re: El Hazard

[WaitoKon]

Looking back at the Magnificent World episodes, I recognize the respective strengths of the 
Tenchi creators (this show aired tandem) as well as other anime of course. My curiosity is how 
this may have set the stylization for GXP and Geminar (Shayla Chiaia Shayla?) half a decade later. 



Just interested in starting a general chat about this show. I think it was precursor material to
everything early 2000s Tenchi, but I'll need to dig up more evidence to support that.
Or was it simply borrowing from themes other animes had pioneered and went its own way?

[EcchiOujisama]

I believe this is more a case of pretty much everything AIC touched in the early-mid 90s being absolute gold than part of anything larger tying into Kajishima's Tenchi timeline. From a visual standpoint you can say that Battle Athletess Daiundokai looks like it belongs as well, which was a side effect of AIC having one of the greatest runs any studio would ever have. If Kenshi's evil female twin native to Geminar went down on Chiaia, and Chiaia liked it, I might give you a point on that one. As it is I think you're reaching. Barring evidence to the contrary, Tenchi and El-Hazard are just two all-time great OVA series that happened to come out from the same studio and around the same time, leading fans to look for connections that aren't there.

Now, if AIC wants to shove that up my ass and make an OVA series where Tenchi and the gang go to El-Hazard for wacky high jinks and a showdown with Jinnai-kun, I would preorder that right now.

If you want to go down the conspiracy rabbit hole, take a look at Be-yond (the OVA covering the beginning of the story is translated, the eroge isn't). Everything about it screams Kajishima and extended Tenchiverse. It's either a masterful ripoff of everything that makes Kajishima great, or the man himself working under a different name.

https://myanimelist.net/anime/4820/Be-yond

https://vndb.org/v1973 (scrolling down is NSFW)

[WaitoKon]

Interesting, EO. I will hazard a guess about the hentai of the late 90s often plagiarizing heavily from mainstream shows' assortment of story ideas and driving plot mechanisms. That said, if Kajishima originally wanted more than just topless hijinks, I don't think they (AIC in-house) would have bothered forming a production budget for El Hazard. Yet because Universe and El Hazard were lighthearted quick jaunts, I think the cost per episodes were way down.

*shrug*

Here's what is puzzling: GXP and Geminar both "went there" on the innuendo, would have been interesting to see the origin story of all that be imbued into the OVA. But that's another thread.

_{Also, Be-yond sounds like the protagonist is a Male Ryoko while her former criminal entourage are on the run from Tenchi's dad. I can just imagine a grizzled, overweight Kagato behind bars, orange fatigues and blonde dreadlocks.}

[Ryo-Okay]

Is anything past the first OVA worth watching? I watched the first OVA a while ago, but I felt the ending was perfect and didn't watch anything else.

[Harls]

I watched the first OVA a while ago, but I felt the ending was perfect

It is.
Anything past that isn't exactly necessary, but that doesn't make them unentertaining.

[Y_Anthony_Who]

I'm an old fan, so this was a long time ago, but I think it was an interview with Hiroki Hayashi, the director and co-creator of Tenchi OAV1 and likewise for El-Hazard, in which he said that he gave complete control of TM!R to Masaki because it was his baby, and that El-Hazard was basically Hayashi's own version, hence the similarities.

This wasn't in the interview, but maybe the harem ending was where the creative differences came in?

[Gaston]

I thought OVA 2 was average with some good ideas and some bad ideas and The Alternative World is just an unneed mess.

[جبريل 無道]

Is anything past the first OVA worth watching? I watched the first OVA a while ago, but I felt the ending was perfect and didn't watch anything else.

Anything after EH OAV1 is like Tenchi Universe and Tenchi in Tokyo and movies is to OAV1/2 Tenchi.

[spoiler]IIRC, OAV2 Ifurita isn't Makoto's Ifurita (alternate verse Ifi), after that they even change Ifurita's entire character design to black haired and she's TinT Mihoshi ditzy while a revamped Princess Rune is Makoto's new love interest.[/spoiler]

OAV1 is how I want to remember the story and series.

[Ryo-Okay]

[spoiler]IIRC, OAV2 Ifurita isn't Makoto's Ifurita (alternate verse Ifi), after that they even change Ifurita's entire character design to black haired and she's TinT Mihoshi ditzy while a revamped Princess Rune is Makoto's new love interest.[/spoiler]

Sounds pretty shitty.

With how AIC has been going for nostalgia bucks lately I'm surprised they haven't announced an El Hazard reboot/ sequel.

[WaitoKon]

With how AIC has been going for nostalgia bucks lately I'm surprised they haven't announced an El Hazard reboot/ sequel.

A fair pondering, my vote is they would do precisely that if the funding was secured. Honestly AIC, just look at how Tenchi Muyo!R got early licensing in the Western US from local fundraising.

[Harls]

With how AIC has been going for nostalgia bucks lately I'm surprised they haven't announced an El Hazard reboot/ sequel.

Nani?

https://twitter.com/Obakason/status/972064142109548545

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[Ryo-Okay]

God dammit AIC finish the shit you already announced before you announce more. You still haven't released the new Saber Marionette anime or any of the ones you crowdfunded.

Also, what are the chances of this being 5 minute shorts like Ai or that new Captain Tylor anime?

[WaitoKon]

Nani?
https://twitter.com/Obakason/status/972064142109548545

[/quote]

[Harls]

Best guess is Mr. Kurita is soliciting for animators for an El-Hazard project promo video.
Something about 3 months and 5000 yen.
But I can't read this stuff. 

[جبريل 無道]

Here is an old interview with Hayashi talking about El Hazard:
https://web.archive.org/web/20040705060224/http://www.aicanime.com:80/about/interview_hayashi.html