Slayers Return (1996) Anime Movie Review

Slayers Return (Slayers Movie 2 - The Return) is a 1996 adventure fantasy comedy anime movie directed by Kunihiko Yuyama (Minky Momo, Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko) and Hiroshi Watanabe, who would be in charge of directing all of the Slayers OVA specials and movies. It was written by the creator of Slayers himself Hajime Kanzaka. The cast features the great Megumi Hayashibara, Maria Kawamura, Akiko Hiramatsu, Akio Ôtsuka and Maya Okamoto. Return was the second entry in the series and it was released theatrically on August 3, 1996. While the film does pick up some things from the previous movie it is not a direct continuation of that storyline and the only thing that was carried over was the fact that Lina and Naga hang out and were introduced in the first film.

Lina and Naga encounter a girl named Saleena, whose village was invaded and slaved by an evil group named Zein. Lina agrees to rescue her people because she heard there's an elven treasure nearby that she can retrieve. So both Lina and Naga go there to save the land from Galev, the organization's leader, but things are not what they seem.

Starting out with Lina and Naga bickering and fighting over food is always a treat. It also sets the tone for the entirety of the movie. The previous film alternated between funny comedic antics with Lina and Naga and a relatively more serious and emotional subplot that intermittently crossed paths with the humorous girls. This time the comedy blends together with the main plot quite greatly and even takes the reins of the narrative, allowing for not only exaggerated moments of comedy but also comedic resolutions to several conflicts and obstacles.

The animation is always good (to great) in these but this time it felt like the action was better storyboarded or at least the staging of the close combat sections allowed for more fluidity of movement in swordfighting and magic spells of destruction. Every angle was pretty perfect and the impact of the blows and punches is palpable. Visually it's quite beautiful and skillfully animated, with great designs, expressive faces and striking colors.

With a likable roster of one and off characters introduced, inventive situations that take advantage of the fantasy world that has been created, the adventure-seeking spirit and the hilarious lines and physically comedic gags this one is some steps closer to what we know of the Slayers anime series, as it does feel like an extended episode of the show in a few ways, both because of the sensibility and because of the way it's structured. This isn't a bad thing since not only is the show itself good but also because what could have been glazed over in a 20 minute time slot it's properly developed in this hour long movie.

Recommended for fantasy anime fans in general. If you are a Slayers fan already then it goes without saying that this is a very fun one that you will very likely enjoy it a lot since it has all the proper ingredients.

The Arena (1974) Movie Review

The Arena (La rivolta delle gladiatrici, Naked Warriors) is a 1974 exploitation sword-and-sandal film directed by Steve Carver (Big Bad Mama), produced by Roger Corman (along with the Italian company Rover Film) and written by the couple of John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington. It stars blaxploitation queen Pam Grier, Margaret Markov (who also paired up with Grier in Black Mama White Mama), Lucretia Love, Paul Muller and Daniele Vargas. The film was remade in Russia for the direct-to-video market in 2001 under the same title by director Timur Bekmambetov.

In Brundisium, during ancient Roman times, slave girls are captured and taken in by the fiendish Timarchus who organizes deadly events at the local colosseum, involving gladiators fighting for their lives. When Timarchus pits female gladiators against each other, the women are now in peril and a revolt is planned in order to survive together.

Taking advantage of the women's-lib movement and the recent success of several of his women-in-prison films, Roger Corman made this small but effective little film that took the core concept of the prison genre and mixed it with some good old European peplum action in Roman times, slightly based on Spartacus. The result is a very fruitful and refreshing take on the subgenre with a very rich story. 

It was shot by Joe D'Amato, who gives the movie a very dynamic visual flair with a lot of very solid shot compositions, rapid zooms that accelerate the tension, swift camera movements and careful lighting that adds a very elegant flavor to the crummy and limited sets. The typical limitations in budget and resources are well handled by the crew and the director in order to make it look and feel more expensive than what it already is.

Since this is essentially a historical version of the women-in-prison genre but transported into a period setting, it has the very basic themes of revolution against the oppressive forces of society, focusing on the struggles of women and/or slaves against the dominant order that forces them to fight among each other for their entertainment. Predictably, the film ends with a slave revolt and the women fighting their way out of their shackles.

The different conflicts the writers gave to the characters are quite solid and they all add to the story and it's theme in a very real way, often the script puts the spotlight on the effects the savage gladiator fights have on the people who suffer through them and how certain groups of people are so desensitized or brought up believing it is natural and normal, ideas that are challenged by the wiser or less conformist characters. Pam Grier's character is also put in a very interesting moral dilemma when she is in the arena, which affects her relationship with other slave gladiators.

With a magnificent final battle, a sense of doom and misery all throughout, without ever feeling like a cheap or dumb scenario, the film achieves a very legitimate feel and flavor due to the filmmakers creating a sound storyline with deeper characters and issues than usual as well as a better pace and dramatic organization of the story than average.

Very recommended low budget exploitation affair with some nice battles and a captivating story.