- Last OnlineMar 27, 2017 8:13 AM
- GenderMale
- BirthdaySep 18, 1987
- LocationNew Jersey
- JoinedFeb 4, 2008
RSS Feeds
|
Feb 25, 2008
Ill keep this short, but I just had to add my opinion about this masterpiece.
I agree with the other reviewers. Seriously, what were they thinking with the first episode? They just recap t later on, so you could probably skip it and still be able to follow the story. The rest of the episodes pick it up a notch so much that you wonder if the same people wrote the first episode.
This was an excellent anime dealing with mafia-like syndicates and brotherly friendship. I dont want to spoil it, but it is emotionally moving and really made me cry
...
toward the end. Not many other anime capture the friendship of a best friend as well as Gungrave has done. Despite Brandon's almost excessively quiet character, I still thought he was one of the best characters ever. Do yourself a favor and watch this now.
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
![]()
Feb 12, 2008
I was reading the other reviews of this anime, and although I did watch it a while ago, I still remember some of it. I also disagree with the rest of the reviewers here, come on, lets be honest.
First the story. It would be a 10 if they continued it, but a very abrupt all of a sudden ending is not what I would call a masterpiece story. Its very epic and interesting, but the manga goes far past what they have showed in the anime (which was from what I have heard like 3/4 of the backstory), and did not even
...
get into the main storyline.
Art, now come on who would rate this a 10? Its raw for a reason I guess, but the manga was fantastically drawn. You could tell the studio had a low budget to work with, and even more proof of this is how they just randomly dropped it. I enjoyed the rawness, but to say it was great art and animation is just fooling everyone. I have to say it was tough to get past the first episode because of the 80s looking Doom art.
Sound was equally raw, but the voice actors did a good job, and the soundtrack was very fitting. It created great atmosphere.
Characters were flawlessly excellent. All of the main characters were great, the villians made you hate them, and Griffith pissed you off with his greater than thou attitude. I have to give them a 10, Gutts was truly baddass (hard to relate to though, he is pretty cold) and the relationship he had with Caska was pretty good. I felt for the characters and found myself moved to tears countless times when tragedy struck.
Enjoyment for me was also 10/10 until the abrupt ending, in which I immediately wished to know where it left off in the manga. Although I read the first volume, and it was such a different story at that point that I kind of didnt move on much.
Overall, despite its abrupt ending of story and its cheaply animated art, I give this a 9/10. I highly recommend watching it, and despite my slightly negative review, if I reviewed this about a year ago when I watvhed it, I probably would have tricked myself into rating it 10s across the board. Its definitely top 5 material as far as story and characters go, watch this immediately if you have not already. I would assume the manga is better than the anime adaptation though, which anyone who has seen the anime and not read the manga doesnt want to admit. So if your bigger on manga than anime, I might say read it instead. The manga is initially confusing and hard to follow, so beware I guess.
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
![]()
Feb 5, 2008
I can see everyone staring at the straight 10s on the board and either think im being biased, or that I grade too easy. According to the ratings here, I grade more than a point lower on average than everyone else. Well, in any case, I will explain why every category deserved a 10.
Story: While not being too complex, it exists. The main character has worked himself down to having a massive debt that would take him countless years to pay back honestly. Everybody Kaiji gambles with are people who once were hopeless gamblers that are given a chance to win
...
it all back. Although the story doesnt sound to be the too intense, this anime focuses on the strategic part of the gambles rather than on what is going on. Some might think I should then have given the story an 8 or a 7, but I think that any more story would take away from the suspense.
Art: Why such low values on the art everyone? This art is unique, and its hilarious. Whenever I see Kaiji from a side shot, I almost start crying with tears of laughter. They capture emotion in the drawings of the characters, so I feel as though the akward designs of each character fit their personality extremely well. And there is enough of a background to keep you interested, nothing very groundbreakig going on there.
Sound: Im not a big sound man, but the seiyuus (spelling?) seemed to portray plenty of emotion, and the bad guys talked like you wanted to punch them in the face. Effective voice acting. While the music isnt very memorable or anything, its the perfect music for sitting on the edge of your seat in anticipation. For an anime that focuses on situational suspense, this is the music you should use. Something catchy will take you away from the situation.
Character: Excellent villains portrayed to be absolute jerskoffs. I absolutely love to hate them. You got the pompous gamblers who think they are all that, and then you got Kaiji. Kaiji seems to have a feer of dedication. In the beginning he didnt do much of anything. After being faced with the gambling trials, Kaiji is starting to learn how to think up ways of getting out of certain situations, and is willing to take sensible risk. The anime is nowhere near over, so I have yet to see his full character development, but he is definitely a different person in episode 14 than he was in episode 1.
Enjoyment: As you can see, I watched the first 12 or 13 episodes in one night. I was glued to the screen the entire time in absolute awe. Whats gonna happen!!!!! Havent gotten a feeling like this since I first started watching anime, which is quite a feat in my opinion.
Overall: Great characters, great development, seems to be executed well, and is on its way to becoming a masterpiece. Although the slightly non-cutting edge animation might be what deters people from this anime, and what make it fall short of masterpiece status. Its an 07/08 anime and looks like it could have been animation in like 01/02. Doesnt bother me all too much, I dont need Hayate the Combat Butler resolution 24/7.
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
|
