A sorceress, a swords man and a chimera walked into a bar...
I haven't been online for a while but recently I got hooked on TV Tropes. Man, is that website addicting or what? I dare anyone to go there and not get hooked on the site! But because of TV Tropes I learned that Slayers, after a loooooong hiatus (read: cancellation) was once again running.
The amount of glee this has caused me cannot be textually rendered.
See, this is my History of Geek. I stared out as an anime fan (but not belonging to a fandom since I didn't even know fandom existed back then) watching the Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon and Ranma 1/2. I enjoyed them and was fascinated because they were unlike cartoons I've seen before there were actual storylines and adventures!
Despite how much I enjoyed them I found myself wanting the female characters to do more. Yeah, sure Sailor Moon had Usagi as a hero but... I didn't like the way she'd end up sobbing (also, I much prefer the manga version where the storylines make --some-- sense and there's actual character development and mythology) and while I love Akane I wished, well, I wished the anime presented more of her potential as a martial artist (the manga did much better in this area).
...And then one day I was flipping through channels and found myself watching this red head slip of a girl with a boisterous personality and that was Lina Inverse (or in the Tagalog dub, Rina Inverse).
Slayers is a comedic Dungeons and Dragons type story (in fact the creator admitted the world and characters were based on D&D) and the main character leading a band of adventurers around was Lina Inverse. I loved it for the simple fact that she is the unquestionable main character of a shounen series. Meaning, it's a series targeted at young boys.
This makes Lina different from the other female characters is that... well, typical of the animes I've seen at that time (save for Ranma) almost all the female characters were presented as: cry babies, clumsy, The Love Interest, and not all that bright. Also, the frequency of the characters getting all teary eyed about 'love and peace' or whatever spiel they're doing to convince a villain that their way is wrong was getting annoying.
One of the reasons I loved Ranma 1/2 is how all the characters have a basic: Your drama, it r annoying/funny. Except when they play it up for comedic effect, or if it's earned.
I love that Lina isn't the typical anime female heroine (at least back then I'm not so familiar with the anime of today but from what I've seen they've become more awesome). I also love that because Lina is, essentially, a mercenary she doesn't pander nor kowtow to authority and she displays none of the weaknesses some shoujo anime heroines display.
In fact, she destroys every box you try to fit her in and I never have to worry that she'll never live up to the potential of her awesomeness because she is already, in TV Tropes lingo, crazy awesome. Let me put it this way, on her first run Lina can decimate a city and that's before she powers up!
(The recent offender for me is Blood +. You've no idea how disappointed I was the way Blood+ turned out. I hated that all Saya did was brood and cry and feel guilty. What a waste! Considering how she started out as a badass beserker and then on the second half I thought she was back to being badass... unfortunately all she ended up doing is more of the same.)
Also, Lina Inverse has A Reputation. What's her reputation you ask? This is the reputation she'd like others to see her by: The beautiful, generous, genius sorcerer Lina Inverse. In reality this is what people call her:
Dragon Spooker/Slayer, Bandit Killer and The Enemy of All Who Lives.
Some names for a hero, huh?
To be fair though, she hasn't killed any human but she's badly maimed bandits when she steals their loot and gives... to herself and her reputation as 'The Enemy of All Who Lives' only comes from the enormous amount of collateral damage she manages to produce when fighting evil.
In fact if I were to be placed in a position I would only call Lina when there's like... an Armageddon situation. Calling on Lina to help in a fight is like using a BFG... no, it's like using on a weapon of mass destruction!
And above all, I love that she doesn't need anyone to protect her while she might be a magic user Lina herself is proficient in hand to hand and sword fighting. But it doesn't hurt to have help and that comes in the way of her traveling companions. Her top traveling companion is Gourry Gabriev, one of the best sword hands (if not THE best sword hand in the Slayers universe) and also her self proclaimed 'bodyguard'.
Or, in fact, Gourry thought Lina was a little girl who needed protection and started following her around until she beat it into his head that she's not a 'damsel in distress' and then she learned that he owns a powerful magical artifact, 'The Sword of Light' and started following Gourry around to convince him to give her the sword. Eventually they end up as partners when they realize that they make a good team.
Plus, I love that there are only two things Lina's afraid of, squids and her sister Luna. Considering all the things Lina has faced and how powerful she is it's something that the very mention of her sister would send Lina into a panic.
Slayers started out when she was fifteen and wondering around and even before the series starts she's able to garner herself a reputation. Lina calls her self the beautiful genius sorceress. Alas, that is not what people see when they learn who she is. In fact, I think she's the only anime character (aside from Vash the Stampede, Trigun) who, for a hero, has such a dubious reputation.
Unlike other heroes her main goal in life is not world peace or happiness or protecting people. Her ambitions and dreams are entirely selfish: Money, food, to have fun and learn a new magic spell. In fact the best way to get Lina to do something is to offer her money and food.
I love how Lina revels in her power and how unapologetic she is about it. I love that she knows she's powerful and she's not afraid to boast and/or use it. She's self-aware and has an ego the size of a mountain and an appetite of the same magnitude. I love that before going on to become an adventurer Lina consumed practically every sword and sorcery story she could get her hands on and she's versed on the 'cliches' and is appropriately disdainful and/or disgusted when villains or other people employ such cliches (not that she won't exploit it if its useful to her). I also love that she really *is* a genius and that she's cunning and sly and just like in Psych doesn't hesitate to sell her friends up the river to further her goals.
...which sounds awful on paper it but what I love about this show is how the narrative doesn't make out that she's a hero because of this, nor a particularly good person. I love that she has friends who call her on it (and even at one point she and a traveling companion fought, in an entirely comedic way, about Lina's far too extreme methods) and there's even a point in the new series where Lina is arrested... because she was Lina Inverse.
It also tickles me pink that Lina, she of the mercurial temper, violent tendencies, mercenary ways was actually modeled (or her design is) after a young Audrey Hepburn! Hahahahahaha.
I am absolutely loving the new season! There seems to be something major brewing and there's less filler slapstick comedy going on. I haven't seen the original Slayers but I do remember there were more slapstick back then. Here they've managed to tone them down a bit and it seems there's a call back all the way to first season villain and one of the most traumatic villains Lina has ever encountered. I also love how their showing more consequence to her actions (said false accusations) and that the seemingly token stupid law person is actually a cunning and almost as manipulative as Xellos.
But it also seems like the forces of the Mazoku world and Rezo the Red Priest has plans for Lina I'm uneasy with the way they keep hinting at the Ragna Blade and the Giga Slave, two spells that only Lina can do. A spell that enables her to tap on the power of the Lord of Nightmares (the creator of the Slayers-verse). Phibrizo managed to induce Lina to cast the Giga Slave in season 2 after much coercion and setting up events that will ensure that no matter what Lina would have no choice but to use the spell to end everything. I wonder if the Mazoku is forcing Lina into that same gambit.
I wonder though what is it about Lina that enables her to call upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares, the LoN doesn't just let anyone take her power. The interesting about the Inverse sisters is that unlike other powerful anime characters Lina's parents aren't kings or queens but simple store owners but something about their bloodline or their generation has enabled Luna (Lina's big sister) to become the Knight of Ceipheed and Lina to achieve the kind of power she has.
I also wonder if this thread of seriousness this season has to do with the anime following the Slayers novels.
--
Rec
Slayers Trilogy: Reflect, Chaos, ReBirth by twoflower
This has to be one of not, if the definitive Slayers fanfic. It's gen and it's epic in every sense of the word.
The amount of glee this has caused me cannot be textually rendered.
See, this is my History of Geek. I stared out as an anime fan (but not belonging to a fandom since I didn't even know fandom existed back then) watching the Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon and Ranma 1/2. I enjoyed them and was fascinated because they were unlike cartoons I've seen before there were actual storylines and adventures!
Despite how much I enjoyed them I found myself wanting the female characters to do more. Yeah, sure Sailor Moon had Usagi as a hero but... I didn't like the way she'd end up sobbing (also, I much prefer the manga version where the storylines make --some-- sense and there's actual character development and mythology) and while I love Akane I wished, well, I wished the anime presented more of her potential as a martial artist (the manga did much better in this area).
...And then one day I was flipping through channels and found myself watching this red head slip of a girl with a boisterous personality and that was Lina Inverse (or in the Tagalog dub, Rina Inverse).
Slayers is a comedic Dungeons and Dragons type story (in fact the creator admitted the world and characters were based on D&D) and the main character leading a band of adventurers around was Lina Inverse. I loved it for the simple fact that she is the unquestionable main character of a shounen series. Meaning, it's a series targeted at young boys.
This makes Lina different from the other female characters is that... well, typical of the animes I've seen at that time (save for Ranma) almost all the female characters were presented as: cry babies, clumsy, The Love Interest, and not all that bright. Also, the frequency of the characters getting all teary eyed about 'love and peace' or whatever spiel they're doing to convince a villain that their way is wrong was getting annoying.
One of the reasons I loved Ranma 1/2 is how all the characters have a basic: Your drama, it r annoying/funny. Except when they play it up for comedic effect, or if it's earned.
I love that Lina isn't the typical anime female heroine (at least back then I'm not so familiar with the anime of today but from what I've seen they've become more awesome). I also love that because Lina is, essentially, a mercenary she doesn't pander nor kowtow to authority and she displays none of the weaknesses some shoujo anime heroines display.
In fact, she destroys every box you try to fit her in and I never have to worry that she'll never live up to the potential of her awesomeness because she is already, in TV Tropes lingo, crazy awesome. Let me put it this way, on her first run Lina can decimate a city and that's before she powers up!
(The recent offender for me is Blood +. You've no idea how disappointed I was the way Blood+ turned out. I hated that all Saya did was brood and cry and feel guilty. What a waste! Considering how she started out as a badass beserker and then on the second half I thought she was back to being badass... unfortunately all she ended up doing is more of the same.)
Also, Lina Inverse has A Reputation. What's her reputation you ask? This is the reputation she'd like others to see her by: The beautiful, generous, genius sorcerer Lina Inverse. In reality this is what people call her:
Dragon Spooker/Slayer, Bandit Killer and The Enemy of All Who Lives.
Some names for a hero, huh?
To be fair though, she hasn't killed any human but she's badly maimed bandits when she steals their loot and gives... to herself and her reputation as 'The Enemy of All Who Lives' only comes from the enormous amount of collateral damage she manages to produce when fighting evil.
In fact if I were to be placed in a position I would only call Lina when there's like... an Armageddon situation. Calling on Lina to help in a fight is like using a BFG... no, it's like using on a weapon of mass destruction!
And above all, I love that she doesn't need anyone to protect her while she might be a magic user Lina herself is proficient in hand to hand and sword fighting. But it doesn't hurt to have help and that comes in the way of her traveling companions. Her top traveling companion is Gourry Gabriev, one of the best sword hands (if not THE best sword hand in the Slayers universe) and also her self proclaimed 'bodyguard'.
Or, in fact, Gourry thought Lina was a little girl who needed protection and started following her around until she beat it into his head that she's not a 'damsel in distress' and then she learned that he owns a powerful magical artifact, 'The Sword of Light' and started following Gourry around to convince him to give her the sword. Eventually they end up as partners when they realize that they make a good team.
Plus, I love that there are only two things Lina's afraid of, squids and her sister Luna. Considering all the things Lina has faced and how powerful she is it's something that the very mention of her sister would send Lina into a panic.
Click to viewSlayers started out when she was fifteen and wondering around and even before the series starts she's able to garner herself a reputation. Lina calls her self the beautiful genius sorceress. Alas, that is not what people see when they learn who she is. In fact, I think she's the only anime character (aside from Vash the Stampede, Trigun) who, for a hero, has such a dubious reputation.
Unlike other heroes her main goal in life is not world peace or happiness or protecting people. Her ambitions and dreams are entirely selfish: Money, food, to have fun and learn a new magic spell. In fact the best way to get Lina to do something is to offer her money and food.
I love how Lina revels in her power and how unapologetic she is about it. I love that she knows she's powerful and she's not afraid to boast and/or use it. She's self-aware and has an ego the size of a mountain and an appetite of the same magnitude. I love that before going on to become an adventurer Lina consumed practically every sword and sorcery story she could get her hands on and she's versed on the 'cliches' and is appropriately disdainful and/or disgusted when villains or other people employ such cliches (not that she won't exploit it if its useful to her). I also love that she really *is* a genius and that she's cunning and sly and just like in Psych doesn't hesitate to sell her friends up the river to further her goals.
...which sounds awful on paper it but what I love about this show is how the narrative doesn't make out that she's a hero because of this, nor a particularly good person. I love that she has friends who call her on it (and even at one point she and a traveling companion fought, in an entirely comedic way, about Lina's far too extreme methods) and there's even a point in the new series where Lina is arrested... because she was Lina Inverse.
It also tickles me pink that Lina, she of the mercurial temper, violent tendencies, mercenary ways was actually modeled (or her design is) after a young Audrey Hepburn! Hahahahahaha.
I am absolutely loving the new season! There seems to be something major brewing and there's less filler slapstick comedy going on. I haven't seen the original Slayers but I do remember there were more slapstick back then. Here they've managed to tone them down a bit and it seems there's a call back all the way to first season villain and one of the most traumatic villains Lina has ever encountered. I also love how their showing more consequence to her actions (said false accusations) and that the seemingly token stupid law person is actually a cunning and almost as manipulative as Xellos.
But it also seems like the forces of the Mazoku world and Rezo the Red Priest has plans for Lina I'm uneasy with the way they keep hinting at the Ragna Blade and the Giga Slave, two spells that only Lina can do. A spell that enables her to tap on the power of the Lord of Nightmares (the creator of the Slayers-verse). Phibrizo managed to induce Lina to cast the Giga Slave in season 2 after much coercion and setting up events that will ensure that no matter what Lina would have no choice but to use the spell to end everything. I wonder if the Mazoku is forcing Lina into that same gambit.
I wonder though what is it about Lina that enables her to call upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares, the LoN doesn't just let anyone take her power. The interesting about the Inverse sisters is that unlike other powerful anime characters Lina's parents aren't kings or queens but simple store owners but something about their bloodline or their generation has enabled Luna (Lina's big sister) to become the Knight of Ceipheed and Lina to achieve the kind of power she has.
I also wonder if this thread of seriousness this season has to do with the anime following the Slayers novels.
--
Rec
Slayers Trilogy: Reflect, Chaos, ReBirth by twoflower
This has to be one of not, if the definitive Slayers fanfic. It's gen and it's epic in every sense of the word.