We meet up once again with Airi, Junpei, Ritsuko and Celcia for the conclusion of their wild adventures. The last six episodes of Those Who Hunt Elves are just about the same as the first six. In fact, I was a little afraid that the whole thing would eventually get so repetitive and predictable that I would be forced to abandon the series. Fortunately a few choice episodes secured my attention while making sure the fun levels stay up.
One of my personal favorites was episode 10: “The Elf Who Wants To Take Her Clothes Off”. This was a particularly funny episode with generous amounts of physical comedy and classical slapstick humor. It even had one of those ironic comedy twist endings. Probably one of the best episodes in the whole series.
The last six episodes also offer a fistful of revelation. We finally get to find out how Those Who Hunt Elves, got there in the first place. We get a microscopic glimpse into Ritsuko’s life and the tank acquires a personality (this was particularly freaky for me!).
Also, as the last episode approaches, the relationship between Celcia and Junpei “intensifies”. Don’t worry though, there are no “mushy” endings and everyone stays true to their character to the very end. Basically the entire series is one constant brainless, irrelevant amalgam of immature jokes. This can be a good thing in many ways.
On the down side, things such as character development and plot depth are completely absent. Not that they are particularly important in this kind of show but still it might have been nice to find out something, anything about the protagonists. If you were hoping the last six episodes would offer anything additional in the way of backgrounds, you will be disappointed.
The art and voice acting are consistent with the first DVD, that is to say, the voice acting is all right but hardly pulls you in, the best you can say about it is that it’s not irritating. As for the art, well, the animation can be choppy at times and the general designs, both character and background are often uninspired but at least the colors are always bright and beautiful.
When it comes to the DVD itself, the features are the same as the first one. Namely, Japanese, English and Spanish language, English subtitles, character sketches and a text less opening. With six episodes on the disc, this is quite a decent amount of extras. All the audio tracks are nice and clear and the character sketches are interesting. Finally, the menus are simple and easy to navigate, which is a big plus in my book.
Like its predecessor, Those Who Hunt Elves vol. 2, is a great value for the money. With 150 minutes worth of animation you’ll hardly even notice the lack of extras. All in all, Those Who Hunt Elves is a great series for those days when you come home exhausted and you just want to turn off your brain, slip into something more comfortable and giggle mindlessly for the rest of the evening.
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