Story 7/10
The story of Crowds starts off like the beginning of a lot of super hero shows: a random passerby gets thrown into a conflict that they know almost nothing about and are expected to help their allies triumph over evil (in this case, aliens).The protagonist in this case is Hajime, a quirky girl would loves her stationary. Faster than you can transform into a superpowered hero of justice, Hajime is recruited for the secret group known as the Gatchaman. Despite her enthusiasm, though, her allies are not particularly thrilled to have her around and poor Sugane is chosen to be her guide in all things Gatcha!
While this may be a show about heroes, the way the topic is approached isn't through the Saturday Morning Villain of the Week formula. Instead, the story primarily kicks action to the side and focuses on the rest of Tachikawa city as they enjoy a new social media app called Galax. With this app, people from across the city can meet up, do community service, seek counseling advice, the whole nine yards. Its like Facebook only it contributes to society (I'm kidding, don't hurt me...)! Part of the charm of the show is investigating just how important Galax is to these people's lives and how technology and online communication can shape a society. Needless to say, Galax is a defining feature of the series.
Sadly, in investigating this new app, the story has an extremely slow start as the characters are more or less goofing off the first quarter of the series. Now, looking back, there actually was some value to Sugane and Hajime's running around school to save everyone from drinking spoiled milk, but at the time, I was a bit...well, unimpressed. It was during this time that the comedy was falling flat, there was no real action to speak of and a villain wasn't even introduced. It takes Crowds a long time to set up. I can't say the first four episodes are skippable, but the show certainly had pacing issues.
That being said, once episode five kicks off, the entertainment value of the series is like rolling down a snow covered hill that's getting more and more vertical, snowballing at a rapid clip. Characters begin to get fleshed out. Action becomes more frequent. Galax is more significant and complex. Heroes and their place in society begin to pop up in intense conversations. A crazy villain also appears. Finally, stuff is happening and soon you just can't get enough...until episode 12.
The final episode was like an emergency brake on the momentum. Obviously, spoilers aren't welcome in this review, but I'll just say this: loose ends galore. Its evident that the ending was rushed, to the point where you just don't even know anymore. If there was some exposition, it wouldn't seem as bad, but no such thing exists in the episode. A poor ending indeed.
Animation 8/10
The series has a very interesting, very vibrant art direction. It uses differing colors for hair style and what looks like paper cutout figures for Galax avatars. The designs for the Crowds is also otherworldly, lending to almost psychotropic imagery. Characters designs are fresh, albeit some of them are gender-questionable. Opinions regarding these designs, however, are a matter of personal taste (I personally found nothing wrong with them). Animations as a whole are solid and the opening/ending looks good as well. There are some occasionally dips in quality, usually when Pai-man is on screen, but such dips are very few. Overall, a unique art direction and solid animation are present throughout the series.
Sound 8/10
Another good category, the music in Crowds is pretty nicely balanced. The opening and ending are preppy and catchy and the voice acting is very good. Hajime can sound annoying at first, but as her character grows on you, her voice does too. O.D and Katze have...distinct voices that were unsettling at first, but once again, it because of their unorthodox characters.They aren't cons to sound quality, just unexpected surprises of the show. The voice actors for these characters appropriate. On the BGM front, there are some tunes that match the world perfectly and the OST anything but generic. While its not really the kind of OST that I would listen to on my free time, I couldn't help but sing along when a track (I don't know its name) would say "GATCHA-MAN!".
Characters 7/10
The protagonist, Hajime, starts of as a weird subset of the the ditzy female archetype but her positive, quirky perspective toward life and her enthusiasm for community service makes her a different kind of bird then her more genre grounded counterparts of others series. As O.D says about 3/4s of the series, she's the "sun" of the Gatchaman. She may seem like an idiot, but she asks good questions about the nature of heroes, such as why can't heroes reveal their identities or work with law enforcement. While she starts off extremely annoying, she grows on the viewers.
Other characters seem like stereotypes for the first half the series, but later come into their own as the story continues. While some don't break out their tropes entirely, the main cast does indeed develop. Characters like Rui especially are challenged by their ideals and the ideals of others, allowing their own internal struggles to shine. The villain, while freaky in his own right, seems really Joker-esque and does not have much to define himself from similar villains. He does, however, have an interesting relationship with the protagonist, as they talk to each other like playmates. Their exchanges, while not tense, are entertaining at least. The characters, in a nutshell, are late bloomers.
Enjoyment 7/10
Gatchaman Crowds starts off at a slug pace. It's characters seemed uninteresting, the art direction was weird and it's fundamentals of action and comedy were lacking. However, giving it some time will enable to the series to grow as the world becomes more fleshed out. Characters grow, action intensifies and it just seems keep exanding. Needless to the say, the latter parts of the series are better.
It doesn't reinvent the hero genre, but it's fit to be a solid entry on any fan's Anime List. With a unique art style, nice presentation and a good story to tell, this anime makes a nice attempt at sticking out from the Crowd.
