| The Slayers Abridged | |
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Creator |
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Run |
October 2008 - 11/09/2011 |
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Episodes |
20 |
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Link |
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History[]
The Slayers Abridged was created in October of 2008 by first time abridger ProjectShadow99. However, after only one month and four episodes, a long hiatus was taken for the series as Shadow had looked over all four episodes in detail and was overall ashamed of them, as there were quite a few jokes stolen from other abridged series, which still weren't funny when he used them, and the original jokes were what he believed to be even worse. Plus, he thought of himself as a horrible (and at times lazy) editor. It wasn't until March of the following year that he finally put up episode 5, determined to redeem himself and make everyone forget the first four episodes. Shadow was somewhat satisfied, with his jokes being more original and his style of humor being better, but now he was finding it rather difficult to rip the episodes, so it wasn't for another five months that he made another one. Since then, he has claimed to have found a easier way to get the episodes and now intends to get on a regular schedule to get the episodes out a lot faster. However, he does wish he had a way of making the abridged series more mainstream, noting that his latest episodes took a long time just to reach 100 views. In the Summer of 2010, Shadow announced that he would be remaking the first few episodes more to his (and hopefully his fans') liking. This began in September when he uploaded the redone version of Episode 1. In October 2010, Shadow took down Episodes 1 through 6 in preparation for redoing them (and because he was still somewhat ashamed of them).
Production[]
ProjectShadow99's current method of producing episodes is "rather simple" in his words. Shadow first watches one or two movies to look for pop culture references before watching the actual episode. He then types up a script completely off the top of his head, occasionally changing a line before the final cut. Although he never intends it, the script typing always seems to happen past midnight. Shadow then waits for a time when he is alone in the house to record the voices. Then he will edit it together with the episode and put it up. He used his standard microphone and sound recorder for the voices in the first four episodes, but then began using his webcam as a microphone, noting it was actually better as a microphone than as a webcam. The episodes are put together with Windows Movie Maker, though he expresses a desire to use a better program.
Cast[]
- sammisomara - Lina Inverse, Gourry (ep. 2, 3, 11+), Sylphiel
- ProjectShadow99 - Zegaldis Greywords, Copy Rezo, Vrumugun, Zangulus, Gourry (ep. 1, 4-7), Eris (ep. 21+), Others
- LunarAiko - Amelia wil Tesla Syruun (ep. 11, 14, 15)
- DemonDarastrix - Amelia wil Tesla Seyruun (ep. 1, 13, 16+), Gourry Gabriev (ep. 4-7), Cally & Cally's daughter (ep. 15)
- AlishasShow - Eris (ep. 18-20)
Guest Stars[]
- KoVox00 - Bandit (ep. 1)
- Lelouch21 - Saman (ep. 1), Hallas (ep. 15)
- ZionKraze - Zolf, Rodimus (ep. 2, 4-7), extra (ep. 18)
- CreepyCopyWizard - Tiiba (ep. 22/23)
Episode List[]
Episodes 8-10 have been made private and are unavailable at this time.
| Episodes | Air Date |
|---|---|
| Episode 1 (Version 2) | Sep 29, 2010 |
| Episode 2 (Version 2) | Dec 12, 2010 |
| Episode 3 (Version 2) | Dec 13, 2010 |
| Episode 4-7 (Version 2) | Jul 14, 2012 |
| Episode 8-10 | N/A |
| Episode 11 (Part 1 & Part 2) | Oct 13, 2009 |
| Episode 12/13 | Nov 2, 2009 |
| Episode 14 | Jan 14, 2010 |
| Episode 15 | Mar 29, 2010 |
| Episode 16 (Part 2 & Part 2) | Sep 24, 2011 |
| Episode 17 | Nov 6, 2010 |
| Episode 18 | Feb 18, 2011 |
| Episode 19 | May 9, 2011 |
| Episode 20 | May 29, 2011 |
| Episode 21 | Jul 27, 2011 |
| Episode 22/23 | Aug 14, 2011 |
| Episode 24 | Sep 26, 2011 |
| Episode 25 | Oct 26, 2011 |
| Episode 26 | Nov 9, 2011 |
Running Gags[]
[]
At the end of every episode, a teaser is put up with audio from another source, such as a scene of Zelgadis being synced up with audio from WWE superstar Jack Swagger screaming "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" or a scene with Volun being synced up with Starscream yelling "YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEEEEEEEECH!"
Video Games[]
Since episode four, Zelgadis has not been shy to mention his love for video games, mainly by Nintendo. His goal of finding a way to return to his human form is all but eclipsed by his constant desire for a Wii. This is partially based on ProjectShadow99's personality, as he is a big gaming fan, particularly Nintendo. In Zelgadis' past, Rezo caused him to lose a chance to obtain a Nintendo 64, and Rezo gave him a PlayStation 3 as consolation, which greatly angered Zelgadis. In addition, Rezo has also bargained with Sony to get the Philosopher's Stone, claiming it can somehow allow them to make better games at a faster and cheaper rate, allowing it to overtake the Wii in sales. In episode five, Mario sound effects became a staple in the series, but were replaced starting in episode six with Sonic sound effects. Although Zelgadis is the main gaming fanatic, other characters have been known to reference games as well, such as episode nine where Lina was seen arguing that Sonic still had a shot to win the mascot war, with Zelgadis saying that the war was already over. Also, much of the music is game music. The game references have been frequently lampshaded at times, with Lina complaining in episode 11 when too many people were using them. Zangulus and Vrumugun themselves are Expys of the Scout and the Spy from Team Fortress 2 (Zangulus has grown out of this for the mostpart). Shadow has confirmed that when Zelgadis comes back that the game references will be toned down, but wants to keep them as Zelgadis seems to be the only character with a set characteristic at the moment.
Wrestling[]
In addition of the three of the teasers so far containing wrestling audio, a new running gag established is for the theme song of WWE wrestler Mark Henry to play during conversations about Sony, due to one line in the song sounding like "Somebody's gonna get they Wii split!" Also, when Shabranigdo was reborn, he revealed himself to be an homage to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. ProjectShadow99 has stated that he intends to have more wrestling references, even directly expressing a desire to have some characters pose as a recent WWE tag team. He has since rescinded this desire, going so far as to directly state in episode 11 "Who the hell watches wrestling and anime?" He has stated that the idea in question was for Zangulus and Vrumugun to parody now former tag team John Morrison and The Miz. They would instead be a parody of the Scout and the Spy from Team Fortress 2. Other than a few wrestling songs at some points, there haven't been any wrestling references since episode 11.
Voices[]
Initially, all voices in the show were done by ProjectShadow99. However, many characters' voices on the show have been complained about by themselves. Lina has stated on at least one occasion her desire to get a new voice actor. This is ProjectShadow99's current way of coping with his indesire to provide Lina's voice, as he hates having to make his voice so high for so long. This problem was solved in episode 14 when SammiSomara took over the role of Lina, although Lina kept right on complaining because now they were unable to use the voice as a joke anymore. Although his primary goal is the Wii, Zelgadis' other goal is to regain his "Crispin Freeman" voice he lost when Rezo transformed him. In episode four, he got it back with little explanation, but then went back to the previous voice in episode five. This was due to ProjectShadow99 realizing that his Crispin Freeman imitation was terrible and he needed more time to work on it before he actually would need to use it in episode eighteen. It has become a gag for other characters to tease Zelgadis about his voice, knowing he can't do anything about it. Shadow never intended to play Amelia, since his Amelia voice wasn't different from his Lina voice, with the exception of having to stuff his nose when he did it. He announced auditions for her long before she showed up in the series, and on September 30th, 2009, LunarAiko was announced as the new voice of Amelia with DemonDarastrix being her understudy. However, LunarAiko was only able to play Amelia in episodes 14 and 15 due to hectic schedules and (at times) communication problems, so about a year later, ProjectShadow99 made DemonDarastrix the official voice of Amelia. Initially, ProjectShadow99 enjoyed playing Gourry the most because he was able to bitch and moan constantly, but then came to a realization that it wasn't that funny and toned down his annoyance, also making him boring. In September of 2010, he announced that he would be holding auditions for Gourry, but strangely, only for women. His reason was that Gourry was boring on his own and he looked enough like a woman anyway. In October of 2010, the new voice of Gourry was officially announced to be SammiSomara, who gave Gourry a voice similar to James from Pokemon in drag. As of now, ProjectShadow99's favorite character to play is Zangulus, because he gets to use an obnoxious New York accent.
Breaking the Fourth Wall/Mocking the Series[]
There are many times on the show where someone will mock the logic, script, or editing software of the show due to nanger in a situation. Although many people do this, it is mostly Gourry, who has complained almost every time he's been seen since episode four. Examples of this include Gourry loathing the fact that he is forced to play the idiot simply for exposition, telling the viewers to specifically watch something else, and even expressing desire to leave for another show, such as Kenshin (although he shot down this idea when he realized that Kenshin would never be finished) This is due to ProjectShadow99 still not thinking very high of his own series and having a constant desire to bash some of his lines immediately after he writes them. It is also his way of giving Gourry a character as he finds it difficult to write lines for an idiot. However, Gourry has lately not been doing it as much and has even joined in on the stupidity a lot, though he will still frequently insult someone if given the chance as well as call Lina a bitch at least once per episode, until around episode 15. Also, in a more recent twist, the show has frequently pointed out when something shows up (like a recording booth or pool toys) that shouldn't exist in that timeframe yet (although Slayers has no set timetable, being set in a D&D type of world, ProjectShadow99 tends to settle on calling it The Dark Ages).
Characters[]
Lina Inverse[]
The star of the show, although it's hard to remember sometimes as she doesn't really have a solid thing to do most of the time. Throughout the first 13 episodes, she had no definite personality traits at all. In episode 14, when SammiSomara began voicing Lina, she became a lot more open to complaining. She may be bi-polar as sometimes she lampshades, and sometimes she complains about lampshading. She has become more like Lina actually was in the show, being a lot more hair triggered and frequently threatening people to get her way. She also tends to be the cause of things a lot less in the show, as most of the villains are instead taken out by others (such as Amelia blowing up Vrumugun in episode 14 when Lina actually did that, and Gourry killing Shabranigdo). She may also be a drug user, as she mentioned taking pot in episode 9, but it hasn't been brought up since.
Gourry Gabriev[]
The hardest character to read among them all, he was originally nothing more than a puppet for the first few episodes, then he began seeking character time, and then trying to get away from it. Until around episode 14, he was something of an asshole complainer who wants nothing to do with doing good unless the only alternative is death (such as when he tried to join Shabranigdo and only began to fight back when Shabranigdo decided to just kill them instead). He would also frequently shout and call Lina a bitch. Recently, he became less of an asshole (unless provoked to complain like in episode 16) and the show's most prominent lampshader (even making it a running gag in episode 15, which he stopped halfway in when he realized it wasn't that funny). In episode 17, he began being voiced by SammiSomara after Lina hit him below the belt with a Falcon Kick. He was the butt monkey for the episode due to his voice and the fact that he had to crossdress, and this status will likely continue as Gourry's crotch was blown off (offscreen) at the end of episode 17 by Lina's fireball. He destroyed Shabranigdo in his crowning moment of awesome when his spontaneous anger and passion was enough to break through the censor and killed the PG-rated Dark Lord.
Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun[]
Originally, Amelia was going to be the scene stealer since she is ProjectShadow99's favorite character out of the main four. But then he realized that she was more difficult to write lines for. When she first showed up, she also tended to have a hair trigger, but much more hidden than Lina's and much more destructive when pulled (such as causing multiple explosions that Amelia didn't actually cause in the anime, like blowing up Hallas' house in episode 15 and blowing up Vrumugun in Episode 14). At times she can be airheaded, such as in episode 17 during a dilemma, she merely wondered what the color of her hair was, but at other times, such as pointing out pool toys in the dark ages in that same episode, can be just as genre savvy and lampshading as the rest of them.
Zelgadis Greywords[]
A guy who would sell his best friend for a copy of Brawl, Zelgadis is a huge gaming fanatic in this continuity, being driven by both his desire to get his hands on a Nintendo Wii and to regain his Crispin Freeman voice (rather than to get rid of his chimera body, which he actually likes in this series). Zelgadis once was prepared to enter a sword-fighting tournament to earn a Nintendo 64, but Rezo intentionally caused him to miss it, taking away his voice and apologetically trying to make up for it by buying a PlayStation 3, which Zelgadis despised. This caused him to swear vengeance on Rezo and prevent him from collecting the Philosopher's Stone, which he believed Rezo would use to help Sony. After Shabranigdo's downfall, Rezo told Zelgadis with his dying words that he would find his voice somewhere around episode 15, so he left the team temporarily, but will return in the near future. In the redone versions of episodes 2 and 3 he seems much moreso unbalanced, even having tourettes like symptoms at one point.
Rezo[]
The blind red priest, everything he does is to further his quest to regain sight, including gaining The Philosopher's Stone, manipulating the Sony corporation, turning Zelgadis into a chimera and unleashing Shabranigdo. He actually isn't that different, although he does seem to have a small affinity for Spaceballs references, and when he would show up between episodes 6 through 8, the theme song for WWE Superstar Mark Henry would play in the background (since the lyrics sound like "Somebody's gonna get their Wii split."), but it was revealed to be because Shabranigdo was lurking inside of him.
Shabranigdo[]
Vincent Ruby-Eye McShabranigdo, the chairman of the Monster race, isn't much besides an expy of Vince McMahon mixed in with Shabranigdo's lines. He was killed rather easily when Gourry broke through the censor and cussed him out, causing the PG rated Dark Lord to die on the spot.
Zolf and Rodimus[]
Two former mooks on the show, both who served Zelgadis. Zolf initially desired revenge on Lina and received it when he had Noonsa rape her offscreen. Afterwards, it wasn't brought up again and they began palling around when Zelgadis revealed that he was a good guy. Rodimus did almost nothing in the show (even lampshading during his only line in episode eight that he actually had a line at all). They attempted to join Shabranigdo after he awakened, knowing that they could become cooler villains and that the only other option was death. However, when Shabranigdo mentioned that there would be regular wellness tests, they attempted to flee in fear. They were then easily killed, Rodimus lampshading during his death how he had somehow managed to live that long.
Vrumugun[]
One of the two currently recurring mooks on the show, on a mission with Zangulus to forcibly take Gourry and Lina to Sairaag. He is an Expy of the Spy from Team Fortress 2 and as such, will occasionally quote him (although ProjectShadow99 has stated that he is his least favorite character to voice, mostly because he can't do a Spy voice to save his life). He doesn't do much in the series and mainly just stands back and gets hit, always managing to recover somehow.
Zangulus[]
ProjectShadow99's ensemble darkhorse of the show, Zangulus is the other currently recurring mook. He started out as an Expy of the Scout from TF2, and while he still retains some Scout-like qualities (such as the New York accent), he has also become his own obnoxious character. He is prone to yelling or talking loudly whether or not he's angry. His rivalry with Gourry is almost non-existant in the show, as outside of episode 13, where one sword scratch was shown, all references to their rivalry and their fight scenes have been cut. He wasn't originally that impressed with Lina or Gourry, but was enraged when shown pictures of Lina apparently having sex with his mother. Whether or not this is true, he seems to have since forgotten about it anyway, so it doesn't matter. He also has his own leitmotif, as The Rival Theme from Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver will play whenever he first enters a scene or does something badass. He is easily ProjectShadow99's favorite character in the abridged series both to write for and to play.