World War II ended abruptly when an alien race appeared on Earth and began to slaughter the human population. This alien force, known as the "Phantom Beasts" ("Genjyu" in Japanese) had effectively taken over more than half of the Earth.
The year is 1999; 54 years later mankind is still fighting to survive against the alien forces. Earth's forces now use advanced mecha called Humanoid Walking Tanks (HWTs) to combat the invaders, but far too many pilots have been killed in action. To ensure the future of the human race, the Japanese government enforced a student draft which recruited high school students to become HWT pilots. The 5121st Platoon consists mainly of drafted high school students who struggle to defeat the Phantom Beasts and lead a normal social life.
Written by eclipse5505.
The story of gunparade march is about finding ones self in a world at war. It is more based on character development then actual mecha fighting. It shows us how love can blossom even in a world were life isnt guaranteed and death is the only sure thing.
Atsushi Hayami: One of the main protagonists in the story and a HWT pilot. Hayami is probably one of the most shy and
naive characters in Gunparade March. His personality renders him to be dubbed a "goof" among his fellow
colleagues and become somewhat an interest for several of the female characters. When he meets Mai, he develops an
interest for her and gradually becomes infatuated with her. However, his timidness prevents him from admitting his true
feelings and publically, he considers her as a "good partner on the job". As a HWT pilot, his attributes are
quite balanced and this caused him to be teamed with Mai for piloting the two-seater "Tandem" HWT. However,
Hayami tends to be nervous during battles and has the habit of messing up. He also seems to be well aware of the concept
that the Genjyu feed upon Human's fear and hatred for them which causes them to attack. This is shown when he
elaborates a fairy tale (it is speculated that a fairy tale can bring one's childhood innocence back which
eliminates most of one's hatred and fear) aloud while carrying Mai to a safe area when they were stranded in a
forest full of Genjyu and the Genjyu were rendered motionless. Later on, the whole entire platoon tried to pair Mai and
Hayami up by setting false tasks and trying to trap them into admitting each others true feelings. It initially appeared
to be successful until Hayami's naive personality ended the operation in failure. During the New Year's Eve of
2001, Hayami admitted love to Mai and still pilots the Tandem with her.
Mai Shibamura: Another main protagonist in the story and a HWT pilot. Mai was a transfer pilot to the 5121st Platoon.
She initially separated herself from everyone in the division but formed a friendship with Nonomi and eventually, the
whole female crew of the platoon. She first saves Mibuya and Hayami when they were in the effective range of the PBT.
Afterwards, she gained the gratitude of Hayami and a slight rivalry with Mibuya. Her skills as a HWT pilot are at near
perfection. However, her teamwork is relatively poor as her communication skills. Later on, it is revealed that Mai is
the daughter of the head of Shibamura Industries. Despite that, she tries to need a normal life and care for Nonomi;
thinking she is responsible for her condition. When Hayami and Mai were stranded, she revealed why she came to join the
army despite her status as being the daughter of the head of Shibamura. When she was in her old high school, she became
infatuated with an elite HWT pilot but never admitted her feelings to him as he died fighting the Genjyu. Holding a
grudge against the Genjyu, she trained to be an elite pilot and was eventually transferred to the 5121st platoon. After
Hayami saves her, Mai begins to be infatuated with him but again, she is too shy to admit her true feelings to him.
Despite being a mecha anime, Gunparade March mainly focuses on the relationship between Hayami and Mai. However, there are several technologies introduced
HWTs (Humanoid Walking Tanks)
Single Pilot Model: Appears to be the standard HWT. Its covered in a tanish hue and has most humanoid qualities such as
legs, arms, hands, head, etc. The single pilot model can utilize a variety of weapons which includes automatic rifles,
ballistics and melee weapons such as swords (mainly used by Mibuya's model). The arms can also be used to carry a
PBT and deliver it to the Genjyu Brains. It appears to have a light coat of armor and can only sustain about two to
three Genjyu kamikaze attacks. It is speculated that this model was the first (probably with a few slight upgrades) HWT
created by Shibamura Industries.
Two-Pilot Model, "Tandem": A double pilot HWT. Unlike the single model, its covered in a maroon hue. In
addition to it's ability to using hand-operated weapons, it has two missile fins that can converge to one missile
launcher. Furthermore, its speed and all-terrain capability is increased due to more advance hydraulics. The armor is
also more effective than the single model. It is piloted by Atsushi Hayami and Mai Shibamura.
Rating:
The main characters in gunparade march all have there own personalities and all have different out looks.
The anime is good and each scene is drawn with attention on detail.
Rating:
All though music isnâ??t used a lot in gunparade march when it is used it is put to good use to create mood.
Rating:
I found it quite enjoyable with a bit of romance put in with a good fight scene or two.
Rating:
7.0000 (above average)
Reviewed by eclipse5505, Jul 02, 2006
I'm glad you were able to pull a positive from this show. "Finding love in war". Impressive. I found it to be rather distracting. This huge war that could end mankind as we know it, and the show focuses on two people who can't make up their minds about how they feel about one another.
Just so you know, one sentence and then a score helps no one. I am able to draw no personal conclusions from one sentence. Descriptions are what people need. Remember, quality not quantity.
this story got a really bad rating in my place. a magazine review this story and it look so bad. but after i got it, and watch it, it's not really bad u know. not best but not too bad. i don't really pay attention to the sound.
not a bad review, the first part started out well, the other parts sort of fell to pieces, but the main idea was there.
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