Gungrave for me actually started off on the wrong foot. The first episode left me scratching my head and muttering “WTF???” Then top that off with the title character dressed like a gay cowboy, or what Japanese people think a gay cowboy should like and I was convinced that I didn’t wanna watch it. Good thing morbid curiosity won the day or I woulda missed out on a helluva series.
I’ve never played the game Gungrave and this series, even though I liked it, didn’t give me any urge to go out and rent it. Though it was based on the game, the plot was so seamless and the characters so believable that I couldn’t even tell it was supposed to be from a video game. Only when Gungrave starts whooping ass do we see hints of video game influence.
Gungrave is an action anime, but damn, they had two words that set them apart from other action-oriented series: character development. That coupled with a great story and a well-paced plot made for good watching. The character design was average and the graphics were so-so, but that can all be forgiven in light of the other things it’s got going for it, like a good voice cast.
Gungrave’s world is a place crawling with crime; hell the main characters are straight up criminals, though they started out as petty thugs. So why the hell should we like or even feel sympathy for two guys on the wrong side of the law? Cause of their story, and boy is it sad. Brandon Heat and Harry McDowell are best friends. They’ve been together ever since they were kids, growing up in an orphanage trying to survive day to day with only each other. If that’s not bad enough, the only real future for these kids is one filled with crime.
So when they get older Brandon and Harry start a gang that’s like a surrogate family. It’s a close-knit group of young hoods that do mostly con jobs and acts of larceny, nothing major or dangerous. That changes when they face off with a rival gang and kick their asses something fierce. In retaliation, the gang sends a killer from their ranks to gun down Harry’s guys. Only Brandon and Harry survive by being in the right place at the right time.
While all this is happening Brandon’s “girlfriendâ€, Maria, has no real clue that her man is the strong arm for a street gang, nor does she the know the history of her adoptive uncle. She is actually an honorary member of the Family (mafia) unbenown to her. The story progresses with Maria going to college and getting a job while Brandon and Harry move up in the ranks of Millennium, the city’s very own mafia. We see how Brandon in his quiet way progresses and eventually becomes the best at what he does; hit man. Harry does the same, except he’s enlisted the help of some seedy characters to help him up the ladder and he does indeed get pretty damn far on that ladder.
Everything goes sour real quick when Brandon is betrayed by someone in the organization and ends up in a bad way. After that, well if I said anything else I’d spoil it. So I recommend seeing this one for yourself if you like crime oriented anime, action/shoot-em’-up anime or if you like a well-developed story.
Rating
Anime Title, Volume Two gets 0.5 outta 4 Hammies!
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