A blonde female elf is casting a very complicated spell. Three strangers, standing next to a tank that is presumably theirs, look on. Suddenly, the elf is interrupted, and the spell goes awry. The magical runes that were tattooed on her body disappear into the distant sky.
The three strangers are obviously upset, as this was their only way back home to Earth. But apparently all they have to do is find the elves that the runes landed upon. Easier said than done, however, as they have to check the entire body of each elf they encounter. And how many elves do you know that are willing to strip for strangers?
The group consists of Airi, who is the brains of the group and a master of disguise and coercion. Junpei is the brawn and does most of the group's hand-to-hand combat. He is hot-tempered and always eating. Almost his exact opposite is Ritsuko, the girl in the seifuku, who is quiet and almost shy, but who also happens to be the munitions expert and tank pilot. And the tank's name is Mike (Mee-kay). The final member of the group is Selshia, the high elf who cast the failed spell. She disguises herself as a dog so she will not be recognized, but everywhere she goes, she is greeted by the other elves with, "Hey, Selshia, how's it going?"
So basically the premise of the show is that this group wanders through this strange world, encounters elves, and asks them very politely, "Please take off your clothes." As one can imagine, their success rate with this method is very low.
At twelve episodes, this was an amazingly short television series (It aired last fall.). However, it is well above average in all respects and has those extra touches that really endear the series to viewers. Junpei and Selshia's constant bickering is usually very funny, starting out with verbal epithets and usually ending in fisticuffs. The voice actors are a stellar group, including Tomizawa Michie as Airi, Miyamura Yuko as Ritsuko, and Mitsuishi Kotono as the high elf/dog Selshia.
The animation is of above average quality in most places, but every once in a while, the astute viewer will notice an attempt at cost cutting. In one example, a character did a backwards kick and the animators, instead of animating it, simply rotated the cel! This however, is the exception rather than the rule.
As for music, the BGM is okay, but not especially memorable. The opening and ending songs, however, are well worth a listen.
Undeniably the most attractive aspect of this show is the zaniness the creative staff managed to inject into it. The first episode is set in a town terrorized by funky ocean people; each one has a different animal head: hammerhead shark, fish, crab, octopus, and even conch shell! In another epsiode, the tank becomes possessed and creates some rather unique situations. My personal favorite, however, occurs when the local police arrests the group. Airi, with tears in her eyes, explains to the female elven cop how they are trying to get home. In trying to convince her to undress, she plays on the elf's obvious but unspoken affection for her partner. Airi holds up her wallet and says wistfully, "I have someone I love at home. You're a woman. You know what that's like." After hearing this story, of course the cop is willing to undress if it will help them get home, until Airi drops her wallet. When the cop picks it up and she sees that the picture Airi was looking at (an airplane) was the one that came with the wallet, she is more than a little annoyed.
THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES is a show that was overlooked by a lot of people. However, its length, combined with the humor and the unique nature of the story, make it worth taking a chance on. And now that it is available on laserdisc, it is worth a second look.

THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES Copyright © 1996 Mediaworks * Amuse * Sotsu Agency