 El Cazador de la Bruja is the third in Bee Train's "girls with guns" trilogy. It began with Noir and continued with Madlax (neither of which I've yet seen), and now we have this one, set in perpetually sun-drenched Mexico. Cazador concerns a bounty hunter named Nadie, whose assignment is to capture the amnesic fugitive Ellis, who is wanted for murder. At first Nadie only sees Ellie as a monetary reward, but they bond as they travel about, trying to find some answers about Ellie's past, and as Nadie protects Ellie from a creepy, mysterious, silver-haired guy named L. A. (yes, like the city), who is tailing the two and showing an unhealthy, obsessive interest in Ellie. Thankfully, the pair run into some characters who are not antagonists, including a middle-aged bounty hunter named Ricardo and his practically mute child traveling companion, Lirio. They also run into a village of witch worshippers, a woman who digs tunnels hoping to find an artifact, an anti-government conspiracy nut, and others.
So far, Cazador probably sounds pretty unremarkable. And in truth, early on, I wondered if the show would do anything for me. But as it went on, I found myself liking it more and more. While the show has action set pieces, I soon realized the emphasis would be on the Nadie/Ellie relationship, and on the way it grows over the course of the series. Realistically, their relationship isn't smooth sailing, either, as they suffer feelings of doubt, of being a burden, of worrying about how a secret will affect things, and even of getting temporarily tired of each other. (Hey, remember those long car trips with family? Same deal.) But these emotional challenges, and the challenge of just staying alive amidst gunfire, only makes their bond stronger. It's in these aspects that the show works.
Of course, this would be for naught if we didn't have engaging leads. Luckily, they are. Nadie knows how to gunfight, but she has a soft side too, which is easily apparent when she is with Ellie. For her part, Ellie is fun to watch. In addition to being amnesic, she is somewhat unfamiliar with many customs, and it's fun to see her learn things for the first time, even something as simple as standing up for herself to some rowdy restaurant customers. She also has superhuman abilities that are activated when she is under stress; obviously, these come in handy when she and Nadie are in peril. The reasons for this are revealed as the series progresses, so I won't give it away, but needless to say, it shows she's not exactly normal.
I also enjoyed the bits of comedy peppered throughout the show, such as a running joke involving Ellie getting a taco restaurant's theme song stuck in her head and singing it at random times. Needless to say, I guess the advertising worked, because after watching Cazador, I wanted a taco from that establishment. Too bad it doesn't exist.
 The show isn't perfect, though. Some of the action scenes are confusingly staged. For instance, in episode 1, Nadie and Ellie are cornered in a church by two criminals. They hide in a pew when the two burst in, and in the next shot, we see them out back in their jeep. How did they manage to escape? We're never shown. Also, there are some shots that seem artsy for the sake of it, and not necessarily right for the context of the scene. There were a couple times when things would be shot upside down or sideways, for no reason. It didn't really add anything and I wondered why they didn't just "film" it right-side up. Such moments aren't enough to make me say "Skip this series!", but they were vexing nonetheless.
The animation by Bee Train is the usual drill: Pretty basic, with flashes of higher in-betweens during the action scenes. I do like the character designs, though; both Ellis and Nadie remain memorable even after finishing the series, thanks to their unique outfits and hair styles. Rounding out the visuals department, I have to praise the environments in this show, if nothing else for offering some different. After getting tired of the glut of shows set in school and Japanese neighborhoods, Cazador's Mexico towns, deserts, taverns, and inns were a breath of fresh air.
Music, by Yuki Kajuira (who did many other Bee Train series like Noir and .hack, as well as My-Hime and My-Otome), also impresses; between the laid-back harmonica and guitar solos for slower scenes and the orchestral pieces for the action and suspense sequences, she really sets a mood for the show, and I recalled many of the melodies after I completed it. As for the dub, I know I sound repetitive, but FUNi wins again, with Maxey Whitehead and Trina Nishimura both perfect as Ellis and Nadie, respectively. I couldn't imagine any other voices coming out of their mouths, and their deliveries are, for the most part, well-done for each situation. In particular, Ellie's catchphrase "Yes sir!" is just adorable, thanks to the way Maxey says it, varying it for the necessary mood, of course. If there's one nitpick, it's that Clarine Harp seems a little butch for an accountant named Blue-Eyes. But she doesn't do badly in the role or anything; she's just perhaps miscast.
 Special features on the two 2-disc sets are minimal, with a couple of cast commentaries between the two volumes (Maxey, Trina, and ADR director Chris Bevins on one, and Harp, Ian Sinclair, and Bevins on another), clean openings/endings, and trailers. FUNi has gone back to thinpak casing for this show, with two slim cases per volume. No complaints here, as they held the discs in place and gave plenty of reversible cover art, which is always a plus.
El Cazador de la Bruja snuck up on me. It won't be for everyone; it is executed at a slower pace than some would be comfortable with, and some episodes seem like they're just spinning their wheels between the dramatic scenes. But for the patient, you may find the series to be rewarding, as I did.
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