The theme and general setting difference between the first and second episode was so different that I could have sworn that I accidentally opened another anime. I have to say that there are big differences in the parts of Gungrave that tell the past and present.
To briefly summarize the episodes that tell the past, it tells how two delinquents and also friends living in the street life enter a big mafia organization and rise step by step. For me, the peak of the anime were these episodes. In terms of storytelling, I can say it's one of the best works I've ever seen. Even though the pacing sometimes slows down and feels off-topic at times, all of the minor and major events in the past are key points in the anime. Because Gungrave isn't an event story, it's a character story.
That's why, as we watch everything Brandon and Harry go through, we get a better understanding of the mood and situations they are in when it returns to the present. Moreover, there are a lot of well-written, if not perfect, side characters that add to the enjoyment value.
For me, the slight drop in Gungrave starts when it returns to the present day. Because from there, supernatural and science fiction come into play. Of course, although the foundations of this are slowly being laid in the episodes about the past, I think that this is a sharp turn that has not been executed well enough. If I need to exemplify the difference, the episodes that tell the past feel like The Godfather, while the episodes about the present feel like a mixture of Hellsing and Devil May Cry. I know how silly it sounds, but it really felt so silly to me.
Gungrave's story and storytelling has a lot of nice details worth mentioning. Apart from the main characters, the side characters with considerable screen time also have many aspects worth mentioning. But I want this to be a spoiler-free review, so I'll leave these parts to new viewers.
For my part, the sci-fi parts slightly lowered Gungrave's rating, but at the end of the day it doesn't change the fact that it's a pretty good anime. It has everything you would expect from this kind of story and setting, and it reflects most of that quite well. Even if you don't like sci-fi, I highly recommend watching Gungrave just for the episodes that tell the past events.
"To protect is to never betray."
