Story & Characters
In search of something a bit different, I decided to tackle another series from the late 90s. This is a show that I've
actually had my eye on watching for over a decade now, but simply have not due to numerous reasons. I had actually
purchased this show close to a year ago, but just recently finally got a chance to watch it. The show? Gasaraki. My
thoughts? Well let's just say that I can't believe it took me so long to watch it.
Gasaraki is a very unique anime. If you're looking for something light-hearted, or something you can turn your brain
off to and watch this certainly is not the droid you're looking for. Gasaraki primarily follows Yushiro Gowa, son of
the incredibly influential Japanese family. Yushiro is used by his elder brothers, Kazukiyo, Kiyoharu, and Kiyotsugu
Gowa for experiments involving an advanced type of military equipment called Tactical Armor, or TA for short. However,
these experiments also involve a Noh style dance called "The Dance of Gasara". I would like to get into more
of the story, but one of the greater joys of Gasaraki is actually letting the complex story unfold for you. However,
to say that Gasaraki is a complex story would be putting it lightly. There is a great deal that happens from numerous
perspectives, despite Yushiro and Miharu being the main characters of this story. Miharu is a girl that collides with
Yushiro's destiny, forcing them to embark upon a path to learn more about themselves and about their destiny. Miharu
is in a similar position that Yushiro is and is part of an opposing faction called Symbol.
Gasaraki has the unique ability to be one of those shows that people either love, or absolutely hate. Back when it was
released in 1998 by Sunrise, it received a fair amount of comparison to Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE) for the fact that
it contains TAs, which were somewhat comparable to the Evas featured in NGE and the heavy amount of religious,
political, and war themes involved with the show. Considering the series also spanned an unreal 8 DVDs during its
United State release, and those DVDs were thirty dollars a pop, this was a truly expensive show to own. Being that
Gasaraki heavily deals in military, political and social morals, it definitely can be understood that this is a show
that someone will either enjoy, or simply not care for at all. With all of this mentioned, I found myself falling into
the former category.
Gasaraki has a heck of a story to tell, and it makes sure to take it's time to help the audience understand and more
importantly, keep them interested. While the show does throw a great deal at you within the first episode, the plot
slowly unravels as the story progresses. Considering this is the brain child of Ryousuke Takahashi, who is considered
to be one of Sunrise's most renowned directors , and assisted by Goro Taniguchi (director of Code Geass , Gun X Sword,
and Planetes) it's no surprise that this series was handled so well. Make no mistake though, Gasaraki is a very serious
anime, with bits of comedy and some light-hearted scenes throw in here and there. This series completely welcomes
those looking for something thought provoking and for those looking for a unique tale, while those who aren't will find
themselves rather bored with the slower pace of the show.
While Gasaraki is slower paced, there is plenty of action throughout. Keep in mind, that even though there are giant
robots in Gasaraki, this isn't your traditional mecha-styled anime. TAs are used in this series in a simulated manner
that an actual military would use them, and as such fights don't have the same spark to them that a Gundam series would.
However, I found that each battle was extremely exciting and unique. The taxing weight these machines put on an
individual is never forgotten and vital signs are constantly monitored. There was definitely a great deal of planning
and thought that was put into the story elements of this series and the end result is incredibly enjoyable.
However, there also comes a few downfalls. Sometimes there tends to be a bit too much going on for the shows own good,
and the end result is the audience feels a bit burdened by the plot and the amount of characters. While this isn't
over-whelming, this show certainly leaves the audience with a lot to take in. This can also result in some things not
being properly explained, but during the entire run I only found one item that was an issue, and it wasn't so bad as to
where it takes you out of the experience but instead makes you question it. The ending as well tends to get a bit too
much to take it, especially since this is the most supernatural/sci-fi of it and it really comes across as very unique.
This may be quite a bother for some, but for myself I found it enjoyable nonetheless and did not tarnish my opinion on
such an unquestionable well told and unique story that tied up everything it needed to.
Rating: 9
Art
Sunrise delivers what I can only describe as an extremely high quality anime. As previously mentioned, this series was
created back in 1998, so the show does show more than a fair share of aging. Certain scenes are repeated numerous times
and sometimes characters appeal less detailed. The consistency is also a bit back and forth at times, but this was also
a common thing back during the 90s for Japanese animination.
What truly sets this show apart from the others is the pure amount of detail that went into this world. From the
numerous news casts, to the reflection off of a pilot's helmet showing the equipment, to a tank being destroy and seeing
the treads go flying, or seeing personal memorabilia inside come out never ceased to amaze me. Throughout this series,
there were numerous little details that give this series a great deal of life and show that nothing was skimped on when
this show was created. The quality, at times, rivals that of OVAs, which is incredible given it's time of release. The
only real complaint I can offer is the show uses a lot of English within it, which sometimes leads to a bit of misspells
and Engrish. However, the majority is actually rather well done and I tip my hat to them for doing something
different.
Backgrounds tend to be similar to characters as well, while detail is given they tend to bounce back and forth in terms
of detail, but like with what I mentioned in the detail, both characters and background also have little nuances as well
that really excel this show. There's also a definite art style that gives Gasaraki a unique look to it.
I wasn't too sure how well Gasaraki would do in terms of art considering it's age, but it's outstanding how well this
show has aged.
Rating: 8
Sound
Sound is another aspect, that like with art and story, are truly exceptional.
Background music itself is mostly ambient sounds that work wonderfully to accent scenes, and certain times really drive
the moment forward. There were numerous battles and dialogues that greatly benefitted from having a well provided score
and Kuniaki Haishima truly delivered with an exception soundtrack that, while being a part of the background, helps
elevate this show immensely.
Normally, I'm not much for OP/EDs. However, Gasaraki's has been one that has always intrigued me. I first heard of it
in a promo and hands
down it was one of the constants that intrigued me about the show. It sets the mode of the show perfectly and his
hauntingly beautiful.
Voice work is another strong point of this show. During my viewing, I switched back and forth between the English voice
work, which was done by ADV Films, and the Japanese track. I want to go on a note that I covered in one of my previous
reviews about ADV, which is this was during the time when they had a tendency to sort of "spruce up" scripts.
ADV did a marvelous job of keeping the original script intact, giving us a rather accurate dubbing and with an
incredible cast of voice actors. Chris Patton starred in his breakout performance as Yushiro Gowa while the always
great Monica Rial voiced Miharu. To be honest, I was rather impressed with the dubbing quality. Especially given ADVs
tendency to be all over the place. Unfortunately, the only fault I could find was Hillary Haag voicing Yushiro's
younger sister, Misuzu. While she certainly did a great job, her voice just didn't seem to correspond nearly as well
with the rest of the cast. By no means did it ruin the part, but at certain times it was a bit too high pitched, or at
least to my tastes.
The Japanese cast, however, is really hard to single out on because everyone gave an outstanding performance. This is
certainly one anime you can watch in either dub or sub, but the sub was truly outstanding and helped to lend a much
greater mood than the dub did. I seriously cannot stress how fantastic the Japanese cast was in this series, as it
flawlessly displayed a great deal of depth and emotion to the characters.
Rating: 9
Presentation
Gasaraki isn't a show for everyone. As I said before, you'll either love it or hate it, but either way it's definitely
unlike any experience anyone will ever have. Even after fourteen years, I've found the show to be a diamond in the
rough and I'm honestly surprised that it isn't more popular than what it is. One thing is certainly for sure, is I
deeply regret not watching this show sooner.
While Gasaraki may not take as much time as it should developing the characters further, it does a remarkable job of
pulling you into the show and getting you to care about what's going on to it's cast. By no means a perfect anime, and
by no means a series for everyone. I highly recommend doing some research beforehand just to make sure that this will
be the series for you. However, those that are intrigued by this series will find an exceptional story waiting for
them.
Rating: 8
Final Verdict
8.50 (very good)
Reviewed by CyanideBlizzard, 15wk 2d ago
