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Introduction

From EHOL

It is a place that dwells in the memory of those who still dream of its ancient glory.
A world revered for its beauty, mystery, and danger.
On a planet of endless adventure, such a land is known as El-Hazard.
If your spirit has wings to travel, even across the breadth of a thousand million nights, imagination will guide the way.
And the gates of El-Hazard will always be open to you...



Hiroki Hayashi

In early 1993, Hiroki Hayashi had just finished his directing job on "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki". His joint collaboration with Masaki Kajishima had been an unexpected success. Fans of the Original Animation Video series cried out for a sequel, and Kajishima was game. Hayashi, however, was not.

Hayashi's reasons for not directing the second Tenchi OAV were varied. He wanted to try something new, for a start. Hayashi was never one to get tied down to a single idea, as his previous directing jobs had proved, and was always striving to try out new and different things. Another problem was a conflict of ideas with the co-producer of the first Tenchi OVA. Hayashi, instead of putting up a fight, decided to leave the directing job without a struggle, venturing back out into AIC to try new and bolder ideas.

Not long after this, Hayashi began constructed ideas from experiences that he had as a child. He had used this technique with Kajishima on the Tenchi OVA project, and fed these new memories as possible ideas for a new OVA. More prominently however, Hayashi took influence from a book he had a read at a young age called "Princess From Mars". Hayashi loved the sci-fi genre and picked up elements from "Princess From Mars" and fed them into his new project.

This new project was to be known as "El-Hazard".

In 1995, Hayashi Hiroki and Tsukimura Ryoei (who also worked on Tenchi Muyou: Ryou-Ohki OVA) decided to team up for a new animation project. Taking part of the formula that made Tenshi Muyo so popular with an all-around-good-guy leading male becoming the center of attention for several female suitors, they then added the concept of a 'fish-out-of water' by taking several of the main characters and placing them on a distant world which could be described as coming straight from 1001 Arabian Nights. What you end up with is an excellent combination of sci-fi, action and adventure. However, underlying the entire story is also an excellent romantic comedy. To use an overused phrase, "There is something for everyone."

The formula proved to be successful. Quickly after the first 7-part Original Video Animation (OVA) was completed, AIC commissioned a 26 episode TV series. Another 4 part OVA followed and also another 13 episode TV series. There were also Manga versions of the various series, novelizations and radio dramas produced.

However Hayashi left the series after the first OVA, satisfied that he had told the story he had wanted to tell and moved onto other projects. Tsukimura only stayed on for the first OVA and TV series. AIC was quite eager to cash in on the popularity of the characters and story and continued the series without them. Fan reception of each progressive follow-up series was usually lukewarm or worse. It just seemed that the series was lacking without the original creative force behind it. (This is very similar, in many fans' opinions of why the Tenchi Muyou franchise got progressively worse as AIC was desperate to suck whatever cash they could while the characters were still semi-popular.)

The final El-Hazard incarnation of noteworthiness was El-Hazard: The Alternative World, which finished in 1998. Since that time, nothing new in terms of news about the series has come out and it would seem that El-Hazard ended more or less with a quiet whimper rather than the bang some fans had hoped for.

Characters

The Wanderers

Mizuhara Makoto Jinnai Nanami Jinnai Katsuhiko
  Fujisawa Masamichi  


The Roshtarians

Alielle Ralielle Princess Rune Venus Princess Fatora
Londs Dr. Schtalubaugh Ura
Yuba Yurius Parnasse Ralielle  


The Priestesses

Miz Mishtal Shayla Shayla Afura Mann
Ishiel Soel Qawool Towles Crayna Crayna


The Bugrom

Queen Diva Katsuo/Groucho Namihei/Zeppo
Ikura/Gummo Masuo/Harpo Norisuke/Margaret
Tarao/Chico Messenger Bugrom  


The Phantom Tribe

Galus Nahato Kiriya


The Demon Gods

Ifurita Kalia Ifurina
Jinnistacia Ab-Zahal Myuun
  Salli  


The Cretarians

Dall Narcis Gilda Arjah
Chabil 'Diva' #2 Termite Bugrom

Locales

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Earth

Shinonome Prefectural High School   Ifurita's Tomb (The Jinnai Ruins)


EL-HAZARD

Roshtaria Floristica The Royal Palace
The Eye of God The Stairway to the Sky Mount Muldoon (The Holy Mountains of God)
The Holy River of God The Desert of Bleached White Bones Gannan
Balta Hill Doros Land Geynos
Laide The Spring of Arliman The Bugrom Homeland
The Ruined City The Forbidden Island A River Village
Volcano Lisabi Kingdom of Baron Kalia's Tomb
The Shrine of Water The Shrine of Wind The Shrine of Fire
The Shrine of Earth (Hill of Stones) The Holy Shrine School Lilicoco Mountain
Hidden Home of the Trigger for Destruction The Shrine of the Priestesses  


Cretaria

Cretarian Palace The Floating Islands The Spring of Life


General Info

Knowing where everything is located is only one part of surviving in El-Hazard. There are a lot of important things that one should know if they wish to make their way through the magnificent World. This section briefly covers a collection of topics that a traveler may find most useful.



Portions of this page originally belonged to The Wanderers' Guide to El-Hazard: The Magnificent world, co-authored by Jason Bertovich (Makoto) and Aaron Ziegler (Spanner).

The original page is no longer available on-line.
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