finished the OAV's and the alternative world

[xxpacmanv1]

I  finally had time to watch the el hazard's and i saw it all in one sitting.  It was good well worth the money, my only gripe is the fact that *SPOILER*


makoto never reunited with ifurita...nor did they even mention her except for a few small scenes in the alternative world...I just thought it was kinda weird cuz they made such a big deal over her and her relationship with makoto in the beginning and they never really concluded anything between the two, and unless there's any other releases following that, it still left me with questions.  o well besides that it was still a great series, i need to finish up the wanderers now.

[Tim needs time to work it out]

Technically, OAV ends with Makoto getting Ifurita.

If Rob and Neil were correct, the series was supposed to begin with OAV1 and end with OAV1.  Only when a profit was realized that there were sequels.  The guess of how Makoto got back to Ifurita is simply:

1) He learned how the Eye of God worked

2) He went back

For me, I'm wondering if they stayed on Earth or went back to El-Hazard.  I'm guessing they could have just went back to El-Hazard, but the ending is just confusing to me.

[Kathy Guinea]

Technically, OAV ends with Makoto getting Ifurita.

If Rob and Neil were correct, the series was supposed to begin with OAV1 and end with OAV1.  Only when a profit was realized that there were sequels.  The guess of how Makoto got back to Ifurita is simply:

1) He learned how the Eye of God worked

2) He went back

For me, I'm wondering if they stayed on Earth or went back to El-Hazard.  I'm guessing they could have just went back to El-Hazard, but the ending is just confusing to me.

Yeah I think that is true...

OVA1 is more or less selfcontained... you have the beginning and the end of the story... You just don't know ALL that hapened in between. Makoto DOES look older at the end of OVA1. So they suggest that he WAS stuck in El-Hazard for a while before coming back. Anything that happened in those few years (besides what they show in OVA2 and Alternative World) are left up to us to imagine.

Isn't time travel and dimension crossing great as a plot hole fixer?  

[larewen_evenstar]

Great plot fixer.

But didn't they do the same with Tenchi?

[Neil Lafrenais]

Because Tenchi became a huge cash cow.

But, yes, it's easy to say that the first OAV is the only "true" story of El-Hazard, and that the 2 sequels are in a different universe altogether.

[larewen_evenstar]

Cash cow?

[Neil Lafrenais]

"Cash cow" is usually a term for a franchise that is only created/continued with the intention of making obscene amounts of money. The "artistic touch" in the series/movie is either very thin or doesn't exist.

For example, it is widely believed that series like 'Tenchi in Tokyo' or the 3rd movie, 'Tenchi Forever', were only produced to "milk" the Tenchi franchise dry.

Another (better) example of this is the insane amount of 'Pokémon' merchendise that was available in 1999.

[Captain Southbird (EHOL Creator)]

But, yes, it's easy to say that the first OAV is the only "true" story of El-Hazard, and that the 2 sequels are in a different universe altogether.

Well, don't try panning that off onto fanfic-and-related type fans; we generally like to keep OAV2 and AW as one in the same.  Only externally do we recognize that OAV1 is the only "official" El-Hazard.  But we don't declare OAV2/AW as "seperate universes".  I'd like to deck "Makoto" (of "The Wanderers Guide of El-Hazard" webpage) for even suggesting that on his main content.  

makoto never reunited with ifurita...

Well, we all "know" he did by OAV1.

nor did they even mention her except for a few small scenes in the alternative world... I just thought it was kinda weird cuz they made such a big deal over her and her relationship with makoto in the beginning and they never really concluded anything between the two,

What's already been said; everything following OAV1 was because of money making potential.  Only OAV1 was under the discretion of the official creator Hiroki Hayashi.  And he's even said that El-Hazard ends for him after OAV1.  Everything else that was made was just to try to push it farther commerically.

and unless there's any other releases following that, it still left me with questions.  

It's left questions for many of us hardcore fans as well.  Since we tend to be a goofy breed that takes all of the series, even if unofficial, very seriously.  
And no, there are no other releases continuing the main storyline at this point in time.  (I've heard from a few that an OAV3 was planned but lost funding at some point.)  However there is the the Sega Saturn Game (which I personally ported to Windows, FYI), as well as Wanderers, both of which tend to be self-contained entirely without any real time gap.  (I.E. There really doesn't need to be a part 2 or anything else; the story begins and ends without any major holes that "need" to be filled.)

The Mangas are more or less OAV1 with some Wanderers/original filler.

[Saucer]

Well, you can look at it this way. While yes, OVA 1 is a self-contained story with a satisfying and complete ending, OVA 2 and Alternative World are just side stories. Yes, these kinds of things are often primarily used to make money off a successful franchise. However, keep in mind that animation studios aren't in business for their health. They are a business. And, if businesses don't make money, they die. sometimes, we reap the benefits of this system. Sometimes we get burned. I haven't seen Macross Zero yet, but I've heard it's absolutely fabulous. And that franchise is decades old!

On the subject of sequels, I've heard that Gainax is working on sequels to both Royal Space Force (Wings of Honneaise) and Gunbuster. If you've seen these classic anime, you know that it would be pretty tough to pull off a sequel to either (maybe a prequel?). But it's Gainax, so I have my hopes up.

For example, it is widely believed that series like 'Tenchi in Tokyo' or the 3rd movie, 'Tenchi Forever', were only produced to "milk" the Tenchi franchise dry.
 

People just say that about "Tenchi Forever" because there aren't any fight scenes! It's a damn good film.

"Oh Tenchi, your hands are so big..."

[dmr456]

Well I just recently finish all 3 sets and ever since then I've been spreading the word out on how great this series is.

[xxpacmanv1]

hehe what i meant when i said they never really reunited, sorry that came out wrong yea they did reunite in the first ova and i went to look back at it again, and he is a lot older when he returns to ifurita.  But what i was talking about was how he got to that point...i figured the ova2 and the alternative world would cover that, but now i realize those were more of what happened while he was in el hazard(sidequest as rob jinnai said), before he returned home to ifurita...

[mark_engels]

hehe what i meant when i said they never really reunited, sorry that came out wrong yea they did reunite in the first ova and i went to look back at it again, and he is a lot older when he returns to ifurita.  But what i was talking about was how he got to that point...i figured the ova2 and the alternative world would cover that, but now i realize those were more of what happened while he was in el hazard(sidequest as rob jinnai said), before he returned home to ifurita...

For your consideration:

http://www.mts.net/~kenwolfe/fanfic.html

Sure it's not the "canon" but the Earth series and Reunited side story are a very well-rendered account of what might have happened.  As my friend Mr. What has said, the two are requisite EH reading.  Enjoy, but I'll warn you--they're addicting.  And LONG.  Very long.  

--me

Mark Engels

[larewen_evenstar]

"Oh Tenchi, your hands are so big..."

here is no words to describe that sentance, so I'll stick with:

I haven't seen any of the Tenchi Movies, but I would like to see them, especially Tenchi In Love.

[Saucer]

hehe what i meant when i said they never really reunited, sorry that came out wrong yea they did reunite in the first ova and i went to look back at it again, and he is a lot older when he returns to ifurita.  But what i was talking about was how he got to that point...i figured the ova2 and the alternative world would cover that, but now i realize those were more of what happened while he was in el hazard(sidequest as rob jinnai said), before he returned home to ifurita...

That, preumably, would probably have been covered in the lost "OVA3" that got axed, due to budget constraints. Seeing as how AIC always resurrects their most popular franchises, I'm sure El Hazard will also get the treatment one of these days.

[Neil Lafrenais]

Axed? I don't think so.

From what I can tell, it was never comissioned. After the flop AW obviously was, AIC knew that El-Hazard couldn't be any more profitable.

As far as I can remember, the only OAV3 myths that I've heard involve Hayashi coming back to direct. This being impossible, of course, as Hayashi has said inexplicitly that he'll never work on another El-Hazard (or Tenchi Muyo!) series again.