Slayers Gorgeous

Slayers Gorgeous (スレイヤーズごうじゃす) is a 1998 comic fantasy anime film written by Hajime Kanzaka and directed by Hiroshi Watanabe. Gorgeous is the fourth film in the Slayers saga and the final anime entry in the prequels to the main series. It received mostly favorable reviews.

In the film, the wandering sorceresses Lina Inverse and Naga the Serpent get involved in a war between Lord Calvert and his daughter Marlene: Lina sides with Calvert, while Naga joins Marlene's side in a battle over her allowance money.

Release
The film was theatrically released on August 1, 1998, distributed by Toei Company. It was screened as a double feature together with Martian Successor Nadesico: The Motion Picture – Prince of Darkness.

The English dubbing version was directed and produced by Sandra Krasa. The film was also broadcast in the English version by ADV's broadcast on Anime Network and distributed by Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand, by Déclic Images in France, and by ACOG and OVA Films in Germany (dubbed to German by into German by Circle of Arts).

Other media
A 102-page companion guide book Movie Edition Slayers Gorgeous was released by Fujimi Shobō in the Dragon Magazine Collection in August 1998, followed by Slayers Gorgeous Anime Comic (with a B&W section of production art and character designs) in November 1998. The scripts for Return, Great and Gorgeous were also published in the book Slayers Original.

A 39-track original original soundtrack Slayers Great: The Motion Picture "Go" (KICA-415) was released on CD in Japan on September 9, 1998. It features three songs with vocals by Megumi Hayashibara: "I & Myself", "Raging Waves" and "Raging Waves (Turquoise Mix)". The songs were later included in the CD collection The Best of Slayers Vol. 2 (From OVA, Movie & Game).

Reception
The film was well received by most Western critics, often regarded as one of the better installments of the franchise. Helen McCarthy included it on her list of essential anime films and gave it a perfect score of A, while Mania.com's Chris Beveridge gave it a B+. According to Fred Patten of Animation World Network, "Slayers Gorgeous is recommended both on its own and as a sample for viewers wondering whether to invest in one of the 26-episode Slayers TV series."

The Video Librarian also recommended this "genuinely funny entry" in the Slayers anime series, awarding it 3 out of 4 stars and adding that "what distinguishes this particular episode is an exquisite sense of comic timing and constantly upended expectations." According to Mania.com's Dani Moure, who gave it a score of B, Gorgeous is "a good fantasy-comedy that isn't going to move any mountains, but it will give a lot of laughs and entertainment." Megan Lavey from that same website scored it a B- and Beatrice MV Lapa from The Otaku Fridge rated it 8/10. John Huxley of Homemademech favorably compared Slayers Gorgeous to Slayers Great: "Both may be of a similar quality but Gorgeous is Goldeneye to Great's Thunderball. The same but better."

Dan Houston of DVD Talk gave Slayers Gorgeous a positive review, writing that "much like Slayers Great, the premise of this release was somewhat limited but I can't deny the appeal of the show," and noting that having less adult innuendo compared other Slayers films "makes this a better volume for kids or younger audiences." On the other hand, DVD Verdict's Rob Lineberger gave the film a relatively rare negative review, calling it "bland and downright annoying" despite "some amusing bits in the movie." DVD Verdict's review of The Slayers Movie Box by Brett Cullum, however, opined the set "makes for a giggly good time at an affordable price."