Customer Reviews

Gungrave - Beyond the Grave (Vol. 1)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Gungrave is, without a doubt, one of the best animes I have ever seen. It rivals Cowboy Bebop in complexity and gunplay, if you're into that sort of thing.

Gungrave centers around Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowel, best friends who live aimlessly on the street, doing whatever they can just to get by. But after they pick a fight with the brother of a newly made Mafioso, they find themselves fleeing for their lives. This leads them on a path to joining the syndicate known as Millenion, and here is where the story really begins.

The first episode might put you off, but after you watch the second episode you'll know that this series is something special. The first episode is, rather, a look forward in the series.

There is a Gungrave video game, but this anime is not based on that. Rather, it is its own, rich story which has many differences from the game, and has its own flavor.

The Trigun animation style is clearly evident, but the story far eclipses that of Trigun in story depth, and the music is also well done.

All anime fans, new and old alike, should see this series. Gungrave is one of those shows that only comes once in a while, and truly brings something special to the table.

I have been waiting a very long time to get my hands on this series and it was worth every minute of the wait time!

A tale of loyalty, trust, and the ultimate betrayal, Gungrave is a seriously driven character story with enough action to keep you on the edge of your seat.

In the opening episode, Beyond the Grave awakens to seriously kick the ass of a multitude of undead creatures. From his stylish attire to his awesome display of firepower, Grave is the type of guy who shoots first and makes damn sure no one is left to answer any questions. Grave makes Vash the Stampede look like a rank amateur when it comes down to serious gunplay.

Later in the volume, we meet Brandon and Harry, a couple of young street punks trying to make it along with their small gang on the tough streets of their town. Through a series of fights and shoot-outs with the local crime boss and rival gangs, we see Harry and Brandon as they step into the world of organized crime.

I would almost say that this tale would be akin to a cross between Hellsing and Trigun, only much better.

Grab your guns and extra ammo, kiddies. It looks like Gungrave will be a hell of a ride.

P.S. As a parent, I would NOT recommend this for younger children. The anime is rated for 16 and up. There are sexual innuendoes, brief nudity, and graphic violence. Purchase this based on your child's maturity level. (I let my 12 and 13 year old watch this and they are still raving about how good the story is!)

One looks to anime to feast on the imagination of others. This is title is definately a "work of art". On the strength of Hellsing, a predecessor to Gungrave, I hoped to find something long and strong on imagination.

Gungrave more than satisfied the desire to see something at the "next level". It is an anime rich in story, where you love and hate the characters and remember their names. It offers the science fiction and action expected in anime, but with a humanity emphasis usually found in Miramax prestige films.

In countless ways, Hellsing style anime is ingeniously implemented by the authors to provide powerful contrasts with reality. This anime sees something in the genius of humanity and captures it animation. Gungrave captures the best of reality and fiction, mixes them together, and delivers a compelling story.

Gungrave is so good about 1/3 through the 26 episodes, I thought even if the rest was the most nauseating stuff ever conceived by man, this would still be a remarkable effort. Instead, Gungrave only got better and better. Most of all, Gungrave leaves a memorable ending, leaving a powerful message burned in your soul. Chances are you will agree and will join the "Family" of admirers.

"Gungrave" is an excellent new anime based on a manga by Yasuhiro Nightow, the creator of "Trigun," which was then turned into a videogame. The videogame is fine, but the anime is awesome!

The plot of Gungrave follows one Brandon Heat, a street tough resurrected to destroy his former best friend Harry, now the crime boss of the city in which these events take place, and his efforts to protect the daughter of the woman he loved, Maria, from the sinister white 'orgmen' pursuing her at Harry's behest (said orgmen bear a pronounced resemblance to the enemies of Kingdom Hearts 2, but that's another story).

I had no idea what to expect when I first viewed Gungrave, but I was blown away by its pulse-throbbing gun battles, exaagerated, well-drawn characters, and inscrutable (at least for the first disc) plotline. Though word on the street is that Gungrave is a lot like Trigun, I would say that while the two series do share some secondary elements, mostly in atmosphere, the two animes couldn't be more different simply because their protagonists are total opposites. Vash comes off as something of a ditz, though he's amazing with a gun, while Brandon Heat, in the present, is so taciturn I've known rocks with better conversational skills, and in the past is not exactly loquacious either. Moreover, he has no scruples when it comes to combat.

Simply put, Gungrave hooked me from the very first minute, and it hasn't let go yet. The three-episode flashback creates more questions than it answers, and the machinations of the surviving characters in the present are not readily understandable either. Moreover, their reactions are just comical, especially those between Brandon and Maria's daughter, whose attempts to learn to fire a gun in the first episode are hilarious.

Buy this. This anime sucks you in and will leave you glued to the screen from start to finish. Its a sad tale about friendship, betrayal, and revenge. for those familiar with Cowboy Bebop I'd say it reminds me of what Spike and Vicious's backstory would have been like. Its very dark, very thought provoking and moving. Its a mafia/sci-fi story about two childhood friends who join the mob, one to protect the one he cares for, and the other so that he can be free and raise himself up out of the gutter. Decisions each of them make lead to good times but also to actions they regret. A definate must see!

i saw some fan sub-titled episodes of this anime. Its realy the best one i ever saw. this is the first review i ever write cuase it realy deserve it. i wont say anithing about the story (you must see it your self) but it has a real solid one that will make u go insane and cant wait for the next episode (26 in total), sadly we will have to wait so long for there releases. but it is really worth it.

This isn't your average anime with its flipant use of coined anime images.( such as sweat drops ect)... This is a gritty story about 2 friends attempting to pull themselves up by their boot straps. And so far its been amazing.... Anyone who enjoys great characters, deep story and beautiful animation should check out Gungrave.

Gungrave was created by Yasuhiro Nighttow(Trigun) & the animation is done by MADHOUSE(Animatrix, Trigun, Texhnolyze). This is a awesome story that follows Brandon Heat & Harry MacDowel, two friends trying to make it in a neighborhood where death is a everyday occurence. Gungrave tells the story of how two childhood friends make their way up through the ranks of the mafia group known as the Millennium Organization. But somewhere something went wrong Harry became the head of Millennium but Brandon became a being known as Beyond the Grave who only seeks to destroy Millennium.

This is a very good first volume. It has a compelling story, interesting characters, great animation, & a really good dub. And the music fits the mood of the series well. I would recommend this to anyone that likes mafia tales,gun action, great story, & just anyone that likes anime. It definitely deserves to be checked out.

The first of the "Gungrave" series starts out in the not-too distant future, a world that appears to be right on the cusp of a dawning new age where science has brought forth monsters and virtually unstoppable cyborgs. A lone scientist, a teenage girl, and an early cyborg prototype - who's first activation is in the opening moments of the disc's first episode - are on the run from a vastly powerful and utterly ruthless organization which seems to be at the heart of the upcoming chaos. It succeeds in having its characters make an instant impression that you'll want to care about them, and offers the kind of stunning, monsterous action (with stunning sound) that will appeal to all horror and action fans.

Then everything changes. With the story barely begun and everything still very enigmatic we're suddenly back over a decade in the past starting with the 2nd episode, in a time that's apparantly the present, to witness how it all begins. Having not Yet seen the rest of the series (they're definately on my must-see list) I can only assume that the series is going to follow the characters through the years, eventually 'catch up' with that first episode, and then move on from there.

The story the subsequent episodes on "Gungrave Volume 1" tells is of a modern-day city where smalltime teenage criminal gangs operate under a loose series of what I guess you'd call supervisors, who in turn answer to the mafia (a mafia that has its hand deep into all the cutting-edge sciences). The thing is, if I'd known that this was the focus of "Beyond The Grave" I probably never would have rented it, but I found myself drawn into it very deeply. It's well done and while most of the teenage criminal element seem to be just scum, plain and simple, there are characters among them who are surprisingly likable, possessed of the kind of nature that one would not expect to find them living their lives as small-time mob minions. I'm actually hoping the series goes back a little as well as forward and shows how some of these characters wound up where they are at episode 2's beginning. Instantly likable is the young (and non gang member) girl, Maria I believe her name was who shares a mutual attraction with one of the smalltimers that her father is trying very hard to discourage.

Not what I expected to get but none the worse for it; this is just the kind of movie that shows that one should vary from their more frequent paths every now and then because you never know when you'll be really blown away by a kind of movie you haven't had much prior experience with. Really looking forward to seeing the rest of this series, and really recommending this volume to those who haven't seen it yet.

If it had I think that the game, a game which I thought was vastly underated, would have sold a lot better than it did. Also in terms of the Amazon.com editor saying that the character of Beyond The Grave, or Brandon if you will, being too stoic, and uninteresting. Those who played game already knew that this particualar character is definantly no Vash the Stampede. He is a killing machine pure and simple, and while This DVD may have arrived to late to boost the last game I hope it will provide a nice lift for Gungrave OD.