Honestly, I love it when a series has reams of details and numerous threads to follow. The busyness of the plot wouldn't bother me at all if the pieces added up to a story. "El Hazard" does exercise expert campiness, though, and Jinnai is very funny.

Volume 10, quality 3. Average. 6.5.

As with many first episodes, "Battlefield" spits out more revelations than character development. Jinnai is the only primary character portrayed with consistency - consistently campy. He was, not coincidentally, the most fun.

Basically it looks very cartoony except for still shots of Rune Venus and the mystery woman under the school. If they were only going to do one thing well- good choice.

I had to read pretty quickly to keep up with some of the scenes. I usually vastly prefer subtitles but this is one case in which I would recommend the dub. Only a few errors surface in the sub. The subtitles misuse "nostalgic" and print "sad" instead of "said." On the other hand, some of the oddest sounding lines approach perfection - but only when Jinnai says them. He routinely addresses Makoto directly as, "My lifelong rival," in conversation.

Jinnai alternately purrs and shrieks and cackles, but the rest of the cast doesn't create the same energy or extremes.

It's PG right up to the last five seconds of the episode, then PG-13. Here's hoping for continued progress.

Jinnai would be an outstanding evil genius if he were a genius.

Pick it.