- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A
- Rating: TV-PG
- Discs: 2
- Studio: Funimation
- Blu-ray Release Date: October 19, 2010
- List Price: $59.98
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BestBuy.com:
Purchase The Slayers Revolution on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Series
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
The Series
[Rating:3.5/5]
It’s been over a decade since Slayers has seen a new series. The fun anime series that deals with magic, spells, bandits and mystical creatures is back with the original cast and some new characters to breathe new life into the franchise’s colorful, irreverent world.
Slayers Revolution is the first half (13 episodes) of the reunion of this classic 1990’s series. It brings back the main character Lina Inverse and her bodyguard Gourry. Lina is powerful, she can cast spells, particularly one called the “Dragonslave” that allows her to shoot a fireball from her hands. The two now spend their time hunting pirates since the bandits they used to hunt are in short supply thanks to their relentless pursuit. Now she has Ruvinagald Inspector Wizer out to arrest her for crimes committed by another supernatural being — a bunny-like creature known as Pokota who somehow knows how to cast Lina’s spells. Lina, Gourry, and their friends Amelia and Zelgadis, must prove Lina’s innocence of the crime of, “being Lina Inverse.” The group hit the road in pursuit of Pokota with Inspector Wizer always at their heels.
The series starts out a bit slowly, but starts to heat up in its second half as a subplot about a magical city trapped in a mist and a mystical beast about to be unleashed on the world is interwoven into the numerous standalone episodes.
Slayers Revolution is quirky fun and a good comeback for a classic anime series.
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
The AVC/MPEG-4 1080p encoding definitely shows aliasing throughout the presentation, and the overall image is never quite as sharp as we’d like it to be. Color fills show some noise and the overall image quality varies from acceptably detailed to soft and blurry. Overall, however, The Slayers Revolution still provides an enjoyable viewing experience.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The last couple of Funimation Blu-ray releases I’ve had the opportunity to review, this one included, the studio finally seems to have scaled back the compression/limiting and high frequency tweaking on the audio mastering. The sound on the English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 from Funimation is refreshingly dynamic rather than constantly pushed and in your face. It’s not necessarily an overtly aggressive mix — the surround channels are used mainly for a heavy dose of ambience that opens up the soundstage — but it is an engaging and engulfing mix. Low frequencies are strong and deep and dialogue is clear.
The Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 Stereo mix is equally solid with a wide stereo field that practically pours out the sides of the speakers and clean, intelligible dialogue with a punchy midrange and solid lows.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0.5/5]
When studios put pointless supplements on home video releases they may as well put nothing at all on them. That’s the case with this release of The Slayers Revolution that comes with nothing more than textless (read: without credits) opening and closing theme songs as supplements and trailers for more Funimation releases.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3/5]
Expertly animated and colorful with hyperactive action, Slayers Revolution is an effortless blend of the mystic and science fiction that fans of this classic series should enjoy.
Additional Screen Captures:
[amazon-product align=”right”]B003SPDSF8[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase The Slayers Revolution on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
