i expected an essay about lina inverse to be happier

[hsiuism]

Recently I finally got around to finishing the last five or six episodes of Slayers Evolution-R. Evolution-R, and its companion series, Revolution, were strong entries in the Slayers anime canon, with a good premise and solid ending. One thing that kept bothering me, though, that I didn't notice until coming back to these last few episodes, was

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[hsiuism]

I can definitely see where you're coming from, and I think reading or not reading the novels does make a big difference. I've only read some of them, and only once, so while I know they contain a lot more sustained character development and world-building, I tend to focus almost exclusively on the anime canon. Doing a close read of this same subject in the novels would be interesting, though.

Your point about Lina's age progression is well taken, but since age is rarely discussed in the anime itself, I kinda feel like that's projecting continuity where it doesn't necessary exist. Lina states her age in the 1st season and, if I remember correctly, links it to either (or both?) her abilities or maidenly innocence. If she established her age at the beginning of every season and the viewer associated the events of a season with a specific age, I would buy the age-maturity argument.

But, she's grown as a person to the point where her heart does comes out and she knows that if she doesn't use that power right that poof, no more Lina.
But Lina has always been big on self-preservation. She's destructive and reckless, but usually only when other people are concerned. She's always kept the Giga Slave, the only spell that could destroy her, as a last-ditch card. For you, what's the difference in how she uses power in Revolution/Evolution-R compared to earlier series?

As for Gourry, one reason why I love him and the two of them together is because not only does he keep Lina grounded, but he accepts her 100%. He is so loyal and has so much faith in her, but he's not blind about it - like, he doesn't approve of everything she does, but he never tries to change her (and by the same token, though Lina complains, she never tries to change Gourry). So I always felt that because Gourry is the gentle, sincere, huge-hearted one of the duo, Lina is free to be...not. It's a different relationship than with Naga, for sure. Lina and Naga feed off of each other's eccentricities, but Gourry kicks back and lets Lina call the shots. If anyone actively keeps Lina tempered, I'd say it's Zelgadis.

[dqbunny]

I think reading the novels and Knight of Aqualord makes a big difference, you're right. When the new anime was originally airing, there were a lot of folks who didn't quite get why the characters were acting differently from TRY and it was because the scripts are a lot closer to the novels than before. That's why revisiting Zanaffar didn't bother me so much and I was ecstatic over Zuuma. We finally got a proper adaptation of novels 5 and 6. I figured they were re-introducing the world with this series and had it continued, then we would have gone to the arc presented in novels 9-15.

Lina does make it a point to establish her age in the novels, which is where I'm drawing that knowledge off of. She mentions she's 15 in the first novel, 16 in the third novel when they're fighting Copy Rezo (she's yelling at Gourry and Lantz, telling them that she does grow older) and then 17 in the third arc of the novels.

For you, what's the difference in how she uses power in Revolution/Evolution-R compared to earlier series?
You mentioned it yourself - the Giga Slave was always a last-ditch spell for her. She was extremely quick to yank it out in TRY against Valgaav, and that always bugged me given what happened in NEXT (I think it also bugged me that others didn't get onto her for that). Then again, I'm going off my knowledge of novel Lina, who swore off the Giga Slave post-Phibrizzo there and Revolution/Evolution-R Lina reminds me more of the personality we see in the novels. She finally is pushed to it when she had no other choice - but also too, I think it was because she couldn't get anywhere near close enough to pull off a Ragna Blade - which should have taken down the twisted shard as well.

He is so loyal and has so much faith in her, but he's not blind about it - like, he doesn't approve of everything she does, but he never tries to change her
There's a scene in one of the early novels where Lina realizes that she's been denying her true self around Gourry. It's hilarious because Kanzaka writes the scene as if Lina's having sexual longings for Gourry ... but, she really wants to go bandit-hunting. ^_~ She tries casting Sleeping on Gourry through the wall so she can go bandit-hunting without his disapproval (even though he would have gone along with it anyhow), but Gourry had gotten up to go to the bathroom and wasn't even in the room and followed her anyhow. So Gourry never tries to change Lina, but Lina does acknowledged that she tempers down that part of herself around him - at least at first. By the time you get to post-Phibrizzo in the novels, Lina has gotten over this hangup around him.

If anyone actively keeps Lina tempered, I'd say it's Zelgadis.
I agree, he does try, and to an extent, Amelia does as well. But, as we saw, Lina also has this way of turning Zel's attempts to rein Lina in to her own advantage in order to get him to work for her which is something I've always loved about her character.

[hsiuism]

Edit: Sorry, italics @_@

Lina also has this way of turning Zel's attempts to rein Lina in to her own advantage in order to get him to work for her which is something I've always loved about her character.
Yeah, I love that about her too ^_^

You've definitely given me a lot to think about! Now I really want to reread the novels I have already and find some others. I've only read parts, like QP Diana's translations of the side stories, and I think that's why I avoid using them for character/plot analysis - my knowledge is too spotty.

She was extremely quick to yank it out in TRY against Valgaav, and that always bugged me given what happened in NEXT (I think it also bugged me that others didn't get onto her for that).
I agree plot-wise it was questionable, but when applied to characters that's kind of what I like about the anime. To a certain degree each anime season "resets" - like taking three steps forward, two steps back, development-wise. So I think that's why I didn't like the new season as much; there was the same "reset," but then Lina's character developed in a different way than I was used to.