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Vol 2 Issue 7
[ANIME REVIEWS]

the wanderers: el hazard tv series.
The Wanderers—El Hazard TV series
— by Mark L. Johnson

It was only a matter of time. After the successful release of the TENCHI TV series to fans in North America, EL HAZARD fans can now return to their own magical world once again.
   Of note this time around for LD buyers, Pioneer has decided to go CLV extended play for the first time with their anime series. This first of the collection contains a collector's box and two episodes, while the rest of the series should come with four episodes each volume. This is still a bilingual release (with CC subs and Japanese on the analog track).
   The first episode, "Drawn Into the Land of Adventure," details the events before the abrupt journey to El Hazard, and concentrates on the main characters' personalities. Mizuhara Makoto is still an all around perfect student and scientific genius. Jinnai Nanami is still after money and Makoto. Mr. Fujisawa loves climbing mountains, drinking, and smoking. And Jinnai Katsuhiko is still a tyrannical maniac bent on conquest, and incredibly jealous of Makoto. And yes, Makoto, Nanami, Mr. Fujisawa, and Jinnai get transported from Shinonome high school to the world of El Hazard. "Exploring the Kingdom of Mystery" is episode 2, where the viewer is introduced to a bit of El Hazard. Rune Venus and Makoto escape from some rogue Bugrom with the help of Mr. Fujisawa's newfound strength.


However, this is a different story from the OVA series. This time their journey is due to an accident involving Makoto's science experiment and Jinnai's fixation on ruining Makoto (very humorously, too). Makoto does not look like any princess and doesn't have to dress up in order to pretend to be one (Fatora does not exist in this version). Rune Venus is much younger, cuter, and definitely fit as a love interest for Makoto. The main plot is Makoto's quest to find a way home. And later on in the series, Ifrita proves to be very different from the OVA character.


Of miscellaneous note, I felt this TV series had higher production values than the average anime TV production, but was still noticeably inferior to the OVA series. However, the plot-line and character development now have more time to evolve.
   The opening song "Illusion," by the group INVOICE, is a fast, poppy song which I enjoyed enough to buy the single a year back. The English version does a good job of recreating the original feel as well


The English dubbing job is standard fare, although this script seems to diverge from the original meaning more than previous Pioneer works. Example:

English Nanami: "Hey you stupid UFO, don't you know the rules? You're supposed to abduct people from remote areas so you don't have any witnesses!"
Japanese Nanami: "Ne ne Mako-chan, mitte yo! Dareka ga mitte yo! UFO da yo!" or
"Hey Makoto, look at that! Someone look at it! It's a UFO!"

The English voices still sound a little off (except perhaps for Jinnai's laugh, which is rather well done), but the Japanese voices have definitely gotten more into their roles this time around. So, overall I found I enjoyed this first look release of the EL HAZARD TV series, and plan on continuing with it. If this is your first look at EL HAZARD, expect an interesting mix of characters in an Arabian Nights fantasy adventure, with an emphasis on humorous action and occasionally innocent-suggestive scenes-much like TENCHI MUYO. If you did not enjoy the genre of the first OVA series, I doubt THE WANDERERS would change your opinion, but if you are a fan of EL HAZARD, this is the new adventure you have been waiting for.

  THE WANDERERS: EL HAZARD TV SERIES
The Adventure Begins: Quest 1
Copyright © AIC / Pioneer LDC, Inc. / TV TOKYO / MANNENSHA
CLV LD PILA-1371A $39.98
VHS dubbed PIVA-1371D $19.98
VHS subtitled PIVA-1371S $24.98
50 minutes
Released in North America by Pioneer Entertainment


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