Erementar Gerad

Characters/Development
I was surprised after watching this one as I expected it to be your average adventure anime with the same old story, characters that get forgotten and bad flow in story. I am glad I was wrong, this was a great viewing. The story is a rather simple one but flows very well throughout the anime having some interesting action and emotional moments. Fights aren’t too alike to each other and the emotional moments aren’t the same each time because they are sometimes sad, sometimes cute. The plot also has its interesting moments, with a few awkward ones too but theres nothing overall disappointing about it. The action in this one as I said aren’t too alike to each other throughout the anime as the enemies have different styles for battle and different terrains were they happen at. I did however get bored of Coud getting pushed around without getting hurt too badly at the start and towards the end. I like the emotion the most in this one, especially the way Ren gets upset and learns she starts to feel jealous later on. There are also some sweet romantic moments I don’t wish to spoil, but quite unexpected which is very good. Something I’ve Noticed, the way this anime is set out and the characters, it really reminds me of Outlaw Star. First, the girl is found in some sort of container in both of the animes and are both wanting to go to a certain place with the main character who promises to do so. Second, the characters are alike. You have Coud and Ren who are like Gene and Melfina. Then you have the beast girl character. You also have a good warrior in both and the annoying “kid” if you like in both of them. Thirdly, there are always people getting in the way, some people trying to kidnap the girl and some other adventures inbetween.

Animation/Scenery
Animation is rather good as well, but there were a few repeated scenes in a few spots. The Reacting scene did however got repeatative and boring half way through but at least the studio made those scenes end quicker than near the start. The art style also looks very soft with good tones of colour, with nothing too bright or dull. I did notice the art did get more sharp and better later in the anime too. Backgrounds were interesting but nothing fantastic except a few areas in the later episodes. Character designs are interesting, Ren is very cute with the way she looks with her purple hair and green eyes which is quite different than a lot of female characters and suits her very well. Coud is also rather decent looking for an adventure anime which doesn’t go over the top with hair design and clothes. The others are also interesting without being too far fetched, except the hair style of Wolx, but I rather liked it. Characters also never get forgotten as ealier characters return later in the anime.

Audio/Music
Music adds to the atmosphere and feeling of the anime, especially the music used to explain what happened in the previous episode. They sound like some old folk/country tunes and fit well with the style.

Conclusion
A very good adventure anime, without being too farfetched. Good action and great emotional scenes with an overall good flow for the story.

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Elemental Gelade (also known as Erementar Gerad) is an anime about Coud Van Guiret and his journey from being a simple apprentice sky pirate one who is responsible for the outcome of the entire world. In this world, Edel Raids are special people that react to humans to give humans tremendous powers for fighting and other means. Of course, there are people who want to use these Edel Raids for an evil purpose, and then there are those who want to unlock the deeper, more mysterious power, of these Edel Raids.

Without going too much into the story, you can already imagine, or simply take a guess from what it could be from the background information I presented. The plot is by-and-large fairly predictable and offers very few plot twists. And even those few plot twists can be seen coming for a few episodes. However, the over-used story of a pre-teenager kid saving the world using special powers always has some kind of mysterious charm, and that is what prevents the plot from being unwatchable. It\'s a fairly decent story.

The art is drawn well. The main characters all have some kind of uniqueness to them by their appearance. However, the non-main characters all pretty much are drawn with the least amount of detail to make them different.

The soundtrack is done by Yuki Kaijura, so you know that the score is going to be at the very least, exceptional, and that is no different with Elemental Gelade. There are many tracks in which you\'ll want to download for your private collection or find yourself humming along with the show.

The characters themselves are also somewhat predictable. After watching Coud for the first 5 minutes, you\'ll get a feel of what kind of person he is and after those first 5 minutes, you won\'t see anything different. The only character I found to be pretty much unpredictable was Cisqua, and that\'s because half the time you\'ll probably be laughing at her antics, too busy to predict what she\'s going to do. She is a very enjoyable character and makes the series much more enjoyable to watch.

In the end, if you\'re looking for something unique, different, thought-provoking, or something of the sort, the plot and characters to Elemental Gelade will provide you with none of that. However, with the formula that the series has stuck with, it is still generally enjoyable and will have you rooting for Coud and Reverie (Ren). Also, watching the romance blossom between them is also something that is interesting too.

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Main
Elemental Gelade is an OK series to watch. At first it may look like a kiddie show [which I think it is], but it actually get's a little better and more entertaining so it might be something those of us over 13 might enjoy....just keep in mind it's really simple.

Art-Style
Very bright colors with simple lines and shading, typical of shounen series directed towards a younger audience. There are some pretty good landscape shots...and the floating rocks are nice. The “Reaction” scenes are reused and repeated....frequently.

Sound
Nothing especially thrilling about the OP or ED, I dislike techno very much—so no comment. However some a songs during the show were OK, the last song of the final episode was probably the best.

Story
Very simplistic storyline; good versus evil blah blah blah. There was a deeper moralistic tone being taught here too, which is basically about [racial] intolerance. The story does try to get more complex, when friends turn on one another and you start to wonder just who is the bad guy [and which team is the evil team?] but that all falls by the wayside and reverts back to the overly simplistic children's style of storytelling. The final battle and ending chapters seemed kinda rushed and anti-climactic.

Cast/Characters
Cou's name is annoying [couldn't they have just called him Garrett?] and so is his hair....annoying [they look like fins or gills and they don't get wet in water]. The rest of Cou is OK, the fact that he wears red is a plus [except for Inuyasha and Vash... who wears red?]. Wren was perfect, I liked her—no problems there! The supporting cast was also OK and enjoyable and funny [especially Vero, and ep.18]....but they also have deeper, more serious sides to their personality—which is always interesting to watch and see how things develop.

Worth it or NOT?
it's an OK series to watch one time only. And it's definitely suitable to just watch this on TV or web broadcasts...but I wouldn't buy it unless I had kids.

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Genre:Adventure, Fantasy, Magical girl, Romance
Episodes:26
OP-Forever
ED-Yakusoku


Story-7/10-Well.. I guess.. the girl turning into a weapon.. is not the most original idea.. (Saikano) but atleast its the girl AND the guy fighting together.. Story is pretty good i guess.. in the end of most episodes.. you feel like they accomplished something.. while they are building up character most of the time.. But you really (its so obvious) see the relationship between Ren and Coud grow.. Coud stops being a jerk really quickly..and that was pretty cool.. unlike other series.. where it takes like 20 episodes.. The ending really sucked, if it was the first time you have watched an anime.. then the ending might be really good, but for me it was wayy to Cliche...

Character-8/10-You really see the characters grow up.. you can tell that the main part of this series is the relationship between Ren and Coud... and they do a really good job.. the other characters are there to compare and contrast relationship.. There a decent amount of main characters.. 5.. and they have their distinct personailties.. They meet a lot of people who are there just to make the series more interesting..

Music-8/10-The OP is pretty good, its by Savage Gardens and they are great.. The ED.. was slow.. but eh.. didn't really like it.. they stuck to the usual.. fast OP.. slow ED.. The soundtrack is by Yuki Kajuira.. so full points for the soundtrack part.. The soundtrack.. was pretty good.. decent.. compared to Yuki's other OSTs..

Animation-6/10-Nothing really impressive.. the fight scenes are okay.. but they replay the part when Ren becomes a weapon.. so points got docked there.. Background.. character drawings.. are all.. okay..

Value-3/5-Its a nice adventure series, with good character development.

Enjoyment-4/5-I really like this series.. its just fun to watch.. and it makes me feel "good inside" whenever they accomplish something.. they usually finish minor problems in an episode or two.. so it feels pretty fast paced.. The ending felt a little weird and too predictable, to me, the ending killed the series.

Overall-7/10

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