El Cazador de la Bruja

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El Cazador de la Bruja (The Witch Hunter) tells the story of Ellis, a young girl who finds herself chased by bounty hunters, the most skilled of whom is Nadie. Luckily, Nadie is not about to kill her, but instead sets herself up as Ellis' bodyguard on her journey to find out more about her Mysterious Past.

Ellis has some mystifying powers, such as setting things on fire or freezing them; throwing people around with force fields; and inhuman strength, which allows her to jump several meters in one go. Unfortunately, she doesn't have complete control over those powers yet. Ellis is also haunted by memories of the killing of her former foster parent, whom she calls "the professor". Did she actually kill him? What is the role of the organization that sends one bounty hunter after another to obtain her? Who is the creepy guy who keeps stalking her all the time? And what is Nadie's role in this web of intrigue?

The series is produced by Bee Train and is the Spiritual Successor to Madlax, which in turn is the Spiritual Successor to Noir. Together, the series form Bee Train's "Girls with Guns"-trilogy, with noticeable plot similarities. El Cazador de la Bruja is generally lighter in tone than the other two series and shares neither their ambiguous endings nor their particular focus on female gunslinger action.

The relationship between the two female leads is also much less ambivalent and clearly develops a romantic slant. Fans who loved the dark, puzzling plot twists in the two first series might be disappointed by the comparative straightforwardness of El Cazador de la Bruja, since it focuses on the relationship between the main characters.

The series should best be seen as a story of two people who find themselves and each other against a backdrop of the Mexican desert, crazy (and ineffective) bounty hunters, and of course, tacos.

Not to be confused with the short-lived Cross Gen Comics pirate title, El Cazador.

Tropes used in El Cazador de la Bruja include:
  • Always Save the Girl: Unusually, by another girl.
  • Amazon Brigade: The team of female Men in Black led by Blue Eyes.
  • Ambiguously Jewish: Nadie, who mutters "oy vey" on a regular basis, at least in the dub.
    • Doug Rosenberg, as well, if his name is any indication.
  • Ancient Conspiracy: The Witch Coven.
  • Angel Unaware: In the middle of Mexico/South of Mexico, there is an inn run by an old man; who apparently is really the Hopi Fertility Deity Kokopelli. He takes the form of a white author who died 3 years prior to the plot.
  • Anime Accent Absence: Despite taking place mostly in Mexico and South America, there are rarely any accents.
    • Partially averted in the dub where some accents get used and even some lines of Spanish in the first episode to establish the world of the story.
  • Apologises a Lot: Iris.
  • Artificial Human: Ellis and L.A.
  • Artistic License Physics: The whole handling of Maxwell's demon; it wasn't a theory but a thought experiment, and in no way was a practical method of doing anything, unlike what Blue-Eyes' narration suggests.
  • Ax Crazy: L.A.
  • Badass and Child Duo: It has two: one is the main couple, Nadie and Ellis (at least until the latter learns to use her magic effectively); the other is Ricardo and Lirio, whose similarities to Lone Wolf and Cub are lampshaded early on. First is a same gendered pairing, the second is a pure example.
  • Badass Normal: Nadie and Ricardo.
  • Badass Spaniard: Seeing how the series takes place in Latin America, there are a few, but Ricardo is by far the best example. "Let's have a drink in hell, amigo" indeed.
  • Bait and Switch Credits: The opening and ending both count. Nadie and Ellis never visit any floating land, no masked man ever follows them around and there is never a cat with a sniper rifle.
  • Bare Your Midriff: Nadie.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Ellis was already considered this, but in episode 16 she consciously beats the crap out of L.A.!
  • Big Bad: Rosenberg.
  • Big Beautiful Man: Very much not the case for the two very obese bounty hunters who find Nadie and Ellis in the final episode.
  • Big Fancy House: Rosenberg's home in the back half of the series, along with several other homes seen in various episodes.
  • Big No: Rosenberg, when Nadie kills Ellis.
  • Bilingual Bonus: Apart from the frequent occurrence of Spanish in the dub, "Nadie" is Spanish for "Nobody".
  • Blasting It Out of Their Hands: Nadie's favorite way of disarming opponents.
  • Blood From the Mouth: Rosenberg in Episode 25.
  • Blood-Splattered Innocents: Ellis, in flashbacks to the death of Doctor Schneider.
  • Blush Sticker: Particularly Lirio, but seen on other innocent young children, including Hispanics.
  • Bodyguard Crush: Mutual, although instigated by Ellis.
  • Borrowed Catchphrase: Nadie uses Ellis' "Yes, sir" on three occasions. Ellis says Nadie's Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner right before shooting Rosenberg.
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: L.A. on several occasions, most notably in episode 24.
  • Brand X: Amigo Tacos.
  • Broke Episode
  • Camp Gay: The two "transvestite" bounty hunters.
  • Catch Phrase:
  • Catgirl: Sort of—a few characters put on cat ears in episode 11, including L.A. and Ricardo.
  • Cat Smile: Joaquin in the last episode.
  • Cheerful Child: Lirio.
  • The Chessmaster: Rosenberg.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Ellis for Nadie. Particularly noticeable in episode 19, when she mentally dubs a couple's conversation over the conversation between Nadie and Ricardo.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Ellis is somewhere between this and an Ambiguous Disorder.
  • Code Name: L.A.
  • Cold Sniper: Blue-Eyes in episode 21.
  • Common Knowledge: Played with in episode 15. On coming across an abandoned hot springs resort styled after a Japanese onsen (in the Mexican desert!), Nadie asks Ellis what she knows about Japan. In the North American dub, at least, she says, "It's a foreign country ... a small country in the East. There's people called 'geishas', and they all eat samurais, and paint their faces with tempura." Nadie adds, "From what I hear, kotakus and ogals are all the rage there now."
  • Companion Cube: Squenchy, the lizard from episode 3.
  • Crossdressers: Two transvestite bounty hunters.
  • Cute Mute: Lirio. She pretty much communicates with giggles and little noises -- until the next to last episode where she recites the witch prophecy (although this is probably the Chairwoman literally speaking through her); in the final episode, Nadie and Ellis receive a cassette tape of her not-quite-singing the "Taco taco taco" song, in which a few actual words can just barely be made out.
  • Cute Witch: Ellis, somewhat subverted.
  • Dead Star Walking: Professor Schneider, voiced by Shinichiro Miki.
  • Death Is Cheap: Episode 25.
  • Desert Skull: A lizard crawls out of one when startled by a key event of the next-to-last episode.
  • Distant Finale
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: When Ellis uses her powers, she starts breathing heavily, and her expression and demeanor are rather... suggestive. It doesn't help at all the first time she does this that L.A. is watching her, also breathing heavily with the same expression, and the camera keeps switching between them.
  • Doing In the Wizard: Inverted. Ellis is the product of genetic engineering, but her powers seem to be genuinely supernatural.
    • Not to mention episodes involving a woman who can read the memories of others, the harvest spirit Kokopelli, and it is probable that the old fortune teller in the first episode was the real deal.
  • Double Entendre: Having very sexy girls and women for the Sex Sells in order to sell tacos!
  • The Dragon: L.A.
  • Dramatic Wind: Jody in episode 21.
  • Dramedy: Noir and Madlax are ultra-serious; El Cazador is pretty much a platonic ideal of anime Dramedy.
  • Dude, She's Like, in a Coma: L.A. to Ellis twice. He even records it!
  • Emotionless Girl: Ellis isn't quite this; she feels emotions (however understated), but doesn't readily identify them.
  • Exact Eavesdropping: Averted with Blue-Eyes in episode 21 -- she has what appears to be a small electronic listening device with a rifle microphone with which she can hear Nadie and Ellis talking from quite a distance away -- and ends up listening to what is implied to be hours of small talk, minor arguments and silence, from which she gets almost nothing of use.
  • Expy: Sort of—Jody shares common traits with Chloe from Noir and Limelda from Madlax, like being voiced by the same seiyuu...
  • Extraordinarily Empowered Girl: Ellis.
  • The Faceless: The Witch Coven chairwoman for most of the series.
  • Faceless Goons: And triceraninjas!
  • Fan Service: Sufficiently more of it than in Noir and Madlax; driven to extreme in the manga adaptation, to the point where it's not funny anymore.
  • Fan Nickname: "Dougie" for Rosenberg, and "Squenchy" for the lizard in episode 3
  • Finger-Suck Healing
  • Flash Back: Up to and including a Whole-Episode Flashback.
  • For the Evulz: Rosenberg arranged the whole stupid road trip through Central America so that Ellis and Nadie would get close enough that when he killed Nadie the grief would trigger the final awakening of Ellis' powers: just as the shredding of her favorite teddy bear initiated her first breakthrough and the murder of Dr. Schneider triggered her second.
    • He's a Yandere. A pedophiliac yandere in charge of the CIA...
    • Blue-Eyes suggests that he's seeking revenge for his father who was Driven to Suicide by the government after seeking the witches' power. He flat out denies this, though. Although it's hard to tell if he's being honest or not.
      • Note that Blue-Eye's grief at Nadie and Ellis's apparent deaths trigger her own latent witch powers. Maybe Rosenberg was on to something.
  • Gambit Roulette: Rosenberg tries to do this -- it fails.
  • Generic Cuteness: Nadie is apparently mildly unattractive, or at least very plain judging by the reactions she gets from most men. Even the playboy mariachi only flirted with her to get money. The way she's drawn, though, the worst you could say about her is that she's a bit skinny for a Hot Amazon.
  • The Glasses Come Off: Blue Eyes ten episodes in (she also lets her hair loose), and the look stays for the rest of the series. Rosenberg says that she looks hotter without them.
  • Gratuitous Spanish: Justified, since it is set in Latin America.
  • Groin Attack: In episode 20, when Ellis sets L.A.'s crotch on fire with her powers (Ouch!).
  • The Gunslinger: Nadie.
  • Healing Factor: Sort of—Ellis can only remove foreign objects from the body without harm. She can do absolutely nothing to the wounds caused by them, let alone to any kind of illness.
  • Heel Face Turn: Blue Eyes. Episode 21 is pretty much dedicated to this.
  • Hidden Depths: Antonio: mild-mannered taco stand manager, former contract killer.
  • Hidden Eyes: Ellis in episode 16.
  • Hot for Student: Ellis and Doctor Schneider.
  • Hot Springs Episode: In the Mexican Desert, no less! in Episode 15. Justified, in that it's a spa with an onsen theme.
  • How We Got Here: A few episodes are set up like this.
  • I Cannot Self-Terminate: Ellis and L.A.
  • I Just Want to Be Normal: Ellis in episode 23.
  • Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: With the sole exception of "Maple Leaf", every episode begins with "A Woman" or "A Man" and then an adjective phrase to describe them or their actions in that episode.
  • In a Single Bound: Ellis and L.A.
  • Invocation: In the last episodes.
  • Jerkass: Nadie is frequently rude and unaware of or unconcerned with most people's feelings. Even knowing how innocent and lacking in worldly experience Ellis is, Nadie occasionally treats her with casual, if unintentional, callousness and insensitivity. This eventually fades away by the end of the series.
  • Jittercam: A subtle example in episode 16 as L.A. walks towards the camera.
  • Kawaiiko: Lirio.
  • Killed Off for Real: L.A. and Rosenberg; though in the final episode they fake us out with Jody's assistant.
  • Last Of Their Kind: The witches dying out.
  • Limited Wardrobe: Semi-justfied, given they're fugitives.
  • Limp and Livid: L.A.
  • Lolicon: Ortega's interest in Ellis in episode 12. Hell, anyone who has interest in Ellis tends to border on this. L.A. manages to avert this since he's the same age as her.
  • Lovely Angels
  • Love Makes You Crazy: L.A., although his love for Ellis has been imprinted in his mind.
  • MacGuffin: Witch powers.
  • Magic Skirt: Ellis.
  • Meaningful Name: Several.
    • It's obvious that "Ellis" is actually "L.S."; Rosenberg actually pronounces it as separate letters when Nadie and Ellis finally meet him for the first time.
      • At the same time, "Ellis" is also one of the names of the "Linking Sigil", a rune from Chaos Magick designed "to link locations believed to be imbued with magical power and create a network of energy that can be accessible and harnessed by magical practitioners of any paradigm".
    • "Rosenberg" is German for "rose mountain"; given the role the "Inca rose" crystals play in the plot -- particularly in the mountain redoubt of the witches at the end -- it's clear that it's an intentional echo.
  • The Men in Black: In the OP only, there is one guarding a brainwashing facility for Rosenberg, but given he's wearing a sombrero and smoking a pipe, that sorta takes away the mystique. He's only in one episode, and doesn't do anything. Blue Eyes does utilize a couple of WIB henchladies though.
  • Meganekko: Jody Hayward, a.k.a. "Blue Eyes".
  • Meido: Ellis and Nadie don maid outfits twice.
  • Mind Control Eyes: L.A. in episode 24, and Ellis whenever she unconsciously manifests her powers. Her eyes still change even after she gains full control of her powers.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Blue Eyes.
  • Morality Pet: Lirio to Ricardo. Not that he's a bad guy.
    • Subverted with Melissa Rosenberg. When we first see her, we expect that discovering he's a married man with a devoted wife will reveal sympathetic aspects of his character. No such luck; instead we learn that he's apparently using and manipulating her as much as he does anyone else, and has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
  • Mood Whiplash: "Maple Leaf"
  • Mundane Utility: Ellis, episode 26.
  • Mythology Gag: In episode 4, Ellis brandishes a fork as a "weapon". In Noir, Kirika killed Chloe with a fork.
  • Nadie Is About To Shoot You
  • Nice Hat: Ricardo and Lirio both have distinctive hats that are part of their character identity.
  • No Guy Wants an Amazon: Seems to affect Nadie, for the most part. The only guy ever shown to be interested in her was a con artist who wanted her money.
    • Inverted with Steve Beckman, Blue-Eyes' assistant in the final episode. When he sees her take out a gunman with a crescent kick to the chin, he instantly develops a crush on her.
  • Odd Name Out: "Maple Leaf", again.
  • Ominous Latin Chanting: Not Latin, but still ominous.
  • One-Dollar Retainer: In episode 24, as part of a plan to make sure both Ellis and Lirio are protected, Ricardo convinces Nadie to formally hire him to go out and fight L.A., for all the cash she has in her pockets -- which turns out to be a couple of 10-centavo coins (literally one cent, US). A professional bountyhunter, Ricardo gives the assignment all the serious effort and consideration that he would to a job contracted at his normal price.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Through most of the series, Jody is only known as "Blue Eyes".
    • It's implied that "Ellis" is more a nickname than a proper name.
  • Only One Name: Primary heroines, no less; also L.A., Lirio, and Ricardo.
  • Opening Narration: Done by Blue Eyes in the latter half of the series.
    • Also on the first episode.
  • Otaku: Ortega, episode 12—military variety.
  • Our Heroines Are Dead: Nadie is forced to shoot Ellis in the penultimate episode, then dies shortly afterwards. It doesn't last long.
  • Phlebotinum Rebel: Ellis; L.A. at several points in the story.
  • Playing with Fire: One manifestation of Ellis' powers.
  • Power Glows: Every time witch powers are used nearby Inca rose, the pink mineral glows. Further, most uses of witch powers are accompanied by a glowing pink mist-like aura around the user (and recipient, if any).
  • Product Placement: this Pemex fuel station, where Pemex is Mexico's national oil company. The public phones also look pretty much exactly as Telmex's phones, though this might be more Scenery Porn than anything else.
  • Psychotic Smirk: Rosenberg.
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Nadie and Ellis actually do this verbally while speaking to each other as they wait to trap a vulture in episode 21.
  • Razor Floss: L.A.
  • Real Place Allusion: Wiñay Marka, the "witches' village" and the goal that Nadie and Ellis have been traveling toward, is very clearly Macchu Picchu with a few carved pillars added.
  • Riding Into the Sunset
  • Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: Nadie even turns down a guy to run off with Ellis once more. In fact, Ellis's rather suggestive at times behaviour might indicate there's more to it.
  • Roof Hopping: Ellis jumps inhumanly high, leaping up balconies in episode 17. Jumping from one to the one directly above it shouldn't be possible. In her case, A witch did it. She also leaps up to and over the roofs of lower buildings in subsequent episodes.
  • Scary Shiny Glasses: Rosenberg. The nameless bounty hunter in episode 9 also qualifies. And Steve, Blue-Eyes' Rosenberg-lookalike assistant in the final episode does it accidentally, initially emphasizing his resemblance.
  • Secret Ingredient: In episode 10, Antonio confides in the girls that he adds honey to the Amigo Tacos sauce he buys as a franchisee, to give it a certain something extra.
  • Shipper on Deck: By the end of the series, Ricardo is shipping Ellis/Nadie.
  • Shotacon: Seriously, that scene in episode 10 with Rosenberg whispering to LA.'s ears while the latter was naked... Then that strange hug in episode 24. Just seeing the attitude which with Rosenberg treats L.A. doesn't seem to make it too hard to believe that L.A. is, you know, not very virgin.
  • Sleep Cute: In episode 15, Ellis and Lirio.
  • Slasher Smile: L.A.
  • Small Town Boredom: Rita in episode 5 wants to get out of her small town and go see the big city -- any big city.
  • Smash Cut: Used in episode 21, to make the audience think L.A. has murdered a young flower girl. The next scene shows that she's just fine, and was happy that he bought all her flowers.
  • Sneeze Cut
  • So What Do We Do Now?: Episode 26.
  • The Sociopath: Rosenberg. He wants what he wants, and he really doesn't care who has to get hurt as long as he gets it.
  • South of the Border
  • Spicy Latina: Nadie.
  • Spiritual Successor: To Noir and Madlax.
  • Staking the Loved One: Nadie has to kill Ellis to stop Rosenberg's plan. She gets better.
  • Stalker with a Crush: L.A.
  • Stern Chase
  • Super Strength: Both Ellis and L.A. display this -- Ellis singlehandedly pushes a stuck van free in an early episode; L.A. wields a massive machine-gun one-handed in episode 24, and doesn't seem to be bothered by its weight.
  • Take My Hand: Episode 19.
  • Third-Person Person: Ellis, on occasion.
  • This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Toyed with in various ways throughout the series.
  • Token Loli: Lirio.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Ellis, once she gains full control over her powers.
  • The Un-Reveal: Just as powerful as The Reveals of Noir and Madlax combined.
  • Unlucky Childhood Friend: In a weird way, this is the case for L.A. His infatuation with Ellis stems back to their "infancy" when, while both were still in Uterine Replicators, they turned toward each other and their eyes met.
  • Villains Out Shopping: Once Rosenberg gets to his lakeside villa, there are plenty of cuts to him just fishing or playing chess. Of course, these scenes are often still set to his evil-sounding theme music. It doesn't help that he eventually ends up looking at a picture of Ellis a lot.
  • The Voiceless: Lirio (except for two instances at the end of the series). Despite this, she acts as a link between Nadie and Ellis and Ricardo, seeing as Ricardo isn't exactly the sociable type. Any interactions between them for much of the series is caused by their interactions with Lirio.
  • Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Antonio and Margarita in episode 10. A tubby taco stand worker married to one of the hottest women in the series. Apparently, he reminded her of a puppy she had as a girl.
  • Villainous Breakdown: L.A. in episode 20, not that he was tightly wrapped in the first place.
  • Walking the Earth: Nadie and Ellis prior to episode 26 as part of the Stern Chase they're leading, and after the end of the series by choice.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: Melissa Rosenberg. The last we see of her is a melancholy moment alone in her sumptuous home as Rosenberg flies to South America to intercept Nadie and Ellis. And die. Will she ever find out he's dead? Will she ever learn she was as much a piece of stage dressing in his grand scheme as everyone and everything else?
  • Witch Species: Ellis and L.A. are synthetic, while Jody/Blue Eyes is natural, but unpowered.
  • Will They or Won't They?: Nadie and Ricardo; they won't, obviously.
    • Nadie and Ellis appear to get together in the end, though.
    • Pedro in the last episode seemed to like Nadie a bit. Joaquin, not so much.
  • X Meets Y: Amigo Tacos, when Taco Bell meets Maid Cafe.
  • Yandere: L.A. and Rosenberg.
  • You Gotta Have Pink Hair: Lirio. It's quite out of place in a series where most characters have natural hair colors.
  • Zettai Ryouiki: Ellis.
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