Those of us fortunate enough to have been anime fans back in the mid to late 1990's, we had to deal with sparse releases and a limited choice in titles, many of which were mediocre at best. However, a few gems managed to get licensed in the US, one of which that stands out is the 1997 Pioneer US Release: El-Hazard: The Magnificent World.
A 7 part OVA(Original Video Animation) series that featured a fantastic world of princesses, priestesses, evil illusionists and giant bugs. A story about plots for revenge, mistaken identity, superpowers, attempted conquest, but underneath it all, a love story and the sacrifices one is willing to make for love.
Created by Hiroki Hayashi(Director; co-creator) and Ryoe Tsukimrua(Screenplay; Co-Creator.) The Series features character designs by Kazuto Nakazawa and a excellent musical score by Seiko Nagaoka.
Fast forward to 2001 and Guardians of Order has expanded their constantly growing Anime Tri-Stat System games (Having previously produced Sailor Moon, Demon City Shinjuku, Dominion: Tank Police, and Tenchi Muyo! along with a generic setting anime rpg titled Big Eyes, Small Mouth, plus a score of suppliments and add-ons for said lines.) In conjunction with what seems to be a long running deal with Pioneer Animation we now have the El-Hazard RPG.
Mechanically, the book is definately a Tri-Stat system game. Most of the game mechanic sections are simply reprinted from previous GOO products(Most notably BESM 2nd ed, and Tenchi Muyo!)
You have your three stats: Mind, Body, and Soul. You have character Attributes which you build, Defects which your Character displays and Skills that show what they're good at. If you've played any of the GOO releases in the last 2 years or so then it's old hat to you.
The unique mechanics in this game are the Own a Relic Attribute which is a variation of the Own a Mecha Attribute from the Other games. That means, taking this attribute gives you more points to build a item that displays certain special attributes and abilities. Though there are some variations following the El-Hazard Theme such as the fact that all relics are ancient technology and subject to certain flaws and features.
Another Unique mechanic is that of Unknown SuperHuman ability. In the series, whenever someone from Earth was transported to El-Hazard they discovered that they gain some super power unique and special to themselves. In the game, any human from earth may take this attribute, however they cannot choose their ability as it is up to the game master to build it for each human character and reveal it to the player as the story progresses. I love this feature as it stays true the nature of the El Hazard anime. It definately enhances the role playing experience for both the players and game master and I commend GOO for the novel idea.
Material wise, the book is on the whole a winner. The information is extensive and well researched. Summaries of all 7 of the original OVA episodes are well written. Character summaries seem to match what the screen showed, and information about the world of El-Hazard is presented decently.
However, it's a far cry from perfection. Sometimes, the writing seemed that is was by someone who only watched the series in order to write the book. Several points made could easily be debated by hardcore El-Hazard fans (and yes I will admit I can fit myself into this bias)
Another problem is the section covering the World of El Hazard. A little more order in organizing the different countries, alliances, landmarks, etc. Sometimes I felt as if the book ws simply jumping from point to point. Also Maps would have been nice and definately appreciated by fans. In Tenchi Muyo, there was a map of Japan to indicated where things happened to relation to the story. Something similar would have been great. Where in Japan is Shinonome High? Where is Ganaan in relation to Roshtaria? A 'Resource' Book should try to answer these questions. They also did what they did in Tenchi and skipped over stats on 'minor' yet important characters? Why no stats for Deva? Rune Venus? Fatora? Londs?
Finally there is the art. The book is littered with hundreds of screen shots from El-Hazard transferred by LD. For some reason it just doesn't seem as nice as the Tenchi Muyo screen shots and sometimes it feels as if the art seems grainy, though they serve their purpose and pictures fit what they are describing in the text. However, I own 4 El Hazard art books. El Hazard has hundreds of beautiful, original illustrations and almost none were used. What was used was mostly reedited versions of the LD covers, a few original illustrations, and one mistake illustration that belongs to the El Hazard TV series, which is more a matter of personal nitpicking.
Is it a good book? Yes. Is it 'magnificent?' no. Given a few more months, GOO should have asked El Hazard fans to look over drafts and help make the book truly reflect the series. More time spent on art would have benefitted the book too. This was a rarity as this is one of the few GOO products to actaully be released when it was supposed to be released. However, it could've done with a short delay to fix the flaws in an otherwise fine product. I still recommend it. Expect quality, but not perfection.
Jason Bertovich
Makoto_chan@ElHazard.net
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