スレイヤーズ EVOLUTION－R Episode 06
Slayers Evolution-R 06

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Lina and party arrive in Vezendi with food being chief on Lina and Gourry’s mind. Amelia doesn’t think that they should be worried about food but since Lina’s plan is to wait and let Zuuma make the next move combined with Gourry saying they need to stock up on nutrition while they can, she reluctantly goes along with the plan. Zelgadiss does not approve and decides to do some investigating on his own. Lina is about to head to a nearby restaurant with Gourry but is stopped by a young boy who asks if she’s Lina Inverse. She acknowledges it and he has a message for her.

The follow the boy to a giant mansion and estate where a middle-aged gentleman gives the boy a couple of gold coins for completing his mission. Lina makes a remark on the man’s generosity and the man introduces himself as Radok Ranzaad (Ranzard?). He reveals that his life has been threatened and he needs her as a bodyguard. Further, the one threatening his life is none other than Zuuma. Radok’s adult son Abel enters the library where they are all seated and does not approve of hiring Lina, considering the whole thing to be a big scam. In the process, he insults Lina a few times and she’s had enough. Even an offer of a reward is not enough to keep her there until that reward is revealed to be the Hellmaster Jar, and it is brought in by none other than Ozel.

After learning that Ozel is now working for Radok, that Radok was bait set by Zuuma to ensare Lina, and that the Hellmaster’s Jar is within her grasp, a frustrated Lina ends up taking the job, working out some of her frustrations in a massive food orgy at the local restaurant (inn). Amelia voices concern over their new client’s safety, but Lina feels that since Zuuma’s main target is her, she’s the one he’ll attack first, not Radok. Lina isn’t to worried about an attack on the inn either until the inn is placed within a mazoku barrier and two mazoku — Gduza and Dugld — attack. Gduza goes after Amelia while Dugld goes after Zelgadiss. Both seem mostly uninterested in Lina.

Gourry tries to help as best as he can but does little. Zelgadiss holds his own for a bit with his Astral Vine enhanced sword but is soon trapped by Dugld and Amelia is soon trapped by Gduza. Lina has had enough and casts a powerful spell that forces the mazoku to retreat and the barrier to be broken. Xellos arrives, so an angry Lina confronts him about these two new mazoku, demanding to know what Xellos is doing. Xellos claims ignorance about these two mazoku and because Lina knows that Xellos does not lie, the answer satisfies her. With that, Xellos rights a table and causes a cup of tea to appear.

Back at the Ranzard estate, Abel comes home late and gets into an argument with his father over recent events. Ozel suggests a break and tells Abel to not trouble his father so. Abel later observes whatever his father is doing and does not seem happy by it.

Thoughts/Review:

Man, it has been ages since I’ve read the first six novels (still need to read #7 & #8). That said, I do remember that Radok is somehow tied to Zuuma beyond the threat, but I don’t remember what that connection is. I also want to say that Radok did have a servant, but I do know it wasn’t Ozel. I want to say his servant was a mazoku and a powerful one, but I may be getting confused here. May be time to do some research…if I’m not feeling too lazy. *_*

What I don’t remember off the top of my head are the mazoku Gduza & Dugld. If they were in the novels, they didn’t have a big impact in my mind at least. Of course in the novels, Radok, Zuuma, and Seigram (the mazoku) were all part of the Garv (Gaav) plot to have Lina eliminated because Hellmaster seemed interested in her. Because Slayers Next changed things quite a bit from the novels (dropping the Zuuma element), I sometimes can’t remember what went where. I know that Gduza & Dugld haven’t been in the anime before, but it is possible they were in the novels. Those two mazoku must be more low-level because they retreated from a spell of Lina’s rather than take it like upper-ranking mazoku can.

I did find it interesting that Xellos didn’t know Gduza & Dugld. I don’t know how mazoku society works, but I would have thought that Xellos might know more of his people. Then again, if they work for one of the other mazoku lords, he might not know all of them.

I’m still not sure what Ozel’s role in everything is. Hopefully when all is said and done, her presence will make sense.

While the plot is being established, for some reason, I was ambivalent to this episode. Nothing struck me hard on either the good or the bad. Onward to the next episode I suppose.