So it's no exception that a guy like Ito deserves his own anime. Why not? And thus Ufotable came to the blessing and made a 70-minute OVA of Gyo.
The result? One of the most hilarious comedies ever made.
No, seriously. Whereas the original manga is a work of itself, this anime feels like a mixture of most horror films made in the past 2 decades. Basically, you're watching Piranha 3D+Birdemic+Troll 2+Slither+The Happening+Sharktopus+Dawn of the Dead 2004 all in one movie. Hell, the Ending IS TAKEN FROM THE DAWN OF THE DEAD 2004 ENDING!I don't know if that ending was a homage or a rip-off, but it's so blatant that i feel like filing a lawsuit on behalf of Zach Snyder and James Gunn.
Anyways, the story of Gyo is about dead fish and aquatic creatures having metallic spider legs and walking around the surface while infected with a disease that can be contractable to humans. This disease turns humans into fart zombies and will also give them metallic spider legs while having tentacles on their mouths and private parts. It's basically the original plot of the manga.
However, the way it's directed makes it look more like a comedy than a genuine Junji Ito horror story. I mean, only in comedy can a shark with legs attack a woman who's receiving double penetration from two guys. Seriously, this is Birdemic-tier levels of hilarity. I am shocked by the fact that it's directed by the guy who directed Kara no Kyoukai 5.
And not only that, THEY CHANGED THE CHARACTERS. Kaori is now Tadashi, and Tadashi is now Kaori. Why? Apprently because the hot chick needs to win. Basically, they want a Hollywood ending which pisses me off more. I'm pretty sure that this was aimed at a Western audience, because there is no other reason for character change other than that. It just kills the purposes of the story. They also add in two unnecessary female characters, both which are Kaori's friends. Erika, the slut and Aki the fat one. They are pretty much the most worthless stories in anime and are there just to increase the body count.
The animation is quite nice. Great scenery and crisp animation made up for the flaws of this OVA. The characters look like they were drawn by yoshiyuki Sadamoto and it's true because the animator for this OVA is a former student and colleague of Sadamoto, working with him during the production of Evangelion. And the CGI is okay too. Ufotable is using a really good budget for an OVA, and they handled it well.
I'm okay with the music. I mean there is nothing groundbreaking with it. But the sound effects are generic. I mean, no GASHUNK! effect? Come on! We want to hear that GASHUNK! sound! They blew it hard by not making that sound.
Overall, Gyo is a mediocre OVA filled with unintentional hilarity with decent animation to make up for it. It's not scary and it failed so in every level, but it's a blast. You want an MST3K experience with your friends on a Friday night? Go watch Gyo. But you want to get scared? Read the manga.
