Slayers Return
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

, also known as ''Slayers Movie 2 - The Return'', is a 1996 Japanese
comic fantasy Fantasy comedy or comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Typically set in imaginary worlds, fantasy comedy often involves puns on and parodies of other works of fantasy. Literature The subgenre rose ...
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
film written by Hajime Kanzaka and directed by
Kunihiko Yuyama is a Japanese director best known for his work on the ''Pokémon'' anime franchise. He also directed ''Magical Princess Minky Momo'', '' Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko'', ''The Three Musketeers Anime'', ''Ushio and Tora'', '' Kimagure ...
and Hiroshi Watanabe. It is the second film released in the ''
Slayers is a Japanese light novel series written by Hajime Kanzaka and illustrated by Rui Araizumi. The novels have been serialized in ''Dragon Magazine'' since 1989, before being published into individual volumes. They follow t ...
'' saga and a sequel to 1995's '' Slayers Perfect'' that was itself followed by ''
Slayers Great is a 1997 anime film written by Hajime Kanzaka and directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Hiroshi Watanabe. It was the third film released in the ''Slayers'' saga and was met with a generally positive reception from Western critics. ''Great'' was foll ...
'' in 1997. In ''Slayers Return'', the mercenary heroines
Lina Inverse is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the comic fantasy-themed light novel, manga and anime series ''Slayers''. Lina Inverse is a young yet very powerful sorceress travelling the world in search of adventure and treasure. Lina has b ...
and
Naga the Serpent is a fictional character in the light novel, anime, manga, radio drama and game versions of Hajime Kanzaka's media franchise ''Slayers'', who was introduced in ''Dragon Magazine'' in 1990. She is also often known as Naga the White Serpent, which ...
are hired to rescue a village girl from an evil wizard who is searching there for a legendary treasure that might be an invincible magical weapon instrumental for his plan of world domination. The film was met with a positive reception and was also adapted into a
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
version by Kanzaka and Shoko Yoshinaka.


Plot

Young sorceresses
Lina Inverse is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the comic fantasy-themed light novel, manga and anime series ''Slayers''. Lina Inverse is a young yet very powerful sorceress travelling the world in search of adventure and treasure. Lina has b ...
and
Naga the Serpent is a fictional character in the light novel, anime, manga, radio drama and game versions of Hajime Kanzaka's media franchise ''Slayers'', who was introduced in ''Dragon Magazine'' in 1990. She is also often known as Naga the White Serpent, which ...
travel across the world in search of adventure and money, bickering with each other along the way. They meet a girl named Saleena, who seems to be a random victim of the result of their petty food fight that ended with a powerful spell explosion. The truth is she has been already injured since when she escaped from her village of Biaz, where the evil organization Zein enslaved the population. The usually selfish Lina inexplicably agrees to help them: she has heard about an ancient elven treasure made of the nearly indestructible magical metal of
orihalcon Orichalcum or aurichalcum is a metal mentioned in several ancient writings, including the story of Atlantis in the ''Critias'' of Plato. Within the dialogue, Critias (460–403 BC) claims that orichalcum had been considered second only to gol ...
and she would like to put her hands on it. Because of Lina's suspicious behavior, the equally greedy Naga decides to follow them. Once in Biaz, the two ask for a reward for saving it but the village chief and Saleena's father are not able to give them a reward high enough, so Naga takes and puts on an orihalcon bracelet she finds there. Lina and Naga embark to defeat the Zein megalomaniac leader Galev and discover is a fluke as his wizard powers are mostly a bluff, and his organization currently consists of just himself and his sole underling Zahhard. The girls and Saleena confront Galev's arriving collection of henchmen but they want to get Galev themselves because he did not pay their promised salary. Turns out that Galev planned to take hold of a long-lost legendary superweapon that find out about in an old magic book and if he was able to take possession of it, conquer and rule to world. When the weapon is unearthed, what Lina thought would be immense treasure turns out to be a massive
golem A golem ( ; he, , gōlem) is an animated, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is entirely created from inanimate matter (usually clay or mud). The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century ...
made whole of orihalcon. Naga's bracelet is its control device but she can not either control it properly or take it off. The golem attacks them all and a chase and running battle begins, in which everyone joins the forces to defeat the golem and the mini-golems it spawns. To solve destroy the crazed golem, Lina asks Naga to create one of her golems and surround it with a barrier, so Lina can cast a destructive Dragon Slave spell and send the second golem right against the first, finally defeating it but ruining all the orihalcon. The film ends with the girls and Biaz's people running after Galev, because not only did he take money from them and spend it on useless fancy costumes for his organization, but now it was also impossible for the chief to pay Lina and Naga.


Cast


Release

''Slayers Return'' was originally released theatrically in Japan on August 3, 1996, distributed by
Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...
and screened in as a
double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...
with the film version of '' X''.
Bandai Visual was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America. Most of the anime and ...
's home version was released on the VHS and
LaserDisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
in April 1997, and re-released on the
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
as part of the ''EMOTION the Best Slayers Movie Edition DVD-BOX'' (EMOTION the Best スレイヤーズ 劇場版 DVD-BOX) collection of all ''Slayers'' films in 2010. It was included in the collection of digitally remastered ''Slayers'' films and OAV series, released on
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
in Japan on October 30, 2015. The film was released by
ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gre ...
on the
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
in 2003 as ''Slayers Movie 2 - The Return''; ADV also acquired distribution rights for it in the UK. ''Return'' was later released by ADV with the other four ''Slayers'' movies in a "Movie" boxset, and with the other four movies and both OVA series in a "Movies and OVAs" box set. The English dubbing version was written by Dan Kanemitsu and directed and produced by Sandra Krasa. The film was also broadcast in the English version by ADV's
Anime Network Anime Network is an American video on demand (VOD) network dedicated to anime owned by AMC Networks. History The network was launched in North America in late 2002 and is marketed to multi system operators (MSOs) as both a free and subscript ...
, and was released in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
by
Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatri ...
, in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
by
Déclic Images Déclic Images is a French company specialised in the translation and sale of Japanese-style comics in the French-speaking world. The Déclic Images trademark was born in 1999. As early as 2002, the company produced nearly half of all new Japane ...
, in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
by Yamato Video (dubbed to Italian by DEA Digital Editing Audio), and in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
by ACOG and OVA Films (dubbed to German by Circle of Arts).


Books

A companion guide book was published by
Fujimi Shobō , formerly , was a Japanese publisher that specialized in light novels, manga, role-playing games and collectible card games. Founded in 1972 and reorganized three times, it was at times an independent company and at times an imprint of Kadoka ...
in the ''Dragon Magazine Collection'' in August 1996 (released also in the low-budget "miniartbook" version), followed by ''Slayers Return Anime Comic'' in November 1996. The scripts for ''Return'', ''
Great Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...
'' and '' Gorgeous'' were published in the book ''Slayers Original''. The film's 1997
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
adaptation was written by Hajime Kanzaka and illustrated by Shoko Yoshinaka. It is the fourth volume of the main ''Slayers'' series, although it represents a break in the continuity of the story. It was published in North America by
Central Park Media Central Park Media, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Central Park, hence ...
on February 4, 2004.


Soundtrack

The original soundtrack ''Slayers Return: Motion Picture R'' (KICA-314) was originally released on CD in Japan by King Records on August 28, 1996. It was later released in North America by ADV Films on November 19, 2002 (B00007BH7R). The soundtrack contains all of the film's background music (BGM) composed by
Takayuki Hattori is a Japanese film, television, video game and non-soundtrack music composer, arranger and conductor. He is the son of the composer Katsuhisa Hattori and grandson of composer Ryoichi Hattori. He has won three Japan Academy Prize awards in the ...
, the ending song (as well as its special version called "Movie Size Version"), and two characters songs ("image songs") along with a special version of one of them (called "Fireball Groove Mix") and a karaoke version of the other. All vocalized songs were performed by
Megumi Hayashibara is a Japanese voice actress, singer, lyricist and radio personality from Kita ward in Tokyo and is affiliated with self-founded Woodpark Office. One of the most prominent Japanese voice actresses since the 1990s, Hayashibara is best known for he ...
and
Maria Kawamura , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Setagaya, Tokyo. Kawamura is a freelancer and a former affiliate of Arts Vision. In 1991, she married manga artist Mamoru Nagano. Filmography Television an ...
. The film's theme song "Just Be Conscious" was released as a single CD (KIDA-136) by Starchild Records on July 5, 1996. Both "Just Be Conscious" and "Run All the Way!" were featured in Hayashibara's 1997 album '' Irāvatī''. The songs from the film were also later included in the CD collection ''The Best of Slayers Vol. 2 (From OVA, Movie & Game)''.


Reception

The film was well received by most Western anime critics, including a score of 79% from Patrick King of Animefringe. Dani Moure of Mania.com gave this "hilarious little movie with endearing characters" a B+ and positively compared it to the first ''Slayers'' film, writing that ''Return'', despite a shorter run time than its predecessor, is "still immensely enjoyable, and actually manages to be a complete story that doesn't totally alienate those who have no prior experience with the series." Mania.com's Chris Beveridge too praised the film, especially for how it "tells a fun little tale with a fair number of quirky twists and physical comedy that it has something that would make just about anyone laugh," also giving it a B+ and declaring it "definitely a keeper." Zac Bertschy of
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
recommended it as a classic of its era, stating, "anime was somehow different back in the mid-1990s, and ''Slayers Return'' is a perfect time capsule back to those days. Don't miss it." Anime News Network's Daryl Surat retrospectively included it among the best anime of 1996, also noting it as his favourite ''Slayers'' film. According to The Digital Fix, "if you've seen any of the other ''Slayers'' films/OVAs, you'll know what to expect from ''Slayers Return''; it's certainly an enjoyable way to spend an hour (and doubly so if you prefer the solitary Lina/Naga vibe to the party dynamic found in the TV series);" the film received a score of 7/10. Animetion gave it four stars out of five, opining that "if you want serious and meaningful fantasy check out ''
Escaflowne is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series created by Shōji Kawamori and Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. It premiered in Japan on April 2, 1996 on TV Tokyo, and the final episode aired on September 24, 1996. Sony's a ...
'', but if you want love-struck golems, disenfranchised henchmen, villains with delusions of grandeur, plenty of pointless explosions and a good laugh then ''Slayers Return'' is just what you're looking for." Polish fantasy writer Aleksandra Janusz, writing for the magazine ''Kawaii'', noted the film to be funnier than its predecessor, which she called "a very good movie". In a relatively rare dissenting review, Mania.com's Megan Lavey gave ''Return'' a score of C, calling it "the weakest movie out of the 'Slayers'' films simply because the plot is not memorable and even Lina and Naga aren't very funny themselves in it, especially when compared to ''
Great Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...
''."


References


External links


Official website
(Madman Entertainment's ''Slayers'' Movie Collection) * * {{J.C.Staff films 1996 anime films Adventure anime and manga Comedy anime and manga Fantasy anime and manga Films directed by Kunihiko Yuyama J.C.Staff Slayers films Toei Animation films Films scored by Takayuki Hattori