Coud Van Giruet, a sky pirate, stumbles upon a girl named Reverie Metherlance in a coffin during a loot raid, and learns that she is an Edel Raid, a living weapon.
Almost immediatly after, a fight breaks out to obtain the power of Reverie Metherlance. Coud is then left possession of Reverie (more simply called Ren). In the ensuing fight, Coud becomes her Pledger-- the human that bonds with an Edel Raid. As they escape, Coud swear to escort her to Edel Garden, the supposed birthplace of Edel Raids.
Together with three members from Arc Aile, an organization that supposedly protects Edel Raids, Coud and Ren fend off thieves that want Ren's power as they make their way to the mythical Edel Garden.
Story & Characters
When the sky thief Coud van Giruet meets Ren, his life changes drastically as he tries to keep his promise to this
girl.
The story in Erementar Gerad is pretty straight forward; boy meet girl, girl like boy, boy like girl, girl get
kidnapped, boy rescue girl. As you might've realised, the story isn't very deep, but it isn't necessarily
a bad thing either. The light-heartedness in this anime reminds you that you can be very much entertained without the
story being very deep. In spite of it having the typical love story found in many anime and games, it still has its
original touch; like Eden Raid, a group of people who have the ability to react with humans and form a pact or alliance
in form of transforming herself into a special, powerful weapon. That is why these Eden Raid are so desired by many
humans. And much of the anime revolves, of course, around these Eden Raid.
The strong-willed characters seen in Erementar Gerad are no different from many other anime which has characters with
strong wills. However, each and one of them still have their charm. E.g. Coud is your typical air-headed, innocent and
naive hero who doesn't dare to express his feelings to the girl he loves. Ren is a quiet, mysterious girl who has
problems knowing exactly what she's feeling. Besides from these two main characters, we also meet a trio; Cisqua,
Rowen and Kuea, all of them with their own charming personalities.
Throughout the anime, you get to know these characters, and see how they mature. Each character is given almost equal
much time for background history, but of course, most time is given to our hero and heroine.
Rating: 8
Art
The character design in Erementar Gerad is clean and pleasant to the eyes, but there's nothing particular about it
compared to e.g. Paradise Kiss. It's got its charm, though. The swift change from normal to chibi characters feels
natural in the context, and you also get to see exaggerated expressions on the characters' faces which is quite
normal in anime. They all match their personalities. Seeing Coud does give you an impression of a naive young boy, while
Rowen has a mature aura.
The background animation is good, but nothing special. The many different environment is nice, though, from forests to
ships to cities. Vehicles such as aircrafts have an almost original design to them, but you can sense that they're
influenced by those that are found in reality.
In all, the artwork in Erementar Gerad is good, but nothing special that stands out.
Rating: 8
Sound
I found the voice acting in Erementar Gerad superb. They match each and every character very well and more. Kuea's
got a very enthusiastic voice and at the same time, the voice actress (Naoko Suzuki) is able to deliver a serious tone
when needed.
As for the background music, Kajiura Yuki has done another job well done. Up until Erementar Gerad, I had the impression
that Kajiura Yuki only had the ability to compose music that had mysterious feelings to it, like the ones found it .hack
and Madlax, but she has now proven me wrong. In this anime she has managed to deliver an airy feeling in many scenes,
which they match very well, and some of them are of course with vocals. That has almost because one of her trademarks,
in my opinion. But unfortunately, like in Madlax, I find something lacking. The standard in her music is high, but then
it stops. There are maybe only one or two that really stand out, and make you want to hear them again.
Rating: 9
Presentation
Overall, Erementar Gerad is an anime which I enjoyed watching very much. The humour found in it will surely make you
laugh. They're both original and light-hearted, but as the show progresses, it's toned down to give room for
more serious matter. The first episode started off well, although it didn't give you a "Wow!"-feeling,
and most episodes leave you in a cliff-hanger, making you want to continue with next episode. If you want an anime with
lots of humour, action and a typical love story, then Erementar Gerad is one to recommend.
Rating: 9
Final Verdict
8.5000 (very good)
Reviewed by Kori, Feb 18, 2006
