Customer Reviews

Gasaraki - Perfect Collection

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Gasaraki premise is unique and intriguing: only two people--young Yoshiro Gowa and Miharu, both opposing "pilots"--are blessed with the ability as "kai" to summon the Gasaraki, a powerfuly, mysterious, but extremely destructive force. As kai, they are also endowed with wonderful physical abilities, such as extreme endurance, and the ability to raise and maintain their pulse rates at exceeding two to three hundred beats per minute, a quality that makes them ideal pilots of battle-ready robots thrown into the mix in a middle-eastern war.

A 3.5 star rating would be more appropriate for this series which seems to show so much promise. The art is of a newer sort that promises to be the medium in which all subsequent anime will follow: cleaner, flatter characters, drawn more thickly and with less of the lines that make some anime attractive. The main characters, Yoshiro and Miharu are extremely inviting and well-developed characters. The battle scenes are fluid, and the designs for the kugai (as the legend goes, the kai perform a Noh Dance to summon the Gasaraki, which takes or kills the kai, leaving a kugai--a primal, predator-looking giant robot in the Eva mode) are spectacular. The movie moves at a good consistent pace, with few slow spots, and the important section flashing back to the history of the kai in ancient Japan is extremely compelling, and could survive as a show on its own. Yet how does it fail?

The biggest culprit is in its ambition. The plot is extremely heavy and disorganized, loaded with plenty of philosophy, politics, legend, and politics. And politics. This would have been okay if it had the background story and character development to support it, but other than Yoshiro and Miharu, the characters are all given fluctuating levels of importance, with little or no exploration of who they are. There are so many characters anyway that doing that would be impossible. To better muddle through Gasaraki, separate characters into these groups before watching:
Yoshiro and Miharu, the kai/pilots; the Gowa corporation, Yoshiro's family, which basically rules Japan; the Symbol corporation, most noted by its CEO; Yoshiro's squad mates on Japan's battle mecha team; the US, Japan, and another Middle Eastern countries as separate entities; and a side group that includes Yoshiro's younger sister, mother, and Noh dance teacher.

Understanding that these groups exist and that they each have their own motivations will hopefully be helpful. It's a good watch, but requires plenty of patience. The ending is almost a side note to the climactic section on the kai flashbacks. It's an ending, but not a satisfying one.

A decent watch, and a questionable addition to your collection.

As far as overall review: not worth paying for. (but watch it on TV or borrow it from a friend)

`Gasaraki' starts off slowly but has a nice narrative hook. A very original universe. The UN sends in troops to stop ethnic war in a Bosnia type country. A real life universe! (with only the names changed) But American armored units, Abrams Tanks and Bradley APCs (for those of you not up to date in war news, Abrams and Bradleys are light years ahead of any other tank) suffer a drastic defeat at the hands of enemy mobile suits. That's right, real life mobile suits!!! In a real army!!! In a real war!!!

Fortunately for the UN a giant Japanese corporation Gowa has been developing giant mobile suits for just such a war. But now Gowa has its sights set on more than just being soldiers for hire. Gowa wants to AVENGE JAPAN'S LOSS IN WWII.

The plot is further complicated by the mobile suit pilots' digging further into the Gasaraki mobile suit program. It turns out that mobile suits are not entirely the result of science. They are the result of conjuring Japanese demons and giving them physical form.

`Gasaraki' starts off with some very original concepts, what if mobile suits really did exist? Would evil dictators try to take on the UN and fear no one? Would global corporations fear no one? And most importantly, with enough power, would the Japanese ever try to avenge WWII? These are the burning questions which kept me interested throughout `Gasaraki'. It was very realistic; I recall only one joke during the entire series.

None of these questions are answered by `Gasaraki'. The story slowly goes nowhere. There is no war, there are no battles. `Gasaraki' degenerates into a boring mindscape into the human soul. If Cartoon Network ever runs this, it might be worth your time but `Gasaraki' is not worth your money.

I strongly recommend `Full Metal Panic.' It's a similar story, except a comedy. (and the same voice actors)

I had read the reviews about this title, and I've wanted to get this series for a long time. Did this anime meet my expectations? Yes, it met them all the way!

Through the series' 22 episodes, we get that 'everything is not as it seems' feeling, which keeps the viewer guessing as to what the outcome of the anime will be. Gasaraki's story is deep in plot, and the use of realistic political threats set in today's world gives you a fresh feeling, compared to other animes where the main characters fight aliens, monsters from outer space, etc.

The mecha themselves are realistic in nature, and the theories mentioned in the story will make you believe that one day such machines will be real. But this is where the anime is different from other mecha titles. Only about 40% of the anime has mecha combat, but when it does get to a fight, it's put to good use.

The character development is top notch, and is crafted well. The main characters, Yushiro and Miharu are very believable, and you can feel for these characters.

I was VERY impressed by the dub cast, as I found very little flaws in them. While you may think that there is a voice or two that could've been better, it's nothing to really complain about, as it's near perfect to the way the characters are. I actually enjoyed the dub more than the sub. As a plus to this, you can enjoy more of the animation and not worry about reading subtitles. But the DVDs come with japanese vocals with subtitles, for those who prefer it that way.

This is truly a great series, and shouldn't be missed, whether you're a mecha fan, or a person who likes a great story. This DVD set is also well worth it, as buying each DVD separately by themselves would cost more.

Let the summoning begin...

Firstly, I would like to say that the production values for this series are much above the typical anime. The artwork is great, the music is well above average (the opening theme is very haunting), the mechs (T.A.'s in Gasaraki lingo) are interesting, and the pseudo-historical tale of the kai's is both original and intriguing. It's a great shame that this series never comes close to realizing it's potential.

Unfortunately the writing is badly flawed with faulty economic and political theory, endless silly techno-babble, and interminable rehashing of the same philosophical ideals in episode after episode. It takes over the series, and by the time you get half-way through, you're wishing they'd just get on with the show. This is a series that I really wanted to like, but in the final analysis it was a disappointment.

If you're looking for a quality anime, you'd be much better served by Cowboy Bebop, Ninja Scroll, Princess Mononoke, or Ghost in the Shell.

Some folks liked it, some didn't get it. I guess I fall into the "didn't get it" group. Started very slowly, ending was, well, confusing and unsatisfying...

So, I guess this one and Serial Experiments: Lain I'll have to pass on. They just didn't much make sense...? Maybe it was the translation, maybe it was just good intention and bad execution. Who knows. If you don't "get" anime, or the super-complicated storylines and jumbled philosophical logic that doesn't end up making sense, you might want to skip this one too...

----------

Addendum: Okay, I re-watched Gasaraki again, more completely this time. It wasn't "as bad" as I made it out to be. There was some decent action in it. The philosophical mumbo-jumbo was still a bit much and left a slightly bittertaste in my mouth since it didn't really go anywhere. "The dance" didn't really do anything for me either. But that may simply eb a cultural thing I'm completely unfamiliar with. So, I'd perhaps give it a 3-star rather than my original 2. I'd still rather watch "other" mecha animes like Mobile Suit Gundam Wing - Complete Collection 1 & 2, Mobile Fighter G-Gundam 1 & 2, Rahxephon, Martian Successor Nadesico, or cyberpunk like Texhnolyze or Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex...

First off, Gasaraki is a series that requires a good deal of careful attention. Do not venture into this series if all you want is instant gratification - you won't get it. Don't even try marathoning it, you will be overloaded as there is quite a lot to digest.

Gasaraki is a slow-moving complex political drama with some excellent mecha action thrown into the mix. The series starts off right in the centre of a weapons development programme in Japan and goes on to develop a story about global political manoeuvring played on very high stakes. Adding to this heady mix is the incorporation of some mystical and supernatural elements coupled with traditional Japanese dance theatre to drive this complex political drama along.

Mecha fans should rejoice as this series features probably the most realistic depiction of a military mecha unit, so realistic that it could possibly be built in the very near future. Considerable thought has been put into how a real military mecha would be used, their strengths and weaknesses - e.g. a bipedal mecha unit in a sandstorm will suffer from having fine sand clogging the joints and actuators.

Not only is the mecha frightening realistic, some of the political events featured and how these are all presented (via cable and satelite news) are spookily like the real thing. The political manoeuvring is a delight to watch while the philosophies and thinking are quite interesting.

By now, you're probably asking whether the ending is satisfying in light of what some have written before. It all depends on how conclusive an ending you are looking for. All I can say is that I'm quite satisfied with the ending. Without giving out any spoilers, I can tell you the ending of the series will provide an explanation of what Gasaraki means which ties in with one of the overall themes of this series.

There is an unfortunate aspect to Gasaraki though, as given the amount of detail and depth of the story, something usually has to give and in Gasaraki's case, character development suffers. This is due to both insufficient time to properly realise the key characters as there are many things that are left unexplained, and the large number cast of secondary characters involved.

Considering that this is a relatively recent series, the animation quality throughout the series is very good. There is one very pleasant surprise though, the English dub for the series is excellent and is a match with the original Japanese track. This is most unlike quite a number of anime series out there where the English dub just doesn't match with the characters on-screen.

There are no special extras with the boxset (except that it, of course, comes with a box) as it is just a collection of all the 8 DVD volumes into one neat package held in a cardboard box. If you are ready to commit to the series, this Perfect Collection boxset is a cost-efficient way to pick it up.

I am writing this review for people who simply, like me, had no idea what to expect before picking up the series. Gasaraki is a mech anime with heavy grounds in politics and culture. I cannot help but admire Gasaraki for providing a realism to walking, warring, giant robots yet to be seen in any anime. Though many of the Gundams are political in nature, Gasaraki just gives vibes of an actual possible future (nothing is overly etrtraordinary). In other words, it's very down to earth for a mecha anime. It's views of politics are very persuasive and realistic yet somehow interesting as well. It really makes you wonder how ill-informed we in the public are about the actual truth of daily events. The culture, however....
While you don't have to possess knowledge of Japan to understand the cultural references (as they are mostly unique to the anime), the cultural history provided in the anime seems to contrast the realism. The existence of beings known as "kai", though melding into the storyline of the use of mechanical robots, becomes too far-fetched when the viewer comes to learn of what sort of powers they are capable of. It also makes it a little hard for viewers to identify with the people who are "kai" due to the kind of lives they lead. And the ending is just WAAAAYYYY out there.
In conclusion, I really wanted to like the anime for it's a innovative realism in the field of mecha-anime (a genre that has become exhausted and overrun by flashy toy selling robots), but it's that very innovative meld of politics, culture, and realism that seem to detract from one another. It's still a little refreshing change of pace from the rest of my collection but I'd highly recommend renting or viewing a little before you buy. Hope this helps!
Oh, just to add, the dub for this anime is also very well done. I'm pretty much a sub purist but I felt the dub detracted very little if any from the content. In fact, so many names are thrown around and so much dialogue takes place that it can aid the viewers understanding. However, I always recommend watching something the way it was originally made first.

Unlike the Editorial Review I don't think that Gasaraki borrows much from Evangelion. The Storyplot of Gasaraki is more political and in my opinion also more complex than that of Evangelion.
Set in a possible near Future, the Story is driven by the political Ambition of the Gowa-Family and of a mysterious Group, who is following the same goal: to call for the Gasaraki - an ancient mythical Figure with unknown Powers. This Power can be called or chanelled only by special peoples, known as KAI.

Although sometimes the story becomes difficult to understand when reaching deep into the esoteric and mystical "Kai"-Plot, it is exactly this need of deeper understanding that makes Gasaraki unique and worth watching it (besides the great animation and music...). In a collection where you can find Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Beebop, Princess Mononoke and Samurai X, Gasaraki should not be missing.

Gasaraki is one of those shows that seems to be either a masterpiece or a total bomb, depending on who's doing the reviewing. Naturally, I'm right in the middle. Gasaraki is slow moving at first, but picks up speed around episode 13 and moves well to the end. The visuals are excellent for the era it was made, and the minimalistic soundtrack fits it well.
The dub is competent, if not stellar, and it's interesting to hear some of ADV's veterans in early roles.
As a political thriller, it's done well, with lots of intrigue and sub plots. The ending, however, felt like a deux ex machina to me, with the revealing of the origin of Gasara.

Dozens of mecha-featured series followed in the wake of Neon Genesis Evangelion. They were a mixed bag, to be sure. You had utter garbage like Brain-Powered and decent but unoriginal fare like Blue Gender.

But you also had Gasaraki. Gasaraki was my favourite of the mecha series immediately post-Eva because of its seriousness, its complexity and its realism. No squealing kawaii heroines, no slapstick comedy, no animal sidekicks. Probably because of its subject matter, which was greatly informed by Japanese culture and geopolitics. Mecha were presented as realistic engines of war, and despite their skill and effectiveness, even mecha pilots could be lost in the currents of political and corporate intrigue. It was a convoluted mess at times, but overall was a good example of highbrow seinen anime all too often lacking among the swarm of shôjo and shônen series.