The broadcast version of El Hazard (1996) repeats most of the characters and situations from the popular OVA series (1995). When Jinnai sabotages Makoto's science experiment, he inadvertently transports himself, Makoto, Nanami, and Mr. Fujisawa to the parallel world of El Hazard. Makoto and Fujisawa set off to find the powerful Priestesses of Water, Wind, and Fire, who may be able to help them return to Earth, while Jinnai makes himself virtual ruler of the Bugrom. Makoto inadvertently awakens the sappily naive demon Ifurita, who's described in legends as the Ultimate Weapon. In a plot to conquer El Hazard, Jinnai takes Ifurita to the Eye of God satellite, where she becomes part of that engine of world destruction. Makoto saves the day by redirecting the energy weapons into another dimension. The effort carries him back to Earth, but leaves Nanami, Jinnai, and Mr. Fujisawa stranded. Makoto inexplicably reappears with angel's wings in a saccharine, unsatisfying ending. Wanderers is even sillier in tone than the earlier adventures, with Jinnai's egotism played for laughs and the Bugrom representing less of a threat. Many episodes are heavily padded with flashbacks, side adventures, and Jinnai's rants. Director Katsuhito Akiyama can't find a satisfactory balance between the comedy and the adventure, and the story lurches between the two with little sense of a sustained narrative. (Unrated: suitable for ages 13 and older: risqué humor, brief nudity, minor profanity, violence, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Makoto always upstages Jinnai without trying, which exasperates the delusional rivalry that Jinnai has concocted within his own brain. However, when Jinnai attempts to sabotage Makoto's invention, the machine actually opens a dimensional rift throwing Makoto, Jinnai, and several others from their high school into a land of wonder and fantasy. Will they ever be able to find their way back home? Will they want to? Contains all 26 episodes collected in a "Bailey Box"
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