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The broadcast version of
El Hazard (1996) repeats most of the characters and situations from the popular OVA series (1995). When Jinnai sabotages Makoto's science experiment, he inadvertently transports himself, Makoto, Nanami, and Mr. Fujisawa to the parallel world of El Hazard. Makoto and Fujisawa set off to find the powerful Priestesses of Water, Wind, and Fire, who may be able to help them return to Earth, while Jinnai makes himself virtual ruler of the Bugrom. Makoto inadvertently awakens the sappily naive demon Ifurita, who's described in legends as the Ultimate Weapon. In a plot to conquer El Hazard, Jinnai takes Ifurita to the Eye of God satellite, where she becomes part of that engine of world destruction. Makoto saves the day by redirecting the energy weapons into another dimension. The effort carries him back to Earth, but leaves Nanami, Jinnai, and Mr. Fujisawa stranded. Makoto inexplicably reappears with angel's wings in a saccharine, unsatisfying ending.
Wanderers is even sillier in tone than the earlier adventures, with Jinnai's egotism played for laughs and the Bugrom representing less of a threat. Many episodes are heavily padded with flashbacks, side adventures, and Jinnai's rants. Director Katsuhito Akiyama can't find a satisfactory balance between the comedy and the adventure, and the story lurches between the two with little sense of a sustained narrative. (Unrated: suitable for ages 13 and older: risqué humor, brief nudity, minor profanity, violence, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
