Slayers: Book of Spells DVD

Before Lina Inverse ever crossed paths with Gourry Gabriev, before she tangled with the Mazoku or wielded the Giga Slave to shake the foundations of reality, she was just a notoriously short-tempered teenage sorceress wandering the countryside with her self-appointed rival and most unwanted companion: Naga the White Serpent. The two share almost nothing except a love of food, a need for money, and an uncanny ability to turn any paying job into a disaster of their own making. In three self-contained OVA adventures set before the events of the TV series, Lina faces off against a mad alchemist with a chimera obsession, gets hired to babysit a hopelessly delusional would-be knight whose terrifying mother turns out to be the real threat, and hunts down a thief who stole a magical mirror capable of creating exact copies of whoever stands before it — with one catch: the copies have completely opposite personalities. A timid, humanitarian Lina. A bashful, self-conscious Naga. The horror.

Slayers: The Book of Spells is the North American DVD release of the three-episode Slayers Special OVA series, produced by J.C. Staff and directed by Hiroshi Watanabe. Originally released in Japan between 1996 and 1997, the OVAs were adapted from Hajime Kanzaka's Slayers Special light novel series and serve as a comedic prequel to the main Slayers saga. The series captures everything that makes Slayers great — absurdist humor, magical mayhem, and the spectacular comedic chemistry between Lina and Naga — in compact, self-contained episodes that work perfectly as a standalone introduction to the franchise or as a companion piece for established fans. The English dub, produced by ADV's Industrial Smoke & Mirrors, was directed by Matt Greenfield and praised as one of the studio's finest.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Hiroshi Watanabe
Original Light Novels: Hajime Kanzaka
Character Design: Takahiro Yoshimatsu
Studio: J.C. Staff
Music: Takayuki Hattori (Escaflowne, Martian Successor Nadesico)

Cast:
- Megumi Hayashibara as Lina Inverse (Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Ranma ½)
- Maria Kawamura as Naga the White Serpent
- Akira Ishida as Jeffrey
- Rihoko Yoshida as Josephine

Episode Titles:
- Episode 1: The Scary Chimera Plan
- Episode 2: Jeffrey's Knighthood
- Episode 3: Mirror, Mirror

DVD Features

- Original Trailers
- Production Portfolio
- ADV Films Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: スレイヤーズすぺしゃる (Sureiyāzu Supesharu)
Runtime: ~75 Minutes (3 Episodes)
Director: Hiroshi Watanabe
DVD Release Year: 2001 (U.S. Release)
Original Release Date (Japan): July 25, 1996 – May 25, 1997
Publisher: ADV Films
Rating: 13+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Action
Themes: Sorcery & Magic, Comedic Duo, Prequel Adventures, Mad Alchemists, Mirror Magic

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.