Customer Reviews

The Wanderers - El-Hazard - The Adventure Begins (Quest 1) [VHS]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

El-Hazard, next to Tenchi, is the most enduring series AIC has put out and this boxset is the first time that the original OVA (i.e. direct-to-video) series has been available in DVD format in the US. However, also like the Tenchi Muyo phenomenon, none of the sequels, follow-ups, and 'reimaginings' have had the same impact as the original.

In a nutshell, El-Hazard is the story of a high school student who, along with two classmates and a teacher, get transported to another world across space, time and possibly dimensions. The prevent one war between two races on the planet they arrive at, cause another and ultimately find themselves intimately involved with a doomsday device from that planet's distant past. This is an incredibly synoptic description of the series, but to get acrosss the full nuances of the series, I could write for pages. Needless to say, though, that the story itself has far more humor, adventure, romance and generally neat storytelling than my description implies.

As for the DVD set itself, though, Pioneer has missed a few great opportunities here. While the addition of a 5.1 Dolby track is excellent (the difference is noticeable even on my archaic TV), the other extras leave a bit to be desired. There's an art gallery, creditless openings and endings and an explanation of all the different worlds across which the El-Hazard metaseries takes place. It's all pretty standard stuff. No 'making-of' section, no look at the development process, no original trailers, and no interviews with the creator, producer, etc. - in other words, none of what really makes special DVD editions shine.

...

While the packaging is gorgeous, the sound great and the video everything you'd expect from a DVD, I honestly wouldn't recommend picking it up unless you (a) have a system that will do serious justice to the extra quality, (b) don't have the original OAV on tape or laserdisc or (c) for some reason really like El-Hazard 2 - in which case you'd be getting a decent deal. Serious otaku will probably disregard this advice, but serious otaku will have probably already long-since ordered the set before reading this review anyway. So, in short, the series is, as always, wonderful, but Pioneer really could have done a better job with this DVD release. Perhaps someday they'll rerelease it on DVD at a lower price with more bells and whistles...

El Hazard is my favorite anime title?

Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, Evangelion, Escaflowne, FLCL, Ranma, and Tenchi are all wonderful, but pound-for-pound (dollar-for-dollar), you can't beat El Hazard. There is more entertainment in the first 7 OAVs of El Hazard than in most SEASONS of other anime titles. It takes everything I like about anime and does it RIGHT. While it doesn't break any new ground, it is the most sucessful mixture of action, adventure, comedy, drama, and romance that I've ever seen.

Unlike Tenchi (which many compare it to), El Hazard has NO plotholes or last minute story changes. Like Tenchi, El Hazard has memorable characters (everyone loves Shayla-Shayla), great artwork and a "just plain fun-to-watch" aspect to it.

Also, while I don't usually like English dubs, the English dub of El Hazard is phenominally good! Yes, even better than the original Japanese. The voice-work of Jinnai and Fujisawa are especially brilliant.

Boxed sets can be expensive (I know, I own a LOT of them), but the El Hazard boxed set is hands down, the BEST purchase I've ever made on one. I guarentee you'll love it!

I purchased my version of El Hazard from a zShop for 19 bucks and I am SO glad that I did.
That said, the first series is worth watching for two main reasons: overt lesbianism and Jinnai. The former is self-explanatory while the latter (Jinnai) is without a doubt the best character in the series (despite the fact that he is the antagonist). You can't say that any of the characters are very deep or well developed, but throughout the first series Jennai is by far the most satisfyingly fleshed-out character, as well as the most ammusing and true to his nature. This superiority is all the more appearant when he is contrasted with story's main character who is shallowly developed and in no way engaging.
And this is what makes the second series (all four dismal episodes) so tragic: they nerfed Jinnai. He could never have been called a genius in the first series, but he was decidedly intelligent, cool, pragmatic, supremely self-confident and an effective leader (even though he was also manic and delusional). In El Hazard II, as if in response to the world recoiling at the sight of a humorous though competent villain, they have turned Jinnai into a slapstick-idiot persuing his increasingly nebulous ambition with foolish abandon.
I suggest purchasing El Hazard through...alternate means,... watching the first series and discarding the second. Let's face it: even lesbian humor gets old when the writing sucks and the characters are empty.

There is no doubt that the original "El Hazard" is one of the best of American released animes. The comedy is raunchy and clever, the characters are funny and the story finds the touching human element in a wacky sex comedy. Top notch all the way around.

"El Hazard 2" loses the "clever" part and just focuses on the "raunchy." It is not bad, but it is nowhere near the quality of the original. Worth watching, but not really worth buying on it's own.

The boxset itself is the real showcase. It is just so...pretty. The artwork is outstanding, and the whole thing is a real presentation. I am not usually sold by nice packaging, but this one did it for me. A great series, and OK series wrapped up in a fabulous package. Not perfect, but worth having.

Plot: Makoto, a high school student, ends up in a basement room at his school where a mysterious woman awakens and tells him she's been waiting for him for a long time. Makoto has no idea what's going on as she uses the last of her strength to send him to another world, a world called El Hazard. Makoto's teacher Mr. Fujisawa, his friend Nanami and his rival Jinnai also get sent to El Hazard. Makoto is mistaken for the missing younger princess of the country, Fatora, and is talked into impersonating her (which in itself is very funny). The adventure continues from there.

My thoughts: Very, very funny. Has two of the funniest characters in anime, Mr Fujisawa and Jinnai (and one very funny platypus-ish-thing in the first episode). Mr. Fujisawa and his drinking/smoking is hysterical, as is Jinnai and his laughter (my favorite anime villain). Those two characters alone are worth watching El Hazard for, but they aren't the only good ones. There's also Shayla-Shayla, Allielle, Fatora, Nanami, Miz, all who are funny also. All around well done, 10 times better than the El Hazard TV series, "The Wanderers". I agree with the reviewer that mentioned the dub is good, Fujisawa and Jinnai especially well done.

I gave 4 stars instead of five because it is very funny, but there were a few parts in the last episodes that I thought dragged a little and weren't as funny as the rest of the series. To me there also didn't seem to be much depth or development to the characters. There's also that outfit Makoto wears that makes him look like a girl, it just bugged me.

Not for children, I would say 15-16 and up because of the drinking/smoking, a little nudity, and adult situations.

"El-Hazard: The Magnificent World" is an anime very much in the "Tenchi Muyo!" mold: a romantic comedy/adventure in which blank-slate protagonist Makoto is thrust into a sci-fi scenario and gets to play hero while being chased by multiple women. Though the characters in "El-Hazard" aren't developed as deeply as the "Tenchi" crew and the show occasionally suffers from awkward pacing, "El-Hazard" has a charm all it own. The mysterious antiheroine Ifurita is compelling, and the kids' hard-drinking teacher Fujisawa is consistently funny. Most impressively, "El-Hazard" tells a complete and satisfying story, tying up its seeming plot holes with an ingenious last-episode twist. Usually these types of shows start strong, only to end up limping through anticlimaxes and false endings. Even the romantic tension is unambiguously resolved!

The dub is also pretty darn good, though it tends to get overly shouty, especially in the segments centering on Jinnai. Can't the guy ever just speak in a normal tone?

"El-Hazard" is hardly the type of show that will change your life, but if you like "Tenchi" or other anime in this vein, this box set is probably a good bet. (The set actually contains two separate shows: the original "El-Hazard" OAV and its 4-episode sequel "El-Hazard 2." The sequel is an inconsequential side story that unfortunately doesn't really add any value.)

For as long as I've been a fan of anime, I've been a fan of El Hazard. As soon as I saw the first episode of the first series, I was hooked as a fan for life. I've waited a long, long time for this to come to DVD, and now that it has, I'm in anime heaven. This anime is not one of the more well-known series in the anime world, and that is a terrible shame, but one that is definitey worth giving a try. This DVD set contains the first two OAV's (Magnificent World and Magnificent World 2). The Magnificent World (first OAV, and first 7 eps.) is by far the greatest anime I've ever witnessed. It has everything I could ever want in an anime. I enjoyed every second of the series.

From the animators of Tenchi, this anime centers around the adventures of Makoto and his friends. In short, Makoto and a few friends (and one enemy) get transported from their high school to the world of El Hazard. Once there, Makoto and co. are assigned with the task of saving El Hazard (no pressure there!) from the evil Bugroms. Filled with great humour, adventure, romance, action, a great story, wonderful characters, good animation, nudity, and lesbian themes, this has something for everyone. I especially loved the ending, it was original.

There is a Tenchi-esque feel to this series, so if you like Tenchi, you'll love this. Makoto (similar to Tenchi) is surrounded by beautiful and powerful women, and is the love interest of many of them (sound familiar). But, this anime is NOTHING like Tenchi, don't think that's what I'm saying. I personally think it far surpasses what Tenchi was able to do. The animation is stunning, some of the best I've ever seen. And the animators really did a wonderful job at the backgrounds and scenery of El Hazard (beautiful, just beautiful). But it's the characters that make El Hazard a true classic. This is one of the better cast of characters I've ever seen (Nanami is a bit annoying and pointless, but you can get past her). BTW, you'll love Shayla-Shayla....she's da bomb (and my favourite)! Each character has many things to love about each of them.

The only problems I have with this anime are: 1) it's too short. The first OAV is only 7 episodes (although they do pack a lot into the series) and the second OAV is 4 episodes. 2) The second OAV isn't nearly as good as the first, it's definitely not the continuation I would have liked after watching the first series. It's still good, but when compared to the first, it doesn't stack up. But, you can easily get past these, because the first OAV is worth every second you invest watching it.

After watching these series, if you like it, be sure to check out the conclusion to this series in "El Hazard: The Alternative World." It's a great series as well, and a descent conclusion. And for an alternative telling to "El Hazard: The Magnificent World" check out "El Hazard: The Wanderers." It's not a continuation of the other three series, but simply an alternative telling (and some good changes are made in this telling).

All in all, El Hazard is a truly wonderful series with great characters and beautiful animation. It has something for everyone, and I personally feel that everyone that watches it will truly enjoy it. Do yourself a favour and check this one out, you won't be disappointed if you do. Oh yes, be sure to watch this DUBBED (yes you heard me, the dubbed version). It's actually better than the subbed, yes better. The voices are just perfectly picked for each character. It is one of only a select group of animes that are wonderful no matter how you watch.

well this show is pretty good. El Hazard one (the first seven episodes) were alright but didn't greatly impress me, especially after all the great reviews on it. For about the first three episodes the pacing is really, really slow and almost downright boring, though it does start to pick up in the second half of the show. Some of it actually did make me laugh a little but not much.

The problem is with the fact that el hazard has a strange sense of humor that isn't for everyone. All the jokes seem to revolve around the main guy (Makoto) cross dressing and the two homosexual girls, the princess and her uh girlfriend. It's not that I'm homophobic or anything but throughout the series it was dependent on this fact to make it funny. Ummm ok. What really bothered me was that the princess' girlfriend can't be older than twelve while the princess herself looks to 19 or 20. EWWWW that's just sick. Yeah and a crossdressing male and all the hyjinks that ensue from it can only be funny for five or ten minutes tops. Rather in el hazard, the main guy sports his ladies wear for more than half the show.

There is also some romance that developes between a few characters and a love triangle surrounding Makoto though it isn't all that interesting. I mean there is nothing appealing about this guy at all. He's boring and dresses like a woman for half the show, what's to like. The only relationship that I did find just toooo cute was the one between the teacher Mr Fujisawa and the water priestess, I think her name was Mizu. They are just sooooooo sweet together. Awwwwwww :D. Anyway I did find the ending of El Hazard one very good and Shayla Shayla is really cool. I admired her strength.

I must also add that I loved El Hazard two (last four OAV episodes), way more than el hazard one. The pacing is fast and stays interesting till the end, probably cause it's shorter. The story has more action, more cute Fujisawa/Mizu moments, and jokes that are actually funny. I really have no idea what everyone has against this second series. It's actually interesting and Makoto stays a man for a majority of it.

All in all I'd say this series is not too bad. I liked it enough to buy the boxset, I just did'nt like the first three episodes which were, as I said before, boring, and some of the humor made me cringe. Other than that this is a good anime find with nice art and beautiful use of color.

I didn't know what to expect from this series other than the fact that the creators of Tenchi were involved. I've since watched both OVAs a couple of times and have gotten a pretty good impression of them both. For the most part, there's a good dose of humor to go with the adventure. What got me is that in the first OVA, which is seven episodes long, the final two episodes wrapped things up in such a tender sentimental way that I quickly forgot about the humor and got caught up in wonderment. It's an interesting ride (almost silly in parts). There is a circular plot, but you just have to watch to understand it. All the characters are likable and it's a fun series. (I like Makoto the most...he can be clueless, but he means well.) The packaging is great: from the gatefold which holds the 3 DVDs to the included booklet with episode listings. I like the fact that Pioneer kept the original Japanese opening and ending credits and left the translated English credits as an extra. The editor mentions there are no extras, but there are a series of line art included, an outline of the different El Hazard "worlds", and non-credit openings and endings. The first OVA has a 5.1 Dolby Digital Japanese soundtrack. The second does not. It's a bit pricey for the number of episodes, but I'm happy with my purchase. Follow the advice of the other reviewers and make this your first El Hazard purchase or you'll probably get confused.

I'm actually very disappointed with El Hazard. I am an avid fan of Tenchi Muyo, and I thought that it would be in a very similar vein based on all the reviews, the comment in the official review about the director being the co-creator of Tenchi, and positive comments from other viewers. Despite this, very disappointed with the product and the content. On the product side, the first DVD won't play in my DVD-ROM. I don't know why, but out of hundreds of DVDs that I own, this is the only one which the drive won't recognise. (defective? I don't know). On the content side, I loved the setting, I thought the teacher, Efrita and the protective cat were cool. El Hazard as a world is pretty interesting. But the style of anime is very different to what I was led to believe. Makoto (the lead male) seems to spend most of his time cross-dressing with a lot of toilet humour going on (he needs to pee at inappropriate times and can't find a toilet). Jinne (the head villain) is hardly credible - he is used more for comedy value than for real menace. The bugrom also appear to be the major villain here, and aren't really credible. A lot of falling about and other silliness. The love triangle which develops is not crafted as well as the Tenchi/Ayeka/Ryouko triangle. The point is that this not Tenchi Muyo. Tenchi presented the action/adventure/drama as the primarily storyline, and comedy was used to lighten the story up. El Hazard is quite different. It is primarily a comedy. If this is your cup of tea -- cool. It's just not what I expected based on the other reviews. El Hazard is definitely worth watching. Just not worth buying unless you know that it is to your taste. (suggest rent first)
Oh -- one final thing -- a lot of the other reviewers said that El Hazard 2 wasn't as good as the original. I disagree. I actually found the sequel more interesting and entertaining than the original because there was less silliness and more action/adventure/drama.