Slayers Return

Lina Inverse, a sorceress for hire, and her partner Naga the Serpent are engaged to rescue a village girl from an evil wizard. What the wizard actually wants is a legendary treasure that may be an invincible magical weapon, enough to rule the world with. Hiroshi Watanabe and Kunihiko Yuyama co-directed. J.C.Staff produced and Toei distributed. It opened in Japanese cinemas on 3 August 1996 and runs 61 minutes. It played as a double feature with the film version of X. Its place in the series is fixed: the second theatrical feature, after 1995's Slayers Perfect and before 1997's Slayers Great. Megumi Hayashibara voices Lina and Maria Kawamura voices Naga. Critics received it warmly, with the praise going to the fact that it tells a complete story on its own and does not shut out viewers new to the series. Who it is for: fans of comedy-forward nineties fantasy anime and anyone wanting an entry point without knowing the series. Who it is not for: anyone expecting depth from a film under an hour. It stays in a register of satire and gags to the end.