From Barsoom to El-Hazard

[Helio Perroni Filho]

In an old interview still available from AIC's website, Hayashi Hiroki states that, in the making of the first El-Hazard OAV series (which from here on I will refer to simply as "El-Hazard"), he "picked up some ideas" from a sci-fi novel called Princess of Mars. After discovering the novel is now on public domain, I downloaded it from the Gutenberg Project and started reading it.

I just finished reading Princess of Mars, and although its story arc only ends two books ahead (after Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars), its importance in the genesis of The Magnificent World is already clear. Nearly all the main elements of El Hazard -- the travelling between worlds, the war between the human Alliance and the monstrous Bugrom, even the moving reuniting of Makoto and Ifurita that binds together the beginning and the end of the saga -- can be traced back to the surreal tale of John Carter, the gentleman from Virginia that becomes a warrior-prince in the dying world of Barsoom, the planet we call Mars.

Under the light of Princess of Mars, many pasages of El-Hazard gain a new meaning. Characters as different as Rune Venus and Ifurita reveal surprising, hidden relations; the intricate balance that makes all earthlings -- even Jinnai -- parts of the same, inherently heroic whole become clear; and even seemingly minor details, such as the strange skin colour of the Shadow Tribe, become meaningful.

For all who want to grasp a deeper understanding of the underlying force that drives the fate of El-Hazard, I recommend reading The Princess of Mars and following books. You will not be disapointed.

[rowan_a._seven]

Thanks for notifying us of this.  It definitely seems like something I should add to my reading list, particularly since it might help me gain a better understanding of El-Hazard.

[Saucer]

We had a brief discussion about this here at EHOL, a year or two ago. I read the first novel, and it is indeed interesting to see the correlation!

[ifurita chan]

I do not find the novel has to sell in France >:(it is not right

[Helio Perroni Filho]

I do not find the novel has to sell in France >:(it is not right

So far you can read english, that's barely a problem. Burrough's works are public domain now, so you can freely and legaly download them from sites such as the Gutenberg Project -- see my first post for links. Perhaps the only problem with that option is that, being written about a hundred years ago, the books' vocabulary can pose a bit of a challenge; but that's nothing a good online dictionary won't help you through.

[ifurita chan]

So far you can read english, that's barely a problem. Burrough's works are public domain now, so you can freely and legaly download them from sites such as the Gutenberg Project -- see my first post for links. Perhaps the only problem with that option is that, being written about a hundred years ago, the books' vocabulary can pose a bit of a challenge; but that's nothing a good online dictionary won't help you through.

thank you Helio Perroni Filho you are right,I will read it in English