The third season of Slayers is a strong continuation of the anime series, even if it wasn't based on any plotlines from one of Kanzaka's books. A stronger, more coherent storyline steeped in mystery and prophecy, coupled with an interesting new assortment of side characters and an enjoyable exploration of the old theme of sorcery versus technology combine to make Try a must-see for any Slayers fans.

Try easily has the most coherent plot of the three TV seasons, with a slowly unfolding prophecy giving meaning and depth to many of the events. There was a bit of reminiscence to the old "ah, another possible copy of the Claire Bible!" effect from Next in terms of the quest for the weapons of light, but I felt that its occurrence was nowhere near as extreme as the "going to Sairagg" effect in the original series, or the aforementioned "Claire Bible" effect. Classic Slayers elements surface, from the trademark humor to the interesting spell uses and explanations; yet thankfully, each of these elements was extended over the course of the series, adding some new life to each time-honored tradition. Those interested in the Slayers magic system should enjoy the possibilities explored related to the interaction of magic of the Ryuzoku and Mazoku (I think SS translates these as the Dragon and Monster races), as well as the general theme of sorcery versus technology in a part of the world that has been absent of magic until Lina broke the Mazoku seal on magic. There are also a number of twists and turns in the plot itself, though nothing as convoluted as the plotlines of Key the Metal Idol or Gundam Wing. From start to finish, I would say that Try has the best overall plot of the three seasons... for what that comparison's worth.

Try features the mostly traditional cast, with only one primary addition to the "main" characters. Lina Inverse, beautiful sorcery genius extraordinaire, Gourry, her brawny but often clueless protector, Amelia, the Justice-seeking daddy's girl, and Zelgadis, part-golem master shaman seeking to recover his original body, comprise the primary returning cast of champions, with Xellos returning as everyone's favorite lovable, manipulative, and secretive Lieutenant of Darkness ("Sore ha... himitsu desu!"). Contrary to her words at the end of Next, Sylphiel sadly was not present in this anime sequel (one of the many breaks from the novels), but Filia, a gold dragon shrine maiden, is so adorable that you really have no reason to be too disappointed - she has the same basically good nature of Sylphiel, accompanied by some amusing character flaws of haughtiness and a mean temper which make for very ironic contrasts between her as a representative of "Good" and Xellos as a representative of "Evil." In terms of character development, the most significant changes occur in Filia, as one would expect. The themes of the relationships between the major four heroes is otherwise unchanged from the end of Next, though there are further hints as to the future of these relationships confirmed in the aftermath of Try.

The traditional Slayers cast makes a comeback for their best conceived adventure to date.	The villains in Try are better fleshed out than in previous seasons, making for a more human and interesting collection of adversaries.

The new "villains" featured in Try are generally more dynamic and well-rounded than those of the earlier series, my favorite of which is Jiros, the foxman responsible for much of the technology at the disposal of Lina's enemies. There aren't any throw-away Mazoku as appeared in Next and the original series, and each major villain is made more human and interesting by bits of background that flash in from time to time. At the same time, those unfamiliar with the Slayers series should bear in mind that Slayers is more concerned with humor than character development, so you really shouldn't expect TOO much in terms of character insight ^_^

In terms of animation, Try continues the Slayers theme of basic TV grade animation, with minimal fluidity and heavy usage of cell-monkeying. However, Slayers shines more in terms of its character depictions - great caricatures of characters' expressions and actions, coupled with excellent conceptual art for the characters. There's a slightly different style to a lot of the caricatures this time around, but I thought it worked out quite well nonetheless. As for the rest, you get just enough frames to get the gist of the action, with the occasional better-detailed spell sequence for major events (such as the first time Lina casts a Dragon Slave ^_~ ). In general, though, while there were still no repeated frames, it almost felt as if the animation quality was a step down from Next, in terms of detail and number of frames.

Try's soundtrack, on the other hand, is another sample of the great music which has been composed for the Slayers series as a whole. The opening theme may not be quite as rockin' as that from Next, but it's still fairly high-class Hayashibara Megumi goodness, and the closing theme is even better. The background music follows the tradition of well-composed classical music, with only a few carry-over themes from the previous series and an excellent knack of matching the moods for the scenes. The occasional synthesized instruments also blended well with the overall style of the music.

In all, Slayers Try is a worthy successor to the Slayers Next series, suffering not at all in its divergence from Kanzaka's novels. I felt it was generally the best conceived sequence we've seen to date in terms of the anime form of Slayers, with a more coherent plotline and a better-rounded cast of supporting characters than the other two seasons. At the same time, it is still mostly confined to the realm of comedic fantasy, with a brand of humor which does not appeal to everyone.

Distributor: Software Sculptors (CPM)
Creator: Hajime Kanzaka, EG Films, Kadokawa Shoten
Released: 1997

Plot: B-
Character Design: B+
Animation Quality: C
Music: A
Overall: B