El Hazard: The Magnificent World (1995–1996) User Reviews (11)

Brilliant!

[RHW5000 · 9/10 · 15 November 1999]

They don't make cartoons like this in the United States, one filled with the kind of creativity that this one holds. This 2 and one half hour plus adventure will change the way you view the animated film.

Romance? Its got plenty. Comedy? Mr. Fujisawa will keep your sides splitting. Action? The visuals are nothing short of kinetic. All of these wondeful elements are mixed together in a captivating story of unselfishness and sacrifice. Brilliant!

One of my personal favorites

[DoctorNordo · 9/10 · 18 September 2014]

Oh El-Hazard! I will never forget the first time that I watched this. It was in the spring of 1996. I was a sophomore in high school. My friends started getting into this really bizarre stuff called anime. There was one show in particular that they were always talking about. That show was, you guessed it, El-Hazard.

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into when I first popped it into my VCR. But from the second the intro started and the lovely narrator first spoke "It is a place that dwells in the memories of those who still dream of its ancient glory" (words that will always dwell within me) I knew that I was in for something special.

To get to the point, El-Hazard has it all. It's got stellar artwork, lively and interesting characters, comedy (oh my, does it ever have comedy!), an epic (if somewhat common) story, magic, great action, demon goddesses, wonderful music, and a fascinating and beautiful world.

The characters in this show are some of my absolute favorites in all of anime. Masamichi Fujisawa - the alcoholic, chain-smoking history teacher - is my personal favorite, but others like Miz, Shayla, Ifurita, and Makoto are all fantastic as well.

I don't want to say too much more because I might be tempted to delve into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that this show was virtually single-handedly responsible for setting me on a decades long journey of anime fandom. I highly recommend this to anyone who has a love for anime and/or fantasy.

Oh, and one more thing that can't be overlooked is the quality of the dub. As hard as it might be to believe, especially considering that this came out in the mid-90's, the dub is in my humble opinion far superior to the sub.

Easy 9/10

Simply Magnificent

[JG2001 · 10/10 · 6 September 1999]

This romantic comedy is my favorite anime series. The plot is both serious and rotf funny, especially Mr. Fujisawa, the alcoholic, chain smoking history teacher and Jinnai, the insane student council president. This is definitely a must see!

anime like this is soooo nice

[jkchang · 10/10 · 28 November 1999]

i throughly enjoyed El-Hazard, its probably the best series i've seen all year. the characters were all fleshed out well, even though there are only seven episodes to get to know them. my personal favorite is Alielle, such sincere love has never been more amusing. and of course, Mr. Fujisawa is the man.

Magnificent!

[au_law2001 · 10/10 · 21 January 2005]

This is one of my favorite anime shows, and perhaps is one of the most underrated shows around. A wonderful and funny cast of characters, and Jinnai is also cool, even though he is the bad guy, he is very funny, gotta love the way he laughs, a real megalomaniac. And the bugrom he rules are also funny even though they make those annoying sounds. And I like also the teacher Fujisawa, who is portrayed as a drunk person who drinks and smokes a lot, and becomes very strong once he is sober. A good reason to learn to drink moderately, or not to drink at all. And Fatora and Allielle are also funny as the perverted lesbians in this. The main character is also cool and funny, especially when they had him dress up like a girl. And he is in a jeopardy as well, he seems to know about the machines and technology in El Hazard, but can he send them back? or contact Ifruita? And not to mention he is the object of affection to both Nanami and Shayla Shayla, hello Tenchi! Overall this is a good series that should be viewed by any anime fan or non anime fan who is not familiar with anime at all, not much violence in it, but the humor is a bit adult, especially the hot spring part, or Fatora. Watch it. It's great.

Dramatic, Funny, Happy and Sad Fantasy

[whitemonkey · 17 August 2000]

This is my favorite anime series ever. I just finished the series today, and I loved it. I'd already seen the whole TV series before, but it wasn't as good. The TV series used too much filler and dumbed down some of the plot. I'm not going to give away the plot, because it just has so many twists. But without revealing anything, this series is about four high school students who get transported to a different world. Sounds kind of familiar doesn't it? Well, it should, there's at least twenty other anime series that are just like that. However, El Hazard pulls it off like no other. It has a great story, great direction, great music, great characters, and so on and so on. The series kind of drags around the third tape, but that doesn't really matter. It's still great. It does get kind of sad around the end, though. Make sure you have a tissue ready. It's also kind of confusing, almost exactly like the TV show. Just with a different character. I haven't seen the sequels yet, but from what it sounds like, the sad thing is reversed. I don't know how, but it is. I guess I'll have to see them. That's enough for now, just go rent the series. NOW!

A series I highly recommend

[bhermann-40608 · 10/10 · 31 March 2020]

I originally started watching this to update the page for animated series with LGBTQ+ characters. Generally I enjoyed this series, especially the fact that there are two strong lesbian characters, Alielle Relryle and Fatora Venus, with their relationship between each other expanded in The Magnificent World 2. The story did get a bit in the weeds at times, but I generally enjoyed this series and would, as such, recommend it. I especially liked the absurdity of the evil characters and the connections between the characters. That's why this series is getting a ranking of 10, as it has strong characters and a generally strong story.

Incredible Storytelling, Action, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi Fantasy

[Aegelis · 10/10 · 2 October 2023]

Decades away from my first viewing, the wonder was still present as the world of El Hazard rich in culture, design, colour, and depth unfolded. At the heart of the series is a captivating story full of mystery, tension, and excitement with a definite beginning and end. Comedy weaved throughout brings everything from chuckles to laughs without being goofy or derailing the tale.

Characters are dynamic, even the crazy madman gets an appreciated nod. Blending so many genres sounds chaotic but the hybrid Sci-Fi Fantasy shows are bundled nicely into a unique viewing experience. This is amoung the best anime of all time throughout the ages.

A magnificent series

[djbarasan · 9 January 2003]

Possibly my favourite series of all time, El-Hazard: The Magnificent World combines fantasy, sci-fi elements, and comedy into one neat story-driven package.

The basic plot is that 4 people from Earth (3 students and teacher from a Japanese high school) are warped to a strange and fantastic world, known as El-Hazard. Throw in a bit of "Prince and the Pauper" style cross dressing, Marx Brothers references and some "old skool" anime elements, such as magical powers and beautiful girls, and you're in for a great animated ride.

There's a lot to like about this series, but a few of my favourites include the maniac character, Katsuhiko Jinnai, the on-going action and adventure scenarios, and the dramatic Eye of God storyline.

I couldn't really see any down sides to the series, to be honest, but being at my most critical, I'd say some people would be annoyed by Fatora's character ("some" meaning "most") and others would probably be a bit uncomfortable with the risque situations that give the series an excellen t sense of humour.

To point out some more obvious things; the series is rated at PG-13, so it's really suited for teen/young adult viewers. Also, the excellent English dubbed version of the series knocks the original Japanese into dull inferiority.

The ending (and many other scenes in the series) should not be spoiled for anyone, prior to watching, as it was a genuine pleasure to watch.

Absolutely classic. A must see for anyone. 10 out of 10.

very sweet

[d4v3cs · 25 August 2002]

this anime is very touching 'n sweet in a way. I despise all the joke intended nudity and sexual references, but the focus of the story covers them all

Ifurita story is deeply compelling, her expression is touching, and I almost share her tears. The whole charity/compassion and attachment theme is very moving. Her music theme perfectly matches the scenes as well. Although she's likely to be a machine, I like to see it better as a lady with heart and soul equipped with a machine capability. The whole temporal loop is done nicely, and it makes more sense and has less plot hole than eg. Final Fantasy VIII. If you're one with high angst (eg. if watching bebop ends disturb you alot), this one might give a close feeling, considering its OVA and tv sequels doesn't explain much. But that's just how anime tale is perfect in a way, it's intended to be left where the story ends. Eg. How Makoto 'n Ifurita would live together in earth? (SPOILER: in ending credits, you'll see as if the whole cast spend times on earth, along with Ifurita and Makoto share their attachment by being close to each other) So the ending is very suitable in a way (let it be the END) 'n I consider to have it as the only El Hazard OVA. Check it out and explore the wonders yourself.

tenchi breed

[d4v3cs · 25 August 2002]

I also find it very interesting to know afterwards that the tenchi team made this anime. You can see a lot of resemblance to it. If you're a die hard tenchi saga fans, most likely you'll enjoy this. One thing that made me really curious is Ifurita seems to be a cross product of Ryoko and Tsunami (see, demon-goddess)...the clothing are very similar to Tsunami as well (does she/Ifurita really look like a bride the whole time? Her uniform and casual dress in the end fits very well too)...oh well, (SPOILER) unlike in in Tenchi where no one gets him, here we have poor Nanami and Shayla-Shayla