Overview:
Let's look at a largely forgotten series of the early 2000s. Gungrave is unusual in that it is an anime adaptation of an "on rails" style shooter game made by Sega. Usually we see adaptations of manga, light novels, and on rare occasion video games. However, this is the only anime based on a rail shooter game that I personally can think of.
Plot: 6/10
The first episode begins in a bleak future with a man called Grave fighting against an evil group called Millenion and countless monstrosities. After the first episode ends, the next half of the entire series is a flashback! Actually this is ok, since the flashback portions of this show are MUCH better than the future portions. In the past, we see a young man named Brandon Heat join the Mafia group Millenion along with his buddy Harry. Brandon is a loyal and fearsome mafia enforcer that works his way up the ranks and even develops feelings for the daughter of the Mafia leader "Big Daddy". This flashback portion of the series sees Brandon struggle with his loyalties to the organization and his increasingly ruthless friend Harry. It also sees Brandon's remorse over becoming a killer and inability to settle down with the girl he loves. There are some silly sub-plots thrown in with zombies called "necrorise" but the main story line is like a Martin Scorsese crime drama. The relation between Brandon and Harry seems extremely similar to the relation between Guts and Griffith from the much more famous anime Berserk. If this anime had ended at episode 14, it could have been excellent. Instead it continues and really loses steam with the future portion of the story.
Characters: 6/10
The main character Brandon Heat is actually a well developed, fairly believable, and enjoyable protagonist. Unfortunately, no one else really shined through here. You would think with character names like Bear Walker, a fat guy named Bob Poundmax, and a mafia don named Big Daddy, you would have a much more fun cast of memorable characters. Instead, most of the characters here are bland and forgettable. Harry was a decent villain, but was nothing really special. He doesn't have the level of depth that for instance Griffith from Berserk has. In addition, he turns bad so early in the series that the audience never really has a reason to like him and his "heel turn" is rendered largely ineffective.
Sound: 3/10
The soundtrack was fine, but nothing memorable. This was made by the same studio as Trigun, so I went in with huge expectations that were dashed to bits. The opening theme is literally ELEVATOR MUSIC. That's the way to get me fucking pumped for an action series! God damned elevator music!
Art: 7/10
The art is drawn by the same guy responsible for Trigun, so if you liked Trigun's art than you will like Gungrave's. It looks a little dated now, but overall pretty good.
Enjoyment: 5/10
The first part of the series was a lot better than the latter part. Overall the series drags and you want it to end way before it does. That is never a good sign as far as enjoyment goes.
Overall: 6/10
This series has some pretty big flaws, but also has some strong points and a certain charm to it. I would honestly recommend watching episodes 2-14, because the others really aren't worth watching. I give a 7 out of 10 for the flashback portion and probably a 4 or 5 for the future portion. Overall, 6 out of 10 seems fair.
