#dilarr (slayers)

[alexeiadrae]

Thoughts on J-Novel Translation of Slayers: Delusion in Crimson, Ch 1

-We get some timeline stuff in this novel. Aria says something about Sairaag being destroyed 2 years ago (though IIRC a later novel screws this up a bit), and Lina and Gourry say that for the past half year or so there has been a rise in demon attacks. It is also implied that Gourry is still getting a feel for what the Blast Sword (even though they don’t know that the sword they have is the Blast Sword) can do, which would mean that the stuff that happened at Solaria was rather recent. Based on other timeline stuff, though, it would seem that the time that passed between when Lina and Gourry met and the Hellmaster incident was around 6 months. So either a year and a half has passed between the Hellmaster incident and Solaria/Crimson City (which could explain the reason Lina and Gourry are fully back on their game after Bezeld) or Aria was exaggerating how much time has passed.

-This is an interesting book as far as getting to see a side of Lina that we rarely see in her relationship with Aria. She takes Aria under her wing, mentors her a bit, and helps her to feel like a useful part of the operation to rescue her sister by pointing out that she will need someone to identify Kailus.

-I also wonder how many parallels to read between Aria and Bell’s relationship and Lina and Luna’s. Lina and Aria are both the younger sister, both sorceresses who travel, and Aria mentions that Bell is beautiful and someone she is proud to call family, and we know there are insecurity issues Lina has around Luna. Bell and Luna both stayed close to home, though whether Luna has any romantic interests is unknown. Lina even says that Aria is around the same age that she is. Where they differ is that Aria and Bell are a lot more helpless than Lina and Luna. However, I definitely think Lina knows how hard it can be for women who aren’t powerful to get by in a man’s world and that explains a lot of her motivations in helping them.

-Lina’s bad reputation is brought up again and again in this chapter, yet we also see how Lina does not live up to it. I wonder what HK’s motivations are behind this. To make Lina more likeable by pointing out how she isn’t perfect? To point out how people can be unfairly slandered? A commentary about how strong, outspoken women are often unfairly criticized?

-This chapter may provide the most indirect proof that Gourry can read (or that Lina assumes he can read). When they see the notice for sorcerers Lina takes it as a given that he can read it, though he doesn’t know what conclusions to draw from it.

-This novel is also interesting as far as the role that the sorcerer’s guild plays. Dilarr says that it’s usually best to do what the council says, though he does not expound on why (likely Aria and Lina know but Lina doesn’t explain). Lina doesn’t even seem to question defying the council and also brings up how she’s forgotten to submit the report about what happened in Sairaag. It does make me wonder what the council would do to sorcerer’s who don’t obey them.

-Lina is the hardcore tactician in this novel, and Gourry uncharacteristically underestimates Zonagein. That said, Gourry is also hardcore with taking Graymore down. Aria is sweet but green, Dilarr is another fighter who is also a jerk to Lina.

-Going back to Lina’s reputation, it is worth mentioning that before Dilarr realizes who she is he basically says that since she is ugly she should shut up, and when he learns that she is Lina Inverse he fixates on her bad reputation rather heavily. Part of me doubts that HK did this intentionally, but as a feminist it is irresistible to read into the men being threatened by a strong woman so they vilify her and spread nasty rumors about her aspect. Granted, Aria is also concerned about her, yet despite the rumors not being complimentary asks for Lina’s help. So despite Lina’s reputation Aria is willing to give her a chance and trust her, perhaps indicating that she may see the dark underbelly of misogyny to the rumors?

[recentanimenews]

Slayers: Delusion in Crimson

By Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. Released in Japan by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Elizabeth Ellis.

It can be somewhat annoying to come at the Slayers novels from someone who grew up with the anime and realize how a huge chunk of them are Lina, Gourry, and one-off characters. Zelgadis and Amelia stuck around for a bit, as did Xellos, but they’re gone now. We’ve had Luke and Mileena come in with an attempt to add a new supporting duo to the cast, but they’re more of the ‘we keep running into each other’ sort than actual party members. They’re also not in this particular book either. We do get a villain from two books ago… but she doesn’t appear, she’s just an offscreen catalyst. It can be rather disheartening. Where’s the wacky fun times? Where’s Lina accidentally destroying things? Where’s Gourry being rock stupid? But this isn’t the anime, these are the light novels. And because of that we get something here which the anime almost never tried to do unless it was a huge world-shattering crisis: we get a straight up tragedy.

Lina and Gourry arrive at a city that is telling any and all sorcerers to report to the local sorcerer’s council at once. Doesn’t say why, and does not appear to be from the government. Lina, who has just been through sorcerers trying to take over a city a book or so ago, thinks we’re seeing much the same thing here, and she’s mostly correct. She teams up with Aria, a young woman who is trying to rescue her sister from the lord who killed her fiancee and forcibly married her, and Dilarr, a passing adventurer who just seems to like Aria, though he does find Lina somewhat terrifying, to her displeasure – her reputation is now that death and disaster show up whenever she arrives. Sadly, this book does not really change that reputation. Once they arrive at the city where Aria and her sister Bell live, we get a Chthulhian nightmare featuring lots of monstrosities and lots of death.

Despite the fact that these books frequently seem as if they’re written without an outline by the author simply going to the typewriter and typing till he stops, there is some decent character work here, particularly in regards to Aria’s sister Bell. Set up as the unwilling victim through most of the book, the reality is far darker than we’d expect. The second ‘series’ of light novels were never adapted to the anime, and this one shows why – the sister who is forcibly married after her fiancee is killed sends her little sister off to safety because she loves her, but also has hatred in her heart, as her sister is safe and can be happy while Bell is trapped. It’s a very real look at family dynamics that can stem from a family member being abused. Unfortunately, Slayers is still a fantasy, not a realistic look at power dynamics and coping mechanisms, so we get a massive bloodbath.

As Lina and Gourry walk away at the end, both are subdued and disturbed, and the reader has to agree. This is on the darker side of the Slayers novels, a series which is already much darker than its anime equivalent. I hope the next book has a bit more jollity.

By: Sean Gaffney

[alexeiadrae]

Thoughts on J-Novel Translation of The Slayers, Delusion in Crimson Ch 3

Not much thoughts here. It was a rather action packed chapter. There is a big spoiler below the cut for those who have not read it. There are some nice moments with Lina and Gourry, including Lina thinking of him as “my guy” and them doing some good teamwork to take down Zonagein. Gourry is also the one who looks after the group, suggesting that they all get some rest after escaping Kailus’s place.

Aria also starts to come in on her own and we can see the impact of Lina’s tutelage. Lina would definitely make a good teacher and mentor. This is also a rather dark novel, starting with the death of Dilarr. I guess with the next update we’ll see whether or not I have any ideas on why this one is so dark and how it fits in the larger arc of the second half.

[alexeiadrae]

Thoughts on J-Novel Translation of Delusion in Crimson, Ch 2

-Nothing too deep tonight, folks. It has been a MUNDAY, and if I showed you my schedule tomorrow you would all send chocolate my way.

-Lina is THE BOSS.

-Gourry shows his smarts and abilities in this though. His fighting ability is phenomenal and he makes and executes a plan to rescue Aria. I also have to admire his ability to keep his train of thought when he loses consciousness when the floor falls out from under them…especially as this is something he’s not known for. And by now, he has fully accepted what he has gotten into with Lina and bears it well.

-Aria and Dilarr are so green, Lina and Gourry have their hands full keeping all of them alive. Lina is so encouraging with Aria. I really like seeing this side of her.

-Crimson City sounds beautiful and like a fun place to visit. Wish Lina and Gourry could have romantic tourist moments there, unfortunately it was not to be.

-I do have to note how confident Lina is when Narov takes Aria as a hostage. I think it shows how she has recovered from Hellmaster holding Gourry hostage. One way to manage anxiety is to make plans for what to do, and its worth noting that Lina had strategies for what to do to keep Narov off balance and focused on her while Gourry formulated a plan with Dilarr. We don’t see the process of her healing, but we see that it has happened.

-Considering the rest of the novels in this arc are really focused on building the overarching plot, this is a nice sidestep that shows sides of Lina and Gourry and their relationship we don’t see often.