Customer Reviews

Gad Guard: The Complete Series

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There's legitimate complaint from anime lovers that mecha (meaning shows based on robots) is guilty of being too formulaic. The formula, in case you're wondering, typically goes something like this: Young kid with a heart of gold happens upon a giant robot that even the engineers who created it cannot master. Said youth possesses the skills required to tame this complex piece of machinery and thus uses it to save the world. Okay so maybe that's a bit broad and generalized but I'll be honest: Mecha is my own personal passion and the stuff that got me into anime in the first place (anyone else remember Voltron and Robotech?)

These days' mecha shows have become a bit more complex than what we enjoyed in the early 1980s and while there is some legitimacy to the complaints that the genre is formulaic, studios like Gonzo countered by adding unique art elements to their robot shows. Enter Gad Guard; a 26-episode mecha television series directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori that hit airwaves back in 2005.

I've been eagerly awaiting Funimation's release of this property since word of their acquisition of the show reached my monitor. Released across 4 discs, the Complete Series contains all 26 episodes and comes in at a total runtime of 600 minutes.

The set comes packaged in a pair of think packs (each housing two discs) within a beautifully artistic cardboard slipcase.

The show wears a fairly conservative PG 13 rating due, presumably, to themes of voilence over foul language or nudity.

Language options are thorough with both an English dub and Japanese original dialog option (each in stereo) with English subtitles if so desired.

As is so often the case in modern anime, Gad Guard warns of the cautions of humanity's continual use (abuse) of natural resources. Set several hundred years in the future, the resources of the Earth have all but run dry. Populations are now divided into crowded slums called Units.

The story follows a street-smart delivery boy by the name of Hajiki Sanada who is struggling to provide for his mom and little sister in Unit 74, specifically in a ghetto known as Night Town (because in effort to converse what little natural resources remain, the electricity is shut off each day at midnight). When this knit-hat donning errand boy happens to botch a delivery involving a mysterious black cube, Hajiki finds himself mixed up in a massive struggle for the forbidden technology contained within. Suddenly the show's title makes a lot more sense, as in attempt to retrieve the black cube (called a powerful stone); Hajiki accidentally releases a 20-foot-tall robot (called a Gad) that answers only to his beckoning call.

What we have, in simple terms, is the robotic equivalent to the old classic genie in the lamp mythos. Only rather than grant wishes, the Gad ends up disposing of the cast of goons who were seeking the black box (and with it Hajiki) in the first place. Nearly a happily ended fairy tale in and of itself, the real action begins when a second Gad ends up in the control of one Katana (the main bad guy).

Robotic clashing ensues and the simple life of running deliveries for chump change is forever relegated to Hajiki's young memory.

What the story lacks in originality or risk-taking is more than made up for by its abundance of charm. Gad Guard is rife with stunning visuals that make use of an intentional washed-out appearance sprinkled with small flashes of color. The Gads themselves are nearly colorless save for their bird-like eyeballs and our hero comes decked out in earth tones except for his bright pink vest. Many of the robotic combat sequences take place after dark (unfortunately) which only further adds to the overall dimness.

The look isn't only for uniqueness sake however as, don't forget, this is a tale told in the slums of the city about a poor family struggling to make ends meet. As such the shades of gray and grit go a long way in depicting this motif. Additionally the small details (such as the dogs) actually look as if they could have been penned up by contemporary artist, Gary Baseman (kids, google this guy if you don't know who he is). Now that I think on it, it almost appears as though the whole show was infused with his influence.

The soundtrack matches the art with smooth jazz numbers filling in between soaring orchestration at the show's key moments. The English dub is surprisingly solid as well and can honestly be considered one of few dubs that's nearly as emotionally-powerful as the original Japanese source material.

The show's pacing is consistent with tech-heavy action sequences taking the spotlight away from supporting cast character development. However, there is enough personality among the main characters to compensate.

In all this is a charming mecha entry that proves without a doubt that the genre still has a lot of life left in it. The artwork and music are stunning enough to carry the show if necessary but the story comes on strong and remains so solid that the odds and ends are never asked to overextend themselves. Funimation deserves total praise for ensuring that titles like Gad Guard will not fall away into obscurity as a result of Geneon's untimely demise.

I received the item right on time, it was in perfect condition, and I also watched the whole thing in 5 days. The animation is really well done, it's funny, it's well drawn, and the robots are just amazing. I like the rollercoaster of emotions that you go through while watching it and it's a series I would definatly suggest to anyone if they haven't see it or heard of it.

I just finished watching this one and can easily say its one of my favorites. Its highly inventive, imaginative, and really charming. Its also rated TV-PG, a rating I feel is a little too low. I'll explain that later though.

Gad Guard, on the surface, looks like a show about a boy and his machine, and one can only imagine the adventures they will both go on. Even the DVD cover puts alot of emphasis on this idea.

However, this anime series is much more than that. In fact, I'd say its quite the opposite. Gad Guard's story is more about its characters. While the machines, called techodes, influence the story and make up a good part of the series, its actually more character-oriented.

So, are the characters any good? Hell yes. And this is exactly why I fell in love with the series.

Each character is unique and captivating. Everyone is a main character, and this is really exciting because they all have such fun stories. Its really neat to see each character live their lives, each one at different stages and in different situations. And then its nice to see them all mix.

Characters: 11/10 (best part of show)

The setting is also superb. Most of the series takes place in Night Town, a city in turmoil. Its the future, but that doesn't mean everybody is rich. Its a dog-eat-dog world, where you can't trust anybody. This doesn't mean Night Town is a bad place. On the contrary, its easy to fall in love with the city. The anime does a great job at establishing the locations/citizens. You've got the 2 hilarious female cops, the noodle man and his crazy dog, the cafe, Hajiki's work, the list definately goes on. This kind of bleeds into the character aspect, because even the side characters are memorable, charming, and make plenty of appearences throughout the show.

Later on in the series the story takes place outside of the city, thus adding a more interesting feel. I really liked how now the characters (which you're very interested in by now) are in different locations. It widens things up a bit and adds more depth to the series.

Setting: 10/10

The art is great, though by the end of the series I had noticed some minor differences in quality. However, the quality is never bad. It just shifts sometimes from fantastic to great.

Art: 9/10

The music is upbeat, extremely memorable and catchy, and fits the series well. The only problem is its sort of overplayed.

Music: 9/10

Now the story. Its not your typical boy meets machine story. Rather, its a story about a group of people and what they do with their lives. This includes how they make a living, how they live with their families, and how they react to the appearence of the Gads. The Gads are little objects that, once touched, turn into a numerous amount of things. They can turn into techodes, which are man-shaped machines that only respond to their master. They can turn into monsters, sucking in machinery and destroying everything. They can affect humans who have too much greed, thus turning them into demons. They are also a few other things, but to tell you them would be spoiling the story.

Stepping back, the story basically has 3 parts. In the beginning (part 1) its mostly about Hajiki and his techode, Lightning. But then a few episodes later and we hit the 2nd part, which makes up most of the series. This chunk is all about the characters and how they live their lives. Each episode basically tells its own story, however some stories do carry over into the next episode, and there are larger stories that involve the entire series.

By now you're very comfortable and have got a feel for the series. You've also got a feel for Night Town and the setting in general.

Then suddenly we reach the 3rd part of the story and things change. Its no longer all about Night Town, and there are a lot of different locations visited. While this does add more depth to the series, it also throws you off because now anything can happen. This 3rd part focuses mostly on Hajiki and his female companion. At this point the show also becomes more interesting as we get to see the fleshed-out characters in different settings.

The story also picks up and starts adding several major plot advances, leading up to the final episodes.

The good thing about all this? There's hardly any filler stuff, which means almost every episode is vital to either progressing the story or making you fall in love with the characters. I don't recall many dull moments in the story.

Story: 10/10

The only problem I have is with Hajiki at the end of the series. Throughout the entire show its really easy to relate to the characters and understand their motivations for what they're doing. But in the last few episodes Hajiki wants to do something (I won't say for spoilers sake) and I simply couldn't rationalize why.

Still, the last and final episode fixes it and gives a wonderful ending. Friendships are savored, and hearts are changed. Its great to see how far all the characters have come from the beginning, and how they've grown and affected one another.

Like I said, the characters are the best part of this series. They're so down to earth and captivating, and completely steal the show. Consider this series 30% action, 70% character relationships. This doesn't mean the action isn't good. It just takes a back seat until the final episodes.

Overall: 10/10

Lastly lets talk about the shows TV-PG rating. I for one disagree with it, and think it should be rated TV-14. Yes, it would be a mild TV-14, but still its better than a harsh TV-PG. Let me explain why.

At a glance it looks like a series suitable for children. Wrong! This is a very complex, adult-oriented series. The themes presented are strong and might be hard for young children to understand. There is plenty of crime, underground war, and turmoil.

This leads to the violence. When there happens to be violence, its almost always bloody, at some times its even slightly graphic. One such instance is when a bounty hunter comes to Night Town. The way he kills is very disturbing, my jaw dropped and I was kind of shocked that this type of violence falls under the PG rating. While I enjoyed it, the violence is not for kids.

On top of that, there is plenty of language to go around. The adults swear, but it is the children who cuss the most. Though, its nothing too harsh, mostly PG material. Still there is alot of it, alot.

And there is alot of smoking.

But these things aren't the hottest topics. No, my friends, the award tonight goes to...nudity. There is lots of it. The first part of the story shows lots of female nudity, ranging from the character's bodies to pictures around the city. Though its not overtly sexual, it is still rather steamy and I found myself shocked again. The 2nd part of the series (which is the largest) is fairly mild. But then we're back to more female nudity for the remaining episodes.

One character even opens up her coat to show a man her chest. She's completely bare, save for the tattoo she intended to show him, and you can see everything. Um....wow, definately not PG stuff here. This same character works at a club, and can be seen hanging around a pole. She even makes some slight advances towards some characters. Kinda slutty, but its part of her charm.

I know there are people who are fans of this kind of stuff, and there are plenty of anime series that focus on the female breasts.

Oddly, however, none of this seems to take away from the show. Its a very tiny part of the show. Keep in mind, though, that even if its small it can be pretty spicy. You'll go "oh my", maybe blush a little, but no rewinding!

Enjoy it. I know I did, so much so that I'm keeping it in my collection as one of my favorites.

Being a fan of sci-fi mecha animes and being able to get this series for $10.00 dollars was a real bargain and at the end while not the greatest it wasn't the worst either. The series like the anime Movie Origins and a few other Japanese nature movie seems to focus on the delicate balance we have as humans and our treatment of our world and what we will leave behind for our future generations after us. Though it doesn't put that part of the series to dramatically or darkly to make you feel to melancholy or anything which is appreciated. The animation while sometimes not the greatest is still decent to not worry and the soundtrack fits the series perfectly, The Japanese voice cast did a great job while most of the English dubbed cast were very good there were a few that they could have done without. If you're expecting big mecha fights like Gundam Wing/Seed than forget it, while there are some fight scenes there not going to reach those kind of epic battle scenes. The series does give a nice closure for the series so you won't feel frustrated with the finale to much though there are some loose ends too so the producers may or may not be planning a sequel will just have to wait and see. So if you can get this series for $20.00 dollars or less it's a definite must have but if you have to pay higher I suggest checking a few episodes online or on t.v. first to see if you will truly want to get the set...

Gad guard was a good series although the character get a little on your nerves, i know they did to me. Hundreds of years and the human race has been forced into areas known as "Units" due to earths decline of natural resources. The series follows one boy named Hajiki Sanada and his adventures of Night town and Day town both Ghetto towns of Unit Blue. It follows Hajiki in his Day to day life with his Techode Lightning as his urge to get out there and do something gradually grows.

Telling the story is an offense to the readers and i'll leave it to you to discover on your own how it progresses but all in all 4/5. The Story is unique and the characters grow up as the series goes on. And the ending is a truth we all need to hear

Reccomend this to any intrested

I ordered this after seeing a trailer , then reading the reviews here. I don't understand what demographic they were after , there was too much violence ,smoking and swearing for kids , there wasn't enough excitement for younger adults and the character development and story depth weren't there for older adults.

The artwork is great , the soundtrack good , voice acting was also ok.

To me there was nothing there to keep my attention. Nothing kept me waiting to see what was going to happen next.I was going to throw in the towel after the first 2 discs but I toughed it out .

So in my opinion I'd have to honestly say its just ok ,nothing more. I wish I'd have spent my money on something else instead of a show that will sit around collecting dust .