- Last OnlineOct 22, 2017 10:26 AM
- JoinedJun 27, 2009
Also Available at
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Mar 24, 2011
There's a horde of stock alien invaders rampaging about in the city. There's a pack of (more or less) cool girls using superpowers, throwing about deadly cell phones & easily crushing those invaders like small bugs. Six episodes of this ahead.
Is that all? Well, the short answer is: No.
Seeing the genre-eviscerating Madoka★Magica shake the mahou shoujo fandom today makes me wonder even more as to why GK 21, being nine years older and attempting basically the same thing, went barely noticed. Perhaps because no one had expected that a follow-up to a light-hearted shounen/action/adventure/harem series would be a gloomy mahou shoujo deconstruction. Yet it's
...
exactly this. Enjoy.
[Story]
So, there are Invaders. And there are Gate Keepers. They do kick Invaders' asses using their cool superpowers and pavement-melting mobile phones. So simple… Wait, but why someone who possesses a superpower would need some extra gadgets?.. Pardon, these superpowers _what_?.. Sorry, _how many_ Gate Keepers?!.. And those Invaders are… WHAT??! Oh sh**.
The first thing that strikes in GK 21 is the perfectly undefinable genre and tone. The ‘mood pendulum’ swings violently between horror and parody, the most cruel and disgusting scenes getting exaggerated to the point of ridiculous, pathetically bombastic action sequences being run over by dramatic introspections, gags and puns thrown in every now and then… However, the more facts about the setting are revealed, the less room for humour remains. This is a dark and serious genre deconstruction. Accept it and welcome the Apocalypse.
As for the series' connection with its prequel… Are there any references to GK TV? Yes. Does one need to watch GK TV to enjoy GK 21? No. GK 21 is good enough as a standalone work, one can understand what's going on without knowing any facts from the prequel.
[Animation]
Gonzo did a great job. The series abounds in computer-generated imagery, yet it doesn't seem too ‘artificial’. The dark atmosphere to fit the plot is skillfully created by subdued colors and weird camera angles. And there are quite a few showy battle scenes. As for character design, it's quite typical for Gonzo. Some do like their style (me too), some don't (well, tastes differ).
[Sound]
Sound effects are really well thought-out and performed. Plane jets and car engines, big city noises and eerie distant sounds in abandoned streets — everything sounds very realistic. Background music, though hardly being something very special, fits the action quite well. The neo-classical opening song is fascinating, the upbeat ending theme is also not bad. As for voice acting, the whole cast did a good job, but Mamiko Noto (Ghost Girl) is the true star of the show, so believable as if being a crazy ghost were her full-time occupation.
[Character]
In the beginning, Gate Keepers look like a bunch of rather typical characters. Given the series' length and number of fighting scenes, one could assume that they would not change till the end. And that would be a mistake. Each of the Gate Keepers gets her share of character development, and relationship between the two main protagonists, Ayane and Miu, changes dramatically through the series. And on the other side there's Ghost Girl, the most convincing mad villain. So much human, her feelings quite understandable — and still totally mad and dangerous.
[Enjoyment]
I liked GK 21 the moment I've seen the trailer for the first time, and I still enjoy rewatching it years after. This short series is definitely worth giving it a try.
Just one remark: use official subtitles, as fansubbers often tend to turn GK 21 into a total mess. And even with decent subs, google ‘Manyoshu’. Ancient Japanese poetry is important to the story, make sure that it makes sense.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Nov 26, 2009
Well, if I try to write a detailed review of my favourite anime series, I'm likely to end up with something more like a doctoral thesis. :) So, here's just a brief list of what may be found inside this anime:
• A surreal and philosophical piece of art, where each frame is tightly packed by symbols, where you may find new details and ideas with every rewatch;
• A very complex and thoroughly thought-out plot, with its unique rhythm formed by numerous through and recurring storylines, where every two lines either parallel or intersect;
• An ultimate deconstruction of the shoujo/romance genre, crushing/subverting/reducing to absurd each
...
and every popular cliche;
• A picture of how twisted might classic fairy-tales have become if they really happened in our daily life;
• A great story of most sincere Friendship and sacrificial Love;
• A Christian metaphor of Salvation, if you will;
• A manifesto of the true dignity of women and men, a pitiless conviction of what may be commonly seen instead of it in reality;
• A set of totally weird characters, each one with one's own passions and past disasters, each one showing dramatic development from one story arc to another;
• A complete set of perverted and distorted relationships, each one being deconstructed and torn down through the series;
• A sorta brief guide to the spiritual life, showing most clearly what may happen to a person blinded by pride or letting dark desires take possession of their mind, depicting both abysses of frantic passion and true victories of spirit;
• A lot of mind-blowing dramatic scenes, yet also loads of crazy humour and intelligent self-parody;
• A whole bunch of genius seiyuu and one of the best film soundtracks ever made;
• (complete the list for yourself after watching the series ;)).
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 20, 2009
First, just a few words about what this film is and what it is not.
First of all, it isn't something complete and standalone. The creators of the movie didn't pretend to have accomplished all their goals in one fifty-something-minute piece. They couldn't, and they haven't. The end of the film is just the point where all events are launched and all characters are deployed, and what happens next is the matter of the sequel. Placing some final rating for the story at this point would be as hurried as, for example, judging a TV series by the first few episodes.
Second, it's a myth. Till today,
...
most stories about World War II are either facts cut and bent to the purposes of propaganda, or myths and legends told in a dull and fact-like manner and also bent to the purposes of propaganda. This time, instead, the myth is told in exactly the right way for a myth to be told. Heroic all along, supernatural all around, unreal enough, believable enough, no ideology behind.
Now, on to what I've actually seen in there.
Art and sound: both great and very well fit for an action movie. The art gives a superb feeling of Soviet reality (though some details are deliberately taken from diffenent times, everything is very realistic), sights of war are also quite plausible.
Characters: we get only briefly acquainted with everyone during the movie, there's hardly any place for character development in there. Yet all characters are well thought-out, lively, memorable, with individual traits, all having potential to shine brighter in the sequel. It's natural that the main character, Nadya, gets the lion's share of character disclosure and development, with revelations of her past and the clear feeling of drama ahead of her.
Story: quite a promising beginning of a bigger plot. Though action-centered and bombastic, it gives a proper feeling of a myth and leaves the viewer wondering, "What will come next?" In the end, there's quite a bunch of possible roads to go for each of the characters, all of them equally unpleasant for the characters and promising for the audience.
Overall: I enjoyed it, but it wasn't enough. Hope for an even better sequel.
Note: first I watched the "animation-only" version in the cinema, and then I've seen the variation with "talking heads" insets. Well, those talks are good in themselves, crazy enough to match the story - yet they just don't belong in an animation film, that's all. The movie is better without them. They could make a good bonus video for the DVD edition, though.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
