Series: The Slayers Revolution: Season 4 Part 1
Release date: 8th November 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 325 mins
Director: Takashi Watanabe
Starring: N/a
Genre: Anime
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Taking inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons, and based on Hajime Kanzaka’s manga series, Slayers Revolution returns for a fourth season, blending action with fantasy and comedy as Lina and her gang face insurmountable odds to face off against the evil Duclis.
The sorceress Lina Inverse and her gang are searching for the Sword of Light after losing it in an earlier battle when they happen across Pokota, who is in possession of one Lina’s most powerful spells.
On the way, they meet a marauding gang of pirates, who have kidnapped a mermaid; emergency aid for Pokota’s kingdom of Taforashia is vindictively intercepted by the evil Gioconda; and a rich lady’s pets have gone missing. As the crew deal with these problems, they must bring the final battle to Duclis’ newly created Zanaffar, who can only be damaged by the missing Sword of Light…
The most striking element in season four of Slayers Revolution is the poor animation and characterisation. The style forgoes the obvious potential of similar series’ in favour of a simplistic, poorly designed approach, with uninteresting clichéd character models and a lack of consistency throughout the production. Clichéd is a notion which is synonymous with the whole series, as the attempted aesthetic and function of the show has been done before so many times, and done so much better (see D.Gray Man et al).
The lead character, Lina Inverse, is presented as an anti-hero of sorts, with the producers aiming to squeeze some comedy out of her arrogance and defiance. All they succeed in doing is making her possibly the single most un-relatable and unlikeable protagonist in anime. Of course, not all heroes have to be pure and innocent, and these flaws normally succeed in driving the narrative - and offering the audience anchor for the adventure, but it seems they have set out to make the most repugnant, annoying character ever, helped in no small part by the irritating voice acting from Megumi Hayashibara. The voice acting is a mixed bag, with a notable turn from Yasunori Matsumoto as the hapless Gourry who brings most of the comic beats as he struggles with his clumsiness and constantly breaking sword - much to the dismay and anger of Lina.
The relationship between Lina and the rest of the gang consists mainly of them lamenting her bad attitude or (rather bizarrely for a PG rated show) relentlessly bullying her for her flat chest (a sentiment echoed by many of the enemies they come across, even the live stuffed animal Pokota). This shift in tone from action and adventure into infantile, repetitive references to an 18-year-old girl’s breasts (or lack thereof) is somewhat unsettling, and lends an element of unsuited crudity to the show.
The aforementioned stuffed animal antagonist, Pokota, is also a redundant, infuriating character, despite featuring heavily in the earlier episodes. This is largely down to his simplistic and uninspired characterisation, leading the gang on a fruitless and dangerous journey before becoming an annoying sidekick of sorts once he realises that the evil Gioconda is involved in a plot to destroy Pokota’s kingdom, Taforashia. Pokota’s appearance is reminiscent of a bargain bin Pokémon, lacking any of their charm and harbouring a massive chip on his tiny shoulder, which, when combined with Lina’s constant arrogance, presents a truly lamentable proposition.
The juxtaposition of highly stylised, overly cartoony characters (Lina and Pokota) with much more human, relatable designs (specifically in Wizer Freon, the inspector of Ruvignald) creates a sense of disjointedness which does not lend itself well to the show’s overall aesthetic. Secondary and background characters are very poorly animated, with seemingly only a couple of frames of animation to share between them, becoming the only focal point as they spasmodically jig behind the action in a relentless loop of lazy production..
These moments of laughable shoddiness are only exacerbated when shown alongside the rather impressive action scenes. The characters cry out the names of their attacks - in typical anime fashion - and use creative combat and spells to offer a real sense of pace to these scenes, and present a pleasant distraction from the rest of the episode.
The plot is rather typical fantasy fare, with the clichéd set up of an overarching narrative beset with smaller sub-plots to appease the casual viewer. The main narrative is a convoluted affair, with Lina and Gourry reconvening with her separated friends before Wizer attempts to arrest her for apparently “being herself” (which would have been a blessing). And so begins a cat and mouse chase between Wizer, Lina and Pokota which results in an epic final battle against the Zanaffar. The confusing main narrative is made more so by the simplicity of the events of individual episodes. New characters are constantly introduced and long-winded names of far off lands are dropped with a misguided familiarity while the gang search for missing pets - and take part in a ball rolling festival.
Slayers Revolution is a poorly produced, confusing and unappealing anime with substandard design and a lead character who is one of the most unlikeable and annoying in recent memory. There are much stronger examples of similarly themed anime available, and fleeting moments of exciting combat and comedic lines cannot save this from being difficult to recommend. RB
No comments:
Post a Comment