Slayers Premium

{{short description|2001 Japanese anime film directed by Junichi Sato}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Slayers Premium

| image = Slayers Premium.png

| caption = Poster art

| director = Junichi Satō

| screenplay = Junichi Satō

| based_on = {{based on|Slayers|Hajime Kanzaka
Rui Araizumi}}

| music = Takayuki Hattori

| producer = Kōji Asano
Seiichi Hachiya
Tomoko Kawasaki

| studio = Hal Film Maker{{cite web |url=http://www.tyo-animation.com/works_hal_2001-02.html |title=Slayers Premium |script-title=ja:スレイヤーズぷれみあむ | HAL FILM MAKER 作品紹介 | TYOアニメーションズ |publisher=Tyo-animation.com |language=ja |date= |accessdate=25 October 2016 |archive-date=27 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827084420/http://www.tyo-animation.com/works_hal_2001-02.html |url-status=live }}

| distributor = Toei Company

| released = {{Film date|2001|12|22}}

| runtime = 30 minutes

| country = Japan

| language = Japanese

}}

{{nihongo|Slayers Premium|スレイヤーズぷれみあむ|Sureiyāzu Puremiamu|lead=yes}} is a 2001 Japanese anime short film written and directed by Junichi Satō. Premium, the fifth and latest Slayers film, was first released in Japan on December 22, 2001, along with Sakura Wars: The Movie, Di Gi Charat - A Trip to the Planet and Azumanga Daioh: The Animation.

This is the only Slayers movie so far to feature the characters of Gourry Gabriev, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, Zelgadis Greywords and Xellos. Naga the Serpent also has a small role, as "the octopus sorceress".

Plot

Lina and Gourry travel to the town of Acassi, known for its tasty octopus. However, the octopus meat is cursed, causing the person who eats it to only be able to speak takogo (タコ語, octopus language). Sorcerers and sorceresses cursed by this also cannot cast spells, since the spells have to be spoken in a common language in order for them to work.

Gourry just happens to eat one of the cursed octopuses (after fighting for it with Lina), which causes him to speak in takogo. This often creates awkward situations during the film (the phrase "how horrible" being spoken as "flat chested", which offends Lina greatly). But soon, everyone in town starts to speak takogo (including Amelia and Zelgadis, who had just arrived in town), despite the fact that they have not eaten any octopus. Xellos is also there, seeming to know some details about what is going on but is not divulging anything.

It soon becomes evident that the octopuses plan to use the accumulated anger from the villagers of Acassi to release a demon that was sealed many years before. Lina and her friends have to stop these plans before they come to fruition. However, it becomes complicated when Lina is infected with the takogo affliction, which negates much of her magic, including the Dragon Slave, her signature move.

Cast

class="wikitable"

! Character

! Japanese voice actor

! English voice actor

Lina Inverse

| Megumi Hayashibara

| Cynthia Martinez

Gourry Gabriev

| Yasunori Matsumoto

| Christopher Patton

Xellos

| Akira Ishida

| Kurt Stoll

Zelgadis Greywords

| Hikaru Midorikawa

| Crispin Freeman

Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun

| Masami Suzuki

| Luci Christian

Naga the Serpent

| Maria Kawamura

| Kelly Manison

Ruma

| Yuri Shiratori

| Kira Vincent-Davis

Intelligent octopus

| Takahiro Sakurai

| Todd Postlethwaite (credited as T.J.P.)

Master

| Isamu Tanonaka

| Jason Douglas

Tavern owner

| Ichie Seta

| John Swasey

Guardian deity

| Goro Naya

| James Faulkner

Release

Slayers Premium was originally released in Japan on December 22, 2001. It was licensed by ADV Films and released with English dubbing on DVD on January 17, 2005. It was later included in the collection of digitally remastered Slayers films and OAV series,{{cite web|url=http://www.fandompost.com/2014/11/20/slayers-anime-features-ova-japanese-box-set-planned/|title='Slayers' Anime Features & OVA Japanese Box Set Planned|last=Beveridge|first=Chris|date=20 November 2014|website=|publisher=The Fandom Post|accessdate=25 October 2016|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924025238/http://www.fandompost.com/2014/11/20/slayers-anime-features-ova-japanese-box-set-planned/|url-status=live}} released on Blu-ray in Japan on October 30, 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/07/10/delayed-slayers-filmova-blu-ray-box-scheduled-for-october-30-2015|title=Delayed "Slayers" Film/OVA Blu-ray Box Scheduled for October 30, 2015|last=Komatsu|first=Mikikazu|date=10 July 2015|website=|publisher=Crunchyroll|accessdate=25 October 2016|archive-date=18 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318113147/http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/07/10/delayed-slayers-filmova-blu-ray-box-scheduled-for-october-30-2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E5%8A%87%E5%A0%B4%E7%89%88-OVA-%E3%82%B9%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A4%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA-%E3%83%87%E3%82%B8%E3%82%BF%E3%83%AB%E3%83%AA%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BCBD%E2%80%90BOX-Blu-ray/dp/B00PVKN0G0/|title=The Movie & OVA Slayers Digitally Remastered BD-BOX [Blu-ray]|last=|first=|date=30 October 2015|website=Amazon.co.jp|language=ja|script-title=ja:劇場版&OVA スレイヤーズ デジタルリマスターBD‐BOX [Blu-ray] DVD・ブルーレイ - 林原めぐみ, 川村万梨阿, 阪 脩, 高山みなみ, 白鳥由里, 平松晶子, 大塚明夫, 矢尾一樹, 内海賢二, わたなべひろし|accessdate=25 October 2016|archive-date=5 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705022304/http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E5%8A%87%E5%A0%B4%E7%89%88-OVA-%E3%82%B9%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A4%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA-%E3%83%87%E3%82%B8%E3%82%BF%E3%83%AB%E3%83%AA%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BCBD%E2%80%90BOX-Blu-ray/dp/B00PVKN0G0|url-status=live}}

Reception

Aleksandra Janusz of the Polish magazine Kawaii expressed her severe disappointment in Slayers Premium for several reasons, including its short running time, character design and animation changes, the plot that in her opinion was weak with unfunny gags, and deeming returning characters other than Lina and Gourry unnecessary due to their unsatisfactory very small roles in the film.Aleksandra Janusz (Ina, Błękitna Czarodziejka), "Slayers nie tylko w TV: Filmy kinowe oraz serie OAV." Kawaii 40 (October–November 2002), p. 12-15. In his review for Anime News Network, Zac Bertschy conversely called it "an entertaining little piece of fan-pleasing animation."{{Cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/slayers-premium|title=Slayers Premium|website=Anime News Network|language=en|access-date=2019-02-15|archive-date=2019-03-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330202816/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/slayers-premium|url-status=live}}

References

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