Slayers Revolution Backtrack 01- Impressions and General setting

The Dra-Mata Is Back!

After a decade-long wait for one of the most beloved anime series to cross the ocean, we have the new 4th season of Slayers Revolution. Among the fears of us, the long-time fans was that the new generation would not embrace the series fully as it’s charm was very different to the moe and fanservice laden, angst-ridden world of newer anime series. This fear, hopefully, has been dissipated by the renewed interest of some new fans over this wonderful piece of anime and the interest of FUNimation to keep the fields fansub-free.

The way this new season was produced is simply amazing. Instead of doing a new rehash, they chose to continue the story and they kept EVERYTHING that makes the Slayers…..well, the Slayers.

First, all the old seiyuu from the gang are back. You CAN hear a difference in their voices, but it is imperceptible to anyone but the oldest fans who saw it in its original japanese.

Second, humor, plot devices, storyline and timing is pretty much the same as the old series (this sadly includes the typical nonsense filler without redemption, but its still part of the tradition). Third, some of the music from olden days is back, along with our beloved Megu-chan doing the vocals to the OP & ED themes.

Last, but not least, it is the SAME Slayers we know and love. Change is not always better and the way this series caters to its fandom and does not bring any new elements from the new generation, other than improved traditional and cg animation. This, for me, is probably the most important asset of this anime, as it brought characters and setting that were in the original novels as opposed to making an entire new canon.

There has been however a lot of confusion, mainly by newer fans, over all the background information that is needed to understand some of the jokes, plot devices or character traits that are popping up left to right here. We have to remember that the last of the canon TV anime was last seen 11 years ago (yes, long time ago, should be worried….but…eh). There is a new Pokém…Digim….I mean, character that is introduced in this season.

Terriermon....I mean....Pokota chanting up a Dragon Slave

Pokota is a powerful magic user, inventor, etc. with a strong connection, ironically, to the more serious plot of the series. He also pretty much acts as a proxy for the new viewers of the anime, as he lacks much of the same background info as they do in regards to the plot. There is, however, a LOT of background information that not only increases your appreciation of this series, but that is sometimes needed to understand the finer points of it or avoid some “WTF” moments. Now, here is where my backtrack goes into effect. I’ll try to point out some of the background info that is needed to grasp a general understanding of the series or some of its key moments and plot devices. If you want more detailed info on this, there is a wiki called KanzakaDex which holds a vast database on all things Slayers.

The World of Slayers

I could spend hours doing a great summary on this, but few could topple the brief but completely enlightening work of Xellos (aka Andre Germain) and Yuu-chan of Slayers Universe. Therefore, I won’t even try and instead direct you here

Back? Great.

Races

Basically, there are 3 main races in the Slayers World:

Mazoku -Serve the Dark Lords of each world. They feed on negative emotions and are very powerful magic users. They exist mainly in the astral plane and as such, nothing but the strongest spells and magical weapons are effective to them.

Shinzoku -They serve the Gods of each realm. They are the beings of light and are mostly represented by the Dragon Race (golden, ancient) who are highly intelligent and powerful.

Humans – The humans inside the Barrier can cast magic and are adept at it. Humans outside the Barrier have just begun to develop magic. Humans, as beigns of both dark and light are in the middle of the eternal conflict between the Shinzoku and the Mazoku and can use magic that comes from both sources.

Diagram from Slayers TRY Collection #2, page 78. This image was taken from Slayers Universe. Thanks for all the info and work  throughout the years.

Wasn’t that a lot of fun? 😀    Next time around, I’ll get a bit into the Mazoku structure and a general cast on magic.

I know that this has come a bit late in the series, but hopefully it’ll be of some use to anyone.

Over and out.

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