Thread by @thaliarchus

Checked out J-Novel Club's translation of the story of Lina Inverse. Must be some mistake: it's clearly in prose.

I'd never seen Slayers and have watched a few episodes. It's untaxing, which is needed at present.

So far, I think it's more okay than good, though.

Broadly speaking the more gremlinous the characters are allowed to be the better it is.

Also this guy in the opening is just so happy to be here.

These subtitles use the word 'simp' and I feel like the word has changed in meaning since this was translated.

On the other hand shots of the characters fleeing like idiots have, in the year of the Lord 2020, profound relevance.

Oh, that's a cute impact frame.

blah round squat turret, blind as the fool’s heart blah

Not entirely convinced by Slayers's attempts to be a battle show.

This is funny, though.

The following episode is significantly less serious, and better for it.

'My overwhelming power will so terrify him that he'll propose immediately' is a good line.

Not sure I get on with the character designs in this show.

Not that they're bad, necessarily. Just… adjacent in era to the excesses we associate with (say) Sabre Marionette J.

On the other hand: the refined elegance of esoteric thaumaturgy.

Every episode title starts with an English word and an exclamation point.

Well that's new.

And so peace was restored to the river at last.

This was probably the first time an episode of the show entirely worked for me. It's one long, relentlessly stupid chase sequence.

This ep's variable, but it ends with someone's house being blown up, which is a solid Dirty Pairish denouement.

aieeee

Show's really picked up since it started having properly silly premises, like everyone being caught up in a play loosely about themselves.

There was a crossdressing episode and it was very not-good.

The next ep's better, though.

Always feels a bit cursed when they briefly make Gourry look cool.

Good luck, I'm behind 7,000 clones.

Discretion is the better part of valour.

Characterisation.

Good lord.

The English translation uses 'cleric' when Lina calls Amelia and Sylphiel 'miko'.

This makes me wonder whether/how D&D class names were consistently translated in Japan.

The English words from every Slayers S1 episode title, in order:

Angry? Bad! Crash! Dash! Escape! Focus! Give up! Help! Impact! Jackpot! Knock out! Lovely! Money! Navigation! Oh no! Passion! Question? Return! Shock! Trouble! Upset! Vice! Warning! X-DAY. Yes! Zap!

I suppose at this point in the show I could watch the first film, which premiered a few weeks ago in show-time.

Battle show Slayers is definitely better with more people around to gurn at what's going on.

and all men
grew to fear
their own deeds

On screen for a split second, but it's a good choice.

That was up and down but the up bits were pretty good. Question? is the worst episode, Navigation! and Passion! are the best.

Film had some individually amusing moments but failed to find its stride.

Lots of elbow-grease went into animating those spells, though!

No shortage of attractive stills.

This little warping sequence is brief but excellent fun.

Probably the thing which worked most for me in the film: the running joke in which prophetic dreams are actually incredibly annoying.

Onwards. (I guess one thing you can say for this is that, good or bad, it's very easy to watch.)

Giant robot in the first episode of S2: finally this anime qualifies for consideration for 'good' status.

How one imagines one's tweets vs how one's tweets come across.

And so peace was restored to the city once more.

The third episode's story of inept bodyguarding works pretty well.

Oh no, she's gotten hold of a badge.

Gourry's presence guarantees that there'll never be dialogue explaining something all the characters already understand.