View source for El-Hazard

{{Short description|Japanese anime franchise}}
{{Convert to Episode table}}{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox animanga/Header
| name = El-Hazard
| image = El-Hazard TMW title screen.JPG
| caption = Title screen for ''The Magnificent World''
| ja_kanji = 神秘の世界エルハザード
| ja_romaji = Shinpi no Sekai El-Hazard
| genre = [[Isekai]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Loveridge|first=Lynzee|title=8 Anime That Were Isekai Before It Was Cool|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-list/2017-08-19/.120298|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=February 11, 2024|date=August 19, 2017}}</ref><!-- Genres should be based on what reliable sources list them as and not on personal interpretations. Limit of the three most relevant genres in accordance with [[MOS:A&M]]. -->
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type            = ova
| title           = El Hazard: The Magnificent World
| director        = [[Hiroki Hayashi]]
| producer        = {{ubl|Hiroaki Inoue|Yasuo Hasegawa}}
| writer          = Ryoe Tsukimura
| music           = Seikou Nagaoka
| studio          = [[Anime International Company|AIC]]
| licensee        = [[Crunchyroll]]{{English anime licensee
| BI  = [[Anime Limited]]
}}
| runtime         = {{ubl|30 minutes (2–6)|45 minutes (1 & 7)}}
| first           = May 26, 1995
| last            = January 25, 1996
| episodes        = 7
| episode_list    = #List of The Magnificent World & The Magnificent World 2 episodes
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Print
| type        = manga
| author      = Hidetomo Tsubura
| illustrator =
| publisher   = [[Fujimi Shobo]]
| magazine    = [[Monthly Dragon Age]]
| first       = 1995
| last        = 1996
| volumes     = 3
| volume_list =  
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type            = tv series
| title           = El-Hazard: The Wanderers
| director        = [[Katsuhito Akiyama]]
| producer        = {{ubl|Kazuaki Morijiri|Kyoko Kobayashi}}
| writer          = Ryoe Tsukimura
| music           = Seikou Nagaoka
| studio          = AIC
| licensee        = {{English anime licensee
| NA  = Nozomi Entertainment
}}
| network         = [[TV Tokyo]]
| first           = October 6, 1995
| last            = March 29, 1996
| episodes        = 26
| episode_list    =
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type            = ova
| title           = El Hazard: The Magnificent World 2
| director        = Yoshiaki Iwasaki
| producer        = {{ubl|Hiroaki Inoue|Kazuaki Morijiri|Akiko Odawara}}
| writer          = Kazuhisa Onishi
| music           = Seikou Nagaoka
| studio          = AIC
| licensee        = {{English anime licensee
| BI  = Anime Limited
| NA  = Nozomi Entertainment
}}
| runtime         = 30 minutes each
| first           = March 21, 1997
| last            = October 25, 1997
| episodes        = 4
| episode_list    = #List of OVA episodes
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type            = tv series
| title           = El-Hazard: The Alternative World
| director        = Yasuhito Kikuchi
| producer        = {{ubl|Hiroaki Inoue|Kazuaki Morijiri|Kin'ya Watanabe}}
| writer          = Mitsuhiro Yamada
| music           = Seikou Nagaoka
| studio          = AIC
| licensee        = {{English anime licensee
| NA  = Nozomi Entertainment
}}
| network         = TV Tokyo
| first           = January 8, 1998
| last            = March 25, 1998
| episodes        = 13
| episode_list    =
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type            = ova
| title           = A Night of Captivation, Temptation, and Purification
| director        = Yasuhito Kikuchi
| producer        =
| writer          = Mitsuhiro Yamada
| music           = Seikou Nagaoka
| studio          = AIC
| licensee        = {{English anime licensee|NA=[[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]}}
| released        = 1999
| runtime         =
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Footer}}

{{nihongo|'''''El-Hazard'''''|神秘の世界エルハザード|Shinpi no Sekai Eru Hazādo|lit. ''"The Magnificent World of El-Hazard"''|lead=yes}} is a Japanese [[anime]] franchise written by Ryoe Tsukimura and directed by [[Hiroki Hayashi]]. The series was animated by [[Anime International Company|AIC]] and produced by [[NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan|Pioneer LDC]].

There is also a [[manga]] adaptation, which is published in English by [[Viz Media]]. The series was formerly distributed in the U.S. by [[Geneon]]. The distribution rights to the ''Wanderers'' TV series were acquired from Geneon by [[Right Stuf Inc.|Right Stuf]] entertainment, announced during a Right Stuf press release on May 18, 2010. The anime was distributed by Right Stuf's publishing label Nozomi Entertainment. Later, during their panel at [[Anime Expo]] 2019, they also rescued ''The Magnificent World'' and ''The Alternative World'' OVAs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-07-06/right-stuf-nozomi-ent-add-sayonara-zetsubou-sensei-a.d-police-el-hazard-anime/.148682|title=Right Stuf, Nozomi Ent. Add Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, A.D. Police, El-Hazard Anime|last=Sherman|first=Jennifer|work=Anime News Network |date=July 6, 2019|access-date=July 6, 2019}}</ref>

==Plot==
{{Overly detailed|section|date=July 2024}}
{{See also|List of El-Hazard characters}}

The story focuses on three high school students, [[Makoto Mizuhara]], [[List of El-Hazard characters#Katsuhiko Jinnai|Katsuhiko Jinnai]] and [[List of El-Hazard characters#Nanami Jinnai|Nanami Jinnai]], and the History teacher [[List of El-Hazard characters#Masamichi Fujisawa|Masamichi Fujisawa]], who are mysteriously transported to the fantastical world of El-Hazard. When they arrive they find themselves in the middle of a war between the human nations and the insectoid [[List of El-Hazard characters#The Bugrom|Bugrom]] tribe.

===''The Magnificent World''===
The central conflict in {{nihongo|'''''El-Hazard: The Magnificent World'''''|神秘の世界エルハザード|Shinpi no Sekai Eru Hazādo|lit. ''"The Magnificent World of El-Hazard"''}} focuses on Makoto, who along with Nanami, Mr. Fujisawa and human residents of El-Hazard fight against Jinnai who is made leader of the Bugrom armies by Queen Diva, but meanwhile, other, more sinister machinations lie below the surface.

===''The Wanderers''===
'''''El-Hazard: The Wanderers''''', known in Japan as simply {{nihongo|'''''El-Hazard'''''|エルハザード|Eru Hazādo}}, takes place in an alternative timeline from the original OVA. It is a simplified version of the original OVA plot, stretched to twenty-six episodes and eliminates or alters several of the OVA's major characters.

===''The Magnificent World 2''===
{{nihongo|'''''El-Hazard: The Magnificent World 2'''''|神秘の世界エルハザード2|Shinpi no Sekai Eru Hazādo Tsū|lit. ''"The Magnificent World of El-Hazard 2"''}} is a sequel to the original OVA and features Makoto and the others continuing on in their lives in El-Hazard after the war with the Bugrom has ended. When Mr. Fujisawa suddenly runs off, getting cold feet the night before his wedding with Miz Mishtal, Makoto and the others race off to find him.

===''The Alternative World''===
{{nihongo|'''''El-Hazard: The Alternative World'''''|異次元の世界エルハザード|Ijigen no Sekai Eru Hazādo|lit. "''A Parallel World to El-Hazard''{{-"}}}} follows up after the actual wedding of Mr. Fujisawa and Miz Mishtal, but the cast is then thrust into another world for a second time; the militant world of Creteria.

===Characters===
{{Main|List of El-Hazard characters}}

===El-Hazard's causal loop===
''El-Hazard'''s plot is made up of a causal loop, an example of the [[predestination paradox]]. The first OVA begins with Makoto meeting Ifurita for the first time on Earth. After giving him a warm greeting, revealing that she somehow knows him, she sends him to El-Hazard. Later on in the series, Makoto discovers Ifurita entombed in a labyrinth, where she had been kept since ancient times. Upon this second meeting with Ifurita, Makoto is puzzled by the fact that she does not recognize him, nor does she treat him with the same demeanor she evoked in their first encounter.

Over the course of the series, Makoto manages to free Ifurita from her enslavement to Jinnai (the "master" of the Power Key Staff, and therefore her master). In response, Ifurita comes to love Makoto, but events involving the Eye of God (see below) force her to drift through time and space for ten thousand years until she is eventually entombed under what would later become the site of Shinonome High School. The series then returns to the beginning, this time from Ifurita's perspective. After warmly greeting Makoto, she sends him to El-Hazard in order to trigger all of the events that, from Makoto's perspective, had yet to take place. In the final episode, Ifurita is reunited with an older Makoto who has transported back to her with her key, enabling them both to return to El-Hazard together. An ending montage shows various El Hazard characters apparently now living on Earth.

===The Eye of God===
[[File:EH OVA05 EyeofGod.jpg|thumb|left|The Eye of God as seen from the ground in ''The Magnificent World'']]
The Eye of God plays a prominent role in both the OVA and ''The Wanderers''. In both continuities, it is the ultimate superweapon, created by an ancient civilization. Its basic design is that of a giant metallic orb that floats in a geosynchronous orbit within the world's atmosphere.

The Eye of God is a dimensional weapon that sends all it destroys into a [[vortex]] leading to an unknown destination. In the first OVA series, its use in ancient times is responsible for pulling the [[Characters of El-Hazard#The Phantom Tribe|Phantom Tribe]] from their own world into El-Hazard.

In the OVA continuity, the Eye of God first needed to be unsealed by the [[Characters of El-Hazard#Muldoon Priestesses|Muldoon priestesses]] before it could be operated via the Stairway to the Sky, a tall metal tower that almost reaches the height of the Eye's orbit. Two female members of the royal house were required in order to activate the weapon, but the Phantom Tribe attempted to get around this barrier by creating a machine that would require the use of only one. The Phantom Tribe also sabotage the Eye, causing it to go out of control when the Princesses [[Characters of El-Hazard#Rune Venus|Rune Venus]] and [[Characters of El-Hazard#Fatora|Fatora]] use it to destroy the Bugrom. It's stopped by [[Characters of El-Hazard#Ifurita|Ifurita]], who synchronizes with the device and is ultimately lost in time and space for ten thousand years as a result.

In ''The Wanderers'', the Eye is controlled from within rather than from the Stairway to the Sky, and the character Ifurita acts as a key to controlling the weapon. Jinnai attempts to use Ifurita to control the Eye, but once connected, Ifurita's true purpose as the Demon God is revealed, and she attempts to destroy El-Hazard. Makoto stops the Eye from going out of control and is temporarily lost, but finds his way back to El-Hazard at the end of the series.

In ''The Alternative World,'' another Eye of God appears, but this one is a shattered version of the original and does not seem to need a princess and three priestesses to unseal it. Its origin is not explained.

==Media==
{{More citations needed|section|date=July 2024}}
The series began as a seven episode [[OVA]] produced by the animation studio [[Anime International Company|AIC]] and [[NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan|Pioneer LDC]], and it was entitled as, ''El-Hazard: The Magnificent World''. It was popular enough to be remade into a twenty-six episode TV series, ''The Wanderers'', set in an alternate time-line.

A second four-episode OVA series, ''El-Hazard: The Magnificent World 2'', followed. ''El-Hazard: The Alternative World'' is a twelve-episode TV series with a follow-up special later released on [[laserdisc]] called "A Night of Captivation, Temptation, and Purification".

''El Hazard: The Magnificent World 2'', and ''El Hazard: The Alternative World'' are continuations of the original OVA (''El-Hazard: The Magnificent World'') whereas the TV series ''El Hazard: The Wanderers'' is a standalone series.

There is also a [[Sega Saturn]] [[visual novel]] video game inspired from the TV series, with several possible endings.

[[Guardians of Order]] released the ''[[El-Hazard Role-Playing Game]]'' [[role-playing game]] based on the first OVA series in 2001 and with rules based on the company's [[Tri-Stat system]].

On August 13, 2018, AIC announced that they were planning to crowdfund a short five minute pilot for a new ''El Hazard'' series titled ''The Dual World''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-08-12/aic-plans-crowdfunding-for-el-hazard-sequel-project/.135364|title=AIC Plans Crowdfunding for El Hazard Sequel Project|publisher=Anime News Network|language=en|access-date=2019-01-22}}</ref> The campaign launched on September 6 of that year but was not successful, raising ¥841,000 out of its ¥5,000,000 goal before closing on October 30.<ref>{{cite web|title=【AICリブートアニメ企画第4弾！】 幻双の世界エルハザード（仮題）|trans-title=[AIC Reboot Animation Project 4th! ] Genso no Sekai El Hazard (tentative title)|orig-date=2018-09-06|date=2018-10-30|language=Japanese|url=https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/90343|website=Campfire|access-date=2022-04-28}}</ref>

==List of ''The Magnificent World'' and ''The Magnificent World 2'' episodes==
{|class="wikitable" style="width:100%; margin:auto; background:#FFF;"
! style="width:80px;"| No. !! Title !! Japanese release date !! English release date
|-
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 1
| Title               = Battlefield of Confusion
| TranslitTitle       = Konsen no Sekai Eruhazādo
| NativeTitle         = 混戦の世界エルハザード
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1995|5|26}}
| AltDate             = July 25, 1995
| LineColor           = FFA6A6
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 2
| Title               = The World of Beautiful Girls
| TranslitTitle       = Bijo no Sekai Eruhazādo
| NativeTitle         = 美女の世界エルハザード
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1995|6|25}}
| AltDate             = October 24, 1995
| LineColor           = FFA6A6
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 3
| Title               = The World of Hot Springs
| TranslitTitle       = Onsen no Sekai Eruhazādo
| NativeTitle         = 温泉の世界エルハザード
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1995|7|25}}
| AltDate             = October 24, 1995
| LineColor           = FFA6A6
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 4
| Title               = The World of the Demon God
| TranslitTitle       = Kishin no Sekai Eruhazādo
| NativeTitle         = 鬼神の世界エルハザード
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1995|8|25}}
| AltDate             = December 19, 1995
| LineColor           = FFA6A6
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 5
| Title               = The World of Thunder
| TranslitTitle       = Raimei no Sekai Eruhazādo
| NativeTitle         = 雷鳴の世界エルハザード
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1995|10|21}}
| AltDate             = December 19, 1995
| LineColor           = FFA6A6
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 6
| Title               = The World of Gleaming Light
| TranslitTitle       = Senkō no Sekai Eruhazādo
| NativeTitle         = 閃光の世界エルハザード
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1995|11|25}}
| AltDate             = May 28, 1996
| LineColor           = FFA6A6
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 7
| Title               = The World of Endless Adventures
| TranslitTitle       = Eien no Sekai Eruhazādo
| NativeTitle         = 永遠の世界エルハザード
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1996|1|25}}
| AltDate             = May 28, 1996
| LineColor           = FFA6A6
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 8
| Title               = The Bride of Roshtaria
| TranslitTitle       = Roshutaria no Hanayome
| NativeTitle         = ロシュタリアの花嫁
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1997|3|21}}
| AltDate             = July 14, 1998
| LineColor           = FFA6A6
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 9
| Title               = The Awakening of Kalia
| TranslitTitle       = Kaaria Kakusei
| NativeTitle         = カーリア覚醒
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1997|5|25}}
| AltDate             = July 14, 1998
| LineColor           = FFA6A6
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 10
| Title               = Ifurita, Farewell to Destiny
| TranslitTitle       = Ifuriita: Unmei no Wakare
| NativeTitle         = イフリータ・運命の別れ
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1997|8|24}}
| AltDate             = August 25, 1998
| LineColor           = FFA6A6
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 11
| Title               = Promise for Reunion
| TranslitTitle       = Saikai Heno Chikai
| NativeTitle         = 再会への誓い
| NativeTitleLangCode = ja
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1997|10|25}}
| AltDate             = August 25, 1998
| LineColor           = FFA6A6
}}
|}

==Reception==

===Anime reviews===
Theron Martin argued that the series doesn't "come close to representing the cream of the crop of '90s anime," and neither did it "establish any new trends or have a marked influence on the course of anime.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Theron|title=El Hazard - The Magnificent World DVDs 1 and 2 [review]|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/el-hazard-the-magnificent-world/dvds-1|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=June 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307213730/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/el-hazard-the-magnificent-world/dvds-1|archive-date=March 7, 2019|date=September 6, 2007|url-status=live|df=mdy-all }}</ref> He also criticized [[List of El-Hazard characters#Alielle Relryle|Alielle Relryle]] for being presented as a "midget flaming lesbian" who sees Princess Fatora Venus as the "only object" of her affection. Chris Beveridge further said, in ''Mania'' that he still finds himself "grinning stupidly at many parts of this series."<ref>{{cite web|last=Beveridge|first=Chris|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016231443/http://www.mania.com/elhazard-magnificent-world-box-set_article_73560.html|archive-date=October 16, 2012|url=http://www.mania.com/elhazard-magnificent-world-box-set_article_73560.html|title=El-Hazard, The Magnificent World Box Set|publisher=Mania.com|date=August 7, 2001|access-date=January 1, 2016}}</ref> Raphael See said that the series is "remarkable when it counts," referring to the scenery and backgrounds.<ref>{{cite web|last=See|first=Raphael|url=http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=260|title=El Hazard - The Magnificent World [Review]|website=[[THEM Anime Reviews]]|access-date=February 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128143024/http://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=260|archive-date=January 28, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Soundtrack reviews<!-- header dab -->===
"As nice as the opening piece and Ifurita's theme may be, the rest of the album doesn't quite succeed at reaching out and grabbing your attention." – Keith Rhee, about "Best of El Hazard" in ''EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ex.org/2.5/34-cd_eh.html|title=Best Of El Hazard|work=EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga|volume=2|issue=5|page=34|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321193039/http://www.ex.org/2.5/34-cd_eh.html|archive-date=March 21, 2013|url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite web|last=Høgset|first=Stig|url=http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=689|title=El Hazard: The Magnificent World 2|publisher=T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews|date=April 19, 2004 }}<!-- Date found at http://www.themanime.org/viewnews.php?m=4&y=2004 -->
* {{Cite magazine|last=Johnston|first=Chris|title=El-Hazard: The Magnificent World|magazine=Newtype USA|volume=6|issue=6|page=149|date=June 2007|issn=1541-4817 }}
* {{Cite news|last=Morton|first=Bryan|url=http://www.mania.com/elhazard-magnificent-world-ova-collection_article_77183.html|title=El-Hazard: the Magnificent World OVA Collection|publisher=Mania.com|date=April 19, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016231450/http://www.mania.com/elhazard-magnificent-world-ova-collection_article_77183.html|archive-date=October 16, 2012|url-status=dead }}

==External links==
* [http://el-hazard.rightstuf.com/ ''EL-HAZARD: The Wanderers'' – Nozomi Entertainment's Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625131025/http://el-hazard.rightstuf.com/ |date=June 25, 2022 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140421051645/http://www.anime-int.com/works/elhazard/ova/index.html Official AIC ''El Hazard'' Website] {{in lang|ja}}
* {{Anime News Network|anime|16|El Hazard – The Magnificent World}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q3049965|title=El Hazard: The Magnificent World}}

{{AIC TV series}}
{{Anime International Company}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:El-Hazard| ]]
[[Category:1995 anime OVAs]]
[[Category:1995 anime television series debuts]]
[[Category:1997 anime OVAs]]
[[Category:1998 anime OVAs]]
[[Category:1998 anime television series debuts]]
[[Category:Anime International Company]]
[[Category:Fujimi Shobo manga]]
[[Category:Geneon USA]]
[[Category:Isekai anime and manga]]
[[Category:High fantasy television series]]
[[Category:LGBTQ speculative fiction television series]]
[[Category:Madman Entertainment anime]]
[[Category:NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan]]
[[Category:Shōnen manga]]
[[Category:TV Tokyo original programming]]
[[Category:Viz Media manga]]