Jan 5, 2014
Gatchaman Crowds, adapted by the old classic Gatchaman, also known as G-Force in America. Gatchaman are a group of people who are recruited to protect the earth from alien criminals, such as MESS. Gatchaman are given a Note, which is the physical manifestation of their soul. Similar to Guilty Crown, where one's soul determines their power. Gatchaman Crowds takes place in a relatively modern society in Japan. The technology is notable with the plot revolving around the program GALAX.
Our story starts off with our main protagonist Hajime. She comes off with a very positive character and is recruited for the
...
Gatchaman Crowds. Along side her new members Sugane, Jou, Utsutsu, OD and Paiman, they follow orders from JJ, who is refered to as "God" to fight off the MESS.
Story: (7/10)
Unlike what you would expect, this anime isn't just about 12 episodes of slaying aliens slowly revealing someone's power every episode. Instead this anime takes a different path which is more relate-able to the real world, with Gatchaman supporting the plot. The story takes a different direction with the GALAX, which is a program/phone-app which is designed by Rui and X, to help "update" the world. It is relate-able to the real world with the rising technology and smart phones; the GALAX seems applicable to real life scenarios. This is what I found most intriguing about this anime.
An Anime wouldn't be an anime without our main antagonist. Our main antagonist is a psychotic, sadistic alien, who also poses a note like the Gatchaman. With this, he utilizes it to cause terror and chaos from within, as his overall goal is to watch the planet burn.
There are various plotholes that I am irritated by from this anime, such as, does OD die? What happened to Utsutsu and Jou at the end? Was there any background information about where PanPan, OD and Rui? Where did they come from? Lastly, what about the MESS? They kinda started the story, but was never really explained. Fortunately, there will be a second seasons, so hopefully more will be explained.
Art Style: (8/10)
The art style seemed very unique. As an amateur digital drawer, I question if the coloring was supposed to be approached the way it was, or if the artists just got lazy. It's notable that everyeone's hair has two streaks of colors. I could only imagine the artists just going over their hair with one giant brush and calling it "contrasting". In addition, there is minimal blending of color invovled. Take note of their eyes, you can still see a lot lines to contrast dark from light. I personally like that style, as I draw in a similar style, but others may not be too fond of it. The animation is also quite nice, especially when going through the first transformation. If gives off a very majestic feel to it.Overall I enjoyed the animation, the bright colors giving off an exciting feel, and the overall aesthetics of all the characters.
Sound: (10/10)
I'm a huge fan of sound in animes, because it pretty much sets the overall mood. Picking a great piece of music, can change a scene from being great to awesome. The most notable OSTs are the "Gatchaman Theme", which pumps you up no matter what in the anime. The fulfulling feeling of "Unbeatable Network", or the silly, casual feel of "Tutu". I loved every piece of music, and they producers couldn't have gone wrong with the selection of music. The OP and ED, are now part of my favourite. Normally I don't watch openings every episode, but I just fell in love with it. I personally enjoy openings that discreetly reveal characters, but you don't take note of it until it happens in the anime. You get this feeling "Wow, it was there this whole time". The ending also just felt right. Any other piece of music probably wouldn't suit the ending, as it just summed up everything in the episode so well.
Character: (8/10)
Oh man, the variety of characters in this anime... You got your crazy, always energetic female, who is a combination of the Energetic and Reckless Luffy, with the BELIEVE IT Naruto, but in a female form. You also got your white knight, trying to contain this female. Your kuudere, loli, animeplot, fanservice girl. (Seriously, what anime doesn't have one of these). You got your badass, who smokes. An extremely flameboyant male, a cross dresser, a tsundere in the form of a panda, and a psychotic killer. This anime has the full house of characters, which makes it a great watch to see how this personalities blend. It's always nice to see a cast with multiple personalities, instead of your typical harem where every female plays the same role.
Though I feel there is little plot development with this anime being only 12 episodes, Hajime's character really shines throughout the anime. Like she litterally shines of happiness and joy, and it rubs onto the other characters. Although the cast didn't develop much (aside from the Hajime x Utsutsu), her personality was very prevalent in changing the way everyone looks at things.
Enjoyment: (9/10)
Although this anime is perfect, is missing information in the plot, the art could use a touch up, and the ending didn't feel satisfying, it was extremely enjoyable to watch. With Hajime's always happy-go-lucky personality, it's hard to stay down watching this anime. You can't go wrong if you want to kill some time and enjoy something with Gatchaman Crowds.
Final Thoughts:
I would probably give the overall anime a lower rating because of all the plotholes, and the ending was far from perfect, but after hearing about the second season, I'll keep my opinion until it is finished.
It's not heroes who will update the world. It's us. - GALAX
Hajime has taught us a huge big lesson on learning life, whether it be ignoring haters, being considerate for other's actions whether they be good or bad, or to just be yourself in any given situation.
BIRD, GO~
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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