first view & anime & El Cazador 08 Apr 2007 04:52 pm by shinigami
El Cazador de la Bruja - classic Bee Train
And here it is, the 3rd series I’ve been expecting this season. The fact that this is a “two girls find each other” Bee Train anime, directed by Koichi Mashimo (who else? lol) with music by Yuki Kajiura and chara design by Yoko Kikuchi (Noir) made it an instant favorite. Main chara seiyuu are Ai Shimizu (Mikoto ^^) and Shizuka Itou (Rei, MariMite; Shouko, Asatte). The only point against this series is that Koichi Mashimo also did Madlax, which was… well, let’s just say I didn’t watch more than one episode, yuri or not. I plan to watch more some day though. (I did mention the yuri, no?)
My first impression of this anime, just 2 minutes in, was that I’ve seen ALL of it before and I was just waiting to see it again. Maybe I am biased though. *pauses* Heck, who cares? It’s been too long since I was this enthusiastic when watching anime.
And come on, who watches the beginning and doesn’t think of Noir? (Screenshots bellow) And the first scene after the OP? Pan of dead adult with little actual signs of violence (at first) + important object on the floor + small girl watching + Yuki Kajiura music swelling in the background. I am so excited about all this that the introduction with Maxwell’s Demon seems very serious and interesting.
Nadi is also very familiar. She probably reminds me of too many characters to be able to identify any of them, though I am raking my brains now. Not that she is a stereotype. No, I did not say that, I did not think that. She will prove to be an awesome, complex, compelling character! And then there shall be yuri.
Anyway, the yet unnamed Nadi follows Ellis down a street and into a fortune teller’s shop. Ellis has got to be too oblivious to live by herself, she definitely needs a bodyguard to be with her day and night. And in the showers. Wait. Let’s backtrack a sec. How tall is that guy exactly? O.o And did there have to be a loli…?
I’m not sold on the chara design yet. Apart from the leads the design is kinda unsubtle: the loli is very cute and the tuff guys sure look tuff.
Nadi sees Ellis performing tricks and pays her for the entertainment. “This is the first time I’ve seen a street performance that blunt. It gives it a new meaning”. (Card tricks, btw.) Ellis negociates for more then doesn’t even thank her, but Nadi runs after her. These girls are off to a good start.
Minute 7:15 - chara design heaven! Forget what I said before. Ellis is just too cute. <3 and all. No screenshots can do justice to her facial expressions. And kudos to the seiyuu for making her seem not a smart mouth, but just a bit autistic.
While I stare at them in rapture Nadi pulls off a photo of Ellis as a loli, but the girl keeps denying who she is. Don't worry, Ellis, once you meet Nadi you won't be in the closet denying the truth about yourself for long.
A bunch of Bad Guys interrupt. More Ellis and Nadi goodness (screenshot bellow. aren’t they both so awesome?) while Nadi shoots people. Bit of confusion here: she seems to jump/fall sideways and shoot, but as soon as the scene is over she is exactly in the same position as before.
A Badder Bad Guy shoots the Bag Guys to death (still no blood.) and then Nadi as she makes sure Ellis is safe (awww!). The bullet grazes her, leaving a slightly bloody mark for once. Nadi turns around and shoots the Very Baddies, but doesn’t kill them. We also get a good look at the skimpy clothing she wears under that big ass white cape. No wonder she keeps her cape closed all the time.
Ellis talks a bit, finds out there is areward for her “dead or alive”, then jumps reaaaally high (a scene that caught my attention in the trailer, btw), leaving Nadi all O.o No matter. Go get her, tiger!
Cut to the Really Evil Guy and his Project Leviathan, an older woman with a red pendant that reminds me of Nanoha’s and various dialogue that will matter later.
Nadi is at the fortune teller’s. I can predict your future too, you know? “You will become Ellis’s defender and shoot lots and lots of people while spouting off subtexty lines.”
Well, to be fair, the scene with the corn future telling is pretty interesting, and Nadi is really funny even when she says she is not trying to be. :D Sure enough the fortune teller saddles her with Ellis.
Some Avenger flashes here with Ellis sitting like a broken doll in that white light.
Nadi agrees to protecting Ellis. I hope we get to know why she was looking for the girl in the first place without this becoming some angst fount. Ellis is such a good girl indeed, poking at her wound. :))
And now for the most original plot element ever…
Wait for it…
Amazing…
It’s the soft spoken AMNESIAC GIRL with a mysterious dramatic past!.
And, of course, the awesome powers of the girl, hinted at before, are revealed immediately.
Nadi fights the Evilest Random Minions on typical BGM, and spouts off deliciously campy lines, but ’tis all too late, becase the fortune teller dies. Of course, not before showing Ellis how much she loves her and giving her a stone to guide her in the journey to the Eternal… nevermind that, journey south. Ellis tells Nadi not to follow her because those that are close to her die. Of course Nadi won’t have any of this, she wants to go with Ellis and Ellis to go with her after that. Just propose, Nadi, there is even a church in this scene. It’s all somehow very Noir. W00t, good times are to be had by viewers!
“And thus the two of them met.”
The first episode was good, but I’m not sure it’d have been particularly impressive for people who aren’t already fans of the style. As it is, I liked the first episode of Noir and Avenger more. But by the gods, I am so watching this series! ^.^
Added note:
I’ve read other posts and people don’t mention Avenger. Some parts of the chara design (namely Ellis) and the setup strongly reminds me of that series. I wonder if I’m just on a “Find previous series in El Cazador” trip or Avenger is less popular than Noir and Madlax and less people watched it…
on 08 Apr 2007 at 6:46 pm 1.kacpy said …
*well, let’s just say I didn’t watch more than one episode, yuri or not*
You missed out. :( I’m sure everybody who liked/loved MADLAX will tell you the first episode was the worst thing to happen in the show.
I urge you to give MADLAX another go and watch the first 4 episodes before dropping.
on 09 Apr 2007 at 11:45 am 2.shinigami said …
I fully intend to. Unfortunately the one thing in my way is that I don’t have MADLAX. ^^;; But a friend does, so I will get it soon.
on 13 Jan 2008 at 3:49 am 3.saizon said …
I have yet to watch ‘Noir’ but after reading a few reviews on it, I think I’ll try it after all. ‘MADLAX’ was the first Beetrain production that I watched, and it was alright, I guess. The artwork bothered me a little, but it’s better than some other anime titles I’ve watched.
‘El Cazador’ would probably be the best out of the three, though it may change after watching ‘Noir’. Only because I’m quite a shallow person and I didn’t really intend on seeing a lot of action in it, only the comedic scenes and their relationship (though it was moving too slow, it only made me watch more to see what would happen). I enjoyed reading what you thought on it, so I’ll be following your other anime reviews soon~ ^ ^
(I’ve never tried watching ‘Avenger’ though)
on 28 Feb 2008 at 10:34 am 4.shinigami said …
Thank you. ^^
Sorry I took so long to reply, I’ve been very busy with RL.
Rest assured that ‘El Cazador’ is indeed the slowest moving in terms of relationship.
Unlike all other series, in El Cazador their relationship started out too soon and in a too “advanced” form for much to change till the end. And it had to be drawn out like that since there was so little drama between them, especially related to L.A.’s interferences. This was a refreshing change though, so I like the series more in retrospective.