Gungrave

Writer: Yasuhiro Nightow (Yousuke Kuroda for the anime)
Director: Toshiyuki Tsuru
Production House: Madhouse
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Crime, Science Fiction
Vintage: October 2003-March 2004
Episodes: 26


Synopsis

Our story revolves around Brandon Heat and his best friend Harry MacDowell, who were a part of the biggest multinational corporation in the world, aptly named the Millenion, who is in control of practically everything in their giant skyscraper. One day while on the way up the massive elevator to the skyscraper, Harry had hatched a plan to murder Millenion's boss and take over the corporation. Harry then informed Brandon about his plan and even offered Brandon custody of the boss' wife, whom Brandon was in love with, and adored from afar. Brandon was sick to the stomach upon hearing Harry's evil scheme, and the two ended up coming to blows, with Brandon ending up shot and falling from the extremely tall skyscraper. Harry then proceeded with his plan and managed to take over Millenion, sub subsequently starting the Necrolization project, which is essentially Harry's plan for world domination, bringing people back from the dead as super human zombies to do his bidding. Harry even had the heinous idea of resurrecting Brandon in order to use him as part of his undead army. Brandon was then exhumed and resurrected, but without memories or emotions, hence becoming a true undead killing machine. Harry even renamed him Byond the Grave or Grave for short. Brandon then slowly started to experience some flashbacks and a few hints to his past, gradually re-learning all that had happen prior to and after his death. Now Grave, armed with twin guns dubbed Cerberus and his coffin that doubles as a missile launcher and machine gun, takes on a mission to hunt down and kill Harry, for all the troubles he had inflicted upon the world, and will not stop until he finds Harry and finishes him off for good.


Chibi's Grave Comments
Well first thing I'd have to say is do not, under any circumstances, judge this anime by it's cover. When I first saw the series, I honestly had a very different impression on it, going into it thinking this would be another violence-friendly kill-fest, with Brandon killing all the other undead all the way to the end. I was wrong and kind of disappointed at first, but come the third episode onwards, I was hopelessly caught in the marvelous web that Gungrave had weaved.

The series takes place in an unknown town that kind of reminds me like one of the cities in Europe. The newspapers and dates strewn about in the series kind of gives you the hint that it is sometime in the late 1930s, although the buildings, cars and scenery looks a lot more modern than that.

The main focal point of the plot centers around Millenion, a prominent syndicate in the city, which basically implies that a majority of the episodes are based on illegal activities and murder, a few of the normal gangsterism traits that go hand in hand with the syndicate. Although the mafia thing has been done over and over again in movies, Gungrave manages to still be interesting and kept me glued to the seat all the way to the end. Although the first half of the series deals heavily with the Millenion's activities, the second half beautifully merges supernatural and sci-fi elements. It might seem odd but the combination works perfectly.


Stripped bare, Gungrave is essentially a buddy series. It's basically an epic journey two friends embark upon, entering a dangerous new profession and finding out the amount of mettle needed to get to the top. Character development is in abundance in this series, taking all shapes and forms, centering a lot on Brandon and Harry. A great deal of writing is taken into account in the plot, but the writers purposefully revolving all plot lines around the two protagonists and the toll it takes on their friendship. We slowly watch both characters grow from two teenaged hopefuls and their changes over time, transforming their personalities even further, all building up to an amazing climax that we know is assured. What makes Gungrave so interesting is the anticipation of it all, where although you get the idea of where the plot's heading, you'll make all sorts of guesses on when, how, and why that event will occur. The story is flawless in my opinion, and few animes have the way of engraving itself in your mind, but Gungrave is one of those rare ones that stick in your head for a long time.

The music and animation is anything short of superb in this anime. The realistic feel and look of the characters, coupled with music that captures the emotion of the moment so perfectly, is another factor to what makes Gungrave such a joy to watch. The artwork on each character is so intricately detailed that every single emotion on their faces are instantly noticeable whether it's anger, frustration, joy, or even anxiety. In terms of music, all sorts of instruments come into play to properly enhance the mood, from soft saxophone interludes, to piano and orchestra pieces, to even an electric guitar and Jamaican drums wailing in the background, it is truly reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop in terms of the time and care taken into the soundtrack.


The strength of the series in my opinion is definitely the character development. Again the spotlight is on our two protagonists Harry and Brandon, who grow up, struggle, and eventually rising to the top together. With their friendship being so extremely deep and loyal, you get the feel that they can survive and accomplish virtually anything so long as they remain friends. Some supporting characters also grow and change just like Harry and Brandon, and you'll find yourself empathizing with a few. With some of the characters changing for the better and worse, the changes are what tugs at your heartstrings, further amplified with so much death and violence happening around them.

In conclusion, I must say that Gungrave is one of the better animes to have come out in recent years. The story is compelling and engaging, and is shown in a way that not only spreads out character development and actual story, but also makes you feel badly for the characters. Apart from being a drama, the series' many aspects are the worst case scenario and tragedy, which pretty much takes you on an emotional roller-coaster, from happy, to sad, to angry at some of the pivotal points in the plot.The animation also deserves a mention with some camera angles and choices of imagery contributing to the overall excitement of the story. I was also hard pressed to find anything negative to this series apart from the misleading cover and first episode, and upon finishing it made me happy and somber at the same time, even after watching the amazing climax at the end, due to the story being so moving I couldn't stop myself from thinking about it afterwards. Few animes ever caught my attention as completely as Gungrave did, and I sincerely think that it will do the same for you.



Chibi's Review



Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 4/5