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Slayers Return

1996 · Directed by Hiroshi Watanabe

Original language: Japanese

  • animation
  • comedy
  • fantasy

The story

Lina Inverse and Naga the White Serpent are back! What begins as a routine bandit-stomping turns into the adventure of a lifetime involving magical golems, an ancient Elven weapon and even someone bent on destroying the world. It's a predicament only Lina and Naga could get themselves in to.

What it’s like

Hand-drawn cel animation in bright, saturated 1990s palettes: sunlit grassland and stone ruins, warm ochre dungeons, flat blue skies, and fire-orange sorcery bursts that fill the frame in quick, flashy bursts. The camera stays fairly conventional, with clean medium shots and wide establishing views of fantasy landscapes, and the cuts land on comic beats. The score is brisk orchestral fantasy with light synth-era brass and a bouncy rhythm that keeps the mood buoyant. The mood is breezy and goofy, a sort of cheerful, sardonic adventure with a steady stream of banter, sight gags and exaggerated reactions, well suited to a lazy weekend afternoon, a comfort rewatch, or something to put on with friends. Pacing is episodic and quick, with a loose, bickering partnership between a sharp-tongued young sorceress and her enormous, sardonic serpent companion, and a bit of sincere camaraderie underneath the nonsense. Violence is cartoonish and frequent: fights, explosions, monsters and magic blasts, with some battle injuries played for laughs and no gore. Fear is mild, and sexual content is minimal and comedic. It is for viewers who enjoy classic anime fantasy comedy and light, fun action.

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