Reviews & Columns |
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
DVD Talk Forum |
|
Resources |
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
Columns
|
|
El Hazard Ova 2
So many classic shows originated in the 90's and to be quite honest that is probably my favorite time period in the history of anime. Tenchi Muyo!, Slayers, and Outlaw Star are just a few examples of shining nuggets of animated glory that stemmed from that era. However, let us not forget about El-Hazard.
Over the years there have been many visitations to the world of El-Hazard. Whether it's in the form of the original OVA (the subject of this review), the television series, or the sequel show, El-Hazard had quite the run. At its core El-Hazard was nothing special by today's standards. The show featured a strong harem theme with comedy thrown into the mix and some haphazard events tossed in for good measure. Despite these facts the series clicked somehow and became something special almost immediately.
At the center of everything is a young high school boy named Makoto Mizuhara. He seems to be your average seventeen year old with an innocent charm and uncanny ability to befriend everyone he meets. Well, that is to say he befriends everyone but fellow classmate Jinnai, who persists that they are rivals to the death. This is because no matter how hard Jinnai tries to succeed at something Makoto unwittingly bests him at every turn.
In the last volume we got to see Makoto and Jinnai tossed into a dimensional vortex and catapulted to the world of El-Hazard. Makoto and his teacher met a princess who mistook him for a duplicate of her younger sister Fatora. A plot was hatched to send Makoto (as Fatora) and his teacher to the top of a mountain in order to get three priestesses to assist them with awakening the ultimate weapon known as the Eye of God. There, the priestesses turned out to be more than they bargained for and before long they were following them to a hot spring.
In between all of this Jinnai was busy making friendly with the Bugrom and dreaming about world conquest. His competitive nature and sinister mind led to many conflicts in the first four episodes but his biggest score was the resurrecting of Ifurita, the Demon God. Ifurita was the woman who originally sent everyone back to El-Hazard in the first place and there is a strange connection between she and Makoto that is explored in this second and final installment.
Considering the OVA was only seven episodes in length this disc contains the remaining three. The heroes make their way back to the palace while beneath the surface the Phantom race is meddling with affairs in a mysterious manner. Their exact purpose isn't necessarily clear at the beginning of this volume but as things progress you'll begin to get a look at the big picture. With the Phantoms on one side and the Bugrom with Ifurita on the other our heroes seem trapped between a rock and a hard place.
Things sure do seem to be bleak but when Makoto discovers the powers he gained by entering El-Hazard his relationship with Ifurita makes sense. His ability is to see into and/or control ancient El-Hazard technology. Considering Ifurita is a mechanized weapon from a long time ago it's only natural that he is able to view her memories and communicate with her in ways that no other being can. Watching Ifurita come to terms with this adds so many levels to her character and right up to the end you'll really feel for her.
I don't want to spoil what happens any further on this disc but let's just say that there more or less is a definitive ending. Things also predictably and invariably loop back to the very beginning where Ifurita sends Makoto to El-Hazard. Beyond that I am not going to say anything else other than El-Hazard is an example of classic anime done right. Throughout the seven episodes in this OVA everything from the humor and writing to characters, pacing, and development is spot on.
If you have never seen El-Hazard before then take advantage of Geneon's re-release of their catalog title. You'll be hard-pressed to find a fantasy comedy as successful as this one. Let's just hope they explore the catalog further and release other versions of the franchise again.
Originally airing in 1995 El-Hazard is definitely showing its age at this point. This release is essentially a rehash of Geneon's first printing from 2001 and features video quality as such. There is shimmer, grain, compression, and dirt throughout this transfer with only a few moments of real clarity. Some colors are faded though for the most part the palette is largely intact with some vibrant sections to be found within the picture. The animation and design for the show may be stellar but this transfer is less-than unfortunately. It's passable due to the age of the material but a remaster would have gone a long way to improving the presentation.
The audio for El-Hazard offers three language tracks though they probably aren't quite what you're expecting. The disc has 2.0 English and Japanese stereo like you'd imagine it would but a 5.1 Japanese track is included as well which really surprised me. It's not often a show of this age gets a surround sound Japanese offering. The stereo tracks offer a limited presence on the soundstage like you'd expect but the 5.1 unfortunately isn't much of an improvement. The sense of immersion isn't the greatest and the rear channels are left to pick up random sound effects and atmospheric noise. The inclusion is still appreciated even if it's not entirely effective.
The only extras you're going to find on this release are an art gallery, clean animations, and some Geneon trailers from days of yore.
Whether it's a reprinting of the original release or not El-Hazard: The Magnificent World is a fantastic show. It has everything that you could want from anime and more. Sure the plot is a little on the light side but the characters and writing more than make up for it. As the show wraps up everything comes together perfectly. Almost all of the loose ends are tied up and you'll find yourself wanting more. Like I said, let's just hope Geneon releases other bits of the franchise such as El Hazard: The Wanderers. Highly Recommended
Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!
|
Popular Reviews |
Sponsored Links |
|
Sponsored Links |
|
Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices
|