User reviews

É um filme que não é muito ruim, se não dormir, dá para assistir. It's a movie that's not too bad, if you don't sleep, you can watch it.

Slayers is one of those things that's been on the list of "something I should probably watch one day" given it was one of those cornerstone 90's anime that all my friends love. The opportunity presented itself for me to watch this today, and I took it, making it the first piece of Slayers media I've ever seen.

And it's fun! But also kind of weird, in the way movies based on series tend to be, where the first half of this movie is basically just all these little vignettes where villains queue up one by one to get destroyed by Lina and Naga in a single hit. It's breezy and it's funny, don't get me wrong, but it does feel like it goes on a little too long for a bunch of dudes that are ultimately inconsequential.

When the movie finally starts moving on its central plot, it almost feels begrudgingly so. But at least it's well-established that Lina and Naga are basically unstoppable, so that when a credible threat emerges, it's that much more impressive.

The glue that holds all of this together is the animation, which is A+ prime 90's anime gold. The monsters, the spell effects, all of it is gorgeous, and there's something about the hand-painted cels on real film stock that makes it feel that much sharper and more colorful than a lot of modern digitally-produced anime. This era of anime at its peak in terms of look and style.

Also, count me among the many who are amazed that Naga, a pretty iconic Slayers character, only ever appears in these movies and is not from the actual Slayers series at all. Weird!

I've been an anime fan for six years now, and had never seen "The Slayers" in any shape or form before this movie. I had always meant to though, since I'd learned from other fans that it was a great series. Last week, I noticed this tape was available for rent at the video store. I eagerly picked it up........

And was VERY disappointed. I thought that this movie was just plain awful. It was neither funny nor containing any shred of an interesting plot. On top of my list of problems with this movie:

-I found the dialogue to be irritating (though the humor found in the Slayers series might rely on campiness, so I might have missed the point);

-the characters annoying, with personality traits that are barely interesting;

-a rather dumb plot (why exactly DO Lina and Naga team up, anyway?). I will admit that the 'breast enlargement' sub-plot made me smirk (as did the breast-bouncing bit in the castle midway through the flick), but a quest for a bigger bust does NOT make for a good movie when that's all that's going for it;

-and the battle scenes almost put me to sleep. Lina and Naga just fire off spell after spell after spell - whoopee ding. There was no sense of challenge or suspense/danger of the protagonists losing the magic fights.

Sorry to those who enjoyed this (though I'll be darned if I can figure out how you did), but this movie wasn't worth the free rental coupon I used to get it. 'Slayers: The Motion Picture' wasn't as bad as the first 'Sorcerer Hunters' video, or that loathsome 'Battle Arena Toshinden' movie, but it wasn't too far behind in my book.

I won't be giving up on the 'Slayers' series - maybe 'Next' or 'Try' or the originals will float my boat. But it'll be a cold day in hell before this turkey winds up in my anime collection.

Try the Project A-Ko series instead.

And so we again ask the evergreen question: how might an adaptation of prior material appeal to those who have had no experience with that material? Ideally a film should be accessible for newcomers while perhaps holding more meaning for those who are already fans; by the same token, one wants an adaptation to be suitably representative of a franchise to potentially draw in new fans on its strength alone. For my part I approach 1995's 'Slayers' with the freshest of eyes - and, hey, it's fairly enjoyable. I don't think I'm likely to go out of my way for more, but I wouldn't mind checking it out if I had the chance, with the assumption that other instances would be more polished.

Between the writing and direction this is shaped in such a manner that it can be appreciated by those who have never touched Kanzaka Hajime's work otherwise, for it's a straightforward feature of fantasy, adventure, and comedy. Yet while there are strong ideas in the narrative and scene writing, the execution leaves quite a bit to be desired. It seems evident that we're supposed to already know who Lina and Naga are, and why they're so powerful. Even more to the point, the picture seems rather simplified and unsophisticated, like we're getting only the most basic, unrefined, and unsubtle iteration of every notion herein - there is meaningful plot development, yes, yet beats and ideas are often dispensed with the dull directness of "This happens. Then this happens. Next, this happens. This will follow." It's the sort of presentation for which older children's movies or television is reasonably chastised for seemingly condescending, and assuming that young viewers wouldn't grasp more complete and well-rounded storytelling.

To some lesser degree the same somewhat goes for the animation. Character designs are extra cartoonish, declining the same level of detail and texture that we see in other aspects, and the animation of characters also seems a little rough, lacking especial fluidity. Granted, the backgrounds and environments are gorgeous, and other active elements including creature designs and effects are plainly superb. There's even some nice consideration for lighting and shading. But then there's the regular accentuation of Lina and Naga's exaggerated figures, which is really just tiresome as it is purely juvenile, catering to immature, pubescent boys. Some aspects are notably sharp, and others are less so; overall the animation is quite swell - but I wouldn't say it's the top of the line for what we expect of anime in 1995. Anyway, all this stems from the writing and direction, so just as there are excellent thoughts for this or that in the visual experience, its actual treatment is sometimes another matter.

The issues I have with 'Slayers' come to a head in the last act. The root story is ripe for telling in this medium, with deliciously sinister ideas on hand as Lina and Naga are drawn to a mysterious island where everything is not quite what it seems. The best facets of the animation reflect this, and likewise the rich, flavorful original music of Hattori Takayuki. Yet in how our chief characters are written and animated, and in how the title is written and directed at large, it's frankly incapable of achieving a tone appropriate for the material. And for as brusque and forthright as the sum total is in imparting its tale, the dark grandeur and impact of the saga is all but wholly stripped away, even troubling basic narrative cohesion as a result. 'Slayers' actually is entertaining, but it feels rushed, diminished, and light - by every measure, only a fragment of what it should be. A sizable fragment, maybe, but still a fragment.

Ultimately I do like this flick, and I'm glad I took the time to watch. I think it's worthwhile on its own merits, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of the franchise in the hope that other entries account for the faults I recognize here. Still, those faults limit the lasting value that this release has to offer, as true today as it was thirty years ago; with a tad more mindful care in every regard the feature would have been notably improved. One way or another this hardly demands viewership, yet all told 'Slayers' is a good time if you happen to have the opportunity to watch.

My son introduced me to anime not that long ago. Like most things, there's a lot of junk, but "Slayers, the Motion Picture" is definitely NOT junk! I was unaware that it was originally a tv series in Japan, but this movie can stand entirely on its own: Heroines, villains, good writing and characterization, great animation, and, finally, an evil foe with great power and no conscience whatsoever. I do have to agree with my son, though, that it's best to watch this movie with subtitles rather than dubbing. Dubbing cannot capture the same character qualities as the original- and often very witty- Japanese dialogue does.

Nahga the Serpent is a great addition to Slayers in that she brings another level of comedy with her. But what separates this film from the rest of the movies and the Specials is that Lina's and Nahga's adventure intertwine with the story of a human whos memories and quest are perhaps more important to the audience than that of the two sorceresses. Slayers the Motion Picture had everything I wanted from a Slayers film and more: love, heroism, wit, adventure, and comedy.

I remember as a child, my mom got me Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie on a library rental; in the bonus features was a trailer for Slayers: The Motion Picture. I watched that trailer over and over, being in love with the song.

Years later (actually, this was 10 years ago! I would've been 13 at the time) I recalled that trailer and song, and found the whole film available on YouTube to watch. It was amazing - met my expectations! Beautiful main characters, good humor, exciting action, well-added drama...

The English dub was excellent, as well. Cynthia Martinez really brings out Lina Inverse's fiestiness; while I expected Naga to sound more seductive, I appreciated the haughtiness to her voice, brought by Kelly Manison. Upon my first viewing, I was wondering if these characters, given by their names, were really meant to be European, and also if Naga's laugh sounds like the original Japanese. It turned out I might as well be right!

I also learned afterwards that this is based on an anime series. Thankfully, you don't even need to watch it first in order to understand this. It's short, sweet, and stands as its own. And if it wasn't for The Motion Picture, I wouldn't have checked out and fallen in love with the Slayers show.

I went through a period of time when I was obsessed with the theme, "Midnight Blue" by Megumi Hayashibara (Lina's original voice actress). I'd listen to it endlessly, much to the annoyance of my family!

I love this movie so much, I added it to my Christmas list in 2015, and got it on DVD in the mail.

I'm just new to SLAYERS, so I decided that The Motion Picture would be my first animated encounter with Lina and Naga. Boy, did I enjoy it. I got lost on the plot once, but I just ignored it and picked up from there on. Out of the two mages, Lina has to be my favourite. There's something about her... I think it's probably her short temper. My favourite scene is just after when Naga literally bounces onto the screen and admonishes Lina for her diminuative stature. Lina cooly points at Naga and uses a fireball to roast her. I also liked the Midnight Blue song at the end. Oh, Naga! I forgot her. Um, well, just looking at her says it all. The best scene with Naga has to be the jellyfish/sea cucumber battle. That was just an odd spell, as was the one with the dragon made of rock (a massive head and tiny body). One problem, though: I think there wasn't enough of Lina's Dragon Slave.

But on the whole, an excellent piece of viewing for newcomers.

The English dubbed version of the Japanese 'Slayers - Gorgeous'. Although some of the dubbing was really badly done (ex. Dill Brand = Explosion Array, Dragon Slave spell was mixed up), and Lina's Seiyuu (voice actress) got kinda annoying after a while, it was overall a solid effort and was another great success in a great series... Slayers!

Lisa Ortz (Lina's regular Seiyuu) was off recording Record Of Lodoss War - Chronicles of the Heroic Knight when this was being dubbed, so they had to get someone else. Naga's Seiyuu was, however, a true tribute to her Japanese voice!

If your looking for a good time with a couple of smart-ass gals who like to blow stuff up, welcome to Slayers!

Had never seen any of the series before, so this was my trial run...

Damn, that was funny. I love the way the Nahga and Lina play off each other (and how everyone feels the need to point out the obvious physical differences between them). The battles are well done, and often to comedic ends (look at the whole battle at the docks).

A well done, simple anime flick.

I highly recommended the DVD... original Japanese dialog with subtitles always strikes me as better than dub.