Why? Why Zelgadis and Amelia? Wouldn't Zel be better off with Lina?
I was first introduced to Slayers through fan fiction. I have to admit that I went into watching the tapes pretty biased towards how I thought some of the characters, namely Amelia, were going to act. I expected her to be some kind of gung-ho little brat that made Usagi/Serena Tsukino from Sailor Moon a preferable dinner companion, and she (Usagi/Serena) is about as annoying as you can get**. The first four episodes with Amelia in them didn't disappoint me, she WAS annoying and a little over bearing at times. However, once her father was out of the picture, she calmed down a whole lot, and I got to see the pure hearted girl behind the justice speeches. I even came to like her character so much, that her American voice grew on me (ESPECIALLY after her NA voice actress changed after the first three of four Amelia episodes. I think Veronica Taylor does a wonderful job). Imagine how thrilled I was when I heard her Japanese voice for the first time, and found that it matched her personality perfectly.
Now, on to answer the question as to why Zelgadis and Amelia. Amelia is the type of person who would be able to cheer Zelgadis up when he needs it, and encourage him when he feels like he's failed at something, whether it's finding his cure or helping his friends. Zelgadis is the type of character who needs to protect someone. Even though this side of him isn't shown much, you can get a sense of it when he protects Amelia from Garv's blow in NEXT (for more info about my idea of Zel's protective side, go see that area of this page). Amelia is someone who is strong willed and resourceful, yet needs protecting every now and then when she doesn't stop to think before rushing head long into some form of trouble. Not only that, but Amelia and Zelgadis are more alike than is initially realized. Zelgadis is totally focused on getting a cure for his chimeraness, while Amelia is totally focused on bringing justice to the world. They are both capable of casting the Ra Tilt, and they even seem to think on the same level when it comes to magic. I've seen them simultaneously cast a certain spell without previously discussing tactics. This shows a communication that goes way beyond words.
Amelia also accepts Zel for the way he is, and even thinks he looks cool with stone skin. She's also one of the few girls of her rank who doesn't act like a stuck up princess. She's not one to back down when a task is set in front of her, and only twice have I seen her use her rank to get what she wanted. Once was when Lina and company were trying to get into the prisons to see Tarimu and Damia, and the other time when she returned to Saillune to find out that her father had been killed. Unlike a few other princess characters that I'm familiar with, she doesn't take pleasure in reminding everyone that she's a member of royalty every time something doesn't go her way.
Lina, on the other hand, is someone who would walk all over Zelgadis and not really realize that's what she had done. I'm not saying she's heartless, she's quite the opposite, but she's got such a strong personality that she would drive anyone who didn't have the patience of a slug up the wall within three minutes of their getting together. Yes, she's another one who could cheer Zelgadis up, but it would be more of "Cheer up or I'll Dragon Slave you" type cheering up rather than the natural cheering up that Amelia does. Lina is the type of person who needs someone that she can push around, occasionally beat up on, but who would love her whole heartedly despite the slight crispness they would develop (Yes, I am talking about Gourry). They would also have to be able to put their foot down in a forceful way every now and then, and I've seen Gourry get pretty forceful at times, especially when the Sword of Light is at stake.
Wow, I didn't mean for this to turn into an essay. face fault Sorry bout that. Though I'm sure I'll be adding more to it as time wears on, and I get to watch more Slayers NEXT and TRY.
** For the Sailor Moon fans out there (and I know there are a lot of us), when I talk about Usagi/Serena being annoying, I'm mainly talking about how whiney and annoying she was when the series first started out. For the record, I happen to like Usagi alot, and I really enjoyed watching her mature through the show so that she became the strong young woman I knew was underneath that crying exterior. sigh I sure hope that made sense. Well, until next time!