人生はすばらしい！ life is wonderful!
Slayers REVOLUTION ep. 5? Yes? **contains spoilers. So. Many. Spoilers**
((post edited 5 million times for spelling errors, line changes, and replacement of the raw video with a subbed version.))
I always miss the live-stream party posts at theslayers, but it's a bit lonesome to do the fangirling and the mocking all on my onesome, so f'list, let's do it together! General thoughts, video, manga chapter, non-screencap recap to follow (video is raw subbed version, manga is translated):
If the underlying theme of episode 4 was "Lina and Ecological Destruction", the theme of episode 5 would be "Shout-Outs to Dead People". With the anime and the manga combined, this episode makes mention of a whopping five blasts from the past: Rezo the Red Priest (dead), Dark Lord Shabranigdo (dead), Hellmaster Phibrizzo (dead), Prince Philionel of Seyruun (faked his own death), and the Claire Bible (keeps getting destroyed D:)
Obviously, the main focus of this episode was the return of Xelloss the Trickster Priest. I like Xellos in the usual way - he's amusing and a near-perfect foil for Lina - but the fervent fires of the devoted Xellos fangirls have never quite reached the cold cockles of my heart. I'm usually not impressed with Secretly Sinister characters anyway, and while Xellos's eye-opening trick is often animated and timed to great effect - and never more so than in this season, with the nice new animation quality - for me, it's the least of what makes him "cool".
My favorite Xellos moments are when he's being a dork, like when he's eating soft-serve ice-cream or trying, in vain, to fend off one of Amelia's justice speeches *. And as great as Akira Ishida is, Xellos in English is equally fascinating. David Moo, recently known for making Sanji sound like a mobster with a head cold, lends a high-pitched, nasal quality to Xellos's English voice, very different from Ishida's feathery, laid-back, and slightly self-deprecating treatment.
The first time I heard Xellos's English voice again, after a good six years of dub abstinence, I literally said out loud, "Jesus, what the hell?" To me, he sounds like nothing so much as a high school nerd, the one who carries his books around in a laptop briefcase and tells you you're using the protractor wrong. But the more I reworked my way through NEXT and TRY, the more it seemed Moo's treatment brought out a new reading to Xellos's character. Because he is kind of the resident, often obnoxious know-it-all of the series, with his whole finger-wagging and smarmy "It's a secret" routine. Despite being Mazoku, Xellos clearly is not above verbal baiting (whether setting the trap for others or being caught himself) and entering into petty, entirely human arguments with an enthusiasm not entirely feigned. Taken in this light, David Moo does more than give Xellos a new voice: intentially or otherwise, he translates Xellos's entire character into a new, culturally recognizable type.
Thus, for me anyway it's an even bigger treat when Xellos opens his eyes or otherwise displays some of his true power in the dubbed version. He still sounds like a nerd, yes, but now he's a nerd who can and will fuck your shit up. Kind of like Bill Gates.
That's that for Xellos, the star of episode 5 **. As for the episode in general, I thought it was nicely done, slower in tempo from the spell-and-scream mayhem of episode 4, yet quick enough, and with enough change of scenery, to avoid falling into the dull exposition bogs from NEXT and TRY. I was surprised the episode spanned the grand majority of the manga chapter, considering it took 3 anime episodes to completely cover chapter 2 from the manga. But as usual, I felt the anime covered events with more deth and consistency, and nicely filled in gaps missing or rushed through in the manga. On the whole, again as usual, gags and jokes were better-written and better-timed in the anime, though there were some from the manga that I wish they'd left in. And with that, it's recap time! (Well, not so much 'recap' as 'snarking on things I found funny'. But in my world, they're practically the same thing.) No screencaps, because I am lazy.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
Slayers REVOLUTION manga chapter 3
3:04 - I love Gourry's craptastic sword (and am secretly hoping for a fan essay on the misshapen, ineffectual sword as a material mirror to Gourry's relatively useless role in the plot thus far, which in turn is symbolic of sexual inadequacy, to be healed only with the recovery of the Sword of Light. Gourry is the Fisher King!) And even though I am a firm advocate for reading Gourry with respect and nuance, I totally LOLed when Pokota kicked him in the face. What can I say, I was raised on Acme.
3:22 - Zel breaks off pieces of his hair and flings them into the bushes as with darts. On the one hand, it's nice that Zelgadis has learned to accept, even embrace, his chimera's body. On the other, one just can't help looking away in embarrassed pity for the guy. I mean, hair-darts? Oy.
3:45 - Xellos, or at least his voice, makes his entrance. Fangirls everywhere scream for joy; Zelgadis just screams.
3:56 - The gang registers their collective surprise at seeing Old Man Xellos again, and Gourry pulls his second, though by no means his last memory gaffe of the series. At this point, I'm suspecting the problem is medical. But I like Yoshinori Matsumoto's delivery on this line - Gourry just sounds so darn concerned.
5:45 - Pokota jumps onto Amelia's head and stays there for the remainder of the trek to the ruined city. I liked this addition and slight deviation from the manga, wherein Pokota sits on Lina's head towards the end of the the chapter. It's a nice bit of continuity from the last episode, and suggests distinct relationships between characters.
6:31 - Gourry has heard of the kingdom of Taforasia before, but can't remember a single thing about it. That's pretty much me and 90% of everything I learned - and promptly forgot - in 12th grade physics.
9:15 - Is it just me, or is "not quite dead people in crystals" something we have seen before in the Slayersverse? And they all seem to be the product of an unhinged mage with a creepy laugh!
9:48 - Pokota reveals the identity of the mage who sealed everyone in the crystals. I was so, so sad that Gourry didn't make his joke about Prince Phil. To be honest, I was saying the same thing sarcastically to myself while reading the manga, just to stall the inevitable and somewhat obvious. It's hard for me to take Rezo seriously, if for no other reason than the fact that Koasu Takehito is his VA. Among his many, many roles, Koyasu Takehito has also done the voices for Weiss Kreuz's Aya Fujimiya and Gundam Wing's Zechs Marquis, and I have a long history of mocking both those young gentlemen. Because I am the worst fangirl ever. Plus, Rezo has sparkly eyelashes. And please tell me I wasn't hte only one, back in the day, who downloaded the .wav file of Rezo's laugh sped up really fast so that he sounded like a Chipmunk, and played it continuously, and cracked up every time. No, see, when I said I was the worst fangirl ever, I meant it.
11:03 - Which does not stop Gourry from fangirling Rezo, and nor should it.
11:20 - Zel relates his own sad history with Rezo. What I don't understand is why he has to pull down his sleeve to show everyone how his skin is made of rocks. Zel, your face is made of rocks.
11:30 - Shout-out to Shabi-chan the Pokémon!
12:19 - Pokota balances by an ear each on Zelgadis's and Lina's heads, and then holds the pose for way longer than is necessary. You can just hear the animators begging, "Screencap this! It's Zel, Lina, and a cute animal mascot! Screencap it and turn it into an LJ icon now raaargh." Go on.
12:40 - How adorable is the commerical break image catch? Whoever did Lina's grin captured her character to a "T".
13:31 - Pokota is revealed to be the crown prince of Taforasia. Let me just throw my vote in for Pokota-Amelia-Zelgadis love triangle, I do not even care that Pokota is currently a cabbit knock-off and sounds like he's twelve. I just want lots of angsty fanfiction about the prince, the princess, and the deputy king or the deputy king's deputy or whatever the hell Zel is.
14:20 - We are introduced to Marchess Gioconda and her maidservant, Ozel, who is wearing another familiar trend (no pun intended) from the Slayersverse. Though, I must say, along with the improved animation, this season is also sporting much nicer outfit designs. Gioconda is wearing clothing - ruffled neck, bold belt - that a rich woman might actually wear. Remember in one of the OVAs when a "fashion designer" tried to convince Lina hers was the most stylish couture house in town? But she kind of looked like something out of Little House on the Prairie? ...Yeah.
14:29 - Lina gripes about being a commoner among a roomful of royalty. So the basic joke is preserved: Pokota yells at the gang for getting sidetracked by irrelevant details. But I can't decide which set-up I like better. Gourry's line in the manga about Lina's attitude is really cute and sweet, but Amelia's perky, completely ill-advised "I'm a princess, so it's ok!" line in the anime is pretty awesome too.
15:48 - In her denouncement of Gioconda and Duclis, Amelia busts out her full name, so you know this is some Serious Business justice dispensing.
16:33 - Ozel carries Gioconda in her arms to make their escape. The Marchess can stand but she can't walk? I vote puppet! (Thereby completing the Slayers Trend Trifecta).
19:20 - After some grim-jawed talk about the Zanaffar armor, the armor...cracks. Dulchis immediately puts his hand over it and tries to play it cool. Uh huh. Gioconda may not be too on the up-and-up, but the rest of us saw what you did there. Oh yes, Ducky: we saw.
20:13 - So this is the Big Moment in the episode, when Xellos opens his eye and goes all sinister on Gioconda. Gorgeously animated, but honestly I was more interested in Xellos's hair. He's been taking such good care of it since we saw him last!
20:37 - A nighttime panorama of a city. I was really hoping, and half-expecting, considering all the talk about Seyruun, that the episode was cutting to Prince Phil in his palace, plotting new ways to dedicate his life to Justice. But no, it's just Gioconda in her underlit throne room. If we don't get a Prince Phil mini-arc in this season, my disappointment will know no bounds.
21:40 - Ozel stands at attention with her eyes closed. Either that, or she fell asleep standing up. Whatever the case, "Standing Around With Eyes Closed" is #72 on the list of Things That Look Cool Only in Anime.
*The videos linked are:
"dork" - Xellos and Filia arguing about which path on a forked road to take (English)
"fend off" - Amelia, Gourry, and Zelgadis attacking Xellos with motivational speeches, and Xellos accusing them of 'psychological warfare' (Japanese with English subtitles)
"justice" - Martina finds out the truth about Xellos, Amelia encourages him to embrace life (Japanese with Chinese subtitles(
"speeches" - The second half of NEXT episode 19, which contains the same scene (starting at 5:43). Martina calls upon Zoamelgustar to defend her against Gaav, Zelgadis becomes Snarkypants McGee, Amelia rubs salt in the wound. (English)
**Except for this: is anybody else not digging Xellos's new character design in the manga? The whole long-faced, de-emphasized nose style on him just looks like the artist updated him too hard
((post edited 5 million times for spelling errors, line changes, and replacement of the raw video with a subbed version.))
I always miss the live-stream party posts at theslayers, but it's a bit lonesome to do the fangirling and the mocking all on my onesome, so f'list, let's do it together! General thoughts, video, manga chapter, non-screencap recap to follow (video is raw subbed version, manga is translated):
If the underlying theme of episode 4 was "Lina and Ecological Destruction", the theme of episode 5 would be "Shout-Outs to Dead People". With the anime and the manga combined, this episode makes mention of a whopping five blasts from the past: Rezo the Red Priest (dead), Dark Lord Shabranigdo (dead), Hellmaster Phibrizzo (dead), Prince Philionel of Seyruun (faked his own death), and the Claire Bible (keeps getting destroyed D:)
Obviously, the main focus of this episode was the return of Xelloss the Trickster Priest. I like Xellos in the usual way - he's amusing and a near-perfect foil for Lina - but the fervent fires of the devoted Xellos fangirls have never quite reached the cold cockles of my heart. I'm usually not impressed with Secretly Sinister characters anyway, and while Xellos's eye-opening trick is often animated and timed to great effect - and never more so than in this season, with the nice new animation quality - for me, it's the least of what makes him "cool".
My favorite Xellos moments are when he's being a dork, like when he's eating soft-serve ice-cream or trying, in vain, to fend off one of Amelia's justice speeches *. And as great as Akira Ishida is, Xellos in English is equally fascinating. David Moo, recently known for making Sanji sound like a mobster with a head cold, lends a high-pitched, nasal quality to Xellos's English voice, very different from Ishida's feathery, laid-back, and slightly self-deprecating treatment.
The first time I heard Xellos's English voice again, after a good six years of dub abstinence, I literally said out loud, "Jesus, what the hell?" To me, he sounds like nothing so much as a high school nerd, the one who carries his books around in a laptop briefcase and tells you you're using the protractor wrong. But the more I reworked my way through NEXT and TRY, the more it seemed Moo's treatment brought out a new reading to Xellos's character. Because he is kind of the resident, often obnoxious know-it-all of the series, with his whole finger-wagging and smarmy "It's a secret" routine. Despite being Mazoku, Xellos clearly is not above verbal baiting (whether setting the trap for others or being caught himself) and entering into petty, entirely human arguments with an enthusiasm not entirely feigned. Taken in this light, David Moo does more than give Xellos a new voice: intentially or otherwise, he translates Xellos's entire character into a new, culturally recognizable type.
Thus, for me anyway it's an even bigger treat when Xellos opens his eyes or otherwise displays some of his true power in the dubbed version. He still sounds like a nerd, yes, but now he's a nerd who can and will fuck your shit up. Kind of like Bill Gates.
That's that for Xellos, the star of episode 5 **. As for the episode in general, I thought it was nicely done, slower in tempo from the spell-and-scream mayhem of episode 4, yet quick enough, and with enough change of scenery, to avoid falling into the dull exposition bogs from NEXT and TRY. I was surprised the episode spanned the grand majority of the manga chapter, considering it took 3 anime episodes to completely cover chapter 2 from the manga. But as usual, I felt the anime covered events with more deth and consistency, and nicely filled in gaps missing or rushed through in the manga. On the whole, again as usual, gags and jokes were better-written and better-timed in the anime, though there were some from the manga that I wish they'd left in. And with that, it's recap time! (Well, not so much 'recap' as 'snarking on things I found funny'. But in my world, they're practically the same thing.) No screencaps, because I am lazy.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
Slayers REVOLUTION manga chapter 3
3:04 - I love Gourry's craptastic sword (and am secretly hoping for a fan essay on the misshapen, ineffectual sword as a material mirror to Gourry's relatively useless role in the plot thus far, which in turn is symbolic of sexual inadequacy, to be healed only with the recovery of the Sword of Light. Gourry is the Fisher King!) And even though I am a firm advocate for reading Gourry with respect and nuance, I totally LOLed when Pokota kicked him in the face. What can I say, I was raised on Acme.
3:22 - Zel breaks off pieces of his hair and flings them into the bushes as with darts. On the one hand, it's nice that Zelgadis has learned to accept, even embrace, his chimera's body. On the other, one just can't help looking away in embarrassed pity for the guy. I mean, hair-darts? Oy.
3:45 - Xellos, or at least his voice, makes his entrance. Fangirls everywhere scream for joy; Zelgadis just screams.
3:56 - The gang registers their collective surprise at seeing Old Man Xellos again, and Gourry pulls his second, though by no means his last memory gaffe of the series. At this point, I'm suspecting the problem is medical. But I like Yoshinori Matsumoto's delivery on this line - Gourry just sounds so darn concerned.
5:45 - Pokota jumps onto Amelia's head and stays there for the remainder of the trek to the ruined city. I liked this addition and slight deviation from the manga, wherein Pokota sits on Lina's head towards the end of the the chapter. It's a nice bit of continuity from the last episode, and suggests distinct relationships between characters.
6:31 - Gourry has heard of the kingdom of Taforasia before, but can't remember a single thing about it. That's pretty much me and 90% of everything I learned - and promptly forgot - in 12th grade physics.
9:15 - Is it just me, or is "not quite dead people in crystals" something we have seen before in the Slayersverse? And they all seem to be the product of an unhinged mage with a creepy laugh!
9:48 - Pokota reveals the identity of the mage who sealed everyone in the crystals. I was so, so sad that Gourry didn't make his joke about Prince Phil. To be honest, I was saying the same thing sarcastically to myself while reading the manga, just to stall the inevitable and somewhat obvious. It's hard for me to take Rezo seriously, if for no other reason than the fact that Koasu Takehito is his VA. Among his many, many roles, Koyasu Takehito has also done the voices for Weiss Kreuz's Aya Fujimiya and Gundam Wing's Zechs Marquis, and I have a long history of mocking both those young gentlemen. Because I am the worst fangirl ever. Plus, Rezo has sparkly eyelashes. And please tell me I wasn't hte only one, back in the day, who downloaded the .wav file of Rezo's laugh sped up really fast so that he sounded like a Chipmunk, and played it continuously, and cracked up every time. No, see, when I said I was the worst fangirl ever, I meant it.
11:03 - Which does not stop Gourry from fangirling Rezo, and nor should it.
11:20 - Zel relates his own sad history with Rezo. What I don't understand is why he has to pull down his sleeve to show everyone how his skin is made of rocks. Zel, your face is made of rocks.
11:30 - Shout-out to Shabi-chan the Pokémon!
12:19 - Pokota balances by an ear each on Zelgadis's and Lina's heads, and then holds the pose for way longer than is necessary. You can just hear the animators begging, "Screencap this! It's Zel, Lina, and a cute animal mascot! Screencap it and turn it into an LJ icon now raaargh." Go on.
12:40 - How adorable is the commerical break image catch? Whoever did Lina's grin captured her character to a "T".
13:31 - Pokota is revealed to be the crown prince of Taforasia. Let me just throw my vote in for Pokota-Amelia-Zelgadis love triangle, I do not even care that Pokota is currently a cabbit knock-off and sounds like he's twelve. I just want lots of angsty fanfiction about the prince, the princess, and the deputy king or the deputy king's deputy or whatever the hell Zel is.
14:20 - We are introduced to Marchess Gioconda and her maidservant, Ozel, who is wearing another familiar trend (no pun intended) from the Slayersverse. Though, I must say, along with the improved animation, this season is also sporting much nicer outfit designs. Gioconda is wearing clothing - ruffled neck, bold belt - that a rich woman might actually wear. Remember in one of the OVAs when a "fashion designer" tried to convince Lina hers was the most stylish couture house in town? But she kind of looked like something out of Little House on the Prairie? ...Yeah.
14:29 - Lina gripes about being a commoner among a roomful of royalty. So the basic joke is preserved: Pokota yells at the gang for getting sidetracked by irrelevant details. But I can't decide which set-up I like better. Gourry's line in the manga about Lina's attitude is really cute and sweet, but Amelia's perky, completely ill-advised "I'm a princess, so it's ok!" line in the anime is pretty awesome too.
15:48 - In her denouncement of Gioconda and Duclis, Amelia busts out her full name, so you know this is some Serious Business justice dispensing.
16:33 - Ozel carries Gioconda in her arms to make their escape. The Marchess can stand but she can't walk? I vote puppet! (Thereby completing the Slayers Trend Trifecta).
19:20 - After some grim-jawed talk about the Zanaffar armor, the armor...cracks. Dulchis immediately puts his hand over it and tries to play it cool. Uh huh. Gioconda may not be too on the up-and-up, but the rest of us saw what you did there. Oh yes, Ducky: we saw.
20:13 - So this is the Big Moment in the episode, when Xellos opens his eye and goes all sinister on Gioconda. Gorgeously animated, but honestly I was more interested in Xellos's hair. He's been taking such good care of it since we saw him last!
20:37 - A nighttime panorama of a city. I was really hoping, and half-expecting, considering all the talk about Seyruun, that the episode was cutting to Prince Phil in his palace, plotting new ways to dedicate his life to Justice. But no, it's just Gioconda in her underlit throne room. If we don't get a Prince Phil mini-arc in this season, my disappointment will know no bounds.
21:40 - Ozel stands at attention with her eyes closed. Either that, or she fell asleep standing up. Whatever the case, "Standing Around With Eyes Closed" is #72 on the list of Things That Look Cool Only in Anime.
*The videos linked are:
"dork" - Xellos and Filia arguing about which path on a forked road to take (English)
"fend off" - Amelia, Gourry, and Zelgadis attacking Xellos with motivational speeches, and Xellos accusing them of 'psychological warfare' (Japanese with English subtitles)
"justice" - Martina finds out the truth about Xellos, Amelia encourages him to embrace life (Japanese with Chinese subtitles(
"speeches" - The second half of NEXT episode 19, which contains the same scene (starting at 5:43). Martina calls upon Zoamelgustar to defend her against Gaav, Zelgadis becomes Snarkypants McGee, Amelia rubs salt in the wound. (English)
**Except for this: is anybody else not digging Xellos's new character design in the manga? The whole long-faced, de-emphasized nose style on him just looks like the artist updated him too hard