Story: 7
So, here is where the opposing points theory first picks up. As an art fan, nothing is more pandering and annoying than having an anime force-feed the audience the entire backstory through exposition in the first few episodes. It's annoying, and shows an inherent lack of trust in viewer. "Gangsta," is better in this sense, as it very rarely just straight up tells you what is going on. We are given the background of the world and the characters through limited interactions (usually through fragments spoken to Alex) and on top of that, have to sort through a web of politics and time, as the story flashes back to the past of the two main characters Nico and Worick, often. This is truly handled masterfully, but unfortunately, there is something about this world that just... doesn't seem to move. It has a very dynamic plot, and pieces are always moving, but there is just no sense of hope allowed in this anime. Not only through the plot points themselves, but through the lens with which the characters tell us they view the world. There is this ominous sense the entire show that things will go wrong, and that is just the way of this world. This sort of nihilist-fused pacing is strange, as the series is so interesting, but you cannot seem to get wrapped up in something so obviously set for oblivion. I also want to get out there that this show does something truly remarkable, which is blending multiple genres together effectively. It works most obviously as a sci-fi blended crime drama, but there is also a heavy element of almost-buddy-cop comedy, political thriller, social commentary, and many others. While it does not make a product that I would call remarkable, it does balance many things well, and that is, I think, worth some respect.
Art: 6
I do not think "Gangsta," is by any means an ugly anime, but there is something... absurdly monotone about it. The entire show's palette seems awash in beige and black, and I think this point most defends my idea of hopelessness. Some of the action scenes are well done, but unfortunately, many people (present company included) want to see beautiful scenic renderings and the like, but we do not actually get to know anything outside of the city it takes place (besides flashbacks). We're not actually even sure how it is positioned geographically. I did not read the manga, but I am not sure what the outside world looks like, although I assume from the character's conversations, it is at least better than inside. This focused, earthy art style is just not entirely appealing, and while it does a good job of creating that atmosphere I mentioned, I just do not think that atmosphere is effective for entertainment. Personal thing, that's all.
Sound: 9
I have never actually seen an anime attempt to voice a deaf person before, and to that, this show instantly raises high in my esteem. I otherwise had no complaints, and wanted to make special note that Alex's song that she sings in "BASTARD," later in the show was particularly lovely.
Character: 9
As I have mentioned being at odds with the art and story, I have to now defend why I gave this an 8 out of 10 rating. I personally did not think that any character did not stand out (except for the "mentally unstable killers," archetype that the enemies blend into, that was a shame) to me, and every character seamed uniquely human in that they had many layers, and often were at odds with themselves, as we so often are. There were so many small moments that made me question what I actually knew about these characters, and in a story full of unreliable characters, part of the joy was getting to the bottom of who they were. I actually cannot recall offhand a series that does such a mature job of crafting characters that have so many vices without being made to appear weak or ineffectual. Everyone in this show is struggling, and everyone has an implied bevy of trauma they carry around with them, and this trauma translates perfectly. Character's actions and relationships to one another so perfectly encapsulates the effects of trauma is was wonderful to watch. I cannot seem to justify writing down all my favorite moments, as this is a review now an essay, but honestly, the only ones you need to defend this claim can be found by looking at the main characters. Alex working through the guilt and trauma of her abuse are astounding, and the clockwork between Nico and Worick's friendship is so interesting, I still cannot tell if they are friend or foe, and that's a marvelous thing for an English major. I also loved that there is representation for an LGBT couple without it being token or taboo. It is just a passing realization, nothing more, and that is thoroughly human.
Enjoyment: 7
As I said, this show does many things right, but there are just a few too many things not done so. The atmosphere just did not mesh well for me, and the story and art really dragged down a brilliant character-driven story. It was enjoyable, but I usually binge whole seasons in a day or two, and I was much more satisfied watching this just a few episodes at a time. I think it is because I did truly enjoy it, but some little spark was missing and just did not hook me in, so I never had my heart racing for another episode, it was just my brain respecting the growth of all the things I did like. I don't think I fell in love with this series like I thought I was going to, I just wound up enjoying it.
Overall: 8
I've said it plenty already, but this is a good show that made a few choices that I could not get behind. I respect the artistic differences, and did not weigh them too heavily in my accumulative scoring. Still, I think that an 8 is a fair grade for this show, as the things it does right, it knocks out of the park, and the things it does wrong just sort of quietly fizzle. There was never any great breaking disappointment for me in the things I did not like, just an aching sense that I wish things were handled better, so even if I wanted to say it was a mixture of good and bad parts, that longing for the bad parts to be fixed suggests to me that the good carried the weight better than the bad tried to drop it, so "Gangsta," is a very good anime that could have been a masterpiece.
Recommendations:
1. Black Lagoon. I saw in many reviews that people were upset at these comparisons, and I find that to be strange. Black Lagoon and Gangsta VERY OBVIOUSLY share many similarities, and in their misguiding anger, I think people are just upset that you can compare the two. Yes, Black Lagoon is a far better crafted anime, but as they are entirely separate stories, recommendations are not contests, they are simply signifiers of some kind of shared sense of something while watching, be that character, plot, theme, or what have you. Black Lagoon and Gangsta are both sci-fi blended crime dramas, with dark, mature characters that you cant help but love and hate simultaneously. Both shows give us characters with questionable and unreliable moral compasses, and gives us just enough to love to balance out the hate. That is more than enough for a recommendation.
2. Darker Than Black. Both of these titles deal with the concept of "othering," or pitting supernaturals up against normals in a savvy political story full of action.
