SORCERER HUNTERS
Be vewy quiet...
Review by: Craig “Not Named After a Food” Norris
Length: 26 episodes
Genre: Fantasy, comedy
Watched: All, subbed
Hunting sorcerers is apparently a lot different from hunting vampires. There are a lot fewer guns used, and a lot more mallets. There are a lot fewer bayonets, and a lot more whips. There is a lot less drama, and a lot more comedy. There is also a lot less originality, and a lot more RPG clichés. To be honest, I think I’ll stick with vampires.
Plot synopsis: In the land known as the Spooner Continent, sorcerers rule over commoners in a feudal system. However, some sorcerers abuse their power and, in turn, abuse their people. Enter the Sorcerer Hunters, a group of five elite warriors who eliminate those sorcerers that cause suffering among the people. In order to complete their most difficult assignment, they must defeat Zaha Torte, the man closest to God, who seeks the destruction of the entire world.
Artwork: The art appears a lot older than late 90s. It contains some rough spots and is generally on the lower rung of quality. It is certainly nothing to get too excited about by today’s standards. Animation of magic spells is somewhat standard fare, and fight scenes are not fully fleshed out, and in some cases are simply implied. Character designs are not very imaginative, and follow the fantasy series cliché of, the more powerful a person is, the bigger their shoulder armor is. Needless to say, some of the characters would have trouble negotiating doorways.
Music: The opening theme is extremely catchy, and has been one of my favorites ever since I heard it. However, aside from that, I wasn’t impressed with any of the songs. The soundtrack isn’t at all unique and is filled with synthesizer riffs that could have just as easily been recycled from other fantasy series. So while the opening got my hopes up, the flatness of the rest of the soundtrack made them come crashing back down to earth.
Characters: The entertaining and introspective characters pick up a lot of the slack created by the shoddy production values. The series revolves around the girl crazy Carrot Glace, who is quite possibly the biggest philanderer in anime history. His special ability is absorbing magic and transforming into a minotaur-like beast. He has no charm, or style, or tact, or really anything a girl might find attractive. Nevertheless, he has captured the hearts of the two female Sorcerer Hunters, the sisters Chocolate and Tira Misu. Chocolate is the bold sister, propositioning Carrot frequently and calling for his head when he looks at other women. Tira is shy, not admitting her feelings openly but still showing signs of jealousy when Carrot goes skirt chasing. Mind you, though, these are their personalities when they are not on the job. When they get serious, they cast off their normal personas (along with most of their clothes) and become whip-wielding dominatrixes, who enjoy whipping bad guys into submission almost as much as they enjoy whipping Carrot into submission. Marron is Carrot’s younger brother who fights with magic seals. Marron has a very subtle personality, but is fiercely loyal to his brother. Gateau is the muscle of the group. He is the only one who does not wield some sort of magic, but his tremendous strength is a valuable asset. The Sorcerer Hunters receive their orders from Big Momma, who is the religious leader for the continent. Her ideal is simple: eliminate the sorcerers who misuse their power so that no one has to suffer. She is assisted by Dotta, a winged girl who acts as a liaison between the Sorcerer Hunters and Big Momma. The villain, Zaha Torte, has been ripped straight from about a dozen other fantasy series. He was cut from the “I will destroy the world to free it from suffering mwahahahaha” cloth. He even has a recycled backstory, once being a loyal servant of Big Momma who became disenchanted with her methods. Luckily, his is the only character that conforms so strictly to convention, and everyone else’s personalities are ripe with potential for amusement. If only that entertainment value carried over to other elements of the series, it would have been a lot more worthwhile.
Plot: Five misfit heroes must save the world from the evil sorcerer who threatens to destroy everything. That stock phrase covers just about everything. Most of the first half of the series is very episodic, as the Sorcerer Hunters travel from town to town eliminating the bad sorcerers. There is also the ongoing romantic tension between Carrot and the Misu sisters. But really, it’s the same old song and dance for fantasy series. If you’ve seen a couple of fantasy series before, you’ve already seen most of this one.
CHICKS!: Chocolate and Tira are... unique, to say the least. Their personalities at leisure are typical of young girls, and they are quite easy to handle. Chocolate is flirtatious with Carrot, and is always quick with a smile. Timid Tira dresses in a bulky long-coat and wears huge owl-rimmed glasses that make her look quite nerdy. However, piss them off and you get a sultry dominatrix duo that can whip the pimento out of an olive at fifty paces. Their conservative dress is traded in for curve-hugging vestments that could make even the proudest of men fall to their knees in worship. I certainly don’t blame Carrot for misbehaving; I would never get tired of being punished by those two. Big Momma has a very mature, kind beauty, and obviously has a very nice figure under the bulky robes she wears. However, I don’t know if it was just an optical illusion brought on by perspective, but I think she’s about ten feet tall. If you want a girlfriend who could tear it up in the WNBA, she’s probably the best choice. I, however, prefer the small and cuddly girls that fit snugly in your arms. Like Dotta, for instance. She prides herself on her cuteness, and she certainly has a lot to be proud of. Her wide smile mitigates the exoticness of her elf ears, wings, and Chun-Li hairstyle, so that she may as well be the girl next door. A wide range of tastes are catered to, and one might even say that the chicks are the high point of this series. Even people (unlike me) who don’t usually think that way.
Overall: It could be that I’m simply jaded with fantasy series, but I was not at all impressed by this anime. It has its merits, sure, but it can’t establish itself as a highly unique series. I definitely feel that his anime holds the widest appeal for anyone whose exposure to fantasy series is limited. Or anyone who gets aroused by the smell of leather and latex.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Memorable characters
+ Good mix of humor and drama
+ Whip me, Mistress, I’ve been a bad boy!
- Seems older than it is
- Very flat art and music
- Largely unoriginal
Rating: 6/10
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