Old ruins are discovered under Makato’s high school. Late one night he and his friends are transported to the world of El Hazard by a strange girl who came out of the ruins. Then they are promptly recruited by the citizens of El Hazard to save the world.

If you enjoyed Tenchi you’ll really love this show. It’s got all the fun stuff in Tenchi but with slightly more realistic characters. All around it’s a light hearted Pioneer anime.

The character interactions in the series follow the Tenchi model: the nice girl, the trashy girl, and a clueless guy. But it is nice to see that there are women that are in love with someone other than the main character.

The show’s music is really great. It is classical with an Arab twist, which complements the anime well because the world of El Hazard looks very Arabian. The ending songs are jap-pop, but they aren’t bad.

Objectionable Material:
Nothing graphic. Some frontal nudity is the worst of it. But the show also contains alcoholism, cross dressing, and wacky lesbians.

Recommended Age Group:
Early teen and up.

Second Opinion:

For as long as I’ve been a fan of anime, I’ve been a fan of El Hazard. As soon as I saw the first episode of the first series, I was hooked as a fan for life. I’ve waited a long, long time for this to come to DVD, and now that it has, I’m in anime heaven. This anime is not one of the more well-known series in the anime world, and that is a terrible shame, but one that is definitey worth giving a try.

Notes:
There is a sequel series called “Alternate World” and a TV series called “The Wanderers of El Hazard.” Stay away from the TV show, it’s awful.