I’ve had the idea for this little feature for a little while now. And after recently being asked for suggestions about anime to watch, I’ve decided to go ahead and do a little series of reviews of anime and manga that I like. This won’t be a weekly event, and I’m not sure how often I’ll do it. But hopefully these posts will give those of you reading some ideas for new anime and manga to try out. Anyway, for this first edition I’ve decided to cover an anime series that I’ve just recently watched for the third time, El Cazador de la Bruja.
Plot: A free-spirited woman bounty hunter named Nadie is hired to transport and protect an amnesiac girl with strange abilities named Ellis. And Nadie certainly has her work cut out for her, as Ellis is at the top of the wanted list for her involvement in a murder. Thus, the duo travels south in order to uncover the mysteries of Ellis’ past and along the way dodge other bounty hunters and much deadlier enemies.
I first discovered this little series one day streaming on the Anime News Network website. I didn’t have much to do that day, so naturally I started watching it. And though El Cazador de la Bruja had a somewhat slow start, I was taken with it fairly quickly. The series is the third entry in Bee Train’s “girls with guns” anime shows, following in the footsteps of Noir and Madlax. But as El Cazador de la Bruja seems to have no connection to those shows other than genre and theme, it isn’t necessary to watch them in order to enjoy this series.
Pros: I think the greatest strength of this series is its cast of characters. Ellis acts as a very good comic relief character many times throughout the show, and her chemistry with Nadie is simply excellent. Of course Nadie is quite likable as well, with her feisty and free-spirited attitude. But I think it’s the combination of the two girls together that really makes the show work. This series also has a solid and satisfying ending, one that leaves the show open for some kind of sequel, like and OVA (or a fanfic). Lastly, I should mention that this show has an awesome soundtrack. A good chunk of it has a sort of New Age feel to it, and there’s a pretty cool song that plays during the show’s fourteenth episode.
Cons: Every great story has its flaws of course, and El Cazador de la Bruja is no exception. One of the shows bigger flaws is that it might be a little too laid back. It starts out being pretty tame for a show involving bounty hunters. Though that’s not to say that the series is completely without action of any kind, plus there are some out there who might prefer a laid back show. Something else that’s a pretty big flaw with this show is the lack of backstory with some of the characters. Ellis’ past is covered pretty well of course, as she’s pretty much at the center of the show’s plot. But Nadie’s origins are barely touched. The only thing we learn about her past aside from the time she was a waitress was that she’s the only survivor of a massacred town, and that bit about Nadie’s hometown was something I found out while reading online. If it was in the actual show, it was implied very subtly because I don’t recall seeing anything about it.
Overall: All in all, El Cazador de la Bruja is a character driven series. And it’s one that I liked so much that I eventually got on DVD. So if you’re looking for a laid back anime with extremely likable character, a touch of sci-fi, and a hint of the old west, I strongly recommend giving El Cazador de la Bruja a try.
Rating: 3.9 out of 5 stars.
