Admittedly the first episode is pretty terrible, rife with all of the show's major flaws packed into 20 minutes including some dodgy animation, crappy dub (which is only marginally better than the bog-standard original Jap audio), a forgettable soundtrack, and some ridiculous cliches (the matrix-style 'come here' gesture will make you cringe). However if you can survive that, you will see what the series can truly offer behind its 'badass action' exterior; a strangely involving mobster drama.
After the initial setup, showing an undead gunman take on the ghoulish 'org-men', we launch into a lengthy flashback that, most of the rest of the series, builds back up to that point. And despite the cliches, the so-so dubbing, the arguable animation, and so on, I ended up quite attached to these characters. We see their struggle to the top over time and how each of them truly believes in their cause. Even the bad guys, for the most part, are relatable in some way, which of course pulls the viewer in for the climactic finale that pits the two best friends against one another.
At times the even the way the story is told is pretty well done, constantly switching up the narrative between past and present to show how deep the bond is between the cast and how actions from decades ago can carry on a ripple effect.
It's a deeply flawed series but for one that has such an unimaginative core concept at its heart, I was surprised to find how much Gungrave made me care about what was going to happen to the cast, and how it constantly kept me guessing with just who was going to survive the chaos by the end of it all.
It's an anime that can be a slog to begin with but by the time the arguably silly fantasy content returns toward the end of the series, you may well find yourself far more invested and even hooked until the end. I'd say give it a go and you may well enjoy the ride, even if it doesn't particularly stay with you for very long.
