Nadie is a bounty hunter with an attitude, and she's got a lock on her next target: Ellis, a young amnesiac girl who is a suspect in the murder of a famous scientist. Nadie manages to apprehend Ellis, but on a whim, decides to accompany her to Wiñay Marka, a place which supposedly holds the key to unlocking Ellis's memories and her mysterious past. However, Nadie cautions Ellis that this does not mean she will go free—once Ellis has found what she is looking for, Nadie will turn her over to the authorities. With Ellis's connection to a gemstone called the Inca Rose as their only guide, the two set off on their journey south through Mexico to search for the mysterious "Eternal City" of Wiñay Marka.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Ranivus
El Cazador is a good action adventure that follows the trials and tribulations of two unlikely partners. Starting off as a normal snatch and grab job quickly takes a turn for the surreal as Nadie starts uncovering the truth. The truth of what? Only time will tell... Story (Very Good) Although it follows the same plot formula as the creators previous two anime series (Madlax and Noir), this show feels really refreshing and different from the norm. First off you will notice that it's set in Mexico, not a typical setting for ANY Japanese anime. But it is definitely a needed change of pace from the norm.As I stated before it follows the same plot formula as Madlax and Noir: Sexy gunslinger + mysterious girl + mysterious past + path to truth = success. You've seen it before but what will have you keep on wanting to watch the next episode are the characters and the story development, which runs at a perfect pace in my opinion. Theres enough episodes to promote story progression and background history but also theres a nice amount (about 3-4 episodes) to have some fan service. Unlike Madlax, the story is actually pretty interesting all thanks to the setting and characters that make up "the Hunter of the Witch" universe.
Art (Good)
One thing about Bee Train, is that they're not the best when it comes to art and animation. Overall the art is pretty good in terms of level of detail and amount of action there is in every episode. But at the same time you can tell they could have done better or you will notice that there IS better out there. But for what its worth it works just fine for the show and for the most part, I had no problems with the art. One that that should be noted would have to be that the characters generally wear the same outfits every episode. Kinda makes you wonder why they take a bath so often yet they wear the same dirty clothes every time ^_^. Its not good or bad but rather a funny observation. Aside from the quality, the setting for each episode is very unique and usually a new setting almost every time. So at least the settings are vast and different from each other for the most part.
Sound (Fair)
Another thing robbed from the "Madlax house of wrong" is the sound quality. Granted, the show is great with wonderful unique music and a top notch seiyu's but there is one BIG problem: the action music is TOO LOUD. It sometimes gets so loud that you cant even hear the characters talk to each other. Now I would say its an issue with the anime encoding but I experienced the same thing with Madlax and I've seen that on the Anime Network (cable tv). At least about 80% of the background music is unique and fit the situations perfectly fine but if it wasn't so loud and intrusive, I would have given an extra 3 points its that bothersome. All the characters sound perfect for their role, even Lirio. I don't care who you are you can't hate Lirio. The seiyus were so good, they were even able to pull off the limited amount of comedy in the show. "Yes sir"
Characters (Great)
Right away this turned out to be my favorite part of the show. The bad guys played their part as the believable bad guys, the good guys (oxymoron?) play well as good guys, and the neutral/mysterious characters were just enough to make the viewer think who was at the right and who was at the wrong. The cast of characters isn't too much but it isn't a small cast either. You're bound to find a favorite character somewhere in this anime. The character designs are also really good. The guys all look their part (tough, feminine, smart, etc) and the main girls all look cute or beautiful. The only way you can tell the girls apart pretty much are by their appearance (hair style and clothes). I really liked Nadie's character my only problem with her is her hairstyle, it's like she has three different styles going on at once which doesn't really work for an anime character in my opinion. But that doesn't really matter after you see Nadie and her partner work together. It's so cute, funny, and effective, its almost like ...It's best to see for yourself.
Overall, it's better than Noir and its way better than Madlax. If you like your anime with women gunslingers, this is most definitely one of the better ones in that group. Even if you're not a fan of woman gunslingers, give this a try since there is a good amount of action in every episode and you're bound to have fun watching this series as opposed to watching the other two I mentioned. I should also mention that i did manage to Marathon this series in two days and I would like to say this is one of the few shows that I actually stayed up with intent on looking forward to the next show.
A very good action anime with a great characters... verdict 8.0
Imperturbable
To understand my attitude toward El Cazador de la Bruja you have to know a few things. One, El Cazador is the last instalment of Bee Train's "girls with guns" trilogy. Two, I've watched a previous instalment in this trilogy. Three, I got into El Cazador because I heard it had some f/f in it. Well, if you don't know from those three points already, I had some relatively high expectations of it. I was quite sceptical about this series after I finished watching the first episode because I found the premise ridiculously similar to the prior instalment that I just mentioned.I decided to stick around for a bit, and I'm really glad I did because my first impression was quite off the mark.
The story isn't exceptional-- it's neither remarkably good nor remarkably bad-- but I think it serves its purpose well enough. I'll be the first to admit that there are some plot holes, but as you will see, other things make up for it a bit and in the end it doesn't matter as much as it really should. This series isn't very serious most of the time, so I was inclined to be slightly more lenient regarding such things. Those of you who are tired of some of Bee Train's slower stuff need not worry; El Cazador goes at a decent pace as far as things go. I think the animation is pretty good, but then again, I don't appreciate these things from a very technical point of view. And I love the character designs.
Now, to sound-- the music part of this assessment is pretty darn easy. What it comes down to is this: Kajiura Yuki composed the music and I love her work. As for the seiyuu, I'm a bit more ambivalent. I like Itou Shizuka (Nadie's seiyuu) quite a bit here and Shimizu Ai (Ellis' seiyuu) managed to sway my opinion a bit in her favour with her performance as Ellis (whereas I usually cringe at her presence). And Hisakawa Aya is always fun, even though I'm not a particularly big fan of hers. I didn't find anything astoundingly memorable, but it was a good, solid performance throughout and many parts were... how shall I put it... rather cute (in the heartwarming sense and not so much as moe). I'd probably rate it an "eight" if I were rating the seiyuu only, but Kajiura's music bumped the sound category up.
Now for the best bit-- the interpersonal dynamics between the characters, and namely the sweet (not sugary) subtextual interactions. It's great stuff if you go for the slightly more understated sort of thing (though it's also quite in-your-face at times). I think the most delicious part of all was the character development. Especially with Ellis-- you go into the series thinking of her in a certain way, and only in the end do you realise how much she's changed. There isn't one sudden moment where she just changes on you; it's a subtle process, that, as I've said, is great if you go for that sort of subtlety. I also love how some things were played up in the conclusion.
The fanservice is kept to a minimum, for which I am grateful. I could do without it completely, though, since it seemed a bit incongruous to me in El Cazador, what with my experiences with previous series done by Bee Train with no fanservice at all.
I think, really, this is one of those fun series where you don't have to think too much. The plot just carries everything along, but what I think ends up mattering most at the end is the characters themselves. The whole "intrigue" of the plot, in my opinion, takes a backseat to the characters' development, most notably in Ellis' case. And of course, you do get your dose of action and adventure to go along with it.
ktulu007
Here we are on the final review of girls with guns month. Two weeks ago I discussed Noir, a really well done anime from Bee Train. I also briefly mentioned that it has two spiritual successors. The latter one ran in '07. Six years after Noir. This is El Cazador de la Bruja, written by Kanemaki Kenichi. Does it live up to its predecessor? Story: Nadie is a bounty hunter on a mission. She has to find and protect Ellis, a girl with a bounty on her head. With some help from the elderly fortune teller looking after Ellis, Nadie is able to convince herthat they should travel together. Thus they begin their journey to the eternal city, Wiňay Marka. Presumably because it's holding the year's girl on girl tea party and Overwatch tournament. Actually, it's because Wiňay Marka may hold the key to unlocking Ellis' fragmented memory and the truth behind her mysterious power.
Like Noir, El Cazador has a really strong set up. It quickly introduces the mysterious elements that will get expounded upon and eventually explained. It does so in a way that captures the attention and keeps you invested. Unlike Noir, however, El Cazador doesn't have any elements where the reveal is kind of weak. Its mysteries all have satisfying, well constructed resolutions. El Cazador may also exemplify what I like about so many of Bee Train's works. This series actively makes fun of two tropes I really hate. The first being the stereotypical gay characters which they poke fun at with a pair of gag villains. They do it pretty subtly too. You might think they were playing the trope straight if our protagonists weren't so blatantly gay for one another. They also poke fun of generic let down endings in a way that's absolutely brilliant but that I won't spoil. I will say, this series has one of the best, most satisfying endings I can recall. It's even better than Noir's and that one was fantastic.
This series may also have the best romance I've seen in anything. The relationship betwixt Ellis and Nadie is beyond superb. It starts out being very much all business, transitions into friendship and finally blossoms into something more. Part of what makes it so good and believable is that our heroines fall for one another at different times with Ellis falling in love with Nadie first. Which makes sense since Nadie has to move past thinking of Ellis as someone she needs to protect for a job before she can fall for her. Their relationship also has very natural ups and downs stemming from various events, which may or not may be related to the main plot. Not only that but it has a lot of absolutely adorable moments. Just when you think that nothing can top the cute scene in episode 15, episode 19 happens. Then you think that nothing could possibly top that in terms of being a cute romantic scene but the series does.
Characters:
The main heroines are absolutely phenomenal. I love Nadie's flippant outlook and the way it occasionally masks the fact that she's actually taking something seriously and the writing is complex enough that you can tell when she's actually flippant versus putting on a façade. I like that Ellis is innocent and naïve in some ways but also clever and knowledgeable about certain things that she's more familiar with. The side characters aren't as strongly developed, but they've enough to them that they have verisimilitude. Even when they go by bizarre code names like “Blue Eyes.” I'm not sure if she's called that because she has pretty, piercing blue eyes or because she wants to have her face put in a children's card game. I actually really like Lirio, the child character, as well. I'm not normally a fan of child characters or children in general, but I really like the way she's handled. I like that we see her take inspiration from the adults around her and grow as a person thanks to their influence and I like the way the change is gradual and subtle, like the character development in general. Then we have our antagonists. Unlike Noir, El Cazador doesn't give us sympathetic main villains. There are still some sympathetic antagonistic characters, just not the big two. They're complex villains with understandable motivations, but they're also right creepy gits who have some small redeeming qualities, but they get heavily over-shadowed by all the ways they're despicable. Chloe was a villain you felt sorry for. L.A. Is a villain you want to see get his comeuppance and you kind of want to see it come from Ellis so he'll stop doing things like stealing her hair while she's sleeping.
Art:
The artwork and animation are probably the best I've seen from Bee Train. The character designs are distinctive and the way they do the eyes is incredibly expressive. It's like their artists took the old adage about the eyes being windows to the soul and decided to represent that. The action scenes can be strategically slow to build up tension or fast-paced and intense. The backgrounds are nice. About the worst I can say about it is that it does do the usual Bee Train thing of having odd angles because... weird angles are more dramatic according to some high up animator's theory.
Sound:
The acting is amazing. Itou Shizuka and Shimizu Ai are fabulous in the lead roles. They not only deliver the lines well, but they manage the difficult task of conveying the tension and chemistry between the leads. Which may very well be the result of superb directing. Miyano Mamoru also gives a really good performance as L.A. Hisakawa Aya is splendid as well in her role as Blue Eyes. The cast is just top notch in general. The music is really superlative as well. Savage Genius does a great job with the theme performance Kaida Yuriko did a sterling job of the music composition throughout the series. It really evokes the setting and complements the series as a whole.
Ho-yay:
In addition to the greatest romance I've ever seen inn media, El Cazador de la Bruja also has the aforementioned gag characters designed around taking the piss out of common stereotypes. There's also some indication that Blue Eyes has a bit of a thing for some of the other ladies. The stuff betwixt our heroines is certainly the most pervasive, important and blatant use of ho-yay in the series, though.
Final Thoughts:
Dammit Bee Train, stop being good so I can heavily castigate one of your series! In all seriousness, this anime is astonishing. It combines a compelling narrative with an awe-inspiring romance. A road trip full of twists and turns with a fascinating cast of characters met along the way. I have very little that I can say about this series that's negative and that complaint is very minor. I absolutely adored this series and I'll re-watch it periodically. My final rating is going to stand at a 10/10. Well, we ended girls with guns month on a powerful note. Next week I'll look at the notorious Dance in the Vampire Bund.
NeverKnowsBest26
Have you ever watched a show that drags out its plot through marginally entertaining but ultimately wasted episodic stories? Haven't we all. Well, here is another one for you, El Cazador de la Bruja. It is a fun "Girls with Guns" anime, with a likable duo at its core, but it certainly eats up more time than it is worth. Nadie is a bounty-hunter, and she has just come across her next paycheck. A young girl named Ellis, who is wanted for the murder of her former caretaker, Dr. Heinz Schneider. Ellis is a mystery even to herself, with only vague memories of her past (shedoes not even know if she had killed the doctor or not), and strange powers she does not know how to control. After spending some time with the peculiar girl, Nadie decides to help Ellis find the truth about herself, though she insists she will still turn Ellis in later. Together they travel South toward the unknown destination of Wiñay Marka, a place that supposedly will reveal Ellis' mysterious past.
As mentioned earlier this show drags out its plot, stretching material fit for a 13 episode anime to 26. Needless to say, there is a lot of padding, but that is not to say that it is not fun. El Cazador has a Spaghetti Western appeal, it takes place in a Central American setting (it even incorporates some Spanish into its dialogue), and indulges in the joys of the genre. From quirky characters to tense stand-offs, El Cazador has all the makings of a good western, and that is the biggest thing going for this anime.
A lot of the fun comes from the show's two leads, Nadie and Ellis. Nadie's years of traveling as a gun-slinging bounty hunter have given her a wry sense of humor, which adds greatly to the shows enjoyment. Nadie always has a smart-mouth comment, even in the most dire (or awkward) of situations, and this really makes her a likable character. Ellis on the other hand is naive, but enigmatic. This odd combination of traits suits her well, giving her a child-like charm which is used to great comedic effect. Together these two distinct personalities make just about every situation they find themselves in enjoyable. Unfortunately, they still feel somewhat underdeveloped, dramatically at least, which makes the more serious bits in the later half of the show feel forced.
Unfortunately, the show is at its worst when it takes itself seriously. The plot is nothing special, and honestly, kind of disappointing seeing how long the series drags it out (it is more or less like any other girls-with-guns anime). In between all Nadie and Ellis' Spaghetti Western shenanigans, El Cazador likes to cryptically tease its audience with bits and pieces of the main plot. The problem is that the viewers are given no real reason to care about the plot. The pacing of the show is too lay-back to build any intrigue, and the plot is presented through vague exposition that does little more than interrupt the fun of the leading duo's misadventures. Worse yet, the secondary characters are incredibly dull. This is especially sad because it seemed the writers were trying very hard (maybe too hard) to make them interesting. The obsessive L.A., and cool and calculating Rosenburg are the worst cases; they developed the least despite all their screen time.
El Cazador's technical merits are just as unimpressive as its plot. Character designs are generic, the only quirk being the Southern American attire the characters wear. The Central American setting at least provides different landscapes from other anime, but even then they are nothing breath taking. The animation is decent and gets the job done, but do not be expecting eye-popping, the amount of movement and action is typical of a TV anime. The only thing that stands out visually is the strange camera angles the show uses in more dramatic moments. These shots were doubtlessly added in an attempt to spice up the shows visuals, but they really do not do much for the show, simply coming off as strange and sometimes out of place. The music is similarly underwhelming. Most of it is unmemorable, with the exception of strange chanting that usually is heard during the shows dramatic moments. All together, El Cazador de la Bruja is not bad on the technical-side, but it is certainly nothing special.
If you like spaghetti westerns, you might want to check out El Cazador de la Bruja. It has a likable duo of leads, and their misadventures are at least entertaining more often then not. The settings and the bits of Spanish in the dialogue add a little more flavor as well. Unfortunately, there is little else that sets this apart from its girls-with-guns brethren. The fact that other anime that have gone the western route (Trigun for example) have faired much better does not help this series much either.
Valashu
El Cazador de la Bruja or "the witch hunter" has been completed some time ago, yet I noticed there wasn't a review yet. Sorry that it isn’t perfect English. Story: The young (and cute) girl Ellis is on the run because she is suspected of murdering a prominent physicist Heinrich Schneider. She encounters Nadie a female Bounty hunter who is after the price on Ellis head. However Nadie decides to help Ellis and the two embark on a journey south where they hope to find clues about Ellis' past. Soon they found out Nadie wasn’t the only bounty hunter after Ellis. Furthermore its not just bounty huntersthat is after Ellis, because she appears to have "strange powers"
The story evolves pretty quick which was the main reason I decided to watch this anime. It’s a light story plot, but the action, the characters and most of all the sounds makes this series worthwhile.
Art
The story takes place in Mexico which is pretty unique from my point of few. The towns and people are all beautifully designed to the place. Since Nadie and Ellis are travelling trough all of Mexico you get the feeling you’re on little expedition yourself. It made me want to travel ;).
Sound
To me Sound is very important, well despite El Cazador being an average series the sound is simply superb! Kajiura Yuki was in charge of the sounds and she really did a great job. The sounds are nicely tuned to Mexico style and the parts were Ellis powers come forth is filled with ear comforting music. The intro "Hikari no Yukue" gets you in the mood and the action scenes are also filled with heartbeat rising soundtracks.
Character
Another strong point of this anime are definitely the characters, I wouldn’t be surprised that there are allot of people who only watched this series to the very end because of Ellis. The funniest thing about her for starters is that she says everything what comes across her mind on an almost unemotional way of speech. If you combine this voice with a song she really seems to like (The taco song) you can’t help but to think Ellis is so adorable! It’s quite different from the standard ~kawai~ anime girls we come across. A second example is when she performs a card trick at the street. After she asks for money everyone laughs and walks away, Nadie however gives her some coins on which Ellis responds “not more?”
Nadie the other main character perfectly fits with Ellis. The scene at the very beginning were she is confidently trying to stop a truck with her “charms” and is totally ignored (as a result she’s ofcourse pissed off ^^) gives a clear picture of what kind of person she is. They both make a perfect team. There characterises are definitely good but there are ofcourse also some minor points. There seems to be paid less attention to the rest of the characters, although they each have there own story, at the end it makes you feel it was just meant as a side show.
Enjoyment
I followed this anime when it was still airing, there were times I really looked forward to the next episode there were also periods I didn’t really care. To me it was nice to see the relationship between Ellis and Nadie slowly gives Ellis is sparkle of light in her grim and dark world, because I like that kind of things the story kept me interested. It’s not a bad anime and if you’re a Kajiura Yuki fan it’s a must have. If you’re someone that is very picky on choosing an anime think twice, because the good rating is because of my personal feelings of this anime.
Overall
If you’re looking for an anime with a deep storyline and difficult plots, avoid El Cazador. If you like good action, good music, drama and two unique girls then watch it. There is practically no romance in it if that was the case it would have been a 10.
AvalonKnight
This anime is obscure to the point that I wasn't able to track down a high res version of it. I was able to get a decent one, though, so I believe I was able to embrace the experience in its fullest. Was it worth the search? Yes, at least for me personally. First thing you notice when you start watching is that, yet again, the synopsis is deceiving to say the least. It promises an action-packed adventure full of chases, shooting and all that cool stuff. Well, it isn't. Don't get me wrong, this big chase is the main plot and does set upthe situation but it's not really the focus. The events move at an extremely slow pace most of the time, heck, most of the show fells like a normal TV series with each one having a separate plot. But despite that, the anime manages to make it interesting to watch, most of the time at least.
I am not 100% sure of the reason but at least half of it comes from the stylistic choice. The exact time and place of the events are never specified, the best I was able to figure out is that it's probably the south of the US or even Mexico sometime in the middle of the 20th century. This makes for a pretty unique setting, and the show takes full advantage of it, whether it's the use of authentic guns, wardrobe choices or the music, which just so happens to use all the instruments that I adore. It's spanish guitar, flute, mouth organ - everything's simple but still very effective and is great for the scenery shown here: the desert, lonely villages, classic southern cities and so on.
The leads are another huge part of this show's appeal, and it once again shows that originality isn't always what you need to create a likeable and believable persona. Nadie is a light-hearted and honest bounty hunter, Ellis is a clueless innocent girl unable to hurt anyone. We've seen this a million times, even those two characters as a main couple, say, it's one of the romantic lines in the Mass Effect trilogy (now that's an out of place reference). It works, though, mostly because the writers had 26 episodes to work with and were able to show their relationship's development in detail. It had a great sense of progression and was believable, for which I'm willing to forgive the less than intriguing plot. No, actually, it is pretty intriguing but it's predictable and rather disappointing in the amount of answers we get. That's the main reason why my score is highly subjective: I couldn't care less for the plot as long as I see genuine character interactions, and those are plenty here. Also, to conclude praising the leads, the designs are great. Both I couldn't help but like from the getgo and up till the end.
Other prominent characters are, sadly, less impressive. Let's start with the villain. He's the as generic as you can get - you have the glasses, the snarkiness and, as it turns out in the end, an overcomplicated and, in my opinion, stupid and strange plan. And it's sad, too, for screen time is constantly wasted on his interactions that do nothing to build his obviously boring character or move the plot forward. There are also a lot of people who we don't know much about even by the end. There's a bounty hunter named Ricardo who's looking after a mute girl Lirio. It's genuinely heartwarming to see, it's made obvious that he cares about her in a way that a good parent should. But that's all there is to it: there is no development whatsoever, even by the end. That was a huge disappointment, as these two had potential. Then L.A. Oh, god, L.A. I'm still not certain what his purpose was. He was creepy as all hell, that I'll give you, and at one point I felt great sympathy for him but ultimately he's underdeveloped. Again, could have done that instead of some of the more pointless episode plots.
Of which, to the show's credit, there are not many. Most serve to deepen the relationship between Nadie and Ellis or flesh them out a bit more and, seeing how they are extremely likeable, it works. This is a difficult thing to pull off but they managed to, partly due to most of the people met in single episodes being actually believable and interesting. They usually have a point and are well-written. It makes me sad the same amount of effort didn't go into some of the supporting characters, say, Blue Eyes, who is ultimately pointless. I am literally not prepared to answer why she even was there.
The art was consistently good throughout the series, not much to say here. It got simplistic during one fight but it's the only time I noticed it and only for a brief second. Not surprising, since this anime mostly relies on gunplay, which is done well. I liked the fact that they weren't afraid to show blood. Don't get me wrong I don't lke (to put it lightly) pools of blood and constant gore and believe it's disgusting, or it should be, anyway, since "horror" movies have taught me to just ignore it most of the time. I'm just glad that the show isn't trying to censor every bit of blood like modern action movies that try to be PG-13 or not draw it at all, like, say, Noir (which was constantly bugging me throughout that otherwise nice series). It appreciate the decency. As for the actors, some are merely adequate, for example, the villain, Rosenberg; to be honest, there's not much to work with. Some are really good, lidethe leads and L.A, even though he's chewing scenery like crazy half the time. Well, actually, partly thanks to that, as he makes it really enjoyable; not surprising if you recall the seiyuu voicing him also did Okarin and Light, who were both great at hamming it up.
Overall, it's a mixed bag. On the one hand, I loved Nadie, Ellis and their relationship, as well as the score and the setting, so I enjoyed it, hence teh rating - when this show focuses on something, it does it very well. The problem is that many of the elements usually important to most people are underplayed: the plot and the villain are lackluster, there is little to no development for most of the supporting cast. It might, no, it will turn many people off, and if you're expecting an epic adventure with big revelations in the end, it's not for you. If, however, you want a mild and enjoyable trip with charming leads who are well-written and have great chemistry, sure, give it a watch. You will get exactly that.
spainanime
NO spoilers - underrated gem of an anime. PROS: - Incredible chemistry between Nadie and Ellis - Great supporting cast of characters too - Amazing world building, this anime has a different vibe and is basically set in a fictional Latin America. You get to really enjoy the whole atmosphere of it. - Story is a slow start but definitely gets better over time. - Decent fight scenes, nothing too specular but enough to keep you entertained. - Amazing music, the opening, ending, and OST are all great.- Underrated dubbed version
- Funny scenes
CONS:
- Slow start and has an episodic vibe to it. I personally don't mind it being somewhat episodic though.
- Art is obviously out dated, it's not not that bad but isn't particularly good either.
- The antagonist / enemies are bland characters in my opinion, you never really feel like they are a big "threat" to Nadie and Ellis.
OVERALL:
I'm a bit biased when it comes to this anime but I feel like you will love if you can get through the first couple of episodes. It takes you by surprise, and you will eventually really like the main set of characters. The story itself is also very interesting, as is the back story to Ellis, one of the main characters of the show. If you liked girls with guns or strong character development this is for you.
SovietWeeb
Taco taco tacos, delicious tacos, the coolest tacos are, Amigo Taco !!! - Nadie , El Cazador De La Bruja ~~SPOILERS~~ This was a surprise for me. I had never heard of this show before that i can recall. Yet i found myself really in love with the two MC's . They both have an amazing chemistry and just go together so much. There is even hints at a Romance between them and to be honest it's very believable and i fully support that. In fact i think there is a romance happening. But it isn't just the two MC's that are lovable, There is Ricardo and Lirio. Anold gruff dude and an adorable little kid. Also Blue Eye's, I am glad that she didn't remain a bad guy cause she was really likable for me.
The only thing that i didn't really like is the cliche of Evil businesses and secret organizations pulling the strings in the back. This was kind of annoying but tended to not affect my overall opinion of the show.
There was a scene in episode 20 i believe where Nadie is somehow taken down by two police officers, Even though she is a skilled bounty hunter that has years of experience and probably a bigger kill count than everyone in the town. For the most part the show is pretty consistent on how powerful our characters are. Except this one scene.
Something else i want to know is where the hell does this take place ? When i first read the description of the show i thought it was gonna be in someplace like 1900's China or even Ancient China. But then for the most part it's in someplace like lower Mexico. I think the story is them traveling down into South America. There is also scenes of places that look like New York, Berlin and the Great lakes.
Overall this is a very under rated show imo. The stupid line "Taco taco tacos, delicious tacos, the coolest tacos are, Amigo Taco" Has been stuck in my head for awhile now and it's getting really annoying.
Kokosnuss_Palme
You know it has been a good one when it leaves you behind with a confused feeling after the finish. El Cazador de la Bruja, it has been a blast. (The name itself is very catchy) Here I was sitting, resentful and sad that it´s already over. Let me tell you why: # # # PRO # # # # A story about traveling and the people that you meet along the way # Authentic, impressive and bad ass characters# Great and fitting episodic narrative
# Love and friendship factor
# Soundscape + OST
# The whole vibe of this series is just amazing and pretty damn cool
# # # CON # # #
# Designwise good, but art looks very outdated
# Parts of the frame story and characters not well concluded
# Episodic storytelling isn´t for everyone
# Some people find there is a lack of plot and/or slow plot progression
Conclusion:
This anime did hit my tastes perfectly through and through. So what is it about you might ask.
First and foremost: It´s a journey. A journey of our unlike pair of protagonists in a mexico inspired landscape heading south.
There is a framework-story, but my personal opinion is, that it´s just the frame. The real story is the journey itself and the people that they meet on their way. I believe this is what the author wants to tell us.
The narration is an episodic one. Let me tell you this much. The two protagonists Nadie, a woman I´d fall for in a second, if I were to meet her in real life, and Ellis, a child like teen with amnesia, end up together. Nadie takes Ellis into her custody and they both head towards their goal which is somewhere south. So basically even though there is a frame story the majority of the plot is their travel. Now we see why an episodic narration makes sense. Almost every episode is a short story about different people they meet along their journey. It´s simple yet effective.
I believe this anime is highly enjoyable because of the complete vibe it has. I won´t say it´s unique, but in a world where every anime setting is centered around teens during highschool this is a welcomed variety.
This ~vibe~ I am talking about could be described as a mixture of a dirty old wild western classic and other different subcomponents. Namely: Narration, Soundscape, Characters, Affection and Love.
We already talked about the narration. Next up:
# Soundscape #
The OST aswell as the OP and ED work well and could be from some old western movie. Paired with our characters whom happen to be bountyhunters, killers and the mexican scenery. You see where this is going.
# Characters #
They are highly enjoyable, even the antagonists. What I liked a lot was the portayal of the male and female gender. By that I mean we have characters that are in their respective core of their gender.
They feel authentic aswell as likeable.
You will get to know Ricardo, every inch the man, quiet and by no means a macho. Very caring about his young companion. Certainly not someone that you want to accidently spill your drink over late night in a bar.
On the flipside Nadie is a deadly marksman, who doesn´t put up with every bullshit she gets confronted with, yet still. She is as caring, as loving and as supporting as she can be. What a woman!
# Affection and Love #
Not much to say here since I wont spoiler. But hey think about it. You travel together and with it comes the hardships and fun moments. So it´s only natural that a strong bond and dependence on another blossoms.
If we toss all those subcomponents together what do we get out of it?
Above all the story is one thing:
# # # Pretty Damn Cool # # #
~ El Cazador, you have a new fan. Over and Out ~
NameWithheld
I would like to begin this review with a shout-out to Trina Nishimura, who, in my opinion, is one of the best voice actors in the business. I have yet to hear her give a bad performance, from FMA: Brotherhood to Attack on Titan, and of course, El Cazador De La Bruja. Also, side-props to Maxey Whitehead. Oddly enough, this is the first anime I have seen where she plays a girl. It's odd to see and anime that is also a western, but they nailed it. I love the look of this show. I got a little bit of western from Black Cat, butthis show goes all out to awesome effect. Never have I seen guns be used in such an artistic way. The core of this show is the bond that forms between the two main characters, and that is the best part about it. For a western style anime with Latino themes, it is surprisingly articulate with its goals. It knows exactly what story it will tell and how it will tell it, and it is masterfully executed.
This show is full of interesting characters, like Nadie (one of my favorite characters), Ellis, and L.A., possibly the creepiest character I've seen thus far. But most importantly, this show is just a lot of fun. If you like guns, westerns, or Trina Nishimura, it is worth checking out.
Sinamuna
I loved this series. The story was interesting and as far as I can tell, fairly original compared to other series I've seen, the characters are all intriguing in their own special ways (I still favor little Ellis, though). The music, of course, was incredible due to the fact that it was done by the amazing Kajiura Yuki. The art was really well-done, too. I love the way the eyes are drawn, and the animation is pretty good too. I didn't understand that fire scene, though. It felt like the series was trying to add some sort of odd sexual aspect to it, when italready had a good subtle thing going between the main girls.
ErdrickBass
El cazador de la Bruja is an anime a little difficult to see. To me the first half of the anime is a little slow and somewhat boring. They could have do a better job developing the story. The art is very good, nothing too amazing but good considering the time it was released. The soundtracks, opening and ending themes are awesome, not all of them were of my tastes but I do recognize they were good. The main and supporting characters are really good developed and are likable. Some of them could have been explored more making some of the content feel less like filler.Even some of the "villains" can get some empathy at some point of the anime.
The story is funny, there are a couple of humor here and there. It is nothing too hilarious but it may get you to giggle a little. Overall I give this anime a 9, I cannot give it a 10 due to the slow and at some points boring first half
aznmonk64
This anime was very interesting from the start to the end. Graphics are good, characters were nice and simple, sound and music were great especially the near the ending of the anime. Enjoyment is overall normal and the amount of episodes were worth it.
ShadowBlazer3000
El Cazador is the third installment of the Girls With Guns Trilogy from studio Bee Train and it's surprisingly refreshing. Those expecting Noir II probably won't be pleased but those expecting something creative and highly inventive will be most happy. Going into El Cazador my self I really wasn't expecting much. The series didn't look like it had the same kick as MADLAX my personal favorite of the genre or the simplicity yet style of Noir. However when I started watching it, I simply couldn't put it down. El Cazador is different from it's two previous predecessors in so many ways, it gives it the strikingoriginality to make it a stand alone series not requiring the viewer to see the previous two and not making it feel like a carbon copy to make you wonder, "what's the point?" With a more adventure setting and much more of a blend of comedy and drama and a western flair through Central America, the series proves to be fun, enjoyable and a great anime take on the time honored Buddy Picture. The relationship of Nadie and Ellis develops episode by episode and we see the two become closer and even suffer some growing pains along the way. Being pursued by mysterious interests such as Rosenberg and Jody Heyward with the creepy stalker LA the bounds are clearly defined of good and bad so it's not quite as grey morality as Noir or Madlax were.
There's no shortage of surprises and exciting moments in the series as well as the calm moments to sit back and enjoy the art and music culminate into a lovely atmosphere. Yuki Kajiura returns to provide the music bringing a Latin style along with other clever motifs such as the song "Maxwell's Witch" as music to Ellis' mysterious powers and FictionJunction YUUKA's "el cazador" written entirely in Kajiura's made up language but sounding Spanish all the same.
The series does suffer some pitfalls such as the lack of development for Nadie when compared to Ellis who gets an entire episode devoted to her back story and the show can sometimes lack the action and genre style brought by Noir and MADLAX before it. The animation remains quite good and stays true to a style of simplicity but good looking all the same. Yoko Kikuchi contributes to the character designs once again as she did for Noir and they look fantastic.
Overall El Cazador is more than worth a look at even if you haven't seen the previous Girls with Guns series by Koichi Mashimo and his studio Bee Train. It's a fun adventure that you probably won't want to put down with funny and serious situations molded together making this an underrated triumph.
captjoe213
(updated 9/19/18 for format and slight content revision) Hi! Welcome to another Robert's Too Late Reviews! As always, if you don't read the synopsis, then this will make even less sense than normal. I am always mindful of SPOILERS though a minor one or two might slip through. I am working from the dub version. (I promise I do watch subs, I really do!) The experience with this show is somewhat interesting, but sadly fails to fully live up to its full potential. There is enough to like, but not necessarily enough to break out of the predictability rut it quickly falls in. Will itmake the RTLR wall of awesomeness? Read of for the answer!
Story: 5
First let's talk about a few things I liked. The setting is interesting to me for the setting, being in Mexico. I've found it somewhat rare to see anime set outside of the more 'typical' locations. Yet El Cazador goes with the unique location and I think is better for it. It gives the show a bit of a gritty feel which is what would be expected from a show dealing in bounty hunters and the like. It carries shades of the Mariachi Trilogy of films, which is not a complaint by any means.
However, the story itself is a bit on the bizarre side, mixing the Southwestern trappings and Mexican styling with an odd supernatural bend, (the titular Bruja (Witch)) which doesn't mesh very well. We are given a villain that, for me, was slightly confusing for a fair bit of the run. He is clearly the 'mastermind' behind it all, but his motivations are murky and he is of course a highly intellectual and cultured white guy. Why is he interested in the young bounty hunter and the strange, naive girl she was protecting? It's not hard to hazard a guess based on predictability, but his confirmation of motive is underdeveloped.
This anime is part of what is termed the 'girls with guns' trilogy, and I do admit I've not seen the other two titles, but I did come to this one as it was said to be shoujo ai (yuri) in styling. I don't think this really fits, yet it's on tons of yuri lists. Confusing. The bounty hunter (the titular Cazador) finds a incredibly valuable and absolutely naive to the point of near stupidity target and instead of immediately collecting on her and getting out of her financial distress, she turns instead to a guardian, a bodyguard escorting the girl to the totally not cliche mysterious location to find out her past. This smacks of Akuma no Riddle, another anime where a person that should be at odds with a seemingly innocent target decide for unclear reasons to go against their presented natures to become their knight in shining armor. This aspect does *not* make a show shoujo ai or yuri, or even class-S, it is clearly just a convenient setup for convenient plots.
The story for the most part falls right into fairly predictable patterns, and telegraphs its punches several episodes before throwing them, breaking the 'gasp' factor when they finally do connect. That's not to say it's not a serviceable if slightly yawn inducing plot, just know you're going to see more flash and less depth. Again, with the Mexican trappings and setting, this is a point that doesn't have to be a deal breaker, I believe.
Art: 5
The style is interesting, but its age shows. A decade ago the art in many productions had different focuses and desired appearances. I guess my eyes have been ruined by the newer anime with deeper levels of detail and a totally different view on aesthetics. However, beyond my snobbery on that, the art is acceptable. The guns look good, again I praise the Mexican influence and settings, and while it may be stereotypical (I've never been to rural Mexico) it is unique enough to justify the experience. The bounty hunter almost exclusively wears a serape the entire series.
Sound: 7
I really liked the voice of the English actress that played the bounty hunter, and the VA for the witch is acceptable as well. There's an ancillary bounty hunter, an older man, who really has a very manly, gruff voice, just like I'd expect a hardened mercenary/bounty hunter to have. There is a lot of gunfire, and the weapons sound appropriately meaty. Then there is the legendary, the utterly inescapable, the truly terrifying taco song. You *will* know it when you hear it, and you *will* hate it until you catch yourself singing it at work the next day. Then you will accept your taco fate, and your long struggle will be over.
Character: 6 *SPOILER IN THIS SECTION*
I think I've expounded on my irritation with the initial motivations of the bounty hunter enough, beyond that she is a likeable character. She is world-wise, yet not jaded, she is a realist, yet optimistic, she's cunning but not manipulative. She does honestly come to care for the witch, but I never felt it was in any other than a best-friend, mutual adventurer kind of spirit, save for the closing of the series, which even if you've only read the synopsis can likely guess what is said between the pair when the chips are down and defeat feels certain, but that moment is a culmination of friendship, not anything more, for a major reason I will detail in just a moment.
The witch is a little bland a lot of the time, except for moments when she acts as a comedic relief type character, saying funny things or doing something odd. She clearly is more than she seems, that much is clear, but she borders on the 'dumb as a rock but powerful as a god' character trope. Its clear they were shooting for innocence, but occasionally just end up with the witch seeming foolish.
I mentioned the problems with the mastermind villain already, so I guess if you are a rich, intelligent, cultured, vaguely British man, then you are apparently indwelt by Satan, sorry. It seems as all men that fit that description turn out to be evil in anime for some reason.
There's one supporting character, also the narrator of the series, who confused the sense out of me. She is introduced as frazzled office worker complete with glasses and a tight bun hairstyle. She switches gears at one point, lets down her hair, removes her glasses and becomes a powerful mercenary type character. The change is so jarring I thought they were two different characters for a little while.
Now that detail I promised; there is a very stereotypical and offensive portrayal of a pair of gay bounty hunters in a handful of episodes. These guys are straight up lipstick and blush wearing, cutoff jean shorts wearing, lispy speaking, 'girl, please' types, played off as wacky comedic foils. They looked like they walked right out of being hairdressers in some bad '80's comedy. Its not funny now, and I'm not sure how they got away with it even back in 2007. A very sour note for sure. By the series mocking these homosexual men so much, I find it hard to believe they meant for the climax, the expected 'touching moment', to confirm the bounty hunter and witch as romantic partners. I don't think we have one of those 'gay guys ewww, lesbians cool' type situations here.
One last comment on the characters, there is the aforementioned gruff bounty hunter with the manly voice I mentioned, if you recall. This man, while cool, has what appears to be a 4 or 5 year old girl following him everywhere. At first blush I couldn't help but wonder why in the world bounty hunters would have 'bring your daughter to work' day, but when I came to understand they were not even related, it became another level of weird. It never has any troubling overtones other than the fact the pair travel together, and I'll say they are a serious Chekhov's Gun, never getting any real resolution or even explanation.
Enjoyment: 7
In the face of such complaints, I didn't find it was a complete waste of time, and did have moments where I enjoyed the anime. The bounty hunter is endearing enough to keep my attention, and the witch does have some seriously funny moments in the middle of the intense gunfights that keeps the series from taking itself too seriously. I think the series was a bit slow (and that's coming from a fan of Maria-sama ga Miteru!) and could have used being trimmed to 12 or 13 episodes. I did have questions after, such as who the little girl was, why the mercenary woman was an office worker at all, and why the witch thought two forks would be good weapons for a gunfight.
I'd give it a go, and recommend deciding if this anime is for you after a few episodes. The bounty hunter nearly made the RTLR wall, but just barely missed the cut. But beware the taco song. Whoever wrote that is going to Hell for it, I swear.
SplendorofSouls
This will not be a systematic review, but rather I would like to share with you my experience of the anime and a story that is an experiential journey matches wonderfully well with the roadless journey Nadie and Ellis set out on. The Storyboard: Whoever made the storyboard for this series deserves a ***damn award - I dare say it's on level with what you'd expect from Paul Verhoeven. Forget Dutch angles, these guys push it to the limit for intensity. Besides being great at building tension and letting intensity rise (through shots, shot sequences and -development, together with the music), they also have a wonderfulsense for the calmth and poetry of life, expressed in various ways, which involves storyboard and animation jointly reaching that experiential wavelength of the aesthetic of life.
Guns:
Nadie is a bounty hunter, so one shouldn't be surprised that there's a lot of lead-slingin' in the anime. There is a wide variety of guns, I'd estimate on par with that of Black Lagoon. The guns used are classics (*gun spoiler: 1911, Desert Eagle, Berettas, revolvers, M60, uzis, I think also M16s or ARs, a Browning machine gun, Glock and perhaps Browning 9mm), they are drawn beautifully and also the action is great (from the slide mechanism and its speed to the effect of getting hit by a bullet), as far as Nadie's gun is concerned they even considered mag capacity - key animation did some good research, I'll say. And on one occasion the slide mechanism of Nadie's gun is slowed down, clearly for dramatic purposes within the ambience of the scene, so the viewer can really enjoy its beauty. (*gun spoiler: there's also one gun -I'm no expert- which I think is not based on a real gun, but invented by key animation and which looks like a fusion between an AK and an uzi, perhaps with a design hint of HK. If invented by key animation, they did a great job, cause it looks pretty great as a whole and I could be convinced it's based on a real gun.)
If you like Black lagoon or Jormungand for this reason, El Cazador de la Bruja will set your soul ablaze, like the burnin' desert heat under which Nadie and Ellis's fates enroll.
References/parodies (*this section is a spoiler):
The series also contains references to other movies or anime. At least I've noticed these references: Rambo and also one small nod to Revy from Black Lagoon.
Of course Nadie's design reminds of the design of Jo from Bakuretsu Tenshi.
The Music:
The music is good and a great match for the various ambiences they intended to create. Exciting music during the action, nicely rhythmically combined with storyboard and other sound, wonderfully sense-prickling attention-holding music while intensity and tension continue to rise.
The Story / The Concept / The Setting / Characters and -Development:
The story is set in southern North America, Mexico to be precise - the desert, certain streets, the house colourings, tacos and the phrase 'amigo' capture this, as well as Nadie's design of course. This setting is not too common in anime and therefore adds a nice flavor - it also works well with the story and the journey through the desert.
The story concerns the journey of Nadie and Ellis through the blazin' desert heat, where multiple different characters with different backgrounds and associations come to interact with Nadie and Ellis with varying intentions and goals, interrelated, sometimes in line with each other, sometimes opposed, which allows for enough characters, character development and elements to keep the story interesting, without inserting so many characters that it would become too much to properly develop within the span of episodes available. Character development primarily concerns Nadie and Ellis, though other characters have also got varying degrees of character development.
The concept of the story / the anime involves a bounty hunter, witches (as the title indicates), science, ancient Inca stones and all this in a modern setting. How they thought through the concept of a witch, developed it in this anime and how they related all these different elements to each other is very original and quite interesting. I resist the urge to develop this in depth, for my intention is not to spoil - now, seek out El Cazador de la Bruja and uncover these hidden truths yourself!
JackCox
Having seen both of the previous entries in the Girls with Guns Trilogy, I was looking forward to El Cazador de la Bruja, I found Noir to be very slow and at times had trouble catching my attention, I found it to be the weakest of the three. Madlax I found much better, I felt that the pacing moved faster, however the story line was convoluted. On the Third Try of BeeTrain, I can say that they passed with flying colors on El Cazador de la Bruja. The Show moves along at a pretty good pace and it keeps me interested and the story isactually easy to follow. So lets start the Review
Story/Character: Once again the formula that appeared in the last two of the trilogy rears its head. We once again meet the Tough Chick, this role is taken by Nadie (Madlax and Mirielle were the previous two), followed the more Quiet One, this role taken by Ellis (Margaret and Kirika previous) . We also have the Enigmatic Bad Guy in the form of Douglas Rosenberg (Previously played by Friday Monday and Altena) as well as the Assassin role taken by L.A. (Previously Nakhl and Chloe were a part of this role). So yes this story sounds quite unoriginal seeing as how this formula is being used before. The one difference is that the show is over all excecuted better then the other two shows. But there is one thing that I find interesting and that is how we get little background on Nadie or Blue-Eyes, we are never told how Nadie came to be at all and I think this was a huge mistake on the part of the writers.
Art: This is a very Vibrant show, The landscapes are gorgeous, being a fan of Latin American Architecture I'm very biased.
Sound: This Show has probably one of the best scores of all time, It's almost definitely up there. Frankly Yuki Kajiura could do just about anything and I'd love it. The Opening thing is beautifully made, really love the Violin music. The Ending is fantastic, I absolutely love the Spanish background music in it. The Music is Unbelievable.
Enjoyment: Well I happened to love it so I'm giving it a 10, and adding up the score I think an 8 seems like an appropriate score, this one I definitely recommend.
Gaia_Riot
Not to spoil anything but this is an unexpected lovestory- wont tell you how. I'll just say this series presents a strange mixture of homo/transphobia and lesbianism. It's almost as if lesbians are exempt from the ignorant mocking and dehumanization because of the ways they can be sexualized, but, oh well, apparently we can't have it all.🙄 So, the one stand out character makes my heart flutter, she's really the pinnacle of butch godesses to pining enby lesbians such as myself. It makes so much sense that men in the series are mostly uninterested when she's obviously even less interested. So if you're a trans woman or gayman... maybe sit this one out, the creators of this series seem to think you're the same... I mean I'm afab trans and I made it out alive but there's so many better series with binary and nonbinary trans representation, like Wandering Son, Kino's Journey, Sailor Moon, Cowboy Bebop, Attack on Titan, Paradise Kiss and Simoun.
Joe_Devaney
Overview: In the 2000s, the studio Bee Train helped popularize the "girls with guns" genre with a trio of similar but unrelated anime. The first of these, "Noir", focused on the lives of assassins and the jobs they do, while the second, "Madlax", focused on a female soldier in a war-torn country. "El Cazador de la Bruja" is the third and final anime in this influential-but-obscure trilogy, and goes for a very different approach in comparison to its two predecessors, both for better and for worse, while still keeping the core of what made the other two worth watching. Story (6.5/10): Set in Mexico (or, at least, acountry very similar to it), "El Cazador de la Bruja" follows Nadie, a kind-hearted, optimistic bounty hunter who is tasked to find and protect a mysterious girl named Ellis. Ultimately, finding her proves to be no real effort, but Nadie quickly realises that she got a lot more than she bargained for with the reveal that Ellis is not a normal human- namely, she has several mysterious abilities like control over the elements, though she is unable to use these powers consciously. While this revelation does cause Nadie to question exactly what she's gotten herself into, as well as the nature of the one who hired her, she ultimately decides to help Ellis in her journey south, in order to find the key to recovering her lost memories, with her only clue being a mysterious stone that she got from a fortune teller she was staying with.
As you've probably guessed by now, "El Cazador de la Bruja" is a Western, albeit one that's set in the modern day instead of the Wild West. Pacing-wise, it follows most of the same beats as its predecessor, starting off slow in the first half before picking up in the second half, as Nadie and Ellis gradually make their way towards their destination, only to realise that the answers they sought are much bigger than they had anticipated. It also returns to the mostly episodic format of "Noir" with Nadie and Ellis travelling from place to place and meeting and helping a lot of people along the way, with us occasionally learning more about the two of them in the process. Though, also like "Noir", this largely disappears in later episodes, with the overarching plot completely taking over and each episode directly leading into the next one.
Unfortunately, while the overall format hasn't changed much, I found the story of this series to be a step back in comparison to those of its predecessors. For one, while we do get answers to some questions, other things about the series are ultimately never explained. For example, we never learn exactly who the main villain is, what he wants Ellis and her powers for, or who the mysterious women who seem to keep following around the cast are, with them just disappearing at a certain point of the series with no word on what ultimately happened to them. This isn't like "Noir" and "Madlax", both of which had very convoluted stories and relied on obscure concepts that the viewer had to interpret with minimal explanation. Rather, we're often given no explanation whatsoever, and the ending, while good, relies on a major ass pull to get to. While I can understand Bee Train wanting to go for a more light-hearted approach after the ultra-serious "Madlax" and "Noir", that always runs the risk of being more cheesy and sacrificing good storytelling, a trap "El Cazador de la Bruja" unfortunately falls into. It's a shame, since I did enjoy some of the stories of the individual episodes, and the fresh setting definitely helped to liven things up.
Art & Animation (7.5/10):
"El Cazador de la Bruja" definitely has the best art out of its sisters, though admittedly that's not saying much. The character models and environments are well-drawn, the powers of Ellis and other characters are given good effects, and the animations are decent. It certainly doesn't look brilliant, given that there are still a lot of rough edges to be found, characters still have little detail from afar, and there's still next-to-no blood in combat, but as far as the trilogy goes, this is the best-looking one of them.
Sound & Dialogue (9/10):
While "Madlax" and "Noir"'s soundtracks were by no means bad, I found them to be pretty lacking in comparison to what I've come to expect from Yuki Kajiura, and so was naturally worried that this series would follow suit. Fortunately, my worries quickly proved to be unfounded, as "El Cazador de la Bruja" has easily the best soundtrack of the three, likely because it was released around the time when Yuki Kajiura really started to come into her own as a composer. While some of it is probably stuff you've heard before, the soundtrack is given a Western feel that makes it feels fresh and perfectly fits the setting of the series, with the opening, "Hikari no Yukue" and ending theme, "romanesque" being perfect examples of this. Besides these two, other notable tracks include "Cazador de Amor", "Inca Rose", "L.A." and the insert song "Forest". The voice acting is solid as well, with Trina Nishimura doing a great job as Nadie (albeit not quite as good as some of her later roles like Kurisu Makise) and Maxey Whitehead embodying Ellis really well, showing that she can voice a female character just as well as she can voice a young boy. That said, I found Monica Rial to be very underused in the series, with the character she voices only speaking once in the whole series, which isn't a huge issue, but one I still think is worth mentioning. Overall, though, this is by far the best part of the series.
Characters (7/10):
From the get-go, it is made clear that Nadie is not your typical bounty hunter, being very kind, cheerful and optimistic and preferring to just go with the flow instead of being serious all the time. Even though she was hired to find and protect Ellis, she quickly grows to care for the girl, often risking her life to ensure her safety and even sharing some details about herself long before Ellis can share anything about herself. She is also surprisingly merciful, especially when compared to previous protagonists in the trilogy, generally preferring to disarm her enemies instead of killing them (which is ironic, considering her catchphrase is “Got any last words, say ‘em”) and even asking someone to call a doctor for a man she was having a stand-off with just moments ago. Make no mistake, however; Nadie is anything but soft, and especially shows this whenever she actually does some bounty-hunting, even holding a pair of injured men she captured at gunpoint in one episode. If I were to name a flaw with her character, it’s that her backstory felt pretty underdeveloped in comparison to Ellis’, with us only being given bits and pieces of it in certain episodes. Even so, she quickly became my favourite character, a status that she only solidified as the series went on.
The other half of the main duo is, of course, Ellis, who continues the trilogy’s proud tradition of girls with amnesia. Personality-wise, she can be seen as a combination of both Margaret from “Madlax” and Kirika from “Noir”, having both the strange, spacey behaviour of the former and the stoic, expressionless nature of the latter. Just to give you an idea of how odd she is, in the first episode, she openly denies being Ellis even after Nadie shows her a poster that has both her name and a picture of a girl that is clearly her on it. Nadie is naturally perplexed by this at first, but quickly learns to just roll with it. Despite her odd behaviour, Ellis is a very kind girl who gets along well with most people she meets, making it easy to see why Nadie quickly grows fond of her. There were quite a number of times when I smiled at the cute interactions the two girls often had with one another. However, while her backstory is more developed than Nadie’s, it still could have been a lot better as there were a few things that just didn’t add up, though that’s more the result of other characters being unexplained rather than Ellis herself. Nevertheless, I did like her a lot, and her and Nadie’s relationship is one of the things that makes this series worth watching.
Besides Nadie and Ellis, there’s a number of other characters of note. One such character is Jody Hayward, also known as “Blue-Eyes”, an office worker in the CIA and the one who hired Nadie to protect Ellis. Initially, there’s a good air of mystery regarding Blue-Eyes. Much like Nadie, I wasn’t ever sure if I could trust Blue-Eyes, as she spends just as much time hindering and opposing the main duo as she does helping them, and while it’s clear she has her own agenda, what’s not clear is whether her plan is damaging to the heroines or not. Sadly, the ultimate conclusion to her character arc is less than satisfactory, as she ends up making a bunch of decisions with little explanation as to how she came to those conclusions, though I did still enjoy her character overall. There’s also Ricardo, a bounty hunter whom Nadie and Ellis regularly meet on their travels and is the opposite of Nadie in a lot of ways, in that he’s the stoic, grizzled, cynical man you’d EXPECT a bounty hunter to be. Overtime, however, it becomes clear that he and Nadie aren’t quite as different as they seem. In particular, Ricardo’s relationship with a young girl named Lirio draws multiple parallels to Nadie’s own relationship with Ellis, albeit in a father-daughter kind of way. I won’t say anything about the rest of the cast, but I will say that a lot of them were either too enigmatic to remember, or only appeared in a single episode so we don’t get to know them all that well.
Enjoyment (7.5/10):
“Noir”’s individual episodes tended to have a lot of bittersweet or downer endings, with “Madlax” following suit to a lesser degree. “El Cazador de la Bruja”, by contrast, is a good bit lighter and softer, with most episodes ending on a positive, happy note, though there are still a few that end tragically, as well as a couple of very dark cliffhangers. On top of this, while things start off slow like its predecessors, it makes up for this with a great sense of humour, much of it coming from the banter between Nadie and Ellis as well as the crazy situations they often find themselves in, which made me laugh out loud more than once. Add in some great action scenes, and you have yourself a very enjoyable series.
Overall:
While “Noir” was definitely my least favourite of the “Girls with Guns” anime, and “Madlax” was my favourite of the trilogy, “El Cazador de la Bruja” falls firmly in the middle, being the most impressive technical-wise, but falling pretty short in the storytelling department. While I may not have it particularly high on my rewatch list, this is still a unique enough and very enjoyable anime that is at the very least worth a look, especially if you’re a Western fan.
Score:
6.5+7.5+9+7+7.5=37.5/50=7.5/10
