Slayers Return Music Guide

The booklet for the album "Slayers Return: The Motion Picture 'R'" (from ADV Music) doesn't have very much information on the music itself, but rather the movie. Still, on this page I have copied down the text from the booklet (I corrected some typos and mistranslations as well) for your information. I'm not sure who the narrator is.

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The world of "Slayers." What is it that draws us there?

Lina and Naga's free-roaming journeys (more often than not causing trouble). Meeting many (strange) people along the way. And certainly the grand, fantastic view of the world that surrounds it all, is one of the biggest lures. And of course, in the movies, there is Takayuki Hattori, who uses the spell of "music" to set the atmosphere. By the time the previous "Slayers" movie was released in 1995, Mr. Hattori had already touched many with his music for the TV drama "The Prince's Restaurant." Taking a look at recent movies, such as "Hero Interview," "Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla," "The Cellar," and various other titles, they are proof of the breadth of his musical talent. And "Slayers Return" does justice to all of them.

Once again, the summer breeze carries with it two female sorceresses and the sound of Mr. Hattori's music. If you close your eyes, the vision of those wonderful cahracters will be reborn in your mind. Lina, Naga, Selena, and (depending on who you are) Galef...

Speaking of summer, it just wouldn't be summer without another "Slayers" movie! The Slayers series has been near invincible in its continued success, first as novels, then moving on to comics, games, TV, and radio. "Slayers Return" is a major motion picture which takes place in the same continuity as "Slayers Special." These two movies are particularly recommended for fans of the original novels. Newly written by Mr. Hajime Kanzaka, who wrote the original novels, with base character designs by the original illustrator, Mr. Rui Araizumi! Continuing from the excellent previous work with its strong theatrical composition, this movie keeps the flavor of the original work alive, and its excellence shows through in every way. There's no mistake; you're not a true Slayers fan unless you go see this spectacular fantastic adventure (I guess you could call it that) three times.

One day, a mysterious woman appears before Lina and Naga. Her name is Selena. This woman, the daughter of the chief of the town of Biatz, opposes the secret organization Zein, which is oppressing the villagers. The boss of Zein, Galef, seeks a "power" that rests within the village, to fulfill his ambition of taking over the world. What is this "power?" Lina and Naga smell the scent of treasure surrounding this mystery, and decide to cooperate with Selena to fulfill their own agendas...

Lina Inverse
As you well know, she is our heroine. The "Slayers Special" series takes place before the "Slayers" series, in which she celebrated her 16th birthday. So counting back, if this story were told in the real world, she'd be in the tenth grade or so. It's not known for certain what the marks on her forehead are: a mole? A tattoo? The beginnings of a horn? Will it explode?

She is played by, of course, Megumi Hayashibara. She has had many roles as fighting heroines, from Momiji in "Blue Seed," to Tira in "Bakuretsu Hunter," to Rei in "Neon Genesis Evangelion," but she is definitely cut out to be Lina.

Naga the Serpent
Lina's self-styled rival. Completely outclasses Lina when it comes to sexiness. At any rate, there's no mistaking she's the best partner, for being both silly and serious. By the way, in the first TV series, "Slayers," a person that looked like her passed by in the background, but it's uncertain if it was really her, simply Naga, or someone who was dressing up as her.

She is played by Maria Kawamura. Kawamura is unmatched at playing such high-handed roles such as Lessi in "L-Gaim," Beltotica in "Z-Gundam," and Quess in "Char's Counterattack."

Selena
According to Rui Araizumi, when the original character designs were released, the fan expectations for the second movie were raised. And as those who have seen the movie might agree, those expectations were met beautifully, with a charming character that is not only cute, but also strong. In a certain sense, you could say that Selena is Lina and naga's strongest enemy.

She is played by Akiko Hiramatsu. She has done impressive work in pleasing roles as girls who are honest and sincere at first glance, but harbor a subtle deviance, such as Kyoko in "All-Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku-Nuku," Haruko in "Slam Dunk," and Miyuki in "You're Under Arrest!" Recently, she has recieved high praise for her performance as the angel candidate in "Story of an Angel Candidate '96" theatre show.

Galef
When they looked at the promotioinal posters for the movie, a lot of people thought Selena was a princess, and Galef was an evil king from a nearby country. But not only were the words "The strongest enemy appears" written right on there, but the character design for him that was published before this was beastly, strong, evil, and frightening.

But in actuality... heh heh. I'll just stop here so I don't spoil things for those who haven't seen the movie yet.

He is played by Kenji Utsumi. He has had many major roles such as Raoh in "Fist of the North Star" and Shen Long in "Dragonball." But when you consider he played Professor Senbee in "Dr. Slump," you can assume Galef is... heh heh.

Album Staff
Jacket Illustration: Rui Araizumi (Finishing: Production I.G.)
Back Cover Illustration: Takahiro Yoshimatsu (Finishing: J.C. Staff)
Collaboration: Kadokawa Shoten, Fujimi Publishing
Design: Nobuo Tsuchiya (works D)
Art Coordination: Takanori Shibutani (King Records)
Mastering Engineer: Seiji Kaneko (King Records)
Pre-Mastering: Nobuyuki Michizoe (King Records)
Supervisor: Takashi Yoshioka (King Records)

Original Soundtrack
Music by Takayuki Hattori
Engineering by Tadaharu Sato (Mixer's Lab)
Recorded at AVACO CREATIVE 301 STUDIO (July 4-5, 1996)

Lyrics - Home

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