapter of the Slayers saga? Despite
some bumps in the middle with some not so effective melodrama and a painfully
failed attempt at humor, Slayers Evolution R is a solid and epic conclusion to
the journey of Lina Inverse and her friends.
The quest produced some fun diversions, resulting in classic Slayers
fun. The new drama brought about some
great character moments especially for Lina, Zel, Pakota and surprisingly Rezo
the Red Priest. Bringing things back to
Rezo felt like a full circle maneuver that paid tribute to the success of
Slayers in the past while closing out this latest chapter on a high note. Honestly, if it weren’t for the super
dramatic and problematic bulk of the Raddock and Abel storyline and the fact
that you did need to see Revolution before this season, Evolution R would stand
as a true equal to Slayers Next. That
said, it’s about on par with Revolution, if not a bit better. And for this last set of episodes, I’m willing
to score it a teeny bit higher, so it now sits between Revolution and
Next. Before I give the final score for
Slayers Evolution R, how about a quick recap of scores from previous seasons
(including Season One from back in 2018):
The Slayers-7/10
Slayers Next-9/10
Slayers: The
Motion Picture-6/10
Slayers Try-6/10
Slayers Revolution-8/10
And finally Slayers
Evolution R finishes off The Year of
the Slayers with a really good 8.5/10
Def some high points and low points. But in all honesty, this has been an amazing
venture to undertake with Lina, Gourry, Zel, Amelia, Xellos and the many other
memorable characters they’ve met along the way.
Slayers is definitely a major staple in the fantasy genre of Anime and a
classic I hope isn’t forgotten in the vastness of time. At the very least, the character of Lina
Inverse should never be forgotten as one as one of the greatest Anime heroines
ever (thanks in no small part to the excellent voice casting of Lisa Ortiz in
the English Dub). Here’s hoping I come
across the rest of The Movies and the OVA’s so that this isn’t the last time I
review Slayers here at the Gundam Anime Corner.
In the meantime, might see if I can squeeze in one more review on New
Years Eve (I try to, no matter how small a title it is). But just incase, thanks for a great 2019
everyone and I’ll see you in 2020. See ya around everyone.
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