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The Slayers Try DVD Collection

The Slayers Try DVD Collection

List Price: $49.95
Your Price: $44.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Fading At The End
Review: * I enjoyed the first two seasons of the SLAYERS anime
series on DVD and so I had little problem deciding to
pick up the third and final TV season collection,
SLAYERS TRY.

SLAYERS TRY follows the same formula as the previous
season. The crew still includes hotheaded sorceress
Lina Inverse, drifty-blonde swordsman Gourry, justice
fanatic Princess Amelia, and cynical part-golem warrior
Zelgadis. The demonic smart-aleck priest Xellos
from the second season also is retained as an important
character.

SLAYERS TRY introduces a new character, Filia, a
dragon priestess in human form. Filia is pretty and
endearing, if sometimes overly feminine while having
major strength and destructive capabilities. However,
Filia is about the only thing that's really new
about SLAYERS TRY.

While SLAYERS TRY maintains the fair-to-competent
production qualities of earlier SLAYERS series, it
basically repeats the same general theme of its
predecessors: the gang is confronted and must
resolve an apocalyptic threat. SLAYERS TRY is nothing
particularly new, and if it is moderately entertaining
to watch it is not particularly memorable.

What is particularly disappointing about SLAYERS
TRY is that it does very little to advance the
relationships of the characters. The previous
SLAYERS NEXT series did seem to hint that there
were some changes in store, but the scriptwriters
were clearly unwilling to take the plunge and
change the scenario in any significant way.

Obviously this was done on the expectation that
there might be follow-on seasons for SLAYERS,
meaning the scriptwriters didn't want to paint
themselves into a corner by, say, marrying off
the characters or bringing out Xellos' barely
latent malevolent personality. With the final
result being too indifferent to support a fourth
season, it seems like they tried to dodge the bullet
and simply walked into it instead. (I would be
astounded if they *knew* they weren't going to
have a fourth season and *still* didn't bother
to stick their necks out.)

I suppose this does leave open the possibility
of tying up some loose ends with SLAYERS movies
in the future, but it is somewhat disappointing.
If you liked the earlier SLAYERS series, SLAYERS
NEXT is still worthwhile to complete the
collection, but if you weren't that impressed
by the earlier seasons, you won't get excited
over SLAYERS TRY.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: a sad disappointment
Review: After the incredibly enjoyable Slayers and Slayers Next, Slayers Try is a massive letdown. You already know the plot: Lina and friends must save the world from an even more powerful evil entity. But that isn't the problem.
Apparently the directors decided that we didn't get enough of the slapstick humor that was stale at the end of the last series, so it's heavily lavished on in this one. It's amazing how they manage to beat once-enjoyable humor to death in this series. You once might have laughed at this stuff, but now it's past its time. To compensate, there are a few points where they insanely overdo the slapstick...
The characters too, have lost much of their freshness. Xellos, while still cool has a much smaller and less interesting role, and the new character, Filia loses most of her appeal early on. Some of the earlier episodes are the most interesting, and you think that maybe they're really going to do something with the romances in the group, as well as flesh out Xellos much more. But they don't.
Toward the end the directors try to throw you something new by clouding the good and the bad so that there's no one clear villain. Then, deciding it's too much work, they toss all of that away and give the heroes one big evil final boss that they have to defeat. Of course, the very end is so boring that you probably won't care too much.
So the fact is, it's not really worth your while to buy this. There's no big revelation at the end that you need to see, and the rest just isn't worth it. A few scattered laughs and one or two interesting parts is all this has going for it, and it's not enough.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A very satisfying end
Review: Ah, beautiful sorcererous, a big dumb merc, must be another slayers season! I've said this before, and I'll say it again, Slayers is awsome! There is comedy, drama, romance, and even a little bit of tradgedy. This time, Lina Inverse is back, and with a vengence! Those who have watched Slayers NEXT will see the return of most of the old characters. Those who have not seen Slayers NEXT, should not be reading this, as it contains spoilers. In fact, if you don't watch NEXT, you very well might end up scratching your head in confusion. This is pretty much a continuation of the last season as it is a new season in its own right. Normally, this would get very tiresome very fast. This is Slayers, however. Not normally.
Slayers TRY is either loved or hated by viewers, though I'm not quite sure why. Out of the entire season, there was perhaps one or two that I thought were dull and entirely useless. The comedy is reused, but it is done so in a way to poke fun at itself, and isn't so reused that it gets old.

Old Characters: Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos, King Phil
New Characters: Valgaav, Filia, Supreme Elder, and the Gods, Jillas

Pros:
+ Hilarious
+ Has a good blend of old and new humour
+ AWESOME animation. The battles were fantastic.
+ Good character interaction. All of the diologue was in character, and meaningfull.
+ Good Plot.
+ Music was good

Cons:
-- Some of the slapstic gets old, but rarely.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A dissapointing end to one of the best Anime series ever
Review: I am a huge fan of anime, especially fantasy. Slayers has long been one of my favorites (along with Record of the Lodoss War), and I own the whole TV series and all movies and OAVs (even the ones that haven't been brought over to the US). Thus, I can say with confidence that Slayers Try is the absolute weakest link in the Slayers series. After watching Slayers Next, which I consider the peak of the Slayers series with its near-perfect mix of humor and plot, charactes and villians, Try was just a let down. Xellos becomes much darker, losing the mysterious and humorous aura he held in Next. Filia is a decent addition (some of the scenes between her and Xellos are quite humorous) but does make up for the rest of the characters, who are flatter and drier than they have ever appeared before. The traditional sequence of comedy episodes following the midpoint of the series is just plain not funny. While some of the episodes at this point in Next had my rolling with laughter (the dolls and tennis match in particular), Try simply had me staring in disbelief. The ending is very unsatisfying, and I sometimes wish I had simply stopped watching after Next, which has a wonderful yet open ended conclusion.

This isn't to say that there is nothing redeeming in Try: many of the villians are quite well done, and the first half of the series, though not as good as the previous enstallments, still contained a healthy dose of Slayers goodness. The last 13 or so episodes, however, were a huge let down, and I haven't watched them again since my first time through.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A dissapointing end to one of the best Anime series ever
Review: I am a huge fan of anime, especially fantasy. Slayers has long been one of my favorites (along with Record of the Lodoss War), and I own the whole TV series and all movies and OAVs (even the ones that haven't been brought over to the US). Thus, I can say with confidence that Slayers Try is the absolute weakest link in the Slayers series. After watching Slayers Next, which I consider the peak of the Slayers series with its near-perfect mix of humor and plot, charactes and villians, Try was just a let down. Xellos becomes much darker, losing the mysterious and humorous aura he held in Next. Filia is a decent addition (some of the scenes between her and Xellos are quite humorous) but does make up for the rest of the characters, who are flatter and drier than they have ever appeared before. The traditional sequence of comedy episodes following the midpoint of the series is just plain not funny. While some of the episodes at this point in Next had my rolling with laughter (the dolls and tennis match in particular), Try simply had me staring in disbelief. The ending is very unsatisfying, and I sometimes wish I had simply stopped watching after Next, which has a wonderful yet open ended conclusion.

This isn't to say that there is nothing redeeming in Try: many of the villians are quite well done, and the first half of the series, though not as good as the previous enstallments, still contained a healthy dose of Slayers goodness. The last 13 or so episodes, however, were a huge let down, and I haven't watched them again since my first time through.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Slayers, so its good.
Review: I love Slayers, easily the best series out there IMHO. Sadly though, its the last of the series. Try seems to lack a little of the story and animation quality that made the first two series absolutely fantanstic. Never the less, its Slayers so you need to buy this, right now!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Slayers!!
Review: I loved this DVD boxset. Although many people rate it badly because they think it didn't outlive the amazing Slayers Next, I loved this series...especially some two new characters^_^ It's more of a serious turn to slayers, but it still keeps the great fun and humour we love slayers for.
If you loved the other slayers series...you'll love this one too=)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Slayers Try
Review: I think this series of the Slayers is amazing. It mainly has to do with Lina and co. going to the outer world to explore it. There they run into these bad guys who they find out want Gourry's sword of light. There are apparently 5 of them and they have some sort of power. (You'll have to watch to find out) There are some hilarious episodes including the one where they are coupled together. With some serious ones like the first few episodes. All together it is the best anime I've ever seen, and I do watch many! BUY IT! You won't get a deal anywhere better than here! Trust me

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Highly entertaining conclusion to a great anime series
Review: I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Slayers. This series is just so endearing that you instantly fall in love with the characters which helps cover any problems with the plot. Series one was kind of a disappointment to me in places (although it was still brilliant in others) while Slayers Next (season two) was sheer bliss and represented what was to me the pinnacle of Slayers; great character interaction, sharp dialogue and an excellent plot.

Slayers Try is the third season of Slayers and although it's a lot different then Slayers Next, it is still brilliant and in some ways is superior to the series that preceded it.

The humor isn't nearly as present here as it was before, and Slayers Try takes on a much darker tone then the previous outings. Sure the humor is still here but it isn't as in your face, which is both a strength and a weakness. Clearly it was a gamble to change the focus of the series but I think the creators made a good decision when they realized they couldn't possibly make a repeat of Next while maintaining any form of originality.

Try introduces a few new characters, some of which are memorable, some of which are not. I really like Valgaav as well as Jillas on the bad guy side; especially since they were given a fully fleshed out history and the motivations for their behavior made a lot of sense. Also of note is Fillia who makes an excellent foil for Xellos, although she often ends up just being humiliated instead of getting the better of him.

Nothing much has changed for the core characters; the romance angle has been dropped somewhat (which is a little disappointing since it's obvious that the series creators injected a lot of chemistry between the couples up till now) but we still have the occasional bit thrown in for good measure.

It is hard to describe much else without ruining the plot of Slayers Try, but suffice to say that it reminded me a lot of Lodoss War with the characters of Slayers thrown in. A lot more serious, but it is a credit to the characters that they are flexible enough for us to take them seriously during times of tension and laugh at them during times of craziness. Great work, although some die hard Slayers fans might be turned off by the de-emphasis on humor.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gotta love slapstick swords and sorcery
Review: If you love Slayers, then you have to buy this boxset.

The Slayers is arguable the best series of any kind (anime or other) out there, ever. It's versitile, funny, deep, and downrigth enjoyable, with a loveable cast and FABULOUS humor.

Slayers Try, the third season, has it's ups and downs. Personally, I believe that the Slayers reached it's peak with Slayers NEXT, so expecting something better from TRY will just dissapoint you. Slayers TRY has much less of a re-view value than NEXT, and a less interesting cast. Although the villans, Jillias, Gravos, Valgaav, and Dark Star Dugradigo were well developed, the cst of heroes suffered. The elimination of Martina, Sylphiel, and most importantly Zangulus was not compinsated for with the addition of the anoying and useless Filia. She has moments of humor, but I got sick of her by the end of the series. Xellos plays a weaker, less humorous role in TRY, and harldly even uses his catch line.. "sore wa himetsu desu," which was a HUGE dissapointment. Also, there was no romantic angle to it, so some versitility was lost.

Not to say that TRY isn't an excellent use of ones cash, it's Slayers for crying out loud, how much better can you get? The animation is about on par with NEXT, maybe a little less colorful, and the effects and spells were great, the slapstick is priceless, and it's got Lina Inverse. You can't ask for much more than a series with Lina Inverse!

So, to sum it all up, it's great, it's fabulous, but it's not phenominal.


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