Ranked #842

Speed Grapher

Main
No matter which site or forum I go to I see very mixed reviews for this show, Speed Grapher. And it's usually because the show looks good and dark and gritty but then it's disliked because it's not as action packed as___ “insert your favorite anime here.” So based on that I think a good review should point this out. It should also state that if you want an anime that's good and dark and gritty but is also character driven and therefore will dedicate a few episodes to building and defining the characters' personalities, then you will like this show....if you want a show that's gritty and dark but has low character development and more shootings and bigger explosions then watch, Black Lagoon.

Art-Style
The animation is very good....it's by Gonzo [I'm actually starting to remember these company names]. Gonzo is the company that did "Last Exile", which had very awesome art and animation, so Gonzo is a good company to base your art/anime standards by. Speed Grapher is very dark and gritty. Even grittier than Black Lagoon because there was really nothing that seedy about Black Lagoon. Black Lagoon tried to make their town [what was it....Roanapour?] seem so bad ass and dirty, but the art style contradicted that image they were trying to portray, it was too clean, too slick and polished. With Speed Grapher, you got the true sense of being in those respective environments; in the fancy mansions you felt it was fancy and high-class, in the seedy parts of town you got that feeling, seeing the trash and hookers and stuff. Also as I said earlier the animation was excellent, good fight scenes, no corners were cut and no looping.

Sound
The OP, well I never really liked Duran Duran, hmmmm OK well maybe except for the song they did for the James Bond movie also I liked “The Reflex” but I didn't go wild for this song “Girls on Film” it's just not my thing. But you gotta respect any anime that's willing to make that their OP. The ED songs were forgettable even if the art was nice. The Japanese voice cast did a good job [I don't think the Japanese have ever really done a bad job....except for Inuyasha's voice, where the US voice was waaay better!]

Story
OK so this is where it's crucial in the review, and this is where I diverge from the reviewers that didn't like the show or at least the story part. Because I really was impressed by this story. Like I had said in the animation part, this story is gritty! It gives you are real no-holds-barred account of how truly seedy and disgusting is the underbelly of the world's richest top 2%! Well at least within the fictionalized world of Speed Grapher. And you see the sleaze up close and personal, right down to the funky drool and the raunchy sex-orgies. This story depicts just how the real world works, that those in power feel then can do just about anything....that since they MAKE the laws, they are ABOVE the law. Sure a lot of things in the story are make-believe fantasy and science fiction but make no mistake that the very core of this story carries a kernel of truth! Political rants aside, will also be entertained [again as I said in the first part, you have to love character-based anime] by the various inter-relationships and dynamics between the characters as well as character development episodes, that lets you know some of the good guys aren't so good and some of the bad guys aren't so bad.

Cast/Characters
I have to say the bad guy, Chouji, stole the show for me! He was tall with long hair, sleek and impeccably dressed....oh and he has a kick-ass power! No doubt in my mind he's merciless, just for the simple fact that he allowed or even orchestrated Kagura to be subjected to all of that sick shit so I can't say I condone his behavior or even understand him on a moral level. He's simply on my radar because he scored high points when it came to the coolness factor. The main guy, Saiga, is an alright guy. I mean he has no 'razzle dazzle' qualities or anything, but he's cool. I guess you would have to look at it from the story point of view, he's supposed to be a normal citizen, he's not rich or anything....even though he's considered high-profile. Also he's supposed to be a bit on the older side and has been though a couple of wars and has seen and experienced a lot of hardcore shit so it wouldn't seem right for him to be this young fetchingly hot bishounen—right? Kagura, is the princess—or in this case goddess—so there really is no need to talk about her, she's cute she skinny and beautiful with long locks. OK, the last person worth mentioning is the blond chic with the gun. I think she's cool, she became a little bit scary and obsessive for a while......and I wasn't feeling that whole 'let's rape an unconscious dude thing' I don't care if he's your man—it's creepy! OK there are some gay dudes in this show that were not only there to be funny but were actually kind of vital to the plot.

Worth it or NOT?
This is a keeper. I would recommend this to people because it is more on the 'hardcore' side of anime, lots of sex and blood. I wouldn't consider this one of the anime greats but it is cool, intelligent and picks up the pace when it needs to. I can see my self re-watching this. read more

Story (7.7) - It starts when Saiga, who was a war photogapher, started investigating an special underground group controlled by Suitengu, a survivor from an attack to an island in an attempt to erase some kind of weird experience. Only 2 people survived that day, suitengu and saiga. Thats where they got some kind of virus that allows them to have "superpowers".
After finding out what the group was all about, Saiga decided to fight against them using his special ability, killing everyhing he photographs.
Its a fine story, it started very well indeed, then by episode 12 it gets a bit worse, but still very nice.

Art (7.2) - Art...Although not bad, i think it lacks in some characters design, also is not an aspect that got my attention. But its not that terrible,so 7.

Sound (7.3) - Sometimes fits well, sometimes it doesnt fit so well. Besides that, the voices are ok, opening and ending are also ok, the big problem is just the other sound, from the ost some are good, other are not good, and as i said it in some moments the action doesnt fit perfectly with the music. But still ok.

Character - (9.0) There it is.. i liked the characthers in speed grapher. After i finihsed i can say some things about all the most important characters in the anime, and thats positive. Another point is that the characters have nice abilities, and that turns it more interesting. Not perfect, but for sure one of the best aspects in my opinion.

Enjoyment (8.0) - I liked! I seriously dont think i wasted my time..an anime with lots of action, with fine story and characthers..so i recommend..

Overall (8.0) - Not much left to say, basically its an average of all the aspects.
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Story: 8. Pretty interesting story. Kept me on my toes to know what happens next and for that I give it an eight. It didn't give me any chills down my spine that would deserve a 10 but connecting all the stories of Suitengu Saiga and the other characters so well served as a good point.

Art: 8. I love the realistic animation style Gonzo and Asahi used for this series. The action scenes are also pretty good. Could have used more visible wounds though for an R rated anime.

Sound: 9. If there is one thing that irritates me about using English in anime it is when the English is bad. What stopped this show from getting a 10 (the opening by Duran Duran was sick) was their voicing for the occasional parts in English. I don't know why anime producers can't just get someone actually ENGLISH to do the voicing. Good music though.

The characters in this anime were awesome. You came to love to hate characters like Suitengu and Kagura's mother and get attached to Saiga and Kagura. The side character's are also great: Bob, Ginza, Ryougoku, and Tokoshi are all of Saiga's friends and are great supporting characters. Suitengu's Tsujido, Makabe, and Niihari are great supporting character's as well.

Enjoyment: 9. I really did enjoy this anime. It's dark elements were very interesting (for example the Club) and it was never really boring. Good show.

Overall: 9. read more

I was on the lookout for as mature anime series - mature in the sense of gritty and adult themed plot - and following some surfing I found this gem - Speed Grapher.

Once the I saw the opening with Duran Duran's Girls on Film, I knew I would like this. The idea of the main character using his camera as a weapon was an interesting concept, kind of reminded me of the horror PS2 game Project Zero (Fatal Frame), and although this series has slight horror by the way of various monsters making their entrance in the show, I felt this series to be more of a action drama.

The relationship between Saiga and Kagura was sweet and core to the series. It was his teachings to Kagura about the reality of the world which was interesting to watch and you can really see their affinity for each other grow as the series progresses. However it was the villain Sitengu who stole the show for me, after seeing his background and motivations in what he is doing and I personally felt - good on him and hope he succeeds, which to have that kind of feeling for the villain for the peice proved to me that this was good story. YOu even start to have feelings for his back up crew of villains, which again I have only seen in Black Lagoon.

I did feel however the series did become a monster of the week scenario, and the series could have been shorter, but its a TV series so I think we all have to live with this!

Fan fave - Ginza was welcome humour relief to the series, however she was a much needed contrast and flip side of the coin in protection Saiga. It was nice to see that similarity portrayed. Plus she fulfilled a guys fantasy of taking control of some situations - if you know what i mean! ;)

With regards to the sexual themes, were they required? I think this aspect is where Speed Grapher was trying too hard to aim for its intended mature audience, and could've been handled better, but I think it was probably a way of enticing people to watch the series,m thankfully it didn't interfer with the story.

Animation wise - not as good as Gonzo could be, but not that bad that it effects enjoyment. Sound track wise - fiited the series well, but nothing too memorable that makes you want to OST.

At 24 episodes not much of investment of time, and if you do like a dark gritty character driven story, and you dont mind some OTT, give Speed Grapher a go, especially past episode 4 where it starts to shine.

An overall 8/10.

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Speed Grapher is one of Gonzo's mixed received animes...

After watching the entire series, it's not hard to see why. But you have to take into the account on how WELL the execution was on everything!
For whatever purpose, Gonzo created a very impractical, a bit ill-plotted, but very whole-hearted series.
It does MANY things that "lots" of other animes NEVER do: It tells it's story by never wasting an episode or changing it's style (even if that style is a little over the top), the characters are utilized based on what they can do, and who they are (they don't suddenly change their morals or have the ability to do what they couldn't in an episode ago...), and it very rarely gets boring.

If this isn't enough to make you watch Speed Grapher than read the individual points.

Story: 10/10

I'll admit, most of the story seems a bit weird, because it tries to be mature in appearance, yet it has superpower elements too.

This severely affects the beginning, since many might find it too mismatched to take seriously.
But others might be interested by it's presence and mood enough to persist and what makes Speed Grapher, Speed Grapher.

As I previously mentioned, it's a superpower anime, but it, pleasingly, doesn't take the stereotypical superhero route i.e. guy gets an ability, uses it to save the day and perhaps get a girl in the process.

It could appear as this initially, except it maxes out the mature elements to the TIP top!!!

Another theme in this series is political corruption and "money is true power". Based on these two themes, one could ask: How can these two mix and still be taken seriously???

It starts off a little shaky, eventually turned into an experience noteworthy of Gonzo animes.

It's very rare that I can't properly pinpoint the reasons of it's brilliance, but when I do it means that the story is quite good.

I'll say these points:

1. There is a romance element too, and it too is appropriately handled.
2. The ending is both non-anticlimactic and complete.
3. The superpower fights are both brainy and brawny

Art: 9/10

One of the MANY things critics hated (with a passion) about this show was it's art and overall appearance.

Well I'm hear to tell you that, given what the story is about, it COULDN'T have been done any other way...

Many have heard of Gantz, which is another of Gonzo's works. While that one was smooth and shiny, this is rough and gritty...

That might make some find it to be 10 years too old for it's era!

But take my word for it: It's both tasteful and thoughtful!

The reason it matches is because dark stories need a dark atmosphere, and when you watch a dark story with clean cut animation and artwork, you'll probably focus more on eye-candy than the oppressiveness...

Sound: 9/10

This is a above average score that is both emotional and groovy...

The opening Girls on Film is a prime choice for the intro! As it both matches the protagonists' power and on how dark the story gets.

The background music has a capable soundtrack for those gory scenes to those obscene, gross and, for lack of a better word, "weird" moments.

But one piece of music is during certain emotional scenes, and even though the song is simple, it drew me to tears after the damage was dealt...

Character: 9/10

The thing about corruption stories, is that they tend to have either unlikeable people or people that just "witness" events and are "tools" in whatever is going on.

Speed Grapher has two leads that leans more towards the 2nd but with more personality.

Saiga is the main hero and he's a 32-year old war photographer who used to live for the sake of capturing "life" with his lens. He's the kind of guy that makes you want to be a photographer... except his passion is to the point where he gets "excited" by it...

Of course, he never mixes business with "pleasure" (even though, ironically, there both...)

Basically, he has no drive to photograph anything because life has nothing for him... Until a certain someone changes him...

Kagura is the main heroine and she's a 15-year old high school student who has a lot more power than one is initially aware of...
Although she doesn't really fight in the series, she, in her own way, is more powerful than most of the supers in here.

She is one of the most tragic of heroines to grace an anime, and that fact couldn't be stressed more. Her background is both horrible and completely (though a bit extreme), sickening.

Most of the story revolves around Saiga protecting and showing her the essence of life. She is drawn to his experiences and both trusts and is emotionally attached to him.

I did say that this anime is a romance anime, and I also said that it was done appropiately, I should add that she is more of the go getter that he is (but he idolizes her mostly until he realizes later on that he...).

This anime also features one of the best (though not glamorous or famous) villains for this type of anime: the elusive Mr. Suitengu.
Can't say much more about this guy since that would ruin the story. But characters in this story are hardly one-dimensional.

One flaw about the characters are that they are a little too dark at times, and thats pretty much it...

Enjoyment: 10/10

I honestly never got bored ONCE during the entire anime!

Even when the storytelling was initially unclear I was drawn in by it's take on what it was doing...

Gonzo has rarely disappointed me with their works. Their adaptions are generally rock-solid and their original stories are often inspiring!

You'll have fun with this series once you get used to the style, and that should only take 4 episodes TOPS.

Overall: 10/10

I loved this series. I can't give it the recommendation of the year or anything, but it was definately much better than the critics made it out to be.

This anime was very, very shaky. With how unstable the story and the art is, some will wonder if the effort will be worth it.

I can tell you what you'll get out of here is a provacative piece on how some are forced to live the way they do because it was all they could do. It talks about being helpless. About being alive. And what is worth living for...

Speed Grapher is an anime that shines deep in the ocean of anime. You owe it to yourself to plan an expedition to mine out this gem of a hidden treasure!

+ A unique (if very shaky and unstable) take on theme, doesn't take the usual route when it comes to a typical superpower story.
+ Sound, characters, and art match with the story effectively, you'll never get bored if you keep your mind open.

- It's shaky nature will cause doubt in some viewers, the art is inferior when compared to some of Gonzo's other works.
- It's execution of extremity will either befuddle or dissuade people entirely, very hard to categorize it's level of crediblity when constantly faced with weird circumstances (only at the beginning). read more

Ok this anime is meant for adults...So nudity, secks(yes lotsa) ,violence. Shinsen sub did a good job on subbing this anime so My thanks to them. Despite being supernatural mysterious genre, it's more towards the reality and things happening around us..so dont expect any super heroes in it as they're, previously were humans due to some sort of...

The story itself has many good turnouts and each time, it will make the viewers to think about the moral behind the story. The characters(including villiains) have different personalities from the gross to ones should respect.

I cant say i am totally enjoy this anime so far from the episodes i watched 'cause some scenes are quite disturbing..yet it digs out my curiousty to find out more. My advice is - dont rush and watch it slowly. read more

Speed Grapher is about a man named Saiga. Saiga is a photojournalist who's seen it all. He is well known for being a war photographer. He now lives in Tokyo doing regular photo work and is completely disappointed with his work, until one night he stumbles into a secret club where he finds some of the darkest most disturbing truths about the world around him. But amongst the grim he find's the beautiful girl which to him instantly becomes the perfect subject for his camera. All hell breaks loose and Saiga now finds himself with a new disturbing power which he can't explain and the young female who doesn't understand what's going on either. They end up running for their lives while trying to solve the mystery behind Saiga's powers and the girls connection to the club and what it all means for the city.

Story: The story is well told and very complex. This anime does a great job of showing some of the more disturbing sides of life. You can actually walk away with a wider perspective of some of the ways people in this world actually think.

Art: The art is very sharp and crisp. The scenery changes quite a bit giving you different contrast in colors so that you're not always looking at the same thing.

Sound: The music and sound of the anime is good but probably one of the weaker points not because it is bad but more because it really doesn't stand out much on its own at any point.

Character: Other than the main character's, you'll meet a new character every episode. It's unique in the fact even in just a 30 minute episode the creators do a great job of letting you understand the new character's quite well before the end of the episode. The main character's are very well explained through the show, you're constantly learning something new about them while you watch the story progress.

Enjoyment: While you're constantly wondering what's going to happen next. You'll also be trying to understand the world in where this is all taking place as and get a handle on it. It's definitely a suspenseful show that does a great job of making you sit back and think about the world around you.

Overall: I'd recommend this show to anyone that like's a interesting story but its definitely at an off beat pace. Be forewarned though, this anime delves into the sick and perverse side of human lives, so you'll see a couple slightly disturbing imagines depending on how sensitive you are to said scenes. But the show tells a great story which gives some good insight to life. read more

In all fairness this show looks better than it is. It starts great and gives an idea of how this story is gonna go in the first 2 dvds, but somewhere around the 3 dvd (12eps) it starts to die out and frankly you just dont care anymore. The characters and environment are setup to be top notch, but without an engaging story they have nowhere to go, which sux cause there's only so much you can do with a character driven show.

I honestly can never remember what happened in the last dvd when I see a new one and have to always go back and try to figure things out. Its just not memorable. I have the last dvd but I just don't want to watch it. The dvds come with great stuff, but don't let that sway you into thinking its a great show. It ain't

If you skip this series you won't be missing out on anything.
C+ read more

Story: The story in Speed Grapher is just so intense it is addictive to see what will happen next and how Saiga's gonna get out of this one.
Art: There is no "lazy animation", the detail is superb.
Sound: I gave this an eight only because the ending theme is so very very BORING. And the lyrics... "I'm all jittery like a horse's tail"? That's, like, the worst simile ever. The opening theme is fantastic, though, and the dubbing simply kicks ass. You will hear lines like "Get me more diamonds, you cocksuckers!", "Geez lady, that was fucked up", and "Try not to crap yourself with excitement."
Character: The characters are great and they have different sides to them. Like the gun-toting detective woman you'll meet in episode one. You think you have her figured out, but then in the third volume it turns out she's more than meets the eye.
Enjoyment: This is a nine only because I don't like Tsujido (sp?). Just plain don't like him. Yeah you are probably saying that should go under 'Character', but I don't enjoy this character... I found out his voice is Greg Ayres, and that might be why I dislike him.
Overall: MUST SEE. read more

"Speed Grapher" is a near-future sci-fi anime from Gonzo that is at times lurid, perverted, nihilistic, gory and vulgar, but that's all part of its deliberate "charm". What we have here is a "chase, capture, escape" action thriller that has been given the sort of glossy superficial trashiness that we haven't seen much of since sci-fi magazines of the 70's, while at the same time the story is, at its heart, an odd mix of romance, lust and longing.

Tatsumi Saiga, a famous but now burned-out war photographer who has recently recovered from near fatal wounds from his last assignment, stumbles upon a true "den of iniquities" in Tokyo where the rich and powerful in Japan get to taste the most forbidden of pleasures, and if they are chosen, get to have their innermost dreams made real by a kiss from a "goddess". Saiga unintentionally gets kissed by the young "goddess", who tearfully asks Saiga to save her. That kiss changes Saiga into a "Euphoria", a monstrous being whose innermost wish has now turned into a terrible reality. In Saiga's case, his "wish come true" means that now when he "shoots a photo", his camera truly "shoots" the target with varying amounts of destructive power.

Saiga is not the only person to have been transformed into the "Euphoria" state. There are many others out there who now have unimaginable powers of cruelty and destruction and they are sent after Saiga after he becomes obsessed with answering the plea for help from Kagura, the young "goddess", who is the powerless pawn of her fabulously wealthy and powerful mother Shinsen and her mother's aid and lover Suitenguu. Add to this set-up a slew of baroquely conceived characters, animation that occasionally approaches a dreamlike quality, and a jazzy sound track and you have a dark and sometimes subtly humorous bit of fast-action brain candy that doesn't take itself too seriously and is consistently entertaining. Never-the-less, "Speed Grapher" is not for all tastes and this is a case where "viewer discretion" is definitely advised.
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