0
0
Year: 2003-2004
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Episodes: 26
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
As the iconic saying goes, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” Have you ever wanted to get revenge against a person? Has the thought of vengeance fueled you through life because you want to show up the person who did you wrong? I know I have used the feeling and people probably used it against me. Everyone collects receipts with the hope of cashing them in. What would happen if your best friend killed you and you were brought back to life. Would you go after them? Gungrave is that very story.
Overview
Gungrave is the story of betrayal and revenge. The story opens up thirteen years after Brandon Heat is betrayed and killed by his best friend, Harry MacDowell. Brandon and Harry were two friends that considered each other brothers. They live in challenging times and consistently try to hustle their way to survive. Even though their lives were simple, with the occasional brawls with locals, hooking up with women, and committing anything illegal to pass the time. One fateful night, their world changes as their friends are murdered in front of their eyes.
Harry, tired of being at the bottom, decides to go and join Millenion, the largest and most infamous mafia syndicate in the area. After doing a job, Brandon and Harry are accepted into their ranks and start at the bottom of the organization. The two friends have different goals when they get into the organization. Harry is ambitious and wants to ascend to the organization’s top and replace the boss, Big Daddy. Brandon, on the other hand, only wants to support his friend and be loyal to Big Daddy, who has taken in Maria, a woman Brandon loves.
As Harry and Brandon rise to the top, their wishes soon clash until Harry kills Brandon. Brandon is reborn through the use of necrolyzation as Beyond The Grave. He begins a quest for revenge against the crime syndicate.
Review:
I didn’t know what to expect when I first started this anime. I passed it a few times, and the picture looked a little haunting, but it didn’t catch my attention. I read the synopsis and decided to give it a chance. I watched the first episode, and when I saw that these creatures attacked a van and a dude popped out and killed them all, I thought I was getting into a supernatural show.
Let me tell you that this show is far from a supernatural show. It is a pretty good revenge show. The first 20 episodes show all flashbacks and the life of the main character, Brandon Heat. Brandon might say a word in the anime, but the anime shows how he met his best friend, Harry MacDowell. The story shows how the two hustle on the streets and eventually become part of a mafia organization called Millennium.
The story shows how both Brandon and Harry rise through the ranks of Millennium. Brandon becomes one, if not the top assassin of the organization. What sets Brandon’s story apart is the path he takes. Even though he becomes a renowned killer, he forms a father/son relationship with Millennium’s head boss, Big Daddy. Brandon also cares about Maria, but when he kills for the first time, he calls it off because he knows she is too innocent. On the other side, it shows Harry’s story, and homeboy is absolutely ambitious. What Harry does is that he has his own group that soon rules from the inside of the organization. Harry has a man who can gain any information, has two men who are assassins, and wants the world as he knows how to bring in the money. Brandon would do anything for Harry, but he also lives by the code. When Harry hears that Brandon will kill anyone, he guns him down and actually kills him.
After we get through the back story, the story returns to the present, thirteen years later, where Harry is in charge and has an army of demon-like creatures at his disposal. Laying in the shadows is Brandon, who was brought back to life and called “Beyond the Grave” to save Maria’s and Big Daddy’s daughter and get his revenge.
The anime does a fine job telling the story and keeping you interested. Are there slow sections but the anime does a good job of keeping you entertained with the environment. The city the group grows up in is awful, and the men hustle to survive. Shit gets real when Harry and Brandon’s friends are killed right before them, which is the turning point in their lives. The anime keeps a nice pace of action and shows the rise until Harry betrays Brandon. When we return to the present, all hell breaks loose, and shit gets real. The anime also shows that the mafia life is hard and death can be at every turn. You crying about your dumbass kid, and bam, you’re dead.
The action of the anime would be fine if it was just two people, but it seemed a little stale when everyone could transform into a demon-like creature. This would’ve been great back in the day, but now it is meh. Is it still entertaining? Yes, but it does lose a little of the appeal. I guess you have to have a way for people to fight after one being dead for thirteen years. Honestly, you couldn’t have brought the dude back sooner. A whole thirteen years? What were you doing, and how did you keep it a secret after all that time.
The animation is dated, but it shouldn’t keep you from watching this anime. It won’t wow you and has that old-school feel. You won’t have to worry about seeing any special effects or CGI, this is a straight old-school drawing, and I enjoyed it.
As far as the characters go, there is Brandon and Harry; as stated earlier, they are two ends of the spectrum. Brandon is quiet and calm and has a sense of loyalty. Harry is the ambitious one who has a crazed look.
Some other fantastic characters were Bear Walken and Bunji. Bear Walken was beyond loyal and would do anything for his little girl. He is the calm one of the group. He has that wise old man feel about him that has seen a lot. I also like Bunji Kugashira. Bunji was a straight-up killer and wielded those guns like they were toys. I hated that Bunji transformed or underwent the procedure because homeboy was fantastic with his shades and how he acted.
Gungrave is one of those anime series you really have to try. You might find it boring, but the story of revenge and the rise of power is good. It has that old-school anime feel, but once again, the story is great, and you will enjoy it. The action is really good also. Watch this anime as you come from the grave and exact your revenge on the person who wronged you.
