Gad Guard tells the story of Hajiki Sanada, a 16 year old street smart teenager working as a delivery boy in a city called Night Town. Due to the depletion of Earth resources cities have been separated into units and every night at midnight the electricity gets shut off. This leads to a surge in organized crime and black market deals. During one of his deliveries Hajiki gets involved with a cubed shaped object called a Gad and it seems that everyone wants it in the underworld. It’s during a skirmish for the Gad that it shows its true colors as it transforms into a Techode.
Like I said before the story had a lot of potential. The contrast between futuristic mechas and the 1920’s mob crime made for an interesting plot in the beginning. Yet instead of focusing on this contrast other story elements are brought in that disrupt the balance. There were also many execution problems as well.
While Gad Guard focuses on Techodes the show never truly gives the background story on the Gads and how they came to be until the end of the anime. Some of the characters also have a deep connection to the Gads and Techodes yet their stories are never brought up even though they hint at it throughout most of the anime. Most of the middle part of this anime was filled with episodic adventures that felt more like fillers than anything else. Lastly the ending goes so far on a tangent that it doesn’t feel like you’re watching the same anime.
Now the animation isn’t going to win any awards but it wasn’t all bad. The saving grace in the animation department is the Techodes themselves. Each felt unique and well crafted to suit the owners as well as give off a futuristic hope in such a bleak environment. And when I mean bleak I really mean it. Night Town during the daytime looked like all the color was washed out except for gray and brown. During the night scenes everything was either too dark or blinded by the moonlight. It doesn’t help that until the near end of the show Night Town is the only location you’re going to be seeing so having to see nothing but brown and gray hurts the eyes. Needless to say you aren’t going to find great quality here and while I’m not saying it’s the worst it’s just that it feels that there is no originality in the series.
The music is practically nonexistent. In keeping with the 1920’s theme most of the music including the opening rely heavily on jazz. And while it’s interesting in theory, just like the story plot, the execution was not up to par. It felt like the music was there because it had to be there. The background music in Gad Guard has no feeling and it doesn’t help set the mood for any scene in the show. The music just sits there never really standing out or helping improve the quality of the show.
Overall Gad Guard is just another mecha show that you won’t remember after you watch it which is a shame. The idea of this anime had so much potential. Sadly the inconsistent story and bleak atmosphere makes it a passable show. So if you never watch it you’re not missing much.
