Review Statistics

Times Read

354

Comments

2

Reviews

Tv

Plot Synopsis

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.

Story & Characters

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

7 (above average)

Art

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

8 (good)

Sound

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

6 (average)

Presentation

I found it quite enjoyable with a bit of romance put in with a good fight scene or two.

Rating

7 (above average)

Final Verdict

7.00 (above average)

Reviewed by eclipse5505, 2y 8wk ago