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ANIME REVIEWS

Copyright © 1998 AIC * Pioneer LDC, Inc * TV TOKYO
Released by Pioneer Entertainment

Volume 1
60 minutes
PIVA-1541S
$24.95 subtitled
PIVA-1541D
$19.95 English dubbed

Volume 2
60 minutes
PIVA-1542S
$24.95 subtitled
PIVA-1541D
$19.95 English dubbed








—by Charles McCarter

The Eye of God has been defeated. Jinnai's empire has been destroyed, and peace settles upon the Magnificent World. EL HAZARD 2 picks up right where the first OVA series left off. Now there are new villains, new problems, and some old friends thrown in to make the ride more comfortable.
  Miz and Fujisawa are going to be married, or so it seems. At the last minute, Fujisawa runs away, saying that he needs to sort things out. Everyone and their dog (or in this case, Ura) goes off in pursuit of him. Along the way, they discover a secret temple and another Ifurita. Jinnai, meanwhile, wandering the desert, comes across another temple wherein lies a girl in suspended animation. Thinking that maybe this time it will actually work, he sets her free. When she tells him she knows of a superweapon of unimaginable power, Jinnai is overjoyed.
  Of course, things are not always what they seem, and once Kalia gains access to the weapon, she drops her pretense of being nice to the others or allies with Jinnai. She is simply going to destroy everything because that is what she is supposed to do.
  There are several problems with this OVA. The first episode starts off really slow, with virtually no plot development. In fact, at first it seems that all that's going to happen is that Fatora is going to keep trying to impersonate Makoto and attempt to hit on all the female cast members. It's not funny, it doesn't go anywhere, and it gets really boring really quickly.
  The second big problem is with the new villainess, Kalia. While she is supposed to be sort of one-dimensional, she's just plain boring. You know she's going to turn on everyone and try and destroy them, but worse than that, the viewer feels indifferent about it. And when she finally reveals her true nature as evil, the way she is drawn doesn't suggest evil so much as cartoonish supervillainy. She doesn't look frightening or awe-inspiring, she just looks goofy.
  And then there's Makoto. All he does is run around shouting people's names ("Ifurita!" "Yuba-san!" "Kalia!" etc..) and standing in front of someone when someone else is going to shoot him. Is that all he's good for—a human shield? Actually, Makoto does do more than this, but really not until the end of the series.
  However, once the story gets moving, it becomes the sort of action/adventure one would expect from El Hazard. The priestesses get to use a lot of their powers, although most of the time they seem ineffective against Kalia and this new weapon the "Trigger for Destruction." Even Fujisawa gets to show off his power since he winds up sober for the last two episodes.
  Ifurita fans will enjoy this series. Even though she's not the "same" Ifurita from the first series, she's still everyone's favorite demon goddess. The fight between Kalia and Ifurita is worth the price of admission alone, and of course Ifurita's help is what turns the tide of battle in the end.
  The animation is good quality. Since this is an OVA, the quality is better than the television series THE WANDERERS. The music is pretty good too, although sometimes the BGM sounds rather generic. Magical power displays are animated quite beautifully and really shine in this video.
  EL HAZARD fans will probably enjoy this release, as its mix of action and humor remains faithful to the spirit of the original. All the old favorites are back, and they are none the worse for wear. Those unfamiliar with EL HAZARD should probably see the first OVA series before watching this one, as all the characters are already established. Although plagued by a really below-average, uninteresting first episode, EL HAZARD 2 manages to redeem itself and come out better than average.


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