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*
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| 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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