El-Hazard: The Magnificent World Blu-ray Movie
HomeEl-Hazard: The Magnificent World Blu-ray Movie 
OVA 1 + 2 CollectionRight Stuf | 1995-1997 | 2 Seasons | 360 min | Rated TV-14 | Aug 03, 2021
Price
List price:Listed on Amazon marketplace
Movie rating
Movie has not been rated yetBlu-ray rating
| Users |  | 0.0 |
| Reviewer |  | 3.5 |
| Overall | | 3.5 |
Overview
El-Hazard: The Magnificent World (1995-1997)
When Makoto Mizuhara discovers an old monument in his school and awakens a beautiful woman, he, his teacher, his worst enemy and one of his female friends is transported to the magnificent world of El Hazard. There they discovers that they have received some special powers. Makoto and his teacher Fujisawa lands in a jungle and saves a princess from some large bugs. Makotos friend Nanami lands in a desert. And Makotos rival, Jinnai lands in the middle of the bug’s kingdom and becomes their general, plotting to destroy Makoto and his new friends. After several having his attacks repelled by Makoto several times, Jinnai learns about an ultimate weapon, the demon Ifurita. And so everyone sets of to find Ifurita, and when she's found Makoto learns that she is the same woman that sent them to El Hazard. But the one gaining control of her is Jinnai.
| Foreign | 100% |
| Anime | 98% |
| Sci-Fi | 14% |
| Fantasy | 12% |
| Comedy | 9% |
| Romance | 8% |
| Adventure | Insignificant |
Specifications
Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audio
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles
English
Discs
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Playback
Region A (C untested)
Review
Rating summary
| Movie |  | 4.0 |
| Video | | 4.0 |
| Audio | | 4.0 |
| Extras |  | 1.0 |
| Overall | | 3.5 |
El-Hazard: The Magnificent World Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Neil Lumbard February 18, 2023El Hazard: The Magnificent World is an imaginative and beautiful anime. Created by Hiroki Hayashi and Ryoe Tsukimura, El Hazard: The Magnificent World features production by Hiroaki Inoue (Armitage III, Perfect Blue), Kazuaki Morijiri (Elfen Lied, Tenchi Universe), and Yasuo Hasegawa (Tenchi Muyo!, Blue Gender). The El Hazard: The Magnificent World series features animation by production studios AIC (Tenchi Muyo!, Ah! My Goddess) and Pioneer LDC (Akira, Armitage III). Fans of thrilling OVA series should find it well worthwhile.
The journey is just getting started when ancient ruins are discovered at a high school. Makoto (Tetsuya Iwanaga) has a lot more to deal with than he bargained for. Makoto’s school might have these ancient ruins, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Makoto has gathered concrete evidence that the current student council President Jinnai (Ryotaro Okiayu) relied on election fraud!
Determined to disrupt the President, Makoto finds even bigger fish to fry. Makoto is flung to a strange land: the mysterious land of El-Hazard – alongside his fellow travelers, Jinnai, Nanami, and their high school history professor Fujisawa. The trip through worlds wasn’t what any of them expected.
Makoto didn’t expect to be flung in to a battle of good and evil. Now in a land of giant bugs known as Bugrom, battles ensue. Can Makoto and the rest ever find their way back home?
The series benefits from exceptional animation. The level of artistry involved on the production is top notch. Under the exquisite art direction of Nobuhito Sue (Armitage: Dual-Matrix, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero), El Hazard: The Magnificent World showcases beautiful world-building imagery and the animation style is wonderfully elegant even when it is sometimes simplistic by approach. This is a wonderfully effective style and something that helps the production to stand out from the crowd.
El Hazard: The Magnificent World also manages to showcase wonderful details in regards to the cast of characters. The character designs by Kazuto Nakazawa (Samurai Champloo, Terror in Resonance) are notably impressive and the efforts of Nakazawa help the entire series unfold. The results are well worthwhile and imbue the production with plenty of magic. Outstanding detail in these character designs.
The cinematography by Hitoshi Sato (Tenchi Muyo!, Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040) is wonderful and breathtaking. El Hazard: The Magnificent World showcases the landscape of animation through an incredibly imaginative lens. The results are a far more beautiful production. Sato did a superb job exploring the series through its visual language and it certainly helps to enhance the series well.
The original score Seikou Nagaoka (Tenchi Muyo!, Tenchi Universe) is enjoyable and energetic. The soundtrack certainly provides a lot of great elements to the production. Nagaoka is a talented and passionate composer with a wonderful affection for composition. The score here is terrific and is a contributing aspect to the series legacy.
The screenplay by Ryoe Tsukimura (Tenchi Universe, Blue Seed) is entertaining fun. As a classic OVA production, El Hazard: The Magnificent World is wondrous. Tsukimura is one of the more talented screenwriters working in anime and the results here demonstrate his great dialogue and sense of adventure. The storytelling is excellent and the scriptwriting excels.
Under the chief direction of Hiroki Hayashi (Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040, Tenchi Muyo!), El Hazard: The Magnificent World is an impressive production and it certainly offers a lot of great creativity. Hayashi is a talented director. The world building is noteworthy. El Hazard: The Magnificent World is more complex and beautiful than some other productions from the era and it certainly stands out as a classic series.
El-Hazard: The Magnificent World Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
Arriving on Blu-ray from Nozomi Entertainment, El Hazard: The Magnificent World is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The series features stunning high-definition visuals. The original sequence is in native HD. Featuring a native scan of the animation, the art work shines on the Blu-ray format. A top-notch restoration of the original OVA series. The second part comes from upscaled sources and is not as pristine looking but it is still satisfactory for the release.
El-Hazard: The Magnificent World Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. English subtitles are provided for the Japanese language audio presentations. The quality of the presentation is excellent. Dialogue sounds exceptionally crisp and clear on the release. The soundstage is engaging and well utilized. The score sounds beautiful and well reproduced.
El-Hazard: The Magnificent World Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
Disc 2:
Clean Opening (HD, 1:45)
Clean Ending (HD, 1:49)
Art Gallery (HD, 6:04)
Nozomi Trailers (HD, 5:12)
Disc 3:
Clean Opening (HD, 1:50)
Clean Endings (HD, 6:18)
Art Gallery (HD, 00:34)
Original Easter Eggs (HD, 12:56)
El-Hazard: The Magnificent World Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
El Hazard: The Magnificent World is an incredible and entertaining OVA production. The series has outstanding animation. The creative world building of the series is a testament to the exceptional imagination of the production. The Blu-ray release features an excellent video and audio encode. Nozomi Entertainment did a great job with quality of the release. The only downside is the relatively lightweight supplemental package. The release could have benefited from a more robust set of extras with more in depth behind-the-scenes material. Nonetheless, fans of El Hazard: The Magnificent World will find the presentation quality merits a purchase. Highly recommended.