Forum - View topicIs El Hazard worth my time? If so which ones?
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Ian K
 Posts: 250 |
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So somebody recently donated their entire anime collection to my University's language lab. I've been taking the opportunity to catch up on some of the shows that were before my time, like Key the Metal Idol and Cyber City Oedo.
Most recently I've cast my eye on the El Hazard saga. This is one of those older shows whose name I've seen here and there on the internet, but don't really know that much about. Apparently some Average Japanese Highschoolers (TM) get magically transported to an alternate dimension and Tenchi-like hijinks ensue. The continuity is a bit confusing, with three OVA series (The Magnificent World 1 and 2, and the Alternative World), as well as a TV show that remakes the first OVA with significant differences. My question is, which of the series are worth watching? Is the first OVA the best with all the sequals failing to live up to it? Does the TV show fix problems in the original narrative? Is it all good? Or should I pick something else to watch? |
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larinon
 Posts: 992 Location: Midland, TX |
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Your comparisons to the Tenchi stories are apt: certainly El Hazard has its harem aspects and associated hijinks. There's probably the same amount of nudity as well (in case you're planning to watch this in a public place or in front of parents, etc). As the years have gone by, however, I still find El Hazard enjoyable to return to, while over that same time period my interest in Tenchi has waned a bit. Absolutely, though, I feel like the series is worth watching, or at least worth starting to see if you will like it.
You'll first want to start with the original OVA, El Hazard: The Magnificent World. It's a seven episode OVA series with the first and last episodes being double the usual length. This is what was released first and is probably the best introduction to the El Hazard universe. I would suggest waiting to see how you like that series before deciding whether or not to continue with El Hazard. I feel it's fairly representative of the franchise. If you do decide to continue from there, here's the order I would suggest (basically it's chronological): El Hazard OVA 2 (4 episodes) El Hazard: the Alternative World (13 eps) El Hazard: the Wanderers (26 eps) I found the second OVA series to not be nearly as good as the first, personally. And you can skip it if you like, since there is a dearth of character development and relies more on the hijinks, so there's not much plot to be missing out on. Still, as a completist, I found it to not be terrible. I realize this is not exactly a glowing endorsement. The Alternative World picks up more or less where the OVAs leave off. It introduces a new character, Qawoor, who turns out to be one of my favorites, so I'm somewhat biased in this. But if you were a fan of the first OVA like I was, this is a very enjoyable continuation with the same cast and some new friends. Finally, there is the Wanderers. This as you mentioned is the alternate retelling of the series. I enjoyed this one well enough, though I feel it pales in comparison to the other storyline. There are some characters that are no longer present, and some of the ones that are now have a different role. It fleshes out some storylines better (mainly the background of the priestesses) than the OVA could hope to in a small amount of episodes, at least. I would recommend at the very least that you check out The Magnificent World and The Alternative World, those are my preferences. If you like those then you can continue with El Hazard 2 and then Wanderers if you like. Perhaps ManOfRust will be showing up to offer his two cents as well? |
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walw6pK4Alo
 Posts: 9322 |
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If Tenchi occupies AIC's sci-fi bend for OVA anime, then El-Hazard is more of the fantasy/steam-punk equivalent. They more or less are sister series, especially with Tenchi in Tokyo.
The previous post summed it all up quite well, but I do feel the original OVA is the best in overall quality of everything concerned. But if you have the ability to watch all of them, do so. And then check out all of the other AIC anime from the mid 90's. |
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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The original OVAs are definitely worth a look. Especially if you like fantasy adventure shows.
The sequels, eh, they're okay. The 2nd OVA is mostly more of the same, but it just doesn't quite capture the same sense of wonder. I think part of the problem was that the 1st OVA wrapped things up with a little epilogue so I didn't think there was much need for the sequel. Alternative World took away a bit of the charm by putting the cast in another, less vibrant dimension. I didn't see The Wanderers until well after I'd gotten into anime (but before seeing the 2nd OVA or Alternative World), and it just felt too cliche to me. The villains were reduced from a credible threat to mere comic foils, and an entire plot arc (the blue people, I forget what they were called) is just dumped completely. Also, in Wanderers, Rune Venus (the princess) becomes Makoto's primary love interest, which in itself isn't necessarily bad, it's just the treat it in a way that's generic and boring compared to the original idea from the OVAs. |
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joshinji
 Posts: 4 Location: Kansas |
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I think all of them are worth watching, but out of everything the Wanderers would be my favorite.
El Hazard has the only dub I've ever been able to tolerate too, mostly thanks to Jinnai's voice actor. My friends and I back in the day would spend endless hours impersonating him. |
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ManOfRust
 Posts: 1935 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Hello! I think larinon did a great job explaining the different El Hazard incarnations, and I agree with pretty much all of his observations. I'll just add a few comments and give my perspective on the show. I saw the original El Hazard OVAs (both 1 and 2) early on in my anime fandom and the first OVA immediately became one of my favorites. Even after seeing a lot more anime between then and now, my enjoyment of that first OVA hasn't diminished and I still pop it in the DVD player every now and then for a rewatch. The premise of the show is not high on the originality scale. It's full of anime cliches that have been done over and over, yet I still count it among my favorites. I think what makes this so enjoyable for me is that the interaction between the various characters is dynamic and fun. The world is colorful and interesting, and along with a lot of comedic situations there is just enough serious stuff going on to give the plot some weight without ruining the overall comedic atmosphere. There are enough good things happening that I can forgive the tired plot devices they do use to set up the story, and even with the cliches each character is still enjoyable and likable. Inside all of the comedy is also a nice love story with a little bit about the power of forgiveness and redemption. The second OVA is OK in my opinion, but it lacks a lot of the magic of the first. As Dorcas_Aurelia says, I think the main problem is that the first 7 episode OVA does a good job of being a self contained story and when it was over it felt like everything had been pretty much wrapped up nicely and there wasn't really any need for more. Still, it does give us a little more time with the characters and furthers some of their relationships a bit beyond where they leave off at the end of the first OVA. If you watch the first one and enjoy it, the second is probably worth a watch too. The Alternative World continues on from the OVAs. I liked it better than the second OVA, but nowhere near as much as the first. Probably my biggest complaint with it is that it takes all the characters and splits them apart into small groups for almost the whole show. One of the major reasons I enjoy the first OVA so much is the interaction between the characters and that interaction is very limited in Alternative World. The new character of Qawoor is a nice addition to the group, especially considering one of the main characters from the OVA is not present. I would give this series a stronger recommendation than the second OVA, but as with that second OVA I would watch it only if you like OVA #1. As much as I like El Hazard, I actually have never seen The Wanderers. It's never been convenient for me to get my hands on a copy, and from everything I have heard about the changes it makes from the original storyline I don't think I would enjoy it much anyway. Given that fact, I have never made any serious effort to track it down. Anyway, my clearly biased opinion as an admitted El Hazard fanboy (I even had Mr. Fujisawa as my avatar here for a while) is that you should definitely give it a try. I would say that if you are not pretty much into it by the end of the first episode, and certainly by the end of the second episode of the original OVA that you probably don't need to go any further. |
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Ian K
Posts: 250 |
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Thanks for the responses, everybody.
I'll probably start with the first OVA in a day or two, and go from there depending on how well it works for me. I'll let you know what I think of it. |
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