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“Would you kill someone you love, because of love?”

The allure of psychological tragedy is undeniable. From the moment I read taglines, the rational side of my mind calls a bluff. Moral challengers are a rare godsend, but something about morally-challenging, interesting taglines triggers skepticism, like they exist to compensate for said moral challenge to be little more than a brief tangent to the circle called the plot. So, with the above skepticism in hand, Ga Rei –Zero- became my next target, hoping that it would exceed my (admittedly unjustly low) expectations.


What I did not expect was the single most emotional, beautiful pieces of tragedy ... I have happened across in an anime.


Being a relative novice with the supernatural genre, I approached “Ga Rei –Zero-“ with an open mind, expecting something akin to “Elfen Lied” in its exploration of the concept of love, and indeed, my assessment ultimately proved correct. Not knowing the original Ga Rei continuity, my first impressions of –Zero- were those of apprehension: series driven by squad dynamics rely heavily on interaction rather than depth of character, and given the psychological appeal of this series and the highly personal nature of the series’ driving value, I wondered if I should resign this series to a mere pass-time. It was at that pivotal moment where the real story arrived on the scene in a katana-fuelled frenzy, instilling me with such profound shock that my impressions of the series instantly turned about.

Having been fed the ways of Aristotlean theatre for the better part of a year, my interest was piqued by an apparent subversion of the ways of tragedy. Yet in this exploration of the tragic heroine corrupted by something so noble as love, I found something in this series which invoked the same catharsis one is meant to find. This is, perhaps, the triumph of this production: many a series fails because their main character is impossible to sympathize with, or is so derivative that sympathy becomes impossible. Yet as I held the naive belief that the tragic heroine could be saved, salvaged by the eternal bonds of sisterly love, I realized just how profound an effect the series had on me: just how well the series endeared me to its characters.

As one need not guess at the ending to a prequel, it falls to the director to end the series in a fashion that does the viewer justice, yet engage those who are oblivious to the nature of the bitter end with a sense of apprehension, the “what next” sense one ought to feel. But as the tragically beautiful music swelled to a climax and falls with the hero’s last words, despite the part of my mind suited to analyse form from a cool distance, the part which knew this was inevitable for this tragic heroine fell silent.

And yet, despite the silent beauty of the scene, somehow I felt unsatisfied. In spite of the beauty, the music, the raw emotion, and its undeniably profound effect on me, something about that scene felt inconclusive, something nagging at my mind.

“This can’t be it. There has to be something more.”

Perhaps the downfall of this series is that is a prequel, and, while as a stand-alone text its mastery is evident, its effect cannot be felt segregated from its parent material. While in its own, Ga Rei –Zero- is more than beautiful, easily able to take the highest mantle for tragedy and, perhaps, the mantle for anime in general, my final conclusion is that for the profound catharsis effect demanded of tragedy, one simply cannot approach this like a casual observer.
And hence, the onus is on the audience to do the series justice. While even the most callous of us cannot deny they feel for the plight of the characters, in the end, the series’ ability to make one care for the characters is undeniable. But it’s the difference between greeting a new acquaintance and an old friend. It’s obvious which has the better effect.

Which is not to say Ga Rei –Zero- is worthless alone. Far from it, as an exploration of love, loss and hate, it’s nothing less than brilliant. To pick up this ball and run with it is a definite worthwhile experience, but if you’re serious about playing the game, invest the time and read the manga first.