Although the isekai genre has garnered a reputation for pandering to consumers by offering little more than macho power fantasies and contrived scenarios for fan service, plenty of noteworthy examples demonstrate the genre’s capability to meaningfully comment on the real world. One shining example is the OVA series El-Hazard: The Magnificent World (1995–1996).
While the series was made decades prior and set in, as is conventional, another world, its remarkably honest portrayal of a power-hungry dweeb trying to raze everything to the ground just to feed his own ego is painfully relevant to reality right now—especially if you live in the US, where a flailing strongman grasps for more and more power, and the world’s richest man calls one of our only societal safety nets a Ponzi scheme while standing under the banner of a department of questionable legality. El-Hazard’s depiction of its own petulant villain provides some eerily relevant commentary that resonates outside of the show’s original context, and makes revisiting the series particularly powerful.
Like a Dream from a Time Far Away
The El-Hazard franchise is the product of collaboration between two companies, AIC and Pioneer LDC, when Hayashi Hiroki, the director and co-creator of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki (1992–1993), collaborated with screenwriter Tsukimura Ryoe to create the seven episodes comprising El-Hazard: The Magnificent World. The main characters—high school students Mizuhara Makoto, Jinnai Nanami, and her brother Jinnai Katsuhiko, along with one good-hearted, slightly alcoholic teacher Fujisawa Masamichi—are transplanted from present-day Japan to another world entirely, known as El-Hazard. Implied to be set in another time if not also on another planet, the point of this foreign landscape is to evoke the strangeness of unfamiliar cultures and customs. The stylized Middle Eastern aesthetic is meant to make Japanese viewers feel far, far away from home; yet certain elements, including recognizable political structures and the daily struggles faced by the inhabitants of El-Hazard, also remind us of our own imperfect civilizations.
Whereas Makoto and Mr. Fujisawa encounter the royalty of a kingdom called Roshtaria immediately upon their arrival, Nanami has to make her own way working various odd jobs before running into them on their quest to recruit three powerful priestesses to their cause. Meanwhile, Jinnai ends up with the Bugrom, the insect-like foes of Roshtaria led by Queen Diva. In this way, the visitors from afar find themselves on one side or the other of a longstanding conflict: for Makoto, Nanami, and Mr. Fujisawa, a change in scenery is their chance to help those in need; for Jinnai, however, it’s the perfect opportunity to rule over others.
Rule of the Uncool
Our introduction to Jinnai in the very first episode provides us with everything we need to know about who he is as a person. When an archeological discovery is made beneath the school, he tries to make it all about him; when an election scandal threatens his position as student body president, he attempts to tamper with evidence to remain in office. Soon enough, it becomes apparent that he basically bribed people to buy his way into power.
Since the key to his impeachment is testimony from none other than Makoto, Jinnai uses a love letter from his own sister, Nanami, to lure him behind the school at night. There, he reveals his sinister plan to keep Makoto tied up—literally—until after the student government meeting that would otherwise terminate Jinnai’s presidency. Unfortunately, being the star witness in a decisive case is often all it takes to earn the ire of a wannabe tyrant. However, an earlier flashback montage of Makoto besting Jinnai in various other activities—or, in one instance, simply grabbing the last of a particular lunch item before he could reach it—makes it clear that this petty president has been harboring resentment toward his peer for quite some time.
Jinnai’s reactions to these perceived slights (for example, angrily squeezing a milk carton so tightly that it explodes all over himself) are portrayed as comical. It’s the sort of deprecation that, in a different series, might be used to make a pitiful protagonist endearing or even relatable. It’s this kind of mundane, daily inequality with which we’re all familiar that often fuels the indignation of the most insecure, self-centered individuals in our orbits—you know, the ones who think they’re the main character of the story and everything revolves around them. Jinnai is not the main character, but he certainly thinks he is, and the show goes on to interrogate this mindset and ultimately portray it as odious and antagonistic.
Played for laughs in the beginning to acclimate viewers, it’s not difficult to imagine how Jinnai could use these embarrassing incidents to justify his actions. From his warped perspective, abetting war crimes and attempting to murder his classmates are fair game. After all, it’s not his fault that his rightful place above everyone else was denied! Nor is he to blame, in his own mind, for the drastic measures he was forced to take. Because he was wronged at school, according to his personal mythology, he can assure himself that he’s the real victim instead of his actual victims. Uncertainty and subjectivity make good faith discussions about bullying difficult enough as it is; egotism, bad faith, and influence over public perception can truly muddle notions of abused and abuser, victim and victimizer.
Where Fantasy Meets Reality
To draw the connection between El-Hazard and our current reality, Elon Musk is indisputably one of the most powerful men in the entire world at present: yet regardless of his vast wealth and all it affords, his anecdote of being bullied at school made him sympathetic to no small number of people. It doesn’t really matter that his father eventually offered a different perspective, recounting his own son’s hospitalization as the result of needlessly antagonizing another boy at school who had recently suffered a tremendous personal loss; nor does it matter that most of those harmed by the likes of a Musk, a Jinnai, or any aggrieved purveyor of chaos had nothing to do with their persecution, real or imagined. Somehow or other, their aggressive recklessness is justified by their own account of prior, personal injustices.
Through Jinnai, El-Hazard explores a universal truth that pop culture all too often obfuscates: that which is dangerous, and that which is mockable, are by no means mutually exclusive. It’s actually quite common for those possessing great power to be plagued by insecurity, social awkwardness, and other traits that aren’t exactly conducive to developing healthy relationships or a grounded sense of self; hence, their pursuit of immeasurable wealth, fame, and political influence to compensate.
The need to ridicule individuals who abuse power has long been recognized by artists and social commentators: satirical literature, stage plays, and films are all a part of this rich tradition across many societies. Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator (1940), which features parodies of truly heinous political figures including Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, remains a sterling example of contemporary criticism becoming a cherished piece of history. What must not be lost on us when studying these works of the past, however, is that villains in the present need not come across as terrifying monsters; nor need they be all that menacing or even imposing in order to shape much of the world as they see fit. Oftentimes, misfortune for the masses is caused by lackluster opportunists with nothing better to do than take full advantage of extremely exploitable circumstances.
Jinnai’s obviously a dork at school: we’re never led to believe that he has any actual friends, or a significant other, or even a mentor figure in the form of a favorite teacher. Unlike the average nerd who possesses numerous interests and at least one or two semi-healthy obsessions, he doesn’t seem to engage in any pursuits or pleasures other than self-aggrandizement. Only when he forms an alliance with a desperate monarch and unleashes devastation upon a land to which he has no attachment do we realize the true scope of his maniacal ambitions.
Yet despite winning what he sees as a game to be played (through conquest, domination, and generally upending the peaceful lives of others), he is no less of a loser in the eyes of his peers. Writing for The Guardian, Rebecca Shaw mentions tech bros Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg as she laments not only the dismal state of the world, but her belief that much of the carnage is being delivered by guys who, despite all their personal achievements, never had the makings of varsity athletes. “I have been prepared for evil, for greed, for cruelty, for injustice,” she writes, “but I did not anticipate that the people in power would also be such huge losers.” In short, bad guys absolutely don’t have to be badass, and for our own good we shouldn’t ever expect them to be.
Characterization is Key
Creating a fictional character that actually feels threatening while still being a total weenus isn’t easy. Hayashi Hiroki maintains this balance by sprinkling a little goofiness into otherwise serious situations. In the second episode, for example, Jinnai and his insectoid henchmen alter a road sign to misdirect Makoto and his allies seeking the aid of powerful priestesses living in isolation at the top of a secluded mountain. Of course, as anyone familiar with Wile E. Coyote and a certain roadrunner might guess, the plan is ultimately unfruitful; however, it definitely puts the good guys in danger for a hot minute. While evocative of these shenanigans on occasion, El-Hazard is no Looney Tunes cartoon: in this animated series, falling from a great height would spell certain death! Although heavily stylized, the characters thereof are meant to fuel engaging conflict and create a dramatic sense of realistic stakes.
Meanwhile, Tsukimura Ryoe uses an interplay of comedy and tragedy to reinforce themes of duality and differing interpretations of shared realities. Because real life is so nuanced, even something as inherently artificial as animation can feel realistic when it manages to do the same. Just as the priestess Shayla-Shayla’s unrequited crush on Makoto can be both humorous and heartbreaking, Katsuhiko Jinnai—and potentially anyone in our own world, for that matter—can be a conqueror who is equal parts capable and cringeworthy.
Whereas Hayashi and Tsukimura excel at depicting a sweaty, short-sighted creep wreaking havoc everywhere he goes, their satirical depiction of this kind of schemer doesn’t go so far as to provide us with anything prescriptive to actually deal with men like him. In fact, due to the old adage about the enemy of one’s enemy, in the end Makoto and company are forced to confront a mutual threat and unite as allies. Still, we are given more than a few thematic clues: Ifurita, a doomsday weapon who falls in love with Makoto, demonstrates the necessity of using our free will to reject being controlled by scumbags who only see people and the technology at their disposal as tools for destructive ends. Ifurita’s journey to freedom involves grappling with autonomy on her terms. Even though the only sense of purpose she’d ever known was to be a weapon of mass destruction, she chose to be the passive instrument of Jinnai’s machinations when he awakened her; thankfully, she also chose to leave him in the end.
Moreover, through Makoto and Mr. Fujisawa, we’re given healthier examples of appropriate masculine behavior—which, yes, sometimes includes wearing a dress. Although Makoto is more or less obligated to impersonate a princess for a while, as far as Hayashi and Tsukimura are concerned he’s a young man who makes for a proper protagonist. Like Jinnai, he’s also plenty awkward and insecure at times, but he’s also considerate of others and doesn’t need to lord over anyone in order to feel fulfilled.
Likewise, Mr. Fujisawa is a caring mentor who genuinely looks after his students when they’re all unexpectedly flung on an otherworldly field trip and he’s suddenly the only familiar authority figure. Even amidst his struggles with smoking and drinking, he strives to remain a role model. Ultimately, all three male characters are thrown into the isekai and out of their depth—but it is only Jinnai who responds to the new environment as a ruinous egomaniac.
The sequel OVA series (which was not worked on directly by either Hayashi or Tsukimura) offers insight into dealing with the more manipulative side of a deposed despot. In the second episode, Makoto, Nanami, and the rest of the established cast happen upon Jinnai in the wilderness. Without his queen or his army by his side, he gives an impassioned speech about wanting to change his evil ways. Although Mr. Fujisawa had scolded him in the first OVA series when he learned of his delinquent behavior, Jinnai’s pathetic pleas for forgiveness convinced him—and practically everyone else in the travelling party—to give him a second chance.
But there was one person who remained unconvinced by his crocodile tears: his sister. She knew better than anyone that her brother’s impassioned display of remorse was insincere, and that given half the chance he’d betray their kindness. Alas, no one in the group heeds her warning: later on, sure enough, her crooked, creepy-crawly brother reveals that all his honeyed words were false as soon as it became convenient for him to turn on his credulous benefactors.
Empathy: It’s Not for Egomaniacs!
On top of possibly opening up future discussions about the gender credibility gap, Nanami teaches us all a very important lesson about the paradox of tolerance: we need to stand up to bullies, especially those who have the nerve to play the victim when brute force fails to get them what they want; for our own safety, we have to speak out against power-tripping miscreants who get their kicks by punching down. Reporting for Reuters, Jonathan Landay and Rachael Levy interviewed former Tesla officials who expressed regret not standing up to its CEO in the past. Now, as Musk and his own band of Bugrom attempt to undermine much of the fabric of civilized society in the US, these former officials urge federal workers currently suffering from his capriciousness to stand up for themselves, and to stand together in these trying times.
Neither Jinnai Katsuhiko nor anyone like him deserves your sympathy—all they’re going to do is take advantage of it. Don’t shed a tear for billionaires or their lackeys running rampant, and don’t buy their bogus sob stories when their callousness comes back to bite them. The Jinnais of our world aren’t going to play nice, and they aren’t going to play fair: from crashing the economy to slashing the benefits on which so many of us rely, they’ll go as far as we allow them to go.
While isekai and other fantasy-fueled fiction can provide us a temporary reprieve from our troubles, now isn’t the time for unbridled escapism. El-Hazard: The Magnificent World teaches us that regardless of where you may find yourself, you’ll encounter certain individuals who insist on being insufferable. They’ll have the gall to think they’re entitled to everything, but expect you to feel sorry for them when their plans provoke inevitable pushback. Forget about Darkseid, or Sauron, or whoever else may come to mind when you think of a big bad; rarely do we ever have to deal with the likes of Gustavo Fring or other criminal masterminds in the real world as we’ve been conditioned to expect by popular entertainment.
Using a dork-turned-dictator, Hayashi Hiroki, Tsukimura Ryoe, and all those who contributed to creating the faraway land of El-Hazard brace us for the unimposing scuzzballs determined to make themselves everyone else’s problem. But they also remind us that with the help of reliable companions, these friendless doofuses can be outlasted and even defeated. By pooling our collective abilities, drawing from each other’s experiences, and coordinating our efforts with one another, we can protect ourselves and our communities. The nerds have had their revenge: it’s time for a return to normalcy, and that means reminding all the arrogant edgelords out there that we’re not going to play by their rules anymore.
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