This was one of the first anime that I had ever seen, and I was bowled over by the quality of the animation. Roshtaria is a maze of lush forests, desolate deserts, and Middle Eastern castles, while Bugrom lies somewhere between a haunted house and the industrial styling of Gartlant from Saber Marionette J. Luxurious eye candy, aided by some top-quality character designs and a budget that didn't run out at the end, a problem for many high-quality series.

The characters present a mixed lot. Jinnai is quite possibly my favorite villain; his particular brand of madness (and crazed laughter, oh ho ho!) is worth it all by itself. Also noteworthy is Fujisawa-sensei, outrageous drunk, teacher, and mountain climber. The main character Makoto is fairly bland, although the series has him do a great deal of cross-dressing and we rarely see him in his "comfortable" zone. Nanami is adequate but secondary to the plot, as are many of the secondary characters... though the priestesses get some good differentiation, especially the marriage-obsessed Miz. When Princess Fatora is finally rescued, and you have to listen to her, you'll be yelling, "Lock her back up!", if my experience is any indication.

It's hard to judge the appropriateness of the series for children. There's not too much nudity, outside of the third episode (ah, the obligatory onsen fan service festival!), the language runs fairly clean, and there's next to no blood. On the other hand, there IS the third episode, which is chock full of nudity, and Alillele is a disturbing little walking Lolita complex. The gender bending aspect of the plot isn't extreme, but it's there.

The protagonist, Makoto, and three of his acquaintances are transported to the world of El-Hazard. Each gains a different, special power as a result of the transfer. Makoto's power is subtle, and is not discovered for several episodes, but has a major role at the climax.