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Friday, April 3, 2015

Anime Hajime Review: Gungrave

Series Synopsis


Mika Asagi (voiced by Kumi Sakuma) is on the run from the powerful crime syndicate known as Millennium. Before her death, Mika’s mother Maria (voiced by Kikuko Inoue) spoke of an old friend that could protect her. Having been cornered by Ogremen, Millennium’s personal super soldiers, Mika is saved by said person. The man’s name is Brandon Heat (voiced by Tomokazu Seki).

Back at Millennium, the top members learn of the failure to eliminate Mika. They cannot understand how it is possible there is someone capable of defeating their Ogremen. The leader of the crime family, Harry MacDowell (voiced by Tsutomu Isobe), puts all the groups resources into finding this person. Once Brandon is identified, Harry is shocked to learn that his former friend has seemingly returned from the dead.

We are then taken back thirteen years to when a young Brandon and Harry (voiced by Kenji Hamada) are living as local street thugs. The two work their way up from the slums and join the ranks of Millennium, headed by its founder Big Daddy (voiced by Iemasa Kayumi). While Harry makes a name for himself as one of the organization's best executives, Brandon rises up to become the top ranked enforcer and favorite of Big Daddy. While Brandon is extremely loyal to his boss, Harry wishes to climb the ladder and become the head of Millennium.

Series Positives


It actually took me some time to nail down why I like this anime so much.

Character Development *Possible Spoiler*

Brandon
There are tons of great characters in Gungrave, but it really comes down to two: Brandon and Harry.

I have mixed feeling for shows that are told in flashback. I have seen some that have nailed it and others that have been a jumbled mess. Gungrave is an example of it working.

Harry
Part of the story’s intrigue is seeing how things got to the way they are at the beginning of the show. The difference is night and day. When Brandon and Harry are introduced as their younger selves, they have a hard but good life; well as good of a life as possible on the streets.

Living in a run downed diner with their gang, Harry is trying to increase his influence in the city with Brandon at his side. The two could be mistaken for brothers, seeing how close they are. They have each other’s back and are willing to die for one another. It's a seemingly unshakable partnership, the key word being “seemingly”.

Brandon and Harry have two very different goals in life. Harry wants to take on the world and be the person above it all. Brandon on the other hand, doesn't have much focus on what his purpose is. All he knows is where ever he ends up, he wants to be standing next to Harry. Upon joining Millennium, their aspirations heavily influence the men they become.

Harry (Older)
The show does an unbelievable job at developing these characters. You see the growth, you experience the changes. You know them, you understand them.

Maria
In Brandon, you watch him become this idealistic individual who learns what his life is about. To him it's about being a protector and in order to be that, he must never betray. Unfortunately this is not necessarily a positive. In fact this boarders the line of tragic.

Mika
For Harry, you witness a man with the greatest of ambitions turn very, very dark. His sharp mind becomes manipulative and conniving. He can only see his end goal and soon stops caring about how he gets there. Harry believes himself to be infallible, blaming others for his own mistakes. By the time he realizes the damage he has caused, he is unable and frankly unwilling to do anything about it.

You get to be with these characters through their journey and slowly you see the cracks start to form for the once unbreakable duo.

Mother and Daughter

While on the streets, Brandon meets Maria who becomes a very important person to him. Later in the show, it's up to Brandon to protect Maria’s daughter Mika.

Because Brandon sees himself as a dangerous person, he deliberately pushes Maria away in order for her to live a normal life. As a result, Maria turns to and falls for Big Daddy (it makes sense in the show). Brandon respects and admires his boss and has no ill feelings towards the match, but his love for Maria never goes away. The same can be said for her. Therefore when it comes time to protect Mika, Brandon happily takes up the task without question.

This is another example of how well Gungrave uses its characters to convey the story. Maria and Mika are a pivotal, not to mention interesting, anchor for Brandon. The two women also give purpose to the other. Without Maria, Mika couldn't exist (both figuratively and literally). Without Mika, Maria would have been a wasted character.

And while that's all well and good, there more to it than that.

Mika plays a duel role. Because Maria is such a likable person, it's truly sad and heartbreaking when she is killed (that's not a spoiler, you figure it out in the first episode).  Because of this, every time you see Mika you are reminded how awful things have become. But there is also a glimmer of hope that things might get better.

Brandon Heat: Action Star

So we established that Brandon is well developed as a person. I have yet to mention how straight up awesome he is.

Brandon is one of the coolest characters I have seen. He is a highly skilled mob enforcer who can take on dozens of heavily armed gunmen by himself. Proficient in both hand to hand combat and marksmanship, Brandon is the very symbol of Millennium’s power. This is before he becomes a demon like being and taking on hordes of Ogremen.

When you first see Brandon, you see him as his altered self. To get to that state, Brandon underwent a process called Necro-Rise. It gives the recipient super human abilities and is near invulnerable. It's in this form that Brandon is able to take on Harry’s Millennium.


Series Negatives


There were several times where Gungrave feels awkward, jumpy, and things just don't sit well.

Introduction of the Ogremen

It feels as though all the sci-fi elements in the show, I have more or less ignored. Gungrave is science fiction, no doubt about it. However the show does a poor job of introducing this aspect of the series.
The process of Necro-Rise and the Ogremen seem to just appear. There's no build up, there's no warning, there's nothing to clue you in that this type of technology is possible in this world. This is how the story sets it up:

Two best friends join a powerful crime organization where they find great success and influence. The two slowly start to drift apart. It’s a tale of growth, discovering purpose, loyalty, betrayal, and heartbreak. Oh and there's monsters.

Feels like I am missing a big piece of the puzzle.

Then as quickly as they appear, all the sci-fi bits just go a way for a while; as if they were some weird side story and not a main element. Suddenly, when it's needed again, it’s conveniently brought back.

Overall it doesn't feel thought-out. This is not a good way to make a first impression with something that is so integral to the plot.

A Tale of Two Stories

I didn’t know what it was at first, but while watching the series something just felt wrong. Then it hit me.
Gungrave is two shows in one. The first half is a crime drama, while the second half is science fiction action/adventure.

To the series’ credit, the two work for the most part. It’s just such a jarring change in tone that it takes you awhile to settle back in. This is the reason why I am very cautious with shows told in flashback, especially when the flashback is just so different from the introduction.

The worst culprit of this, that I have come across, has been Berserk. Before I lose a few of you, Berserk is a great anime, but the ending is horrible and the beginning doesn't make any good damn sense with the rest of the show.

By the time I was half way through Gungrave, I was worried that it would go Berserk on me (see what I did there). It follows the pattern perfectly. The first episode shows this really big guy with super human strength just mowing down things left and right. Then all of a sudden I was watching something completely different.

Gungrave was able to get away with this because it did return to the first episode and finish the series.

Final Thoughts


This is a fun anime. There's a lot to like.

While not perfect, and certainly not the greatest, Gungrave adds to the already impressive list of outstanding action shows. With unforgettable characters and great atmosphere, this series is a treat to experience.

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