Gungrave
| Gungrave | |
|---|---|
This picture is highly misleading. | |
| Original Manga | N/A |
| Director/Artist | Toshiyuki Tsuru |
| Format | Anime (TV) |
| Made By | Madhouse |
| Episode Length | 24 minutes |
| # of Eps/Volumes | 26 |
Contents
Genre
Sum it up in a Sentence
Looks like Devil May Cry, but turns out to be mostly The Godfather in anime form.
Main Description
Once upon a time, a guy named Brandon Heat and his friend Harry MacDowell were just small time thieves until a chance encounter turns them into members of the Millenion crime syndicate. Most of the series is essentially a huge flashback that shows how Brandon later became the being known as Beyond The Grave and how Harry turned into the cruel villain with an army of zombie-like monsters at his command that are all featured in the first episode.
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Personal Opinions
Kleptobot
At first glance, it looks like some grimdark resurrected gunman fighting a bunch of evil zombies, right? Heck, the first episode even plays up this angle, but when you get to the second episode, it's like you're watching a completely different show. There are no evil zombies, no super-smart scientist resurrecting the dead, no city in ruins...just a couple of small-time thieves who manage to become members of a mob-like crime family. Brandon takes his place as an awesome gunman, while Harry schemes and works behind the scenes as he continually grabs more power for himself. I'm not sure why they bothered to put the whole zombie army thing in, considering this show could have worked just fine without it.
Having said that, I remember Gungrave being a pretty neat show even with the whole super-scientific necromancy twist. Then again, it has been a few years since I've seen it, so take that with a grain of salt.
BetterDead
Gungrave is a worthy watch. It tells a cliched mafia story of two friends rising through the ranks, but tells it well. The series rarely puts a step wrong and is enjoyable throughout. However, as this was adapted from a game, shit goes absolutely crazy near the end and really just throws any sense of tension or interest to the wind. Characters basically become end-bosses and their previous characterisations are just brutalised in seconds. It's amusing in a what the fuck kind of fashion, but generally detracts from the series quite a lot. Fortunately, the very end is not retarded. I would love to explain what happens in more detail, but it would be quite spoilerific.
Links
- ANN's Gungrave profile (English)
- FUNimation's official Gungrave website (English)
