It's hard to deny that Slayers was one of the most successful anime franchises to spring from the 90's. Aside from Tenchi there are few shows that can claim to have multiple series and a plethora of movies from this era. With that being said it's hard to deny that Slayers is certainly worn. It has been around the block a few times and by now chances are good that most everyone interested in the show have had the opportunity to check it out.

Well, I say that by now everyone who was ever interested in the show has most likely watched it but maybe I'm wrong. There could possibly be a new generation of Slayer fans out there just waiting for someone to re-release the show. Or, quite possibly, maybe you're like me and haven't seen the show since it was originally released on VHS.

In case you missed it the show features Lina Inverse, a powerful and infamous sorcerer who travels the land killing bandits and looking for loot. She not only possesses great magical ability but the underdeveloped chest of a 13 year old as well. This makes her the butt of many jokes and the hits just keep on coming as she comes across a dashing swordsman named Gourry. The two teamed up to stop the dark lord Shabranigdo and in the process they come across other characters such as the demonic looking Zelgadis and the annoying princess Amelia. Once the cast was in place the show followed them from one adventure to the next and though the content got kind of dry at times it remained light and very accessible.

The second chapter in the franchise known as Next furthered the story of Lina and friends and introduced some new characters both good and bad. The show maintained the traditional humorous and nonsensical formula, filler episodes, and occasional semblance of a plot smattered in between. While there wasn't a great deal of continuity to be had the fact that the series offered a similar set up was a boon for people who enjoyed the first season. Does the third season continue the trend?

With Slayers Try the action picks up kind of where Next left off. The barrier that surrounded Lina's land has been lifted and other areas of the world have become ripe for exploration. New darkness has emerged in the wake of previous events and an even bigger threat comes to fruition as the season's tale unfolds. The nice thing about Try is that there is much more continuity and less filler. Sure there are still random time wasting episodes but a great chunk of plot building stuff comes at the beginning of the season and picks up again towards the end. It helps to connect events together and definitely feels much more organized than previous efforts.

Most of the old familiar cast makes a return this time around with the exception of Sylphiel who is replaced by Filia. In many ways Filia is a much better addition to the cast and she offers a lot of depth due to her nature of being a dragon who can take human form. It allows for some hilarious situations but things never get too out of control.

On the subject of the show's sense of humor, I have to say that Slayers Try significantly turns back the dial. All around the jokes just aren't as abundant or amusing which definitely affects the show negatively. This franchise has been built on a wild sense of humor and off-the-wall antics but with that element toned down the story isn't strong enough to offer much support. Sure a few gleaming nuggets of hilarity crop up from time to time but these are unfortunately few and far between. This doesn't mean that Try is without charm; it just means that it's not as enjoyable as the previous seasons.

In just about every area Try changes the tone of Slayers. The witty jokes and gags have been trimmed down, the story has been improved, and the cast has been shaken up. The action elements for which the series has also become known for are altered as well. Everything is much more slapstick this time around and the fact that nobody really dies gives it a very immature feel. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but if you're like me and you're coming to Try expecting similarities to what came before it then you may be left wanting.

With four discs and 26 episodes Slayers Try isn't a bad show. If this series has any flaw it would be that it doesn't quite live up to the precedent set by what came before it. The personality of the series isn't what fans have become accustomed to though I suppose by the third season of any show its creators want to shake things up a bit. Fans of the franchise should give this one a shot but keep in mind that it's not as good as what came before it.

With the original video production of Slayers: Try taking place eleven years ago you know going into the DVD that you have to take that into consideration. This show is older and it is going to look that way no matter how much work is done on it. Many colors appear faded, there are traces of dirt here and there, the picture jumps from time to time, and traces of compression crop up as well. With that being said FUNimation did a good job in regards to restoring the picture of this classic series. Scenes appear cleaner than I recall and all around the palette seems to have been spruced up a bit. This was a rich looking show when it was released and it's nice to see that the picture quality has been improved somewhat to meet today's standards. Even so there's no way around the age, worn appearance of the source material.

Like the video quality it's safe to say that the audio noticeably wears its age. The English and Japanese language tracks are presented in stereo which is a step up from the prior seasons. Once again the dubbing quality for both tracks is exemplary and this time around the technical quality is on par for both. The dialogue and sound effects are clear and concise though I felt both tracks were a little too muted. Again, this probably comes from the age of the material though I can't help but shake the feeling that FUNimation could have spruced things up some more.

Textless animations and trailers are all you're going to find here!

In my opinion the Slayers franchise began a decline after the first season. Next tried too hard to be the original and Try made an effort to be very little like what came before it. With that being said there are still some familiar moments here and the story is fleshed out more this time around. It's not necessarily a bad show but it's not quite as good as the first or even second seasons. Fans should give it a shot but newcomers should start with the original series to get the whole picture.

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