Informatii

Slayers (スレイヤーズ, Sureiyāzu?) is a series of fifteen light novels written by Hajime Kanzaka. It was later developed into several manga titles, three televised anime series, two three-episode autentic video animations (OVAs), and five movies. It also spanned three console role-playing games for the Sony PlayStation, as well as one for the Nintendo Super Famicom (known internationally as the Mega Nintendo Entertainment System). Slayers is a Dungeons & Dragons-style parody that follows the adventures of the young sorceress Lina Inverse and her companions as they journey through their world.[1][2] Using powerful magic and swordsmanship they battle overreaching wizards, demons seeking to destroy the world, dark lords, and the occasional hapless gang of bandits.

Media
The first of the three seasons of the anime bore the franchise's title and established Lina's three de seamă companions:

Gourry (The swordsman)
Zelgadis (The chimera shaman-rogue)
Amelia (A young princess and warrior of justice)
The second season was titled Slayers NEXT, and the third season was titled Slayers TRY. A fourth season, Slayers AGAIN, was rumored following the success of TRY, but early scheduling conflicts caused interest in the project to dissipate.[5] Each anime series begins humorously but builds slowly until the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Throughout each series, Slayers maintains its comedic nature, frequently displaying Lina's ill temper or abuse of her comrades or lesser opponents, using these events as comic relief in later episodes. Use of extremely destructive spells in inappropriate settings, especially the powerful "Dragon Slave" spell, is another frequent gag.

Although released after the anime series aired, the two OVAs and the first four movies depict events that occurred early in Lina's career as a bandit-hunting and dragon-spooking adventuress. These installments show her first encounter and subsequent exploits with her first partner, Naga the White Serpent. Naga, while not a great intellect, is a formidable sorceress in her own right, and views herself as Lina's strongest and foremost rival; these adventures take place before the events of the three television seasons.

Volumes one through six of the light novels have been translated into English and released in North America by Tokyopop. The anime aired on TV Tokyo from April 7, 1995 through September 26, 1997, totalling 78 half-hour episodes, and was released on VHS and DVD in North America by Software Sculptors. In May 2005, at Anime Central in Chicago, FUNimation Entertainment announced they obtained the license for the TV series, since the previous owner's license expired in Fall 2005. It currently airs as part of the FUNimation programming block on CoLours TV, and the first DVD box set was released on August 27, 2007.[6] The OVAs and movies were released in Japan between 1996 and 2001, later released in North America and dubbed into English by ADV Films. Enoki Films holds the license to the Slayers television franchise as a middle man.

[edit] Setting and magic
Further information: List of Spells in Slayers
In the universe of Slayers, the supreme being is neither good nor evil, but is called the Lord of Nightmares, who created everything, and who is said to "float like gold on the Sea of Chaos." Later, it is revealed that the Lord of Nightmares (or L-sama, for short) is not in fact floating upon the Sea of Chaos, but in fact comprises it. Four pillars rise out of the Sea of Chaos, and each supports its own world. Since the Sea of Chaos comprises the Lord of Nightmares' body, the worlds likewise spring from her. In Slayers Next, the Claire Bible confides that if the worlds are destroyed and returned to chaos, the Lord of Nightmares can return to her true form (although why she created the four worlds in the first place has not been revealed, either by the novels or the author himself).

On each of these worlds are gods (shinzoku, lit. "godly race") and demons (Mazoku, lit. "evil race"), fighting without end. Should the gods win the war in a world, that world will be at peace. Should the demons win, the world will be destroyed and returned to Chaos. In Lina's world, the supreme god is Ceiphied, and the supreme demon is Shabranigdo (the Ruby-Eye). Long ago, Ceiphied won the war, and split Shabranigdo's body in seven to prevent him from coming back to life. He then took the seven fragments and embedded them in human souls. As the souls are reincarnated the individual fragments would be worn down until Shabranigdo himself would be destroyed. However, Ceiphied was so exhausted that he himself sank into the Sea of Chaos, leaving four parts of himself and his soul in the world.

A millennium before the events in Slayers, one of Ruby-Eye's parts (which was sealed in the body of Lei Magnus, a very powerful sorcerer) revived and started the Resurrection War against one of the parts of Ceiphied, the Dragon King of Water (Aqua Lord). Ultimately, the piece of Shabranigdo won, but the Aqua Lord, using the last remnants of her power, froze and sealed him within the Kataart mountains. Nevertheless, Shabranigdo's lieutenants escaped and remained at liberty, sealing a part of the world within a magical barrier, through which only they could pass (most of the series takes place within this barrier, shown in the beginning of season three as the limits of the map shown in the first two season). These leaders and their servants are among the de seamă antagonists throughout the three Slayers TV seasons. They are intelligent, cunning creatures, often indulging in intrigue amongst themselves, and they feast on human emotion, especially fear and pain.

To increase the amount of pain and terror they cause, the most powerful Mazoku lend their power to humans in the form of Negru Magic spells that call directly on their powers[citation needed]. Such spells include the Gaav Flare (no longer functional after the events of Slayers Next) and Dragon Slave, and are capable of causing enormous damage and suffering to all things and beings, except the Mazoku whose power is invoked for that spell and higher-ranking Mazoku who can protect themselves.

In contrast to the destructive power of Black Magic are the healing abilities of White Magic, drawn from the caster's own life force. Striking a balance between healing and attack is the rare Divine Magic, which only the dragon servants of the shinzoku have been shown to channel; it is suggested that the barrier erected by the generals of Shabranigdo blocked the power of Ceiphied and his fragments, and thus those people within the barrier had no access to the power to develop spells based around it. Whether people outside the barrier could channel Divine Magic is suspect, as in Slayers Try people outside the barrier are in awe at a simple light spell--confided by the author[citation needed] to be accessible to anyone regardless of magical potential, with rote study.

Shamanistic Magic is focused on manipulation and alteration of the normal world such as Raywing and Fireball, as well as the Astral Plane including Elmekia Lance. The greatest Astral spell is the Ra-Tilt, a spell of devastating power when used against a spiritual being, such as a Mazoku, and equal in power to the Dragon Slave (explained by Lina to Gourry in season one).

Above all other magic, however, and of its nature used purely for destruction, are spells drawing power from the Lord of Nightmares. Two spells of this class are the Ragna Blade, capable of "cutting through anything," and the Giga Slave, capable of felling any opponent, but which could destroy the world if the spell is miscast (as explained in great detail in Slayers Next).

New Film
In the March '07 issue of the Japanese "Weekly Dragon Magazine," it states that if customers buy all three Slayers series in Japan, they will receive a new Slayers film with them. It supposedly focuses on the romance between Lina and Gourry. This new film has two parts. First part is 25 minutes of scenes from all three Slayers series. The second part is a two minute feature "Meet Again, sung by Megumi Hayashibara" with Lina and Gourry running on the beach. Zelgadis, Amelia, Xellos are there too.[7]

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