OBSCURE O.V.A.S, *El-Hazard: The Magnificent World

One of Pioneer's earlier OVA series they produced before they changed their name to Geneon was one of the first pinpoint isekai titles, El-Hazard: The Magnificent World was a 7-episode done anime through AIC, similar to Tenchi Muyo, as it spawned several sequels and spinoffs. The first self-contained OVA was an otherworldly anime inspired by the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, with another OVA continuing the plot in a separate series. Hiroki Hayashi gave this anime a similar treatment he directed in the original Tenchi series, and liked one of the character designs so much that he reused it for his TV remake of Bubblegum Crisis. The first and last episodes of the initial OVA were twice as long as the middle episodes making for a progressive opening and finale.

Ancient ruins are mysteriously discovered on the campus of a Japanese high school, and a strange girl emerges from the tomb to send a quartet of the after hours residents to the Arabesque world of El-Hazard. Once there, each of them realizes that their journey resulted in gaining superpowers. The main character Makoto can use technopathy to synchronize with ancient El-Hazard machinations, alcoholic teacher Fujisawa now has super-strength when he is sober, the business minded Namami can see through magical illusions, and her maniacal brother Jinnai has the ability to communicate with the strong hordes of the insectoid Bugrom. Jinnai leads the Bugrom as they invade the human kingdoms of El-Hazard, led by Princess Rune, whose sister Fatora has been kidnapped. Makoto happens to look exactly like the missing princess, so he masquerades in drag to replace her as he recruits a trio of priestesses to help them unseal the deadly weapon known as The Eye Of God, a miniature satellite that can open holes in dimensions. Acting as the true masterminds are the deceptive Phantom Tribe, refugees from another dimension who can create mental illusions to hide their true forms, and they kidnapped Fatora so they can use The Eye to take revenge against El-Hazard for getting yanked from their home the last time The Eye was activated centuries ago. Jinnai further ups the ante by becoming master of the deadly android Ifurita, who Makoto recognizes as the one that sent them to El-Hazard in the first place. This makes for a surprising but memorable ending that is somewhat undermined by the OVAs continued adventures.

The first regular sequel, El-Hazard 2, continues the Earthlings' adventures in the magnificent world as they encounter a different Ifurita and another ultimate weapon. This continuity was carried on to the second TV series, El-Hazard: The Alternate World, where the cast gets transported to a completely different dimension with its own Eye Of God. The first TV series, El-Hazard: The Wanderers was an extended remake of the initial 7-episode OVA, but with some characters getting shuffled around, or completely removed altogether. The original OVA was a groundbreaker in its early set up of what would eventually be labeled as a "harem" anime with the main male character becoming the source of several female characters' intentions. The animation quality begins a little rough in the first episode, but by the time the mail plot gets going in the following episodes, the animation gets a noticeable upgrade. The character designs a bright and eye-catching, with some sprawling landscapes and backgrounds. The soundtrack is quite exceptional, with both the English and Japanese lyrics simultaneously added to the original dub, which on its own is stellar, especially Jinnai's madcapped laughter. The original OVA was first released on VHS through Pioneer and combined El-Hazard 2 in a DVD collection from Geneon. It only recently finally got Blu-Ray release by Nozomi Entertainment, with a crisp new restoration making for a rich viewing experience. Unless you grew up on anime in the 90s, El-Hazard might get on some people's nerves with the several tropes that largely sprung from its first outing, but is still the groundbreaking isekai of which has influenced numerous current anime.