Forum - View topicREVIEW: El Cazador de la Bruja DVD Part 1
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Prede
 Posts: 388 |
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Well if your looking for non-stop action, this is clearly not it. Just because the girl has a gun, does not make this an action series. It's a drama through and through. Not sure how you can mark it down for that, it is what it is. It's not trying to be a high octane, fast paced, action series. So...yeah.
I've only recently finished off the first disk, but I am truly enjoying this show as much as I can. This show is one of my new favorites along with Nana and Romeo x Juliet. It's a really fun, great, and interesting show. Hooked me in the first 5 minutes and i LOVE when a show can do that. Yes the story goes nowhere, but it's a fun, cute, and lighthearted series, with a lot of well placed witty humor. The character intereactions are the strong point of the series. Ellis and Nadie play off each other perfectly. And L.A. makes for a creepy stalker. Also I like how Blue Eyes is always trying to get something on Rosenberg. All the characters are amazing. It's really the characters that make the show, although the plot is good to. I like the idea of "heading south" on a journey, with bounty hunters all after you. It's a nice concept. Oh and I really like the setting, Mexico was the perfect place for this kind of show.The music is really top notch. Very atmospheric, and really helps to set the tone. I LOVE it. As far as the dub goes, I thought it was really good. Maxey Whitehead nailed Ellis. She could have easily made Ellis sound too lost and confused, but she didn't. She's just "weird" enough that it works. Trina Nishimura was perfect as Nadie too, really I can't imagine anyone ever doing a better job then that. She's really great, and you can tell she ha d a lot of fun with it. My problem (along with a few others) with the dub was I felt Clarine Harp was totally and utterly miscast as Blue Eyes. Really she tried hard, but she so is not fit for that role. It's not her fault really, but it does bring down the dub. She's too cool for it  . Bevins handled the dub very well. Really he did a great job. One small misstep in my opinion, but it easy to overlook. And your right he totally nailed what the show is in the commentary, "buddy flick".
Anyway I liked your review, although obviously I'd rank it much higher. C+ is really way to low for this show in my eyes. But I guess it just didn't hit you like it did to me. |
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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No, it's an action show that fails at being an action show. It's pleasant enough, but it doesn't really deliver anything. Even taking it as just a drama, it's fairly uncompelling. C+ isn't a bad grade, it's just plain. Besides which, if you hadn't seen the actual grade, would you have disagreed with anything in the review? |
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Prede
Posts: 388 |
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No...it's pretty much a drama. I fail to see how this could be an action series. But if you go into it thinking it is, I understand the disapointment. And I found it very compelling. If I had not seen the grade, I would have said I found the show much more fun and exciting then the reviewer seems to have, and I enjoyed the laid back atmosphere much more. The show great at fleshing out the characters and the slower points in the series are always interesting and really fun. Like for example I loved the part where the girls stay in the cabin when it's raining, or the part where they watch the little girl at the inn. The reviewer seems to not be amused by such scenes. Which is perfectly alright, but I'm just saying I felt differently. C+ is not a bad grade, not at all, but in my opinion I'd rank it much higher. That's all I'm saying really. |
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Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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But for a drama there isn't any drama.
24 episodes out of 26 can be summed up thusly: While heading south, Nadie and Elis stop at some random town. While at random town, they meet a random person. This random person either ends up being a bounty hunter after Elis, a past bounty hunter now trying to manage a good life as manager of an Amigo Tacos chain, or a current target for a bounty hunter that needs protecting. The pink haired loli may or may not show up with her guardian, but except for one case it makes no difference if she does. The freaky white haired guy will probably show up and make some perverted gestures toward Elis, and if it's a good episode, there will be 2 minutes of Ms. Hayward comedy that is pretty much the best thing about the show. Anyway, after a couple of gunshots or possibly just threats, things calm down and Nadie and Ellis continue traveling south. That's pretty much an episode. The show was awful, and was just a huge step down from Madlax, and even bigger step down from Noir. Luckily though, Bee-Train learned its lesson and created the stellar Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ this year. That actually has a plot! Not just episodic nothingness. Oh, and where was my friggin sniper cat? The only reason I persisted in watching this show in fansubs was because the ending theme showed a cat with a sniper rifle.... and yet it never happened in the show. So lame. |
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CareyGrant
Posts: 453 |
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El Cazador: Never met a Robert Rodriguez Movie it didn't like (See: El Mariachi, Desperado, etc. etc.). This series is littered with direct shot-for-shot scenes from his movies and his characters.
It's TexMex Noir/Madlax, only more boring (and pointless). Get some new ideas, Bee Train. The older, scantily clad Killer/Assassin teamed up with the mysterious, quirky young girl with super powers and a mysterious past/origin up against a shadowing organization is running thin. Been there, done that. Twice. Once was enough. Personally, Noir was the best of their attempts at this formula. Watch that instead. And having sat through the first two DVD's, my already low expectations have dropped to coma levels. Funimation did the best they could with this, though -the smattering of Spanglish is funny (painfully so), as is the cliched, Japanese interpretations of Latin culture in the show. However, I give them high marks for a good, above avg. musical score. The rest, was forgettable. |
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pachy_boy
Posts: 1323 |
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I don't believe that image was meant to be taken literally, anymore than that masked stranger was during the ending theme, as much as they are just symbols of something. After Noir and Madlax, I found El Cazador to be a refreshing change in pace with its more light and fun tone as well as the entertaining relationship between the two female protagonists. Having seen only the dub, I thought the dub acting was totally spot-on; Trina was just right for Nadie, Maxey made Ellis sound cute, and Clarine Harp gave Blue Eyes a real cool factor. I may be in the minority, but Bee Train manages to suck me in such a way that I don't always notice the panning. So when the action happens, it happens on just the right note. In short, I was glued from the get-go, and am just a few episodes away from finishing this series. |
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Megiddo
Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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I'm pretty sure that the masked person is no "stranger", but rather the antagonist Mr. Rosenburg. And really, what could a sniper cat possibly be a symbol of? |
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Prede
Posts: 388 |
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I'm not sure if this is the minority,(could have sworn most people liked this more then the other two in the trilogy) or what, but I totally get what your saying (about the animation and being sucked into the show). I didn't notice too many pannings or cheap shortcuts or any other low quality animation. It's not the best, it's not even very good, but it's quite all right. Good for a TV series anyway. It could have been better, but this is Bee Train not Madhouse or I.G. so you gatta cut them some slack. They're not really known for having the best of the best animation ever or anything. And I totally get what you mean by being sucked right into the show. I too was "glued" from the get-go, and it's hard to explain exactly why. The character interactions are definitely part of it however. Last edited by Prede on Tue Dec 29, 2009 11:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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JackCox
 Posts: 386 |
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I happened to really enjoy the show, I have to disagree with Clarine Harp's casting as Blue Eyes. She sounded fine, but that might be when she changes her persona half way through the series. I think picking someone like a Colleen Clinkenbeard would have been a better choice. As for the music, the fact you gave it a B is unbelievable and stunning. It's worth an A+.
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Yuki_Kun45
Exempt from Grammar Rules
 Posts: 725 Location: U.S.A. |
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The animation I had no qualms about. Frankly I think they had a fair few more staff than MADLAX and Noir so if you ask me the animation quality of this is as top noch as it can be for a series with a probably modest budget. I mean it's no Naruto thus can't see it getting 40 million yen or something per episode Of course Carl whom I'm sure only writes these to rag on Bee Train makes the usual and repetitive critical remarks. Can someone tell me when moving the camera became a crime? EDIT: (yeah always think of more stuff after I write, it's really annoying actually) Two things about camera: A. The more tweeners you have the more fluid your animation, lack of tweenrs you move the camera to give more fluidity B. Unlike live action, anime characters and voice actors don't have the advantage of being able to express body language with out key work and more tweening probably (chaching $$$$ adding to your cost) thus the eyes are very expressive and very big, tight shots help give expression. C. It takes a freaking butload of key frames to fill even 3 minutes, imagine having to make 26 minutes worth on a deadline and a budget. I think the difference between Noir and MADLAX and this is this was an adventure series more so than anything. Noir and MADLAX were pretty much mysteries with a bit of questing but for the most part El Caz is much more of an adventure series. Thus it's going to be more episodic. But if you want to talk about a series that goes nowhere I would say When they Cry - Higurashi is the one that truly goes NOWHERE. El Caz at least has more than a fair share of "bursts of action." But really you can't keep everything at the height of action all the time. Just because Naruto, Bleach and DBZ can draw out battles for 50 episodes doesn't mean every action series needs to. Further more: Why in the hell did you not give the dub at least a B, the dub was spot on. |
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Prede
Posts: 388 |
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I agree with you on the fact that everything cannot be high octane, all the time, every second, and that the series is actually well paced. And also that the dub is really good (not perfect though at least IMO). The grading on this site counts the story WITH the dub, not just the dub on it's own, thus the grade it has. The reviewer must not have thought very well of the show, thus the C+ grade for the dub and show. Also yes for the budget this series could get, the animation was probally as good as it gets. I cannot see how they could have spread around that money any better. Still there's been better for TV series, this is kind of about average/above average. It's good, not bad by any strech, but not ganna blow your mind either. |
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pachy_boy
Posts: 1323 |
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Megiddo wrote:
Because the bounty hunters use stealth like cats? Or cats are enigmatic animals and the story has an enigmatic tone? Well, if you’re going to ask that, you may as well ask why on earth would anyone expect there to be an actual animal cat trained to shoot to kill with a big sniper weapon? Sure, Bee Train series may have fantastical elements, but even this would require the greatest suspension of my own disbelief, granted it would look as silly as it sounds. Yuki_Kun45 wrote:
I’m only assuming you haven’t seen the second season. That’s where the overall story actually picks up and it really does go somewhere, and the ending was very satisfying in my opinion. |
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Dorcas_Aurelia
Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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I know! Biggest disappointment of the series. |
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Prede
Posts: 388 |
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Not to keep bringing up stuff, and I really hope you don't think I'm rude, disrespectful, or anoying (not trying to be, and very sorry if you think I am) but I feel I should say something about this quote here. Arguably Cowboy Bebop does the same exact thing, and everyone ranks that anime so high. This was just bugging me. I mean no one called that show out on that fact, but everyone seems to be bothered that this show does the same kinda thing.  I rather liked the way this series handled it's overarching plot. It does come to a head out of nowhere, but it slowly builds in the background, while we get to see some other more episodic stuff first. It's taking it's time with the plot and I like that. Some of the scenes are almost "slice of life" like scenes and I love a show that can pull those types of scenes off well. And the magic of this show is you care about the characters, because there is some action. It's not ALL drama and slice of life. It's also not ALL action, which shows that go that way make me wonder why I should be watching. If I don't care about the characters, then I don't care about the show. This has a great balance and mixture there.
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Dorcas_Aurelia
Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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Cowboy Bebop also had greater depth in its characters. Nadie, Ellis, and the rest are rather single-minded tools to drive the lazy plot of El Cazador de la Bruja to its eventual destination.
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