Slayers started out as a series of stories in Dragon magazine, which were later collected into novels.
From there, manga and anime series were created, forming the lexicon with the single largest number of
title variations in anime history. A delicious combination of humor, action and fantasy fuels the nonstop madness that is the Slayers.
NOVELS
Slayers! novels:
#1: Slayers!
#2: The Sorcerer of Atlas
#3: The Ghost of Sairaag
#4: Battle of Saillune
#5: The Platinum Beast
#6: The Darkness of Vuezendei
#7: Gaav's Challenge
#8: Lord of the Ghost City
#9: The Cursed Sword of Bezeld
#10: Solaria's Strategy
#11: Crimson Delusion
#12: The Strategem of the Army of Dynast
#13: Road to the Demon's Reincarnation
#14: ??
#15: The Demon Slayers
16 volumes of Slayers Special novels have been released, summing up the prequel portion of the timeline. Naga the White
Serpent and Lina's adventures are explored here, most of which have become the movie and OAV series.
Slayers Delicious is another prequel novel series, but is only 5 volumes long.
MANGA
The Slayers manga is also broken down into 3 sections:
Manga series by Rui Araizumi
Between 1992 and 1995, Rui Araizumi drew 6 comics for Dragon magazine, to supplement the novel series. When collected into a
single book, copies flew off the shelf. There are 2 versions of the collected manga available, one in the normal size, and
one in the oversize shape of a typical anime comic. Domestically, CPM has released the stories in 6 individual comics and 1
trade paperback.
Manga series by Shoko Yoshinaka
Around the release of the first anime series, Chou-Baku-Mahou-den SUREIYAAZU (Mega-Explosive Magical Legend SLAYERS) was
released in Monthly Comic Dragon Jr. magazine. Following the novel storyline, the 7 volume series told the full story of
the first anime series, as well as the RETURN movie in volume 4. Yoshinaka then moved on to Lost Universe, the Slayers
"sibling" series.
Manga series by Tommy Ohtsuka
The Slayers Special timeline is illustrated in this series, of Lina's adventures in the pre-Gourry era. These comics were
released simply as comics, under the Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. label. They were never released in a monthly magazine.
The most interesting aspect to note is that all the manga's illustrations look remarkably similar. Each artist retains the
true spirit of the characters, but puts their own spin on the series.
ART BOOKS
Araizumi-Gessha: SLAYERS
Araizumi-Gessha: SLAYERS DRA-MATA
Rui Araizumi's artwork is showcased here, while most is used in other projects, some production and original artwork is included.
REFERENCE BOOKS
Encyclopedia Slayers
Secrets of Slayers
Slayers DX
Just incase you can't keep hundreds of inter related characters straight, these books spell it all out for you. An invaluable
resource for the obsessed.
Slayers Great, Gorgeous, and RETURN have all been adapted to anime comics, or manga made up of film cells, in full color
directly from the movies.
ANIME
TV SERIES:
Slayers! Episodes 1-26
Slayers NEXT Episodes 27-52
Slayers TRY Episodes 53-78
The TV episodes are the "meat" of the series, taking place in the time closest to the present. The main characters, Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, Sylphiel and Amelia fight against the dark forces of the Mazoku. The world is saved, usually twice per series, but still manages to be goofy at times.
All TV episodes have been released domestically by Software Sculptors, and are available in VHS and DVD format. However, the
Slayers! DVD box set has an audio flaw that reverses the surround audio channels. A recall is now in effect for these flawed discs, and the fixed version is now available in retail stores. (thanks microlith)
MOVIES:
Slayers Perfect (The Motion Picture)
Slayers RETURN (Slayers R)
Slayers Great
Slayers Gorgeous
Slayers Premium
All Slayers movies take place in the past, when Lina and Naga roamed the planet in search of food, money and food with the exception of Premium, which bridges the gap between the TV series cast and Naga.
OVA's:
Slayers Special 1-3
Slayers Excellent 1-3
The OAV series, like the movies, are a look back at Lina and Naga's adventures. Unlike the movies, the world is NOT saved.
The Special episodes are just silly adventures, ground breaking realizations are essentially banned in favor of goofy action.
The Excellent series is an exploration of the meeting of Lina and Naga, and the growth of the largest rivalry in the Slayers
universe. These episodes are between 30 and 40 minutes and were released directly to video in Japan.
The Slayers Special OAV's have been released domestically by ADVision, and packaged as "Dragon Slave" and "Explosion Array."
Lots of info and help from http://www.inverse.org |
