This means that Gungrave certainly stands out from the rest, when you think of action shows with a sci-fi bent. It's also from that rather fresh and daring period some years ago, during the last anime boom, when creators were taking more chances with their shows, experimenting more, rather than sticking to safe and predictable, as is happening now. It's got a really engrossing story, and great characterisations. It may be a mafia story crossed with a zombie movie, Godfather of the Dead so to speak, but fortunately for my tastes, it's less zombie and more godfather. Gungrave is smart, stylish, epic, and engrossing. Well, wait no longer, as the price at which this boxset is available makes it an easy purchase, especially when on the day of release, you can pick it up for less than a pound an episode. It would be hypocritical of me to offer a plaintive 'What are you waiting for?' when it's probably the same thing as me. If you want more, you'll have to look to volumes 1, 2 and 7, for textless credit sequences, a promo video, and a promo reel respectively.Ĭonclusion I guess that since it took this anime nut so long to get his paws on this series, there must still be some anime fans who are yet to sample Gungrave's delights, even though it has been available in this country for some three or four years now. Expect the usual animated menus and jacket pictures, and each disc offers production art and trailers for other MVM products. However the discs should be identical, and equally sparse in extra features. Extras I received the individual volumes for review, so I can't comment on the boxset packaging. Although, dramatic series like this one are harder to get wrong, and the mafia setting and the western vernacular is custom made for a US studio to go to town with. Dub fans won't be disappointed either, as Gungrave's English audio is one of the good dubs. The surrounds are put to good use for the various action sequences in the show. Both language tracks work well, and as usual my preference is for the original Japanese. Optional translated subtitles or signs accompany these. Sound You have a choice between DD 2.0 and DTS Japanese as well as a DD 5.1 English track. Millennion is a crime syndicate that's going places, but as Harry and Brandon work their way up the ranks, they have no idea just how bizarre those places will be, and that they will lead them in different directions. Of course best friend Brandon wasn't going to let Harry go off alone. Suddenly the world looked a lot smaller to Harry, and the only way out was to join the Millennion organisation. The occasional gang tussle was to be expected, but when 'Mad Dog' Ladd came back to town, and decided to teach a lesson to the punks who had humiliated his younger brother, life suddenly became a lot more lethal for Brandon and Harry, and the fallout even affected Maria. The two were inseparable, and had a good, if rough life with their pals Nathan, Kenny, and Jolice, and of course Brandon had the best girlfriend a guy could ask for, Maria. For in life, Beyond the Grave was known as Brandon Heat, and he and Harry McDowel were best friends, growing up as young gang members on the mean streets of a crime-ridden town. ![]() From wavering about the show, it suddenly became one of my must haves, and it's convenient then that MVM choose this moment to re-release the Gungrave boxset at a lower RRP, for those of us who missed it the first time around.īut there is a lot more to this story than just the mob, the zombies, and the trio seeking retribution. Reading more about Berserk, I found that many people describe Gungrave as the modern remake of Berserk with the difference that Gungrave actually gets past its flashback sequence and gives the story a conclusion. Berserk turned out to be one of the most enthralling anime stories out there, and also one of the most annoying, as it ends mid-flashback and never gets back to the original story, and by the end of the series, it doesn't matter that the opening was pure supernatural fantasy, you just want more. Berserk also begins with a supernatural episode, only to proceed thereafter with a flashback. Even though Gungrave immediately went into flashback mode for the rest of the disc, delivering a truly enticing story, the prospect of zombies remained, and I dreaded continuing the show only for them to return in full tedium. I'm not a fan of horror at the best of times, and of all the sub-genres, zombies are my least favourite. But I have to admit that there was one thing that put me off from pursuing the series any further at the time. Introduction I must have reviewed Gungrave: Volume 1 some three years ago, and found it to be stylish in the extreme, with a promising story and some interesting characters.
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