"Do you work in a pet shop?"
— Amelia
In August of 2008, YouTube user projectshadow99 watched Megami33's Sailor Moon Abridged and realized that people other than LittleKuriboh could be successful making abridged series, so he decided to make one of his own. After finding no other Slayers Abridged series online (save for one which hadn't been updated in a long time and only lasted a few episodes), he wrote, recorded, edited, and released his first episode in six hours. The final result was...less than stellar, with rather bad writing, and at times, terrible editing. He originally quit after the first four episodes, but then released a fifth episode four months later. Then he stopped again and didn't begin producing episodes regularly again until August of 2009, with somewhat better writing and editing. After releasing about six episodes within three months, he began releasing episodes about every two months, something he is desperately trying to avert. He eventually began releasing updated and better versions of his first few episodes in September of 2010, while at the same time making new episodes. Although he originally started the series to get attention, he quickly began to like writing, acting in, and releasing the episodes, even though he doesn't do it as much as he used to.
The Slayers Abridged stars Lina Inverse, a whiny sociopath who's desperate for screen time. She travels with her companion, the at times complaining and at times stupid Gourry Gabriev. Along with the now game-obsessed Zelgadis and over the top and at times trigger happy Amelia, they fight numerous forces like a demonic chairman, two familiar sounding mercenaries, and the dreaded Sony corporation.
It took 3 years and 3 weeks, but Season 1 is now over, and as of April 2012, Season 2 has begun.
The entire series can be viewed on projectshadow99's YouTube Channel here
Tropes:
- Action Girl: As in the real series, Lina and Amelia, although sometimes subverted by Lina as in a few episodes, Amelia will cause an explosion that was performed by Lina in the actual show. Also, Lina doesn't kill or really do anything to Shabranigdo, Gourry kills him by cursing him out.
- Alternate Character Interpretation: Again, it's an abridged series, what did you expect? Their characters tend to change a lot, but the most recent interpretations are that Lina is even more of a sociopath, Gourry is either a complainer or even dumber at times, Amelia is something of a pyromaniac, and Zelgadis is obsessed with video games and his "real" voice.
- Also, Volun, the character of the day in episode 17, is a lot more open about his desire to chew the scenery.
- As of Season Two, Xellos seems to be rather infatuated with Zelgadis.
- As opposed to the sweet little girl she was in the actual show, Kira is actually trying to kill Lina on the orders of Kanzel and Light Yagami who ends up ultimately being the one to kill her.
- Ambiguous Gender: In Episode 1 V2, Lina and the Dragon Fangs can't figure out whether Gourry is a guy or a girl until he opens his mouth.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: In episode 1 V2, Lina isn't repulsed by the fact that the Dragon Fangs want to hire her as their personal bitch, make fun of her flat chest, or sexually abuse her. She rejects their offer because they're only offering her 80 percent of their treasure.
- Copy Rezo returns or rather, debuts in episode 18, and all of the cast is shocked. Lina is particularly shocked that he's actually wearing a different outfit and Zelgadis is angered that Rezo stole the reintroduction spotlight from him.
- Author Appeal: There's a lot of wrestling references thrown out there in the earlier episodes, even using a wrestling theme song as the opening for episodes 10-16. The references were stopped in episode 11 because projectshadow99 realized not too many people watch wrestling and anime.
- He may be bringing them back on a smaller scale, as in episode 23, Zelgadis compared Gourry's uselessness to Jenna Morasca in a wrestling ring.
- Also, the game jokes which have NEVER stopped. Specifically with Zelgadis. Also, more than half of the soundtrack (and sound effects) are from games. It doesn't take much to figure out that ps99 likes games.
- Except maybe the PS3.
- Author Avatar: Zelgadis, at least as far as his gaming obsession is concerned.
- Gourry formerly, back when he was still a complainer.
- Bad "Bad Acting": Zelgadis in the first 10 episodes. Episode 6 being the most obvious...and grating.
- Jimmy in episode 15 and the restaurant guy in episode 17.
- And of course, Sylphiel.
- Berserk Button: If Amelia is irritated in the slightest then she will either issue a demonic threat or destroy whatever ticked her off in a violent explosion, usually the later.
- Also, Rezo gives Zelgadis a PS3 when he wanted a Nintendo 64. Zel is not pleased.
- Don't ask Gourry whether he's a guy or a girl. Also, don't accuse him of not washing his hands.
- Lina doesn't seem to mind a lot of the insults she gets in the show, including remarks about her small chest. She does get particularly miffed when Eris calls her a whore though.
- Also, Lina once got pissed at projectshadow99 for always hogging the hamminess for himself by going on an angry hammy tirade herself.
- Big Eater: Played straight with Lina and Gourry early on. But then it kept being done so many times in a row. Due to the fact that sammisomara would actually stuff her face for posterity during the eating scenes, she got tired of it pretty fast.
- They still find ways around it though. For instance, Lina begins the first episode of NEXT by just having eaten her one millionth meal that day.
- Brain Bleach: Zelgadis and Amelia use it in episode 25 during Phil's discussion with Gourry.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: The characters are all fully aware that they're in an abridged series and will at times try to offer excuses for its at times lackluster quality.
- Brick Joke: Mr. Rossburg mentions that the play they're performing in episode 16 is the first episode of Slayers Abridged. The episode released afterward is an updated version of episode 1, and Rossburg is responsible for making it.
- Amelia was begging the rest of the cast to let her cast the Giga Slave to kill Copy Rezo, but knowing how much of a pyromaniac she was, they always refused. Ultimately in the end, Amelia IS the one who finishes off Copy Rezo, albeit with the Ra Tilt instead.
- When Gourry's voice just vanished without explanation after episode 5 of Season 2, a friend of projectshadow99's jokingly compared him to wrestler Big E. Langston and stated that when he talks again, maybe he should open with "Oh, I got the mic now." Four months later when Gourry finally spoke again, he said just that.
- Butt-Monkey: Hallas, the Character of the Day in episode 15, appears to be hated by everyone, especially Amelia.
- Also, the blue-haired guy in episode 16, referred to as both a toy and a bondage slave.
- Zangulus views himself as this, it depends on your viewpoint whether he is or not...though after the end of episode 21...
- Tiiba shows up at the end of episode 23 complaining about episode 22 and his action scene getting cut. He is promptly blown up.
- Catchphrase: Amelia asks quite a few people whether or not they work in a pet shop. As of this writing, none of them do.
- Also in episode 15, "I really hate this person!" is shouted a few times by Amelia and Lina, always directed at Hallas.
- Vrumugun's "Gentlemen" might apply if he wasn't deliberately ripping it off.
- Ditto for Phil every time he says "Baby".
- In episodes 8 through 13, Gourry seemed to be calling Lina a bitch at least once per episode. He's since dropped it though.
- Speaking of bitch, when the series began, "Hey bitch, you blew up X!" was going to be a catchphrase passed around to several different characters, but projectshadow99 forgot about it after episode 2. He brings back the line in Version 2 of episode 1.
- Halcyform's been very naaaaaaaaaaughtyyyyyyyyy.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: A lot of the characters, but Gourry is probably the most notable.
- Amelia may have since overtaken him. Floor of Justice...that is all.
- Sylphiel, perhaps due to her being an android of some sort.
- Phil, ever since getting his new voice, just seems to be around to scream incoherently and say "baby" way too much.
- Cross Dresser: Gourry in episode 17. Unfortunately for him, Lina chose to make his voice sound authentic in the worst way.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Maybe if you replace moron with whiner in episode 10, you have Gourry.
- Since getting his new voice, he's pretty much a moron again though.
- Also, there's Amelia whenever she gets ticked off, although she gets smarter as the series goes on.
- When they're not snarking, Lina and Zelgadis are either being stupid or being badass.
- Expy: Plenty, the most obvious one being Vincent Ruby-Eye Mc Shabranigdo.
- Zangulus and Vrumugun start out this way, as expies of The Scout and The Spy, but soon grow out of that, Zangulus because of Character Development making him somewhat more interesting, and Vrumugun because he has little to no personality.
- When Phil showed up again in episode 25, he was The Heavy.
- It's actually lampshaded by Amelia in Episode 4 of NEXT that both Halcyform and Saygram are doing this. In Halcyform's case, she's right due to him basically being Freaky Fred, but while Saygram was supposed to be the TF2 Medic, projectshadow99 just had too much fun with the voice.
- Zangulus and Vrumugun start out this way, as expies of The Scout and The Spy, but soon grow out of that, Zangulus because of Character Development making him somewhat more interesting, and Vrumugun because he has little to no personality.
- Flanderization: Gourry was at first a lampshader and complainer. He has since become somewhat stupider. Lina even uses this word in episode 18 when Gourry has become a complete dumbass.
- Actually, almost everyone qualifies for this trope.
- Full-Name Basis: A villain points out himself that he's marking his status as a villain by saying Lina's full name.
- Funny Background Event: After no one can give Amelia a straight answer about Rezo in episode 19, she starts muttering under her breath while the others talk over her.
- Gilligan Cut: In Episode 1 of NEXT, a concealed figure is talking to Saygram about how they can't underestimate the smarts and sorcery of Lina Inverse. It then cuts to Lina stuffing her face.
- Gone Horribly Right: Lina's voice is changed in episode 14 from projectshadow99 to sammisomara after Amelia accidentally hits her in the head. Her response? She gets mad because they can't make fun of the falsetto voice ps99 was using anymore.
- Ironically, she gets pissed off when she's cursed to get the voice back in Season Two
- Good Is Dumb: Rezo actually says this in episode 8.
- Hilarious Outtakes: Volun's first line about eating the camera was originally going to be said more caveman like in a louder voice. It was changed to a more normal sentence because projectshadow99 could not stop laughing while recording it...and remember, he wrote the line.
- Jerkass: Lina, especially in later episodes.
- Gourry back when he complained all the time.
- Amelia blew up Hallas's house at the end of episode 15 for no reason other than to have an explosion.
- Zelgadis reminds Sylphiel of her recently deceased father in episode 20, which makes her run out of the room crying. He states that he could feel bad about that...but he didn't.
- Lina agrees.
- Lamp Shade: Done a lot, even for an abridged series. They will even lampshade when they could've made better and more obvious jokes, like in episode 15, when Lina points out that she could've made an obvious Sailor Moon Abridged reference since Lina was currently playing a valley girl named Mina, but she didn't want to get sued by them.
- Large Ham: Lina makes a case in episode 3 V2 that most of projectshadow99's characters are like this, and to be fair, she's right. Gourry, Zelgadis, Rezo (particularly in later episodes for those three, especially Rezo), Shabranigdo, Mr. Rossburg, you name it.
- By far, the biggest offenders of this trope are Zangulus (especially in episode 16, where he's just screaming the whole time), and Volun, whose mission in life is to eat the camera.
- Even though he only plays her for about two episodes, his short performance as Eris also falls into this category.
- Just about the only character he plays that DOESN'T fall into this territory is Vrumugun (ironically, his least favorite character to voice)
- Lina can certainly hold her own in this department.
- Amelia, particularly in episode 16 while rehearsing for the play.
- Ko Vox 00 seems to having a lot of fun during his two minutes of playing Bandit A.
- By far, the biggest offenders of this trope are Zangulus (especially in episode 16, where he's just screaming the whole time), and Volun, whose mission in life is to eat the camera.
- Leitmotif: The Rival Encounter theme from Pokemon HeartGold And SoulSilver plays quite often when Zangulus is around.
- Eris uses Karla no Youjutsu from Record of Lodoss War once in every episode that she's in.
- Copy Rezo, since uniting with Zanaffar and Sony, has begun using Perfect Cell's theme from Dragon Ball Z
- Eris uses Karla no Youjutsu from Record of Lodoss War once in every episode that she's in.
- MacGuffin: Flagoon. In the last three episodes of season one, Rezo appears to be perturbed by its presence. It's later revealed to Lina by Sylphiel that in actuality, he's annoyed by the Slayers music being used.
- "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer: If a character says a bad line or is acting horribly, it's usually noted that this was done in the original dub.
- Obviously Evil: Rezo in episode 3 V2. Lina doesn't fall for it.
- Subverted with Zelgadis in the same episode, as he seems to fall under this trope, but since we all know he's actually not evil...
- Oh, My Gods!: Done twice in episode 17, both by Gourry, who uses both Ciephied and the Lord of Nightmares as his examples.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Pick a time when ps99 is using an accent, it WILL slip. Zangulus is supposed to have some sort of New England Accent which will slip occasionally, but the biggest offender is Vrumugun. ps99 cannot do a French (actually supposed to be Basque) accent to save his life.
- He actually had a number of different voices he was going to use for Zelgadis, but he ditched most of them because he couldn't keep up the accent he was trying to use, particularly noticeable on his Irish voice.
- Overshadowed by Awesome: Yeah, this is one of the lesser known abridged series out there. Particularly noticeable when you realize that projectshadow99's most viewed video isn't even an episode of The Slayers Abridged, it's a Top 10 video of Sonic Game Over themes.
- Parental Incest: In the dub of the original show, a mistranslation states that Rezo is Zelgadis's grandfather AND great grandfather. Here, it's implied that this is correct and Rezo may have impregnated his own daughter as a result.
- Precision F-Strike: According to Gourry, the apocalypse won't happen until the kids finally let the rabbit have some FUCKING TRIX!
- Copy Rezo wants Lina to use the F word in episode 24 as opposed to the Giga Slave.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: Kirbopher 15 politely turned down the one episode role of Mr. Rossburg. At the end of said episode, Lina remarked that it's no wonder he turned down the role.
- Who's Kirbopher?
- Hey, I've never hit a girl in my life until episode 23. I mean that's like asking who LittleKuriboh is.
- Who's LittleKuriboh?
- Who's Kirbopher?
- Robot Girl: Sylphiel, who speaks and acts like a robot.
- And may be one.
- Except for whenever she chooses to go over the top in delivery. There's also that one moment in episode 26.
- And may be one.
- Rule of Cool: When Gourry's voice shifts to a James-like voice while doing their take on the Team Rocket motto in episode 26, no explanation is given. It just sounds better that way. Besides, they were voiced by the same person.
- This is Copy Rezo's mentality for why he talks like Imperfect Cell following his merger with Sony. We're reminded a fair few times that it's NOT his real voice, which he continuously slips back into when caught off guard or alone.
- Running Gag: Amelia wants to know if you work in a pet shop.
- Lina apparently sleeping with Zangulus' mother was originally going to become this.
- In episodes 14 through 16, Amelia caused explosions that were actually caused in the anime by Lina.
- She seems to be getting a bit explosion happy again in recent episodes.
- Eris and a revolving door of bad guys (first Zangulus and Vrumugun, then Zangulus and Rezo, and finally just Rezo) have performed their versions of the Team Rocket motto in three different episodes.
- She won't be doing the fourth one though...
- But it's ok, Lina and the others did that one instead.
- Self-Deprecation: projectshadow99 will be the first one to tell you that he's ashamed of a lot of the sound effects, jokes, editing, and overall quality of certain episodes, especially the earlier ones. He will frequently Lamp Shade this.
- In episode 16, the play they're doing is episode 1 of The Slayers Abridged, mocking it every chance they get.
- Lina does this to herself in episode 15 and episode 1 V2, but when Gourry finally agrees with her, she gets angry.
- Shout-Out: In spades, this is an abridged series after all. One of the most notable in episode 16 when Gourry and Amelia are talking about a character who should technically be older than his two friends due to failing an exam multiple times but sounds and looks younger. Lina runs in and asks them to make fun of their own anime.
- "I had dreams!" "Yeah and I had a kidney stone, everything passes eventually."
- As of episode 16, just look at the intro before the episode starts: WAVES AND ROOOOOOCKS!
- In episode 23, they do the outro typically used for the same series.
- Vrumugun is ultimately revealed to be a homunculus and the crystal in his forehead is a Philosopher's Stone.
- This very site gets a shoutout! The bandit emmissary in episode one offers Lina "her own
Nightmare Fuel page on TV Tropes," among other things.
- Stuff Blowing Up: At least once an episode. Justified in that this happened a lot in the actual show.
- Amelia seems to enjoy it, once blowing up an innocent man's house simply because "Everything's better with explosions!"
- She flat out admits that she likes explosions in episode 21.
- Amelia seems to enjoy it, once blowing up an innocent man's house simply because "Everything's better with explosions!"
- Take That!: At the PS3 and Sony in general. Sony has apparently formed a deal with the monster race and Rezo that will somehow help the PS3 eclipse the Wii's sales.
- He brings it up again in episode 23, but now Lina and Zelgadis state that it's not that bad. Sylphiel on the other hand...
- An abridged series wouldn't be complete without a number of shots at the original dub, including intentionally bad acting and ridiculing of certain actual lines.
- There's also a take that at Vince Russo, a wrestling booker who almost never allows tag teams (especially heel tag teams) to get along.
- Tempting Fate: Lina claims in episode 3 V2 that if another bad guy comes for the statue and leaves without doing anything, she'll sleep on the floor. Cue Rodimus.
- Terrible Trio: Eris, Zangulus, and Vrumugun start to come across this way when Eris first appears in episode 18. They even perform the Team Rocket motto. Of course, Vrumugun is Killed Off for Real shortly afterwards, so it remains to be seen if they'll continue to act like this with Copy Rezo taking Vrumugun's place.
- He kind of does and kind of doesn't.
- That Man Is Dead: In episode 2 of NEXT Abridged, Zelgadis is so angered by Xellos that he denounces his own name on the sole premise that it sounds similar. He has since stated on two occasions that his new name is Crispin Freeman.
- Ironically, Xellos is the only one who actually goes along with this and calls him by his new name. Everyone else keeps calling him Zelgadis.
- Unusual Euphemism: For some reason, sometimes a sound clip of Mario saying "Luigi, I'm home!" is used for a character coming into the scene or for a door opening.
- Vocal Dissonance: Lina in Episodes 1-13 and Amelia in episode 11. Justified because projectshadow99 is...well...a guy.
- As of episode 17, Gourry. Justified because he was kicked in the nads and then by the end they were just blown off
- As of episode 25, he got them back.
- As of episode 21, add Eris to the list. Thankfully, projectshadow99 pitched his voice up considerably while playing her.
- As of episode 17, Gourry. Justified because he was kicked in the nads and then by the end they were just blown off
- Weaksauce Weakness: Copy Rezo's weakness is music from the actual Slayers soundtrack.
- What Happened to the Mouse??: Hallas just kind of disappears after Zangulus shows up in episode 15. But he was probably killed when Amelia blew his house up at the end, because, you know, she really hated that person.
- It was being built up that Rezo was working with Sony to get the Philosopher's Stone. Once Shabranigdo is revealed to be trapped inside Rezo's eyes, this idea is dropped and is never mentioned again.
- The Woobie: Zangulus tries to paint himself as this at one point.
