Gungrave

Based on the cult PS2 title by SEGA and Red Entertainment, this anime is an alternate retelling of that respective title which I own a copy of, and you can get it for like $5 at Game Stop. The anime tells the origin story of the main character, Brandon Heat, who is later re-named Beyond the Grave, and his best friend, Harry MacDowell. The organization of the presentation of the story feels as if it was perfectly structured as a 3-act play, each with its own unique theme and gimmick. Act 1 you can label as a story about rags to riches in which Harry ... and Brandon are teenage small timers just trying to survive. Act 2 is about how the duo is trying to establish themselves, and make it to the top of the mafia. And Act 3 is an epic conclusion about betrayal and redemption, which speaks for itself. But throughout the duration of the anime, the idea of family and loyalty will always be a consistent theme.

Even though it’s centered primarily around two characters, I felt a good majority of the characters had their own unique presence and contribution, and really made the themes and messages felt realistic and powerful.

What of course also stands out is Brandon’s characterization that comes across as cliché. In the original game, Brandon never speaks, and the anime is very true to this for the most part. Brandon is still quiet in nature, but with little words he says, it still gives a lot of what goes on inside his mind (of course through narration) and you truly see him start from being an innocent boy, to a contemplative man but yet still maintains his unique surface qualities of being quiet, but yet shows enough emotion to give the audience an idea of what goes on through his mind and find a way to relate to him.

And of course another feature with this whole mafia gig are the weird sci-fi elements. I felt it wasn’t really forced in a way that having sci-fi traits seemed out of place. But the nature of the sci-fi is what makes it bizarre, but yet unique and original. I don’t want to get into the details of that since I would also have to reveal spoilers, but it does add a unique kind of flavor that doesn’t turn you off from the series. The sci-fi part is properly introduced but I felt that the setting such as how far in the future it takes place which will be revealed which will conveniently make sense to make it work. Granted the anime will reveal what year in some parts it takes place in that will make it feel like it makes sense, but I think the anime should have established it from the start, and not 2/3 into it.

What also attracted me to Gungrave was the fact that Nightow Yasuhiro, the creator of Trigun, was the creator of this product as well. Obviously, some elements from Trigun are in this anime as well. Such as the design of Brandon’s guns are quite similar to Vash’s, and Brandon’s coffin gun is of course influenced by Wolfwood’s cross gun. But despite having the same creator, there are some distinguishing differences as well.

In Trigun, Nightow-sensei’s style was more kid friendly and generic, while in Gungrave, his style for the character designs are more edgy and mature which perfectly suits the nature of the story. For the most part, despite the time the anime takes place in, the architecture is quite modern. Though as the series progresses, there are vehicular designs that appropriately reflect the scientific and futuristic elements this anime has. And of course, I like how the anime approaches the aging of the characters throughout the duration of this anime, which I can’t ignore. It does it pretty effectively.

And before I get into the action, I’d like to talk about Brandon’s costume design. I must say it is pretty bizarre, but hey, in his situation by then, what the hell, huh? I think it’s still pretty cool, and really matches his artillery in a complimentary way in that sense, I guess. The action is pretty intense as well. For the most part, it’s just gun violence that does get pretty brutal, and does have some martial arts action as well that isn’t really exaggerated until things start to change into the sci-fi part. If you’ve seen Trigun, then you know what to somewhat expect, but this time, the main character will kill.

Even though I always associate Imahori Tsuneo’s name with his use of guitars, which was prevalent in Hajime no Ippo and Trigun, but hearing the way he composes this anime totally changed my opinion of his talent. The guy knows how to create an appropriate atmosphere with the elements this anime has with a sad blues and jazz kind of feel. Along with the presentation of the animation, I thought his music also brought a noir feature this anime has on all acts in this anime whether in the mafia or sci-fi moments so his presence brought an overall appropriate touch to virtually all scenes that had music.

The voice acting in the Japanese version I thought brought the noir feel to the anime as well, and utilizes most of the voice talent from the original game which was in Japanese. I tried watching the English dub, but it didn’t give me what I was feeling in the Japanese version. Personally, I feel overall the dub isn’t worth watching since there was no dub in the game to begin with to give me some expectation of how it could work. If you’re the kind of person that prefers dubs at whatever levels, I still say it’s good enough for you. But if you’re someone who prefers straight up Japanese no matter how good or bad a dub is, I felt the portrayals in Japanese were best. I felt watching it in English just didn’t have the same level of seriousness that the Japanese had and kind of felt more like a dark comedy, which I feel Gungrave isn’t. I really like how in the Japanese version, which was also done in the English version was how they did Harry’s voice throughout the duration it takes place in. In his younger years, he has a voice where he sound really easy going and sarcastic like Spike from Cowboy Bebop, but when he’s old, he’s as evil as Mori in Flame of Recca. And Brandon was appropriately played by a big favorite of mine as you all know, Seki Tomokazu, who is no stranger to playing quiet and somewhat isolated characters such as Miyata in Hajime no Ippo.

Well, all I can say is if I had to put this anime in a nut shell: try to mix Scarface, The Godfather, Versus, the Yakuza PS2 games, Skullman, Cowboy Bebop and Trigun, then you got this anime. Speaking of Versus, I can actually imagine Kitamura Ryuuhei doing a live action version of this movie, and I could imagine the leading role from that movie playing Brandon. I say anybody who likes those animes, games, or movies individually will certainly enjoy Gungrave and you don’t have to be a fan of all of them just to watch it. Heck, anime fans in general who have no experience with what I described or even the original game despite some significant changes will probably love it. As you can tell from this review, I think it tells an excellent story with characters and themes we can all relate to despite its edgy underworld setting.

For me this anime, with no exceptions, is the greatest of all time. If you haven't seen this, don't be put off by the fact that it was based on a video game, because this is a unique experience, and something you can't miss.

While the action in the show is plentiful and exhilarating, the action is not the be all and end all for this show. The story is deep and touching. Love, hate, greed, betrayal, it's all there. You will see the entirety of these men's lives from beginning to end. You watch as they go from nobody street thugs to top dogs. And ... let me tell you the ending is wonderful. When I say that, I don't mean it's a happy ending, because it isn't. It brings closure. No cliff-hanger. No ending that leaves you with nagging questions of "what just happened?" The ending was so good that I must admit, I did cry a little. Yeah, I know, I'm a guy and I cried.

It's hard to convey the greatness and epic-ness of this anime without telling you too much, so just watch it. You won't be disappointed.

Trust, honor, family and above all else, loyalty.

Throughout the years, Gungrave has become a cult classic within the anime community. It's a title with so much mafioso stylistics, so much grit, so much bravado oozing in every scene, that a panel consisting of Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese would find themselves salivating at the mouth upon viewing it... well at least for the first 15-episodes that is. As for the rest of the show, it all depends on if a Terminator revenge/monster mashup movie hybrid sounds like a good idea to you (I wish I was kidding when I said ... that). But I implore you, don't let that deter you from watching this. If you're a fan of mobster flicks, Gungrave offers enough trademark elements of this niche genre to keep even the most jaded of audiences attentive. Watching it for just the relationship dynamic of the show's main characters, Harry and Brandon, is reason enough to give it a chance. And for many, that remained the only reason for why they finished it to begin with. You come for the mobster appeal but stay for their compelling relationship.

It's safe to say, that in order to fully appreciate this title, one must first suspend their disbelief for the supernatural elements that it contains. If you've seen the 1st Berserk adaptation in 1997, then this anime follows a similar pattern in terms of story execution and character interaction. But unlike Berserk, Gungrave is a self-contained story that leaves you with a conclusive ending and not the infamous cliffhanger that the aforementioned is known for. The 1st half of the story functions like a platform buildup of sorts, giving us the proper motivations of the characters, all the while foreshadowing for things to come in the show's 2nd act. Where the show receives most of its accolades is within the buildup itself. Nothing feels like it was just there to steer the plot. We as viewers see the beginning of the "snowball" effect, as it gradually grows into the outcome that befalls both central characters. Anyone familiar with the elements typically associated with mafia flicks, would be aware that the cast is quite extensive. To avoid going for a lengthy period of time highlighting all of them, I'll instead only focus on the two main characters that the narrative centers around, Harry and Brandon.

Harry can be summed up in just two words: ambitious and cutthroat. He's the kind of charismatic guy that always seem to have an appetite for more, which constantly places him and his companions in a "tight squeeze", for the lack of a better term. On the surface, he appears to be just a stud who just wants to have a good time, but as the show progresses, we can see that facade slowly crumbling away, after a series of life-changing decisions pushes the dormant animosity within him. This gradual chain of events that brings upon a change in him, paves the way to explore a multi-layered character with a great deal of depth found within each plunge into his inner psyche. The amount of detail they were able to pull off with such a simplistic ego is quite impressive. A feat in proper characterization that the writers behind the show deserve praise for. He's not a man that's easily pegged with just a singular viewpoint, but rather one that gains dimensions as we gradually see his metamorphosis throughout the narrative.

Brandon, despite being the "short on words" kind of guy, provides a great deal of insight through his narrative role in the show. What he doesn't say in words, he does with his actions. His body language is his way of communication. He too changes as an individual as the story progresses. Although we get nothing from him at face value, the brief monologues and his internal moral strife help establish his characteristics and drive. Brandon isn't as demanding as his counterpart in terms of motivation, instead, all he really wants is the power to protect the ones he loves. He isn't the most compelling individual to follow, but what he lacks in spunk, he more than makes up with heart. His bond with Harry is what drives a majority of the intrigue with him as a person.

Speaking of their bond, Brandon and Harry's relationship is a rare dynamic to pull off correctly. Second only to Guts and Griffith's from Berserk, their relationship with each other is like a dance between ideals. It's handled with such gravitas, that it becomes almost eerily realistic at times. They establish history. A friendship. A rivalry. A love. And eventually, a hatred, all the while feeling the pain of every exchange. A struggle between friends that's grown so close to each other, that their very closeness ends up tearing themselves apart. They share a comradery so tight-knit that it becomes a delicate walk on a tightrope, where the slightest push can become fatal. And it shouldn't have to be stated but that's where the heart of the conflict rises. It's ironic, but in the end, both men became a monster in their own right. This is how you properly execute the "two sides of the same coin" motif.

The rest of the cast is a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Each character adds a much-needed element to the show. Some becoming the embodiment of a certain theme, such as loyalty, while others become common mobster stereotypes for added flavor. They're nothing incredible on a stand-alone evaluation but becomes the heart of the show when looked at in an overview.

Alright, now that we're done talking about the sentimental stuff, let's talk about all the awesome shit that makes Gungrave, GUNGRAVE!

The anime was made back in 2003-04 and it still blows my mind how pristine it looks even today. You can tell a lot of love and effort went into its inception. From the fluidity of the actions scenes to the detailed art that brings the world to life, Gungrave is an anime that was built to last. But then again, that's to be expected when you have Madhouse at their prime, kicking ass and taking names. Their reputation speaks for itself, with Gungrave being another notch under their belt. The art style and character designs are very similar to that of Trigun, and to no one's surprise, given that Yasuhiro Nightow is the man responsible for the birth of both series. The art style draws heavily on western influences and it shines through in every scene.

This anime is chock-full of "rule of cool" and awesome action set pieces. Everything has substance and weight to it, making for an addictive watch. From the over-the-top shoot-offs, to the monster battles that take place, later on, there's never a dull moment to be found. And with a brisk pace that doesn't take any detours, it makes Gungrave into an easy binge-watching experience.

To accompany us on our journey, we're given a very diverse soundtrack, drawing heavy inspiration from jazz, swing, and blues. With guitar pieces that worked in unison with the violin, to the more upbeat heavy bass guitar and trumpet, every moment was rich with sound, sucking you into the mood being transmitted on screen. It breathed life into the mobster setting, with the atmosphere and tone needed to sell the experience. With beautiful art, attention to detail, and a soundtrack that held its own, Gungrave was a project that delivered on every front.

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Be warned, this is a manly man's show that will cause you to grow hair on your chest. Gritty, action-packed, and always in motion, this will be a title that I'll remember for years to come. Of course, this doesn't change the fact that it takes a lot of the substance it established and squandered it with the monster mashup during the 2nd half, but I still enjoyed it as a whole. The mobster theme was still there throughout, it just takes a backseat for the 'shoot em up' carnage towards the 2nd half. Thankfully, it offers a great payout with the final handful of episodes. Even when taking the shortcomings into consideration, Gungrave was still a very enjoyable ride.

Overall: 7.5/10

As a whole, Gungrave was a good show that was hindered from being better. More doesn't necessarily mean better, something the creators of Gungrave seem to have missed. With compelling leads and an inviting mobster setting, Gungrave could have easily been a universal classic, but due to the unneeded supernatural elements, it was knocked off course, having to settle for the cult classic archives instead. Even with all things considered, I still highly recommend this anime to newcomers and veterans alike. It had style, it had charm, but most importantly, it had heart.

Main
Let me start out by saying this......I'm not into this type of show. I love shoujo anime [and now manga], I also like shounen-ai stuff and I'd say it's pretty much guaranteed that I'll watch just about anything with bishounen. So if someone were to tell me about this show, Gungrave and all I had was his word-of-mouth to go on then I wouldn't have bothered watching it. The only reason I watched it was because they used to play it on Tech TV [now G4] back when they used to be a cool TV station and they played anime on the ... weekends @ midnight. I remember they used to play Gad Guard and this other show, Gungrave. Frankly, I was mesmerized by this show...simply because this story was that good. It had me hooked and I watched it religiously every weekend but I never got to see the ending so I bought the series and even one of those giant wall scroll posters, I loved the show that much......this coming from a person that's a self professed yaoi fan-freak that mainly watches shounen-ai and all other shoujo-type anime. So if I can like this show, I don't see how anyone else can't. What's not to like?

Art-Style
I liked the art in general, but I had issues with the overall character design. The guys' bodies were too big, they're always too big...so big that it seems disproportionate to their heads. Big arms, big shoulders, big chests, big ripped abs, stick legs and tiny head. And I'm not talking about the orc-men or whatever they were called no, this is Brandon, this is Harry, this is Blood War, Bungee and the rest. This happens all the time, not only within this series Gungrave—no—this is somewhat of a phenomenon occurring with all of shounen anime in general. But speaking of the orc-men mutants, how is it that they can get all big and mutated, bust out of their shirts bust out of their shoes.....but the pants and belts stay in tact, WTF!!! Other than that I had no issues.
The art was definitely shounen with all the bold, heavy lines and bulky silhouettes but even so there was this hint of a more grown-up aesthetic to the art that speaks out....”This ain't no little boys' cartoon.”

Sound
This is one of those shows that will always hold an indelible spot in my mind because of the music they used for the OP and ED. The OP theme is a melody aptly named “The Family”. There's no singing, it's just a jazz-like piece on keyboard [I think] but either way it's very cool sounding and mellow. I also liked the OP sequence that went with it; the gritty filmstrip effect used for the flashback to the days when Harry and Brandon were young but you also say elements to their dark side in the OP as well.

The ED I liked strictly for nostalgic reasons. I wouldn't say it's a spectacular song but it suits the show nonetheless and with the ED sequence with Harry and Brandon running towards the sunset......well, that speaks volumes [since nothing anime is coincidental, they have to plan it before they draw it].

The show was watched in English and they did one helluva job!

Story
The only term I can think of for this show is.....badass! But not just badass, It's Tarantino badass. Scorsese badass! It's a little bit Good Fellas, a little bit Reservoir Dogs, a little bit God-Father. Some people may not see it as such because of the zombies and mutants and whatever but that's only if you allow yourself to become distracted by that. I admit it's pretty hard to ignore a bloated 500 pound helicopter mutant zombie-dude firing skull faced torpedoes out of his big belly, but it's just a fight scene....and a fight scene is just a fight scene. Just like when Uma Thurman went ballistic with her sword against Go-Go Yubari, Lucy Liu and the rest of the Krazy 88 gang in Kill Bill, awesome as it was it was just a fight scene.

The real art is in the storytelling and the flow of the narration. Gungrave starts in the middle, rewinds to the start of everything then goes back to the middle of the action and ends at the climax. It's not nearly as confusing as it sounds, Pulp Fiction was more confusing. With Gungrave, the story may have also been out of sequence but it was very easy to follow. One of the main reasons for it being easy to follow was that it was told from mainly one perspective which was that of Brandon Heat—the main character. Mika, another main character that really doesn't show up till the 2nd half, does the introduction as well as the narration for the latter part of the series.

Cast/Characters
Brandon Heat is supposed to be all cool with his badass big machine guns a blazing and eye-patch and killer cosplay outfit but the truth is you can't help but feel sympathetic towards the guy. It's like you feel protected with him next to you with his cold stare, quick moves and big guns but also you get the sense that he's this really meek and sensitive guy that's really the one that needs protecting. You just want to reach out and hold him and tell him everything is going to be OK.........well, I guess you can't if you're another guy, but you get the idea. Tho I don't think he's the type to care if the guy is Harry or even Big Daddy....ha-ha, that's the crazy fangirl in me coming out. Not that it would require a great stretch of the imagination, mind you, the devotion Brandon has for Harry [and vice-versa] is pretty legendary.

Harry is as beautiful as Brandon is profound. Harry dazzles with high-wattage smiles, designer suits and fast cars. I love his dark hair, piercing blue eyes and square jawline, the man is a shark....a very beautiful and deadly shark. He's no doubt a ladies-man, but say what you will....a piece of his heart belonged to Brandon, and that's why they held so much sway over each other. I call this “The Straight-Guy Crush Syndrome” it's a phenomenon where two dudes, even tho they are not gay, they kind of hold the other guy's balls in their hands due to unforeseeable emotional reasons, making each guy...the other guy's bitch. That's the long and short of it. Harry and Brandon's relationship with each other.

Gungrave also has one helluva supporting cast, take your pick, there's bound to be a favorite for you in there.

Worth it or NOT?
It goes without saying, if you don't already own it....go out and buy it! If you liked Bebop then you'll like this one too and if you didn't like Bebop.....well, I don't wanna know you!

Boy, this sure was made by the creator of Trigun. That was one of the first observations I made while watching this anime, and it held true to the end. Many creators have some recurring styles and motifs shared between their works, and comparing it to such a well-known and well-loved classic has the capacity to be both good and bad. It certainly doesn't help that this was also adapted from a video game; game adaptations in general rarely fare well, and from what I've heard the original game itself was mediocre at best (I haven't played it though, so take that with a grain ... of salt). With such a strange, potentially disastrous production history I honestly didn't know what to expect going into this series. It's still very much its own thing, but its creative background is definitely notable enough to warrant mention. Don't make a drinking game out of the times I say "Trigun" or "video game" in this review, because it will kill you. Just wanted to get that out there.

Madhouse of the early 2000s wasn't as consistently solid a studio as they are now, and Gungrave is definitely a little rough around the edges. Nightow's character designs definitely give the show a distinct flavor, leaning more toward realism than Trigun but still retaining a tendency toward some weird proportions, with scraggly limbs, long faces and broad shoulders. Grave's design in particular looks like the unholy lovechild of Legato Bluesummers and Brilliant Dynamites Neon. It's a rough, harsh-looking series, nary a bishonen to be seen, and I think that's what they were going for. The style takes a little getting used to, and when the budget drops it can be hard to keep those designs appealing, but when the animation hits its stride it looks great. Of particular note is its use of lighting and lens distortions, which add a lot to some already incredibly tense moments. Like Black Lagoon, another famous gunfighting Madhouse series, the action scenes occasionally amount to the characters standing in one place shooting without worrying about getting shot, but thankfully this gets phased out in time for the climactic battles later on. The animation isn't great, but it's good. Let's leave it at that.

This series boasts a strong soundtrack that's largely comprised of vaguely Italian-sounding string and orchestra pieces with a little synth mixed in, generally sticking to the mafia motif while ranging in tone from warm and familial to cold and dangerous. There's some really good music here, but weirdly enough I think Gungrave is at its best when there's no music at all. This series thrives on quiet character moments, and some of its best scenes go by in complete silence. There are some exceptions, but on a whole the music for this series is at its best when it's either gentle and understated, diegetic (from a source that the characters themselves can hear, like a radio) or just not there at all. The soundtrack is still great, though, so you should definitely give it a listen if you ever get the chance.

The cast of this series is 99% populated by gruff old men, which means the Los Angeles pool of voice actors is perfect for the job. All the big boys are here: William Frederick Knight, Michael McConnohie, Beau Billingslea, the list keeps going. The Japanese dub was very good as well, but there's one actor in the dub who steals the show completely, and that is Tony Oliver as Harry. His Japanese seiyuu, Kenji Yamada, plays him as fairly laid-back, in control but unassuming. Tony Oliver, on the other hand, seems to understand the character much better, his voice always carries a twinge of aggression. Harry is a very ambitious character, someone who's always taking the initiative to get ahead, and Oliver captures that ambition with every word he speaks. Kirk Thornton, Steve Blum and a several others play their roles well, and Tom Wyner does a fantastic job as an older version of Harry in the second half of the show. As usual there are some awkward secondary characters here and there, but on a whole it's a laudable dub well worth listening to for Harry alone, though not quite good enough that I'd recommend it to dub haters.

While Trigun was well-known for its creative worldbuilding and grand concepts, the thing that really set it apart from the crowd was its strong beating heart, and the same can be said of Gungrave. Yes, there is technology that can revive the dead and create super-soldiers, not to mention a very well fleshed-out look at mafia operations and the underworld, but the thing that really holds this story together through it all is the concept of loyalty, and what it really means to betray someone. Millenion is held together by a cardinal rule known as the Code of Iron, which declares that all traitors to the organization, regardless of status or standing, receive an equal penalty: death. Such a code is simple in theory but exceedingly complex in practice, and the first half of the series, which follows Brandon and Harry's rise to power, takes full advantage of that ambiguity. Millenion's leader, Big Daddy, carries a lot of understandable guilt and self-doubt after dirtying his hands the way only a mafia boss could over the years, and the Code of Iron that forms the crux of his loyalty to those below him is how he comes to terms with it. The various members of Millenion, as well as several third-party characters, all have their own concept of loyalty, but it never becomes trite or stale the way shonen friendship speeches do.

That's not to say that the show is dour and political all the time, though, it's also very cool. The characters here all have ridiculous, over-the-top, completely badass names: Brandon Heat, Harry MacDowel, Balladbird Lee, Bear Walken, Cannon Vulcan, Laguna Glock, Blood War (no, seriously) and as yet another Trigun comparison there's even a character named Descartes. The mafia exploits are intriguing, the ways they make money and how they're integrated into the community is intricate and closely resembles how a real-life mafia would operate. Aside from the choreography hiccup I mentioned earlier, the battles are intense, imaginative in the different weapons and styles used but still very grounded and often telling us something meaningful about the characters involved without breaking suspension of disbelief... at least in the first half. Even when it gets really talky, Gungrave is never boring. This is a rare balance that keeps the show engaging if you don't want to think about it too hard, but there's still a lot of depth and subtlety to the characters here for those who want something more from their choice of entertainment.

The characterization, though, is definitely the meat of the story, and at the heart of it all are Brandon and Harry. Harry is ambitious to the point of ruthlessness, but his goals aren't without principles. His philosophy is that those with power are free not only to take what they want, but also to give it away, and while he's hardly a paragon of selflessness there's a lot more to his vision than pure egotism. He has a grand plan and believes what he's doing is for the best, which makes him extremely corruptible. Brandon is a much purer individual by contrast, and his goals are much simpler. He's quiet and unassuming (think "video game protagonist") but earnest and genuine. He just wants to live a happy life with his friends and loved ones, and if that means helping Harry climb the ladder then he'll become a mafia sweeper without hesitation, but he's also there to step in if his best friend strays too far off course. But of course, it's never that simple. As Brandon comes to love and respect Millenion's leader, Big Daddy, alongside his continuing relationship with his childhood friend Maria, it becomes clear that staying loyal to one might mean betraying another, and he has to come to terms with this in his own way. Several other side characters bring their own perspectives, but for the sake of brevity I'll not delve too far into them. Suffice it to say that the first half of Gungrave is one of the greatest betrayal stories in all of anime, right up there with Guts and Griffith. Now if only the story had a stronger sense of focus.

Once again following in the footsteps of Trigun, about halfway through Gungrave shifts its tone and focus dramatically and doesn't quite manage to tie up its loose ends. In the first half, a process known as necrolization is introduced that brings back the dead as super-soldiers. Okay, I could go with that, it's both necessary for Brandon to come back as Grave and a good way to fuel Harry's ambitions. In the second half, a new process is introduced that can transform living soldiers into mindless drones called Orgmen, as well as transforming their leaders into sentient monsters known as Superiors, and this is where it gets pretty ridiculous. Aside from a little added perspective to an already-peripheral "have I overstepped the boundaries laid down by god?" subplot, these elements serve next to no purpose and could easily have been written out completely with relative ease. Instead, it turns the show from grounded character drama to over-the-top action spectacle, and the show's video game roots start to rear their head. The Orgmen are video game mooks, and the Superiors are video game bosses, period. These fights are just there to be cool and action-packed, but that was never what Gungrave was really about.

Nightow is a creative man to a fault. He has a lot of grand, wonderful ideas but doesn't always know what to do with them. Maybe with more runtime or tighter writing it could have given meaning to the cacophony, but the world of Gungrave is a cluttered mess. Even in its stronger first half, the seeds of its oncoming problems were present--allusions to an unspecified war, Tomases from Trigun racing in the place of horses and some really outlandish technology make it clear just how little we know about the world of Gungrave, and it stays that way to the very end with disparate elements that really don't feel like they all belong in the same story. None of that, however, was as obnoxious as the inclusion of the Superiors, which took what could have been some of the most emotionally involving confrontations and made them... well, not bad, but they mostly didn't have nearly the impact they should have. It's hit-and-miss. In the last few episodes a rival faction comes pretty much out of nowhere just to make the ending fall into place. Thankfully, that very ending turns out to be the show's saving grace. It brings the story of Brandon and Harry full-circle in a way that's cathartic, completely justified and entirely satisfying.

I'm not sure whether I can truly call Gungrave "great" or not, but there's certainly a lot of greatness in it. The plot goes some weird and unnecessary places, and like Harry himself it becomes something of a victim of its own ambition, but the parts of it that shine through are truly fantastic. The humanity of its cast and the sincerity at its heart--not to mention a damn near perfect ending--are more than enough to blow past its flaws, and I warmly recommend it.

This anime is amazing!!
Important note: you MUST watch past the first episode, and if you do, you will be sucked in!!

The story is amazing. It focuses around the themes of betrayal, loyalty, and brotherhood. Minor themes include coming of age, and love. The fights are great. If the synopsis of the anime does not sound appealing, you still have to watch it because the story is SO much more and is impossible to put into a short paragraph. In short: what would you do if your best friend killed you?

The art is quite good. I really like anime art when it goes away from the ... conventional eyes and chibiness. The art fit the story well, and people were more realistic. The fight scenes were brilliantly animated.

The OST is great for the anime. The style is somewhat jazzy, and fits in with the intensity of the storyline. The OP is special and it has no words, which is rare in today's more recent anime. However, this creates a great mood for the amazing rollercoaster coming up.

This anime is extremely enjoyable, and you will get hooked till the end!!
(just dont be thrown off by the first episode)

enjoy =D for i know i did immensely.

This is one of the few animes that I regard as a perfect work. Sadly, I almost missed it due to the first episode. I watched episode one and then got distracted because it seemed to be generic somehow but after some time I started watching from the second episode and everything changed. I honestly can't even begin to describe how awesome this series is, I can only say that you MUST NOT BE TURNED OFF BY THE FIRST EPISODE or you will be missing a legendary anime.

It took me a while to get into the show. It didn't pick up for me until at least halfway through. I kept on seeing it as a poor man's Cowboy Bebop. But there was a moment and even as my head started going, "Wtf, seriously?!? Seriously?!?" I started sitting up a little more and watching the screen more intently. I think if you can get past the slow start (which I thought lasted way longer than just the first episode), I think the end is a worthwhile payoff.

The story gets more interesting as the show goes on and the storytelling itself becomes better executed ... as well. The heart of the story here is really about loyalty and friendship and how those ideas actually manifest in real action and real practice in the gritty, dirty lives of people just trying to survive. In a odd way, I feel like you could even make an argument about how this is a microcosm for civilization (but I won't take it that far here -- lucky you! ;D ).

There's an... interesting sci-fi-ish bent to the story that adds something interesting to the story, but at the same time creates all this extra fuss that I don't think was strictly necessary. But it's probably gravy if you like that sort of thing and easily overlooked if you don't.

The art was fine -- not necessarily quite my style, but fine overall. It sort of worked for the nature of the story, I thought. A style that was overly polished or glossy wouldn't have worked with the tone and atmosphere. And I thought the action sequences were pretty well put together.

The music gets a bunch of attention from some people. I thought it was okay: probably just slightly better than average. I liked the way it sounded and I thought it was well used. It just wasn't brilliant. I think if you landed here because you were told that the music here was like Cowboy Bebop's, it's a little disappointing. I also think that if you're not actively comparing them and you're just watching Gungrave on it's own merits, it's good enough.

The characters were definitely interesting. The primary focus being Brandon Heat and his relationship with Harry McDowel. ...It's hard to figure out what to say without giving the storyline away. I will say that I think that there's a surprising simplicity to the characters -- despite the twists and turns of their interactions and their relationships. In a way, I think you can argue that you can boil down a bunch of the major characters into short, concise phrases. And I like that in this context. It seemed convincing in a way, because I kind of think that when you're struggling for everything, you end up focused on a few things and complexity is kind of a luxury that they couldn't really afford.

Overall, I enjoyed the second half considerably more than the first half. I thought that everything after the clear turning point of the story (you'll know what I mean if you've seen it) was a clear step better than anything before it. I particularly enjoyed the end, I thought that was a neat way of conveying what they wanted to convey without getting melodramatic. I do think that if you enjoyed Cowboy Bebop, you'd probably enjoy this too -- despite the differences; they're similar in very broad strokes.

Gungrave is another fantastic anime to watch. It's a short one and is easy to follow. It's FILLED with action scenes and you'll absolutely love the characters. I only saw the entire series once (on G4 TV), but I would definitely watch it again given the chance. This is one show that you would want as part of your DVD collection. I also have the soundtrack to the show, and that is great as well. This show has action, romance, betrayal, an exciting plot, and some sad parts to it. It's a MUST see!!

Ill keep this short, but I just had to add my opinion about this masterpiece.

I agree with the other reviewers. Seriously, what were they thinking with the first episode? They just recap t later on, so you could probably skip it and still be able to follow the story. The rest of the episodes pick it up a notch so much that you wonder if the same people wrote the first episode.

This was an excellent anime dealing with mafia-like syndicates and brotherly friendship. I dont want to spoil it, but it is emotionally moving and really made me cry ... toward the end. Not many other anime capture the friendship of a best friend as well as Gungrave has done. Despite Brandon's almost excessively quiet character, I still thought he was one of the best characters ever. Do yourself a favor and watch this now.

Gungrave is a lot like The Godfather 2 meets Trigun.

The story is fantastic. In the opening episodes, Brandon Heat is shown as an undead hitman with a score to settle with the city crime boss Harry McDowell. The first half is all about how two young boys finding work through the mafia. The characters introduced at the start are some of the best I've ever seen, especially Harry McDowell. The show follows Brandon and Harry growing up and becoming more brutal, while being pulled apart from each other and becoming quite different from when they were kids. You see why it is they need each ... other and the trust they have together. One finds love, the other finds power, and neither find happiness.
The second half of the show is a revenge thriller, where the two men now fight over everything they once shared. The mafia now have the tech to pretty much raise the dead, and Harry tries to have Brandon killed, but the problem is he doesn't stay dead. All of the trust they once had is gone, and they tear the city apart trying to claw at each other's throats.

GunGrave has the best developmental Villain arc I've ever seen, because it's stayed with me. A young man takes shortcuts and cheats to get out of poverty and then to gain power, up until he has no other choice but to become the head of the family or wind up dead by it's enforcers. There's desire and desperation from the start, and this show doesn't let you forget that. Watching two good friends fall out over money, a woman, and power is always compelling, and it's done perfectly in this show, it feels a little bit like the novel The Count of Monte Cristo. This is storytelling at fantastic level, it's not convoluted that you get lost or too slow that you get bored. I will admit though, some of the character designs look a little silly, like Beyond the Grave in general, but hey that's early 2000s anime for you.

The animation is very good, even if some of the designs are a little silly. Fight scenes are tense and hard to predict. The side characters are all well expanded, and when they start dying, you remember their names. The soundtrack is great, delivering suspense, reprise, and suspician while still being able to pump up your heart rate in those pivotal moments. The english dub is top notch and has a great cast, really able to bring those well written characters to life when you hear them.
This is one of my favourite shows, definitely the best of 2003. It's a shame it has such a small viewerbase, because this really is a gem of a show

Of all the animes I have ever watched I call gungrave the most under appreciated. The reason why is because whenever I try to ask somebody about it they have no clue what it is which makes me angry because this is a really good anime I mean I seldom give out a nine and when the moon is blue I give a ten so as you can understand this is an exceptional anime. My advice don't knock this anime until you've watched the whole thing and whatever you do don't skip episodes each episode is a necessary key in understanding the end.
Story- The words ... to describe how I feel about the story don't exist yes it was that unbelievable. It is so absolutely perfect there are such few holes in the storyline as to why anything is happening or what caused a certain person to end up a certain way to the point where I was impressed.
Art- Okay the art wasn't perfect but it was pretty dang good considering when this anime was made. The animation was sometimes shoddy but one thing I noticed was that the bullet firing shell drop ratio was perfect (this impresses me so much).
Sound- Sound was good the only bad part was that I couldn't stand it when characters cried (it wasn't in a bad way though I mean it was tear jerking when they cried sometimes) the only real complaint I had about sound was that I sometimes felt a sound wasn't right to the situation.
Character- Character development was flawless in order to understand what I mean watch it and you'll agree.
Enjoyment- I enjoyed this anime because it took me for a lot of twist and turns and heart tugging moments. The overtones of vengeance, trust and friendship were to die for.

The stoic king of gangland tales of post-2000 anime. Action-packed but grounded, plenty of style with just as much sobriety, in many ways it feels more like one of its own major influences in the crime genre than a work inspired by them. Very similarly to the classic Westerns, wiseguy dramas and Hong Kong action cinema whose influences it wears on its sleeve, it's not about guns any more than it's about the people standing on each end of them; who they are, what landed them these roles, and if there's even anywhere to go from there.

The themes of friendship, loyalty, ambition and betrayal aren't ... exactly hard to find in this genre, in and outside of anime, but in the end it's the thorough commitment to these themes and the full extent of the drama they have the potential to entail that makes up for the majority of the experience. It's a Madhouse modern classic, a recognizably Nightow-style sci-fi western, and even a breath of life in an early PS2 universe on top of that, but you can tell from its choices in style and pace that its main commitment lies within the emotional maturity and quiet introspection of both Western and Asian crime cinema's genre-defining classics.

Just as much as the themes themselves, the genre's influence is not hard to spot among other action series throughout the anime medium. Still, it's particularly rare to see this level of commitment to these more nuanced aspects of what makes a good gangster tale stand out from the rest. A perfect watch for anyone looking to get emotional, a bit contemplative, and maybe even genuinely impressed by the lenghts a well-crafted series can go to make you feel both.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT watch Episode 1, skip straight to Episode 2. Episode 1 is literally just a carbon copy of a later episode and it spoils basically everything, you're better off without it.

With that out of the way, Gungrave is an interesting anime that has a lot of strengths, but also a few weaknesses. This is because it has got two components to it:

1) A very watertight character-driven gangster story that takes up most of the anime, which is very much worth the price of admission.
2) While it's not quite correct to call it this, there is a point where I would describe ... the show as devolving into a Monster of the Week format involving fantastical elements that is unfortunately rather mediocre. However, as I say, this latter part is a minority of the anime's runtime, and the ending few episodes really brings the show back to what it does best.

The writing and characters are excellent, the art style is a bit weird at times but still perfectly serviceable, the music works really well at creating the right mood for this style of story, and the action scenes are generally good*.


A few other (non-spoiler) details...

The show spans a period of 30-40 years, showing the growth of various characters throughout their lives (but focusing in on the relationship between two in particular). It handles characters aging very well in the main, with the exception of Harry becoming a bit of a chain smoker and aging an extra 20 years more than he really should at the end.

*The show handles fight choreography for the mundane gangster shootouts very well, and there are also a couple of the boss fights with fantastical elements that are reasonably decent as well. However, the fights with Necrolyzed enemies and Orgmen in particular that happen later on (you'll know them when you see them) are very clumsy and underwhelming, with the wrong kind of low-detail sluggish bullet spongey combat. You'll just have to grit your teeth and bear them, but as I say, most combats aren't like that.

The mafia is also slightly more messy and OTT than they are in real life, but one can forgive the anime for that because it is in the show for the sake of adding in more action and drama.

Lastly, the idea of turning some characters you know from earlier in the anime into monsters of the week could have been a really great twist on the story formula, but it isn't handled to its fullest potential.


Even though it's relatively old at this point, Gungrave is one of the better shows that you can watch, and is an excellent gangster anime.

And while I have given it a 7, I don't hand out high scores lightly, so don't let that fool you. I'm not some clapping seal that ignores the lower half of the ratings system, and while I do enjoy some trashy anime now and then, this isn't one of them. It's really solid and worth a watch.

I just re-watched Gungrave recently and I just have to say that no matter what, this is just one of those stories I just love. I have a thing for those Scarface type of stories of poor people doing whatever they can to survive in the harsh slums and then finally moving up the world through totally illegal means. LOL! Gungrave does not disappoint in that area at all. The story begins with Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowel and their small group of poor young thugs all growing up and looking after one another. Here you get your usual dose of slum life, gang fights, ... scams, thievery and so on. I love how the anime takes its time and lets us see the friendship between these characters and especially between Harry and Brandon. What I love about the character development here and that no one is good or really bad here, they are just a bunch of guys that life dealt a bum hand to and they just have to do what they have to do. It almost has a "City of God" feel to it. Anyway, everything comes to a head for the friends after a typical street brawl escalates when the brother (a gangster with the mob) of the loser gets involved. I won't spoil anything here. But I will say that the story takes a tragic turn and soon the characters are sprawling as they fight for their lives. In the mist of everything is Maria, Brandon Heat's love interest who ends up moving into Big daddy's (The Boss of Millennion, a mob organization) mansion.

Eventually Brandon and Harry join as underlings and the story takes a more mob centered turn that keeps the story very exciting. We see Harry's ambition along with what drives Brandon and how each character evolves throughout the story. Again, no one is truly good or evil here as they all do what they feel is right by themselves and each other.

Now let me get into one disappointing aspect of this anime. The Scifi zombie crap. Seriously, this story did not need it. Sometimes I think animes can go overboard on the story simply because they can draw out the scenes. Why do we need zombie fighters with guns? Why do we need this whole research facility storyline? I just don't get it. here we have this touching gangster's paradise, with outstanding characters with depth, a mob organization, a tale of friendship and betrayal, love, losing love, redemption, struggle for survival then the creators go 'You what else we need? Zombie mutants with guns!"

Now I purposely stated at the beginning of my review that the story begins with Brandon, Harry, and their friends, because too me, that is where Gungrave truly begins. Technically it begins with zombie fighters with guns for a brief episode. But the entire anime is primarily what I focused on in my review. Of course sometime near the middle of the show the writers try to squeeze the zombie science crap back into the story by introducing two worthless characters no one cares about, blood war and Balladbird lee's brother, they try to make us care about them with their little back story but whatever, they were obvious plot devices because the creators thought "Oh crap this great gangster story is taking over the whole show, but we started off with this Scifi idea, so we have to figure out a way to get back to it." geez, how about get rid off the stupid zombie scifi idea instead of trying to merge the two.

When I think about it, they could have gotten rid of the zombie scifi deal and still kept the story pretty much the same, the conflict with Harry and Brandon could have been the same, just done a little differently. Of course the story kept its great and complex development of the characters but the zombie gun fighter, research crap portions of the storyline is what kept it from being a masterpiece.

Anime Review #1 – Gungrave

I still think this anime should be ranked higher than what it is. But never mind about that, let’s continue with the review.

“After a tragic scene with the murder of his friends, Brandon Heat follows his only friend Harry McDowel into Millennion, the largest mafia syndicate. While Harry McDowel is striving for power, Brandon is only staying in Millennion to see the girl he loves whose custody was gained by the leader of Millennion, Big Daddy. But as the years pass and Brandon proves loyal to Millennion, Brandon learns the true purpose and passion of Millennion, and that's when true ... conflict arises.” – MAL

I think MAL’s synopsis sums it up and it’s what attracted me to watching the anime. But for those who still want to know more about the anime before you watch, continue reading. I have tried my best to not mention any spoilers.

Story
“There is something you must never do in Millenion and that is to betray.”

Although some aspects of the story can be anticipated, I found myself enjoying it regardless. The genre of the anime is a hybrid of action and sci-fi and themes such as betrayal, friendship, revenge and protecting a loved one are displayed throughout the anime. Even though this seems to be a common element in most anime, Gungrave executed it perfectly. The narrative of the story at the start seems quite slow paced and most of the actual storyline consists of a flashback of when Harry and Brandon were just hooligans. The flashback explains the reasons of why the two joined Millenion and how they came to know Big Daddy, the boss of the organisation. Coming out of the flashback, the audience follows Beyond the Grave, Brandon’s counter-part, attempting to get revenge on the current Millenion while protecting a girl named Mika.

Character
Brandon Heat is a character that breaks the conventions of main protagonists, this is because he possesses strength and skill but is a quiet and reserved person. On the other hand, like main protagonists he protects the people close to him. Harry MacDowel, Brandon’s closest friend, is someone who wants to make it big in the shortest amount of time, his strength is his intelligence and he is the initial character that led Brandon to follow the organisation. Although, they are the two main characters, there are a range of other characters such as Maria Asagi, Brandon’s love and Big Daddy, the leader of the organisation who becomes someone dear and irreplaceable to Brandon that progress the narrative. Bob Pundmax, Balladbird Lee and Kugashira Bunji are characters who are new to the organisation like Brandon and Harry and follow them to make it huge.

Art
Not a lot I can say about the art. The art compliments the narrative and is suitable for what is portrayed in the anime. I would recommend you watch this anime in good quality (it’s quite difficult to find HQ for this anime though)

Sound
The opening is an instrumental which resembles the Cowboy Bebop opening, it’s not that long either. The ending is nice and after a while the beginning of the music will remain in your head. There were no problems with dialogues and there wasn’t any unnecessary conversations (so most of it is important, make sure you listen) and finally sound effects only consisted of what is required.

Enjoyment
I’ve seen the anime twice and there wasn’t a time where I was bored. The anime is something different to what I have seen and although there are a couple anime which resemble Gungrave such as Berserk, I still thought the concept was brilliant.

A must watch.

I've watched this piece of work four years ago and I remember hating its first episode. I really can't remember why I decided to watch the second one but I did it and there, immediately, my opinion changed; we go back to another timeline, several years ago and meet characters we have no idea about but seem interesting at least. This show takes your hand and walk you down to a world you actually didn't expect after watching episode one. There we go, straight through a mafia story that Scorsese himself would enjoy watching.

I still can't say if this show is for everyone, but I'm ... sure it perfectly suits those who have a taste for the mafia genre; family, priorities, ambition, betrayal and the perfect formula for what the show wants to offer.

We follow the characters for a long period of time, their whole lives basically and even though I, myself, couldn't really relate to any of them particullary, they all seem legit and you end up following them as you'd be following a friend of yours, someone you really care about.

One thing I really love about Gun Grave is: the characters are presented as human beings; not villains, not heroes, not machines without emotions, just people doing what they can with what they have at the moment. It's easy to empathize; even if the watcher doesn't agree with certain actions, he will surely understand its particular meaning.

After 15 episodes we enter kind of a sci-fi line and the show had a real rough time keeping it together and blending it with the rest of the story that was already there. This is the main issue and to me, it didn't spoiled anything at all. The rhythm gets ironically -- cause the action is the main focus -- slower. But at the end, the heavily well constructed dramatization makes it all worth it: the physical dehumanization is overshadowed by the emotional development.

This anime is a cult classic now and I feel like it would never be more than that -- not that I hope it would -- and yet, a masterpiece of storytelling that any anime fan should experience.

After watching Gungrave I was left feeling somewhat odd about it, even though I had been thoroughly entertained throughout the show as you can tell by my score of this review. I couldn't quite shake the feeling that it was missing something, while I realized that it was rather the opposite.

Gungrave is a good show. The story, a sort of modern-mafia tale with supernatural elements, is interesting to follow, the art is great and in some cases I was quite amazed at the quality of it. The sound/music was not something I really got into that much, it did its job, but there was ... nothing memorable in there for me. I loved how much the characters developed throughout the show and changed (for better or for worse) leaving me interested in seeing what would happen next. It made me feel something for the characters, so that's a major plus.

My only problem with the anime was really the length, and I might be in the minority about this, but I felt it dragged on by the end. The pacing was great I thought up until perhaps the last 5 or 6 episodes, and to top it all of I'm not sure I really liked the ending. However, I have no problem recommending this show to anyone.

First of all: Of all Mafia Animes and Mangas is this Masterpiece really one of the best out there.

Story 8/10

The Story of Gungrave is of the PS2 Game Gungrave. The Anime tells the story of Brandon Heat and his best Friend and enemy Harry Macdowel. You could say Harry is his biggest enemy. But not always, the series starts harmless and with some dramatic scenes. And to the end the feels are strong for rage and many more feelings.

If you take anything from one Person , and also his Life. The Consequences are horrible and very dangerous for the living ones.

So ... Brandon and Harry will fight to the End. But be warned its a dramatic Crime Festival with alot of unexepted Things.

Art 8/10
What Can I say ? Just look at it, its not comparable. Just look a Trigun and you should looked satisfied. The Producer made Trigun before. And it was a huge Sucess. So its the same with Gungrave, he adapted his own Desire and Art in this Series and also poured some old Wine from a Old Cellar with many Treasures in it.

Its just an eyesore , You will love the retro Anime of 2003/4. I Cannot describe in Words how much was done to it.

Sound 10/10

The Hitman Shoots and dont stop. Gunfire everywhere you see. And you hear a loud Shoot, loud explosions and alot of blood flatter. The evil Laughs. and the Desire to rule the Town. Anything more to say ? Be ready for the mess of your Ears.

Characters 10/10
One thing I Surely hated is the Love of Brandon Heat. He puts his Friendship over all. And you will see why and you will also say like me. Thats dissapointing , but still its just great how good the characters are looking at each other. And Friendship , trust, and loyalty will just show you the true color of their agony and dark sides. Love, Hate, And many violence are the main attractions of this Characters.
Brandon would say Silence is golden. Lol

Enjoyment 9/10
I Really enjoyed Gungrave till the last minute only a few things are bad. And the bad things are fast forgotten. The Enjoyment will pour into your Blood till first second you started watching this Anime. You will feel it , trust me.
And you cant stop watching it. Prepare for a long Night. Maybe you longest Night in your Life. But prepare Yourself maybe Brandon is still fighting outside. maybe you getting harmed in the gunfire.

Overall 9/10
To put it in simple words.
There is nothing better than gungrave in crime section and Mafia Trees. And Gangster. You will found everything dark about crimes and Mafia. And the loyalty of the Family. Just like in Marlon brandons The Godfather.

Godfather is still better than Gungrave but well you cant compare real life Movie with Anime. Mafia is Mafia and its just wow. Your Hours you will spent on Gungrave are not wasted. They will fill you with pleasure you wont stop watching it. You will start a Marathon of watching all Episodes on one day :D.
Have fun with Gungrave. May Brandon heat be with you.
be warned, bring alot of Handkerchiefs or you room will be underwater.

Two best friends, the ambitious and sharp Harry McDowell and the stoically quiet Brandon Heat, climb the ranks of a crime syndicate, and experience cataclysmic events that follows their respective fates as friends, partners…and enemies.

The summary of Gungrave’s plot intrigued me, for an abashedly simple purpose. It was the titular adaptation of a videogame bearing the same name. Now I want to make it clear that I haven’t played the game, nor have I found the apparently short premise featuring a zombie gunman rising from the dead to avenge his murder by killing mutant monsters to reach his best friend, who coincidentally his murderer and ... a powerful crime boss interesting enough. (okay it actually was).

But seeing this anime being so heavily recommended over its original source material made me wonder…is it possible that someone adapted a videogame properly into a medium for viewing entertainment?

Well the guy who made Trigun made this one too, and served as a producer for creating the anime in the first place. Should that be a good reason enough? Good enough to revisit another brainchild of Yasuhiro Nightow?

What I got was…totally unexpected. I dare say, far better than Trigun.

Plot: The entire premise of this anime relies on three parts.

The first part initially narrates the exploits of two young men, Harry and Brandon, who make ends meet by performing petty crimes and odd jobs with their other comrades, when suddenly an altercation with a rival leads to a violent event that rips their once tranquil lives into pieces, and tragedies which then befall the ones dear to them. However an unexpected coincidence in this vicious event gives Harry a reason to capitalize on his destiny, and Brandon becomes a steadfast follower of Harry’s goal to reach the top.

The second part kicks off when a sole criminal intent on taking down Millenion initiates a dastardly scheme with his brother in arms to resurrect the dead and use these ‘necrolyzed’ monsters called Orgmen against Millenion. From there on out, this event proves to be catalytic for both Harry and Brandon’s lives, as Harry’s ambition finally reaches a turning point and Brandon’s line of work and dedication to Millenion towards protecting those he cares about affects everyone else around him.

Until the arc ends with Brandon’s shocking death.

And the third part then narrates about Brandon’s return from beyond the grave to apparently avenge his death, whilst protecting the late daughter of Maria, Mika Asagi from the hands of Harry’s Millenion, and from there on out it’s where the series draws onto a more shoot em’ playwright with emphasis on the emotional culmination of Brandon and Harry’s journey, with a shocker of an ending.

Now the plotline here sounds really mashed up at first, and the first episode might throw you off as it takes place in another timeline. The anime actually relies on an initial flashback narrative before it crosses over to the current timeline, letting the viewer put their imagination in the mix to connect the dots. Safe to say, this form of storytelling in this anime is written well and has excellent, straightforward pacing, as expected from a story with the vibe and tone that draws off the playbooks of names like Scarface, The Godfather, or Pulp Fiction, with characters that are both grounded with realism while having some interesting quirks and their own storylines and motives added to the mix that does not detract from the viewing experiences, only adding on to it, thus encouraging you to keep watching until the very end.

Three particular themes that stand out, and intertwine each other throughout the anime are loyalty, trust, and friendship, in which the latter two are more heavily played out in direct notion whilst the third one is more emphasized in an emotional aspect for the two main cast members of the series, Brandon and Harry.

Loyalty in this anime comes down to a matter of perspective. Millenion’s ‘code of iron’ dictates loyalty and trust through file and order design. No member should betray Millenion and do nothing that could tarnish the image of the organization. Break the rule, and the punishment is death. The majority of Millenion’s role in the anime showcases a lot of how this loyalty is demonstrated by characters such as Bear Walken, a long time sweeper and Randy who’s a loyal associate of the organization’s leader, Big Daddy, who created this code in order to protect not just the members of the mafia, but to protect the citizens of the city where Millenion rules over and to protect the people they care about. Pretty much what you’d expect from a mafia organization.

However loyalty and trust is also demonstrated on a more personal side through the thick and thin of Brandon’s devotion to his best friend and his cause to achieve glory despite being unequivocally loyal towards Millenion’s cause, and loyalty is also earned from certain members of the organization like Balladbird Lee, Bob Poundmax and Bunji Kagashira, who start to become loyal to Harry’s cause after he proves himself an integral player in the game with a common goal they can get behind with.

What’s really interesting about how these two interconnecting themes really that plays out in this anime how loyalty by design clashes with loyalty by sentiment, while both having their own justifications, ignites streams of conflict that forces certain characters caught into this web up to a wall, irrevocably tearing through the bonds once built on trust, creating events that end up in tragedy.


The initial crime aspect of the story, while it showcases brutally paced drama with sufficient amounts of action…the bizarrely added mix of sci-fic elements of questionable moral standards surprisingly works together for one good reason. It knows when and where to cut corners without suppressing or overexerting both story aspects, and it combines to create a believable forerunning motive in the show that plays well in influencing the characterization and the progression of the plotline for a huge part of the series.

The justifiably strong writing put to work for the plotline however isn’t perfect, as most of the focus is centred towards making a coherently brutal and emotional tale about two friends joining a crime syndicate and the events that transpire in this tale, which in my books is filled with applaud and nothing else. Being leniently vague about the sci-fi aspect of the story, however, other than adding some thrown in biological factors is a minor niggle if you’re willing to overlook that factor in favour of the human characters and their struggles.

Plot: 8/10.

Characters: Top tier characterization done right. Every character in this series has some form of importance that keeps their roles and presence relevant enough to be remembered, which kind of reminiscent of another anime I’ve watched which is called Monster (I highly recommend that one), though Monster had 74 episodes worth of content compared to this…

Here you have characters that fit into the mold and heart of the series who each have their own interesting branching storylines into the main plot like the innocent and sweet Maria Asagi, the old school valued and strict Big Daddy, the misanthropic assassin Bunji Kagashira, and even the morally conflicted Dr Tokiyoka…and the tragically affected Mika Asagi whose presence invokes the most sympathy is stated in the second half of the series.

But the awards go out to the two main characters for employing the very reason why this anime is worth the watch.

We see the anime mostly through the eyes of one Brandon Heat, who is every bit as calm, kind, loyal to a fault…and notably a man of few words. You might think of him as the silent badass archetype what with his involvement as a sweeper in Millenion’s ranks, but don’t let that fool you. Brandon is a character that leaves impressions on people, despite having an unorthodox way of doing it. He might be socially awkward due to his silent nature, but time and time again, we see how much Brandon truly cares a lot more about others than he does himself, being willing to make sacrifices without any regard or remorse, and only putting his resolve into protecting those he cares for the most no matter the cost. He picks up a gun not to kill, but to protect. He chooses not to pursue a relationship in consideration of Maria’s future and how his line of work affects her. He also values his friendship with Harry above all else, as it is clearly shown that he was willing to stick for him through all odds to help his friend reach the top. He’s even willing to protect Mika despite not being intimately familiar with her, but out of sheer duty and reverence to his code, and eventually also grows to care for Maria’s daughter in a fatherly way. And yet, his selflessness takes a toll on him, as it is shown through uncommon occurrences of him being forced to make certain choices that cause him internal strife, but he puts it aside for the greater good. Does he regret those choices? As it’s shown, not at all.

It’s a no brainer to sympathize with this dude for the amount of heart he has.

Harry is a polar opposite of Brandon. Initially we get the idea he’s a smooth talking con who cheats women of their money and a guy who wants to have a good time, but deep down he’s an ambitious, sharp, hungry, and every bit desirous for power, under the moniker of what he terms as his freedom to ‘take what he can and give what he can’, and this slowly comes into play the moment he join Millenion’s ranks, and that simplistic façade is chipped away in favour of the underlying ruthlessness and cutthroat persona that comes into play. As the show progresses, it becomes apparent that he becomes obsessed with the idea of his goals and even willing to perform despicable acts to get what he wants through manipulation and deceit, whilst being crafty enough to put his goals in alignment with Millenion’s code. But all in all, Harry’s faith in his ideals justifies his misdeeds. He justifies being right in being an opportunist and justifies being a murderer, all in all for what he believes in his own rights, even if he has to make life changing choices that leave scars in his heart that he ultimately regrets in the end.

Now that’s a villain, and a character with a money’s worth.

You might question how could they be friends?

That’s because the driving heart of the story lies in the bond these two friends share with one another. Theirs is a tightly knit bond built straight from childhood from a bleak past and it develops further as they age with only each other as support. One could say they are close enough to be called brothers, exemplified by how different their ideals work and how they are in respective personalities, and yet they are willing in respective terms to go the extra mile for the other and have a relationship built on mutual trust and affirmation of each other.

However as they grow and develop as people, from Brandon’s unshakable resolve to Harry’s ultimatum, it becomes apparent when circumstances that are birthed from their choices finally comes into a dark, converging point where their friendship is forced into question. Not by words, but by action. And the outcome…let’s just say it’s not pretty, mildly put.

But the aftermath here is truly what makes their bond so heartwrenching and a tad bittersweet. It is a powerful viewing experience when a second chance, a second chance filled with tragic repercussions for both Brandon and Harry, whose lives unravel due to the very circumstances that tears them apart and for a brief moment turns them against each other, and yet this chance ultimately manages to rekindles the bond that was once destroyed between these two friends.

It’s a well-executed dynamic to have two complex characters have a bond only few can rival, and an equal footing in their beliefs as well a relationship only they can understand with each other. If nothing else, the final episode of this anime justified those manly tears I had.

Character: 9/10

Sound: Ah, the soundtrack…a classy mix of blues, jazz and swing. Every moment in this anime is rich with guitars and violins that alternate between mournful, solemn, and even frantic. Nothing beats it in better way for a mob flick chalked with blood, drama and death.

The serene if not ambivalently spirited opener ‘Family’ by Tusneo Imahori perfectly captures the gritty mood for the anime, and the ending track (that starts with a lovely violin intro that gets me every time) Akaneiro ga Moeru Toki gets the nostalgia going about the journey of two best friends, in an upbeat jazzy way that is a welcome after…well after all the heartwrenching drama, and blood drenched action sequences.

As for the voice acting…well with an anime as gritty as this it’s sure to have certain liberties to be put into this department to match up the standards needed?

Fear not, for both the original Japanese dub and the English dub are good, though I preferred the dub after watching the first half of the series subbed. To be honest I tolerated the rather off putting Engrish in favour of the performance merit of Kenji Yamada and Tomokazu Seki and how they accentuated their characters, and switched to the dub for the right perspective I wanted to experience in here.

Hey, it’s a mafia show that would have the admiration of Scorcese. English it is!

The dub at first doesn’t start off squeaky clean with the first half of the series, as some flaws are seen despite the neat renditions done with the script. Veteran Kirk Thornton plays a believable Brandon with a silent subtlety of weariness, with pragmatic effect that it’s hard to compare it with Tomokazu Seki and Tony Oliver brings a cocky, calculating edge in his tone that wasn’t clearly shown in Kenji’s performance, while Tom Wyner does admirably giving the older Harry a ruthless edge of a Mafioso in charge. Other characters like Maria, Dr. Takiyoka, Ballardbird Lee, Bunji Kagashira (who sounds vaguely Clint Eastwood-ish), Bear Walken, and especially Mika Asagi have no complaints and only admiration from me in the voice acting department. Give this dub a try if it fancies you, it’s worth a shot.

Soundtrack: 9/10, Sub: 7.5/10, Dub: 9/10

Animation and Art: For an anime that came out nearly fifteen years ago, studio Madhouse provides stellar visuals and animations that betray its age, despite some flaws made in forms of uncommon sloppy drawings of the characters whenever the cameras catch them without any close ups. The background designs of the Western environment where the heart of the anime takes place however, from cities to slums alike to what you’d see out a traditional gangster story environment...it gets the job done to a near perfect effect rendition. The fluidly animated action and gunfight scenes are moderately done in here, serving only at important points when a certain precarious event happens in the show, but don’t miss it out if your life depended on it. It’s pretty over the top, and even a tad bit ludicrous, but overall still in made in the exact reason you would watch an action flick for.

The nicely rendered character designs of Nightow is a feat, and even the monsters get some kudos from me, is more than enough reason to not shy away from anything this anime dares to show. It’s not technically perfect, but it’s a milestone improvement from what Madhouse did with Trigun.

Animation: 8/10. Art: 8/10

Overall enjoyment: 9/10

Final score: 61/70

Final verdict: Gungrave deserves every bit of its term as a classic. Madhouse did well, proving a superior adaptation of a video game is possible if done right. With awesome visuals, shoot em’ up action scenes, compelling leads that more than once leave you feeling more emotional than you might have to be and interesting side characters you can’t help but root for, and a monstrous sci-fi aspect into the mix, it makes for a newfound watching experience that is certainly going to be one worth remembering.

Grade: A.