El Cazador 15 – hot springs, fan service, FBI or FEMA and…CIA?

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You know I said I didn’t like this show very much because the main characters don’t take out 60 plus guys with handguns? Well, guess what, who gives a damn about that (sorry if you do like I did)? The plot is getting much better! Or at least more involved and twisted!

It turns out that there are some other influences around, in addition to the Witches Council, Doug Rosenberg and senator Hanss Letogen (we learn about the senator’s name – the guest that Rosenberg hosted two eps ago – in this eps), and the other bounty hunters (thankfully, no more greasy guys with trunk full of tequilas or gay guys dressing like Boy George in the hey days of 1980s show up any more). And, get this – the FBI, or the FEMA – we’re not too sure which just by the description of this eps (it seems like the creators simply fused the two) that has begun to investigate the CIA! They even arrested senator Hanss Letogen, who, as we’re told in this eps, has been secretly funding and reviving the Leviathan project, which is currently headed by Rosenberg! He apparently is a researcher working for CIA, or for one of the sub-division in CIA!

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Wow, how many more plot twists can we take in one eps? I mean, FBI investigating CIA? A US (presumably) senator gets arrested? A Secret old project for exploiting the supernatural humans (witches) that gets revived? A hidden group that we didn’t learn much about until eps 15 makes their first move? I’m breathless!

Except I’m worried that, if this show is shortened to 24 eps (a lot of show are like that in recent years – never full 26, and sometimes only 22 or 23 eps!), there will be a lot of loose ends.

Important things that happened in this eps: 1. Nadi dreams about Elis walking away from her. So Nadi decided that she has to tell Elis everything after all. Near the end, Nadi makes the choice of returning her fee, which Jody hands to her for guarding Elis all these times, and she decides to continue to guard and accompany Elis until the end of her journey, wherever the journey takes her. 2. The Witches Council decides to arrest Elis. They send the message to Jody Heyward, who wants to take Elis in right away. She gives Nadi a check with a hefy sum – 15% more than Nadi had asked. But Nadi refuses. Oh, and we get to see Jody’s naked backside, damn I dunno but I like her mature and slightly wide hips and firm butt cheeks…wait, that’s not that important. Ah hum, anyways…

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3. Rosenberg seems to be temporarily powerless, but he smugs confidently at the end musing about he has in fact, won. This is demonstrated by a chess game between him and a certain blond woman.

4. FBI or FEMA (my guess is that the Japanese directors meant to make it unclear to avoid direct referencing) decides to investigate the CIA. This may or may not be that significant later. After all, we know that someone in the Witches’ Council intends to go a different direction that the council leader wants. My guess is that particular person in the council tipped the FBI/FEMA off to the intentions of the CIA or a that sub-group in CIA.

Now, as for the other things that happened in this eps, which I didn’t particularly think was crucial or important to the plot – the fan service parts (OK, OK, so these are important to male Otakus). Well, Nadi wore her sexy swimsuit to that hot springs in Mexico (I didn’t know they had that Mexico). She and Elis encounters the Lone Wolf (Ricardo) and the cub (Lilio). She and Ricardo digs and cleans the hot springs pool, and everyone except Ricardo, who acts like a samurai in classic samurai films (especially like the main guy in “Lone Wolf and a cub”), jumped into the hot spring pool and enjoyed the facilities that the hot springs place has to offer. Nadi later shares a moment and some beer with Ricardo, who looks too world weary and cynical to care and remember a lot of things. Something that may be significant later happens here as Ricardo tells Nadi indirectly that he and Rosenberg no long has any relationship. We all know that Rosenberg has hired him for some time.

Before they actually got into the abandoned hot springs hotel, the show poked fun at itself and Otaku culture by the Otaku-funny conversation between Elis and Nadi (I now craves for samurice…ha ha ha).

The disgusting (or the fujoshi are saying, hot, hot and sizzling) bishonen shows up again. This time, however, he comes to with the intention to take Elis with him. He even says that he and Elis are meant to be one flesh (yucky!). But he retreats at the end, like a classic bad guy from many mecha shows.

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Some interesting things to note: Room 339 – once the center for project leviathan, now just a “garbage cleaning” department – is (as we know) where Rosenberg resides. The higher up who told Rosenberg to take a vacation and hands him a ticket says so. Rosenberg is temporarily out of the game. Another thing. As I remembered, supposedly, in the 50s and 60s, the US government performed experiments on ESP and other supernatural stuff on people, some said through CIA – in order to gain advantage over the Soviet Union. We don’t know if these things are true in real life, but this anime apparently borrows that concept. The third thing: No Mireille, unfortunately. The blond woman/sniper that followed Naid and Elis is played either by Toyoguchi Megumi or Okamoto Mayoyi (I can’t read the her name very well). In a previous entry I mentioned that perhaps the council leader has something to do with this blond woman – after all, Mireille from Noir is played by Mitsuishi Kotono, who now plays the council woman. But they are not related, after all. It was only my wishful thinking. Anyway, back to the review.

Because of the turn of events, and how the seiyuus are getting into terrific situations where they have to really react to interesting and difficult things, my score for this eps raised considerably comparing to previous eps. Of course, I didn’t mention some things and details, because I don’t want to spoil everything for people who haven’t seem this eps at all.

Without further ado, here’s my recommendation: 82% or even up to 85% recommended for your daily anime diet.

PS. Yeah, I know that’s a big jump from the previous score. But I’ve finally shed my last bit of prejudice about this show and this eps is really that much better, just for the plot twists. I would have to say however, the emotional conflict of Nadi within herself isn’t as good as I wanted, especially after my second watch hoping to see something her seiyuu Ito Shizuka did that I didn’t catch the first time around. I’d say the best characters here (as much as I hate it still) are L.A – the bishonen character (what’s with that name anyway?) and Rosenberg.

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…Gosh. I think I’m falling in love with Jody. For some reason her mature (not old, just grown up) body shape just turns me on (would you just look at these tight cheeks?), and she’s voiced by Hisakawa Aya, who was Arimi in Marmalade Boy…AH HUM! Anyway, the show is definitely getting much better!

PS 2: what’s with the narrating system? Why do I need to hear the characters thoughts narrated?

Editor’s note: for the dead on and laughing out a loud parody of eps 14, please check out his site: http://azureflame.ikimashou.net/2007/07/10/el-cazador-de-la-bruja-parody-episode-14/

Author: Ray

I'm a hardcore Anime Fan and I'm proud of it. I know so many things and I've acquired so much knowledge you wouldn't believe. But my love is anime. I've been drifting in this world for so long that I don't even know what an anchor means. I've seen so many shows that I've lost count. The only thing I'm sure of myself is that I care for the lowly and disenfranchised. I hate the rich and powerful and I love what I do, or what I can do. I like anime and I don't mind watching different types of shows. I have experience in different types of Japanese animation. I would be called an "expert" in a bizzaro world. One day, I'd like to start a revolution. I love the US, pizza, beer, sashimi, Chinese food, and steak. But I love freshly baked bread more than a well-aged steak. In reality, if I were born Japanese I'd be a real, hardcore Otaku. I love to love and I can hate strongly. I'm passionate in nature and I don't mind shedding tears. I can be reached at rayyhum777 at animediet. My Twitter is rayyhum777 at twitter.

4 thoughts on “El Cazador 15 – hot springs, fan service, FBI or FEMA and…CIA?

  1. (This should really be a response to your post from last episode, but I only just thought of this 2 weeks late) each of the bee train girls with guns series has the younger girl (Kirika/Margaret/Ellis) in some kind of more-than-friends-and-possibly-romantic relationship with an older guy: Kirika has that painter dude in episode 13, Carrosaur Dawn has that crush on Margeret that manifests itself late in the series, and Ellis has her dear Hakase. BEE TRAIN what is your agenda?!

    Back to this episode … I laughed for like 5 minutes at the samurice comment. I totally thought Ricardo would spike Nadi’s beer, but I guess he’s nicer than that. And I totally awwwww-ed at the end when Nadi wraps her entire arm around Ellis and Ellis just sinks into her comfortably. Yuri or not, these two have the closest and most touching girl/girl relationship of all the bee-train-girls-with-guns shows (at least at the ep 15 mark).

    And I’m glad the show’s rating has gone up for you! Although it’s funnier to read you when you’re poking fun at it… but it’s always nice to read people praising the series – it seems that El Cazador has disappointed a lot of the fandom online unfortunately.

  2. Kaei – I personally prefer to write a post that makes fun of a certain series. This series simple have so many stereotypes that it’s easier to poke fun at it. It seems that my recent posts are too serious (hence very few readers -_-;;), but in any case, I would have to say that ultimately this show simply doesn’t do it for me, because I’m not all that impressed with the plot, the characters, and the setting. Since I’ve been following this show I’ve become more accepting and sympathetic to it, and I’ve discovered some intelligent elements in this, but unless I start seeing Nadi/Elis/anybody please gun down 50+ guys in 10 minutes, or someone falling from the roof top and manages to take a guy out by putting a bullet through his brain, I don’t think I’ll rate it very high at the end. The action sequences in this show clearly isn’t no where as good as the previous two installments.

  3. I saw too much of 1 girl taking on 20 guys and not getting shot in Noir and Madlax and it resulted in much eye-rolling, thankyouverymuch 😛 It’s definitely true that the action sequences are less in El Cazador, but I guess I always watched for hints of, ahem, a quasi-yuri relationship (and this show has TONS!!) So I’m happy.

    I think the general opinion online is similar to yours though – that it’s less serious and more goofy and Nadi is a bit lacking in superhuman skills and all that. As a show on its own, I’m perfectly happy and entertained, but as the last installment in the Bee-Train girls with guns trilogy, it’s not quite going out with a bang.

  4. Kaei – well, you’ve got a very good point there. Even with the fact that anime was, and is still mostly about entertainment, Noir can be overboard often. The skills of Madlax is even more ridiculous, even with the fact she is technically, not even human. But dancing and avoiding bullets when you’re being aimed at? No way.
    I expected more action precisely because the director called it the latest in the girls with guns trilogy.

    Also, there are so many action shots and sequences packed in the OP it made the actually show looking dull. Please, don’t tease with these in the OP and then fake people out with almost no action – it really feels like a bait-and-switch for action fans, especially for hardcore ones – people that just don’t give a damn for shows like .hack sign, which is also made by Bee train.

    I don’t know if it won’t go out with a bang. I keep on getting the feeling that it may just surprise all of us.

    For yuri all the way, I recommend Strawberry Panic – there’s no action in there whatsoever, but there are no men in that show, and it’s set in an all-girls school. Plenty of yuri pairings and so much more! =D But for action fans, it would be too boring.

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