El Hazard: The Magnificent World Recommended

Publisher
Pioneer
Director
Hiroki Hayashi
Production
AIC, Pioneer
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
240 mins, 7 vol
Year
1992

El Hazard: The Magnificent World VHS

By John Huxley
28th Apr 04

If you collect anime like I do, you won't think twice when you see something in a sale, even if you've no idea what it is you're buying. Yeah, I do pick up some truly awful anime this way. But don't feel sorry for me, it didn't cost me much, and at least I can write a review to prevent you from making the same mistake. But every now and again I'll stumble across an absolute gem. El Hazard is one such gem. After watching the first few minutes I realised this could have real potential. By the end of the first episode I'd already decided I wasn't going to go to bed early as planned, I was going to stay up all night to watch the rest.

The first episode introduces us to Makoto Mizuhara, a Japanese high-school student with a boy-next-door quality. Nothing special there. Only, Makoto unwittingly has a nemesis; his self-proclaimed arch-rival (and school president) Katsuhiko Jinnai. To Jinnai's eyes, Makoto has always stood in the way of his achievements, he has always been one step ahead of him, much to Jinnai's frustration. As you can imagine, discovering that he has an arch-rival comes as something of a surprise to Makoto. But these two will not get to finish their fued; it is rudely interrupted by unseen forces. Called by a sweet voice, he is ushered down to the ruins beneath the school (which were discovered earlier). It is here that he is whisked off the magnificent world of El Hazard. Who is responsible, and how and why they did it will become clear towards the end of the series.

But Makoto and Jinnai are not the only ones who find themselves lost, dazed and confused in El Hazard. Nanami, Jinnai's sister (who has no great love for her brother, but has a crush on Makoto), and Mr. Fujisawa (an alcoholic, chain-smoker) also find themselves in this strange new world. Makoto and Mr. Fujisawa have been separated from the other two, and find themselves in quite a predicament. See, El Hazard is ruled by two princesses, Rune Venus and Fatora. These two are the key to 'the eye of god', a huge, deathstar-type weapon that looms in the sky above. The eye of god is the only thing keeping the Bugrom forces at bay (who live on the other side of a giant river that splits El Hazard in two). This, coupled with the fact that princess Fatora has been abducted, has forced Rune Venus to beg for Makoto and Mr. Fujisawa's help. Why, you ask? Well, Mr. Fujisawa has discovered that he has gained super-strength on this world, and Makoto, he looks more than a little like the missing princess.

Now in drag, Makoto and Mr. Fujisawa set off to seek the advice of the three priestesses, to ease the tension of the people of El Hazard. But what of Jinnai and Nanami? Nanami is stuck in a desert wasteland, but she'll find her old friends soon enough. Jinnai, on the other hand, has met up with the Bugrom. And it comes as no surprise that he is the only human who can communicate with them. Thanks to some deceit on his behalf, he is soon in command of their forces and advancing upon the good people of El Hazard.

And that doesn't even take into account the three priestesses (one of which has a crush on Makoto), the shadow people and their evil scheming, Ifurita the demon god (and the love of Makoto), Ura the cat who doubles as human armour, or Alialle, the purple-haired, nympho, lesbian lover of princess Fatora. More than any other anime, these are the characters that let El Hazard succeed. While Makoto is a clueless, innocent type, he is also a very uninteresting character by himself. But surround him by a bunch of mis-fits with which to play off, and you have 'good chemistry'. El Hazard is a comedy first and foremost, and these characters get the job done. While it is laugh-out-loud funny on a number of occasions, you'll more than likely find yourself hooked on its charm rather than its comedic moments. By the end I found myself liking the good guys, hating the bad guys (especially Jinnai) and just loving the story.

All this wouldn't work if the voice acting wasn't up to scratch. After all, a punch line is only as good as the person delivering it. Well, rest easy, because the voice acting in El Hazard is superb. And I'm not talking about the original cast here. Pioneer really excelled themselves with this dub; each character has been cast with a voice actor/actress to suit, and none of them annoy (apart from the ones that are supposed to do just that). Also, the music (which has been translated and adapted to work in English) is great, especially the end theme, sung by the nympho lesbian Alialle, which is hilarious by itself.

The animation and artwork are eerily familiar (but still quite good), as is the whole premise of several girls after one, clueless guy. Ring any bells? How about Tenchi? Uh-huh, this was done by the same team as the original Tenchi. But I assure you, El Hazard is infinitely superior to that enjoyable, if somewhat disjointed series. And the sad thing is that while Tenchi enjoys spectacular success in both the East and West, El Hazard remains relatively unknown. I really can't think of anyone whom El Hazard wouldn't appeal to, at least on some level. It has action, comedy, adventure, romance...the works. Help right one of the most criminal wrongs in anime history; go down to your local video store and pick it up.

-- John Huxley 28th Apr 04

El Hazard: The Magnificent World Images