Gungrave

[Emperior_Master]

Studio : Madhouse Studios

Licenced by : Geneon Entertainment (USA), Inc.

Length : 26 Episodes

Year : 2003

Genre : Action - Drama - Horror - Science-Fiction - Mature

Synopsis :
     One time, on a snowy night, a dead man, and the daughter of the woman he loved. With the help of the mysterious Dr. T, Brandon Heat, also known as "Grave", rises from the dead to protect the little girl whose world was destroyed by the same man that killed him. Thirteen years ago, in a greedy bout for power, Harry Mcdowel put a bullet into his former best friend's eye, and threw him down into the city below, killing him. But with the technology that he developed, Dr. T resurrected Brandon, and gave him powers that are unimaginable.

     Take a walk down the memories of Brandon, and see how this once gentle man whose sense of loyalty was unwavering become an ice cold killing machine that is the only thing that can stop Millenion, his former employer, from taking over the world. Dark and stylish, this video game adaptation surpasses all expectations, and weaves a Noir story that is unparalleled.

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Characters :
     During the life and afterlife Brandon meets various people with different mannerisms and beliefs all linked to the organization known as Millennium. Brandon himself is a quiet person who keeps to himself and would only confide in the leader of the organization Big Daddy. His best friend is Harry who is very ambitious, talented and charismatic he moves through the ranks of the organization at incredible speeds with his best friend Brandon. Big Daddy is the leader of the organization known as Millennium and is a caring man who founded the organization on trust. There are many other characters in this series such as Big Bear, Maria, Ballard Bird Lee, etc.

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Opinion :
     I think that it's very interesting Mafia/revenge storyline with an "undead" twist. The pretty good action scenes made this right for Anime. Otherwise, this one could have been just as good in "live action" format, with some good actors of course, because there was tons of talk and character development. It kept my attention pretty much throughout, and had some very appealing characters both good and bad. A good gambit of strong emotions, which I like.

     The artwork was fine. Nothing special, but it did help in making the characters appealing. The beginning theme was OK, and the rest of the background music was OK. Nothing special here.

     I guess I'm getting impatient with age, or something. I swear, these guys could have made a super kick-butt series if they had just cut it in half (13 episodes instead of 26) by leaving out so many of the talk scenes. Character development is very enjoyable... ...to a point! I did find myself leaning on the fast-forward button on my remote during many a slow scene. But these scenes in no way stopped me from very much enjoying the series in general.

     So, I definitely recommend Gungrave. I wasn't blown away or anything, but I did enjoy some very thoughtful, quality entertainment. It's a keeper. 8 out of 10 Rating. 4 out of 5 Stars.

[angelico]

The story is great, but if you read this synopsis you pretty much have gotten most of the story. If you want to watch Gungrave, DON'T READ pass the first word in the synopsis.

[VashTS]

  One time, on a snowy night, a dead man, and the daughter of the woman he loved. With the help of the mysterious Dr. T, Brandon Heat, also known as "Grave", rises from the dead to protect the little girl whose world was destroyed by the same man that killed him. Thirteen years ago, in a greedy bout for power, Harry Mcdowel put a bullet into his former best friend's eye, and threw him down into the city below, killing him. But with the technology that he developed, Dr. T resurrected Brandon, and gave him powers that are unimaginable.

     Take a walk down the memories of Brandon, and see how this once gentle man whose sense of loyalty was unwavering become an ice cold killing machine that is the only thing that can stop Millenion, his former employer, from taking over the world. Dark and stylish, this video game adaptation surpasses all expectations, and weaves a Noir story that is unparalleled.

[align]

Characters :
     During the life and afterlife Brandon meets various people with different mannerisms and beliefs all linked to the organization known as Millennium. Brandon himself is a quiet person who keeps to himself and would only confide in the leader of the organization Big Daddy. His best friend is Harry who is very ambitious, talented and charismatic he moves through the ranks of the organization at incredible speeds with his best friend Brandon. Big Daddy is the leader of the organization known as Millennium and is a caring man who founded the organization on trust. There are many other characters in this series such as Big Bear, Maria, Ballard Bird Lee, etc.

[align=center]

Opinion :
     I think that it's very interesting Mafia/revenge storyline with an "undead" twist. The pretty good action scenes made this right for Anime. Otherwise, this one could have been just as good in "live action" format, with some good actors of course, because there was tons of talk and character development. It kept my attention pretty much throughout, and had some very appealing characters both good and bad. A good gambit of strong emotions, which I like.

     The artwork was fine. Nothing special, but it did help in making the characters appealing. The beginning theme was OK, and the rest of the background music was OK. Nothing special here.

     I guess I'm getting impatient with age, or something. I swear, these guys could have made a super kick-butt series if they had just cut it in half (13 episodes instead of 26) by leaving out so many of the talk scenes. Character development is very enjoyable... ...to a point! I did find myself leaning on the fast-forward button on my remote during many a slow scene. But these scenes in no way stopped me from very much enjoying the series in general.

     So, I definitely recommend Gungrave. I wasn't blown away or anything, but I did enjoy some very thoughtful, quality entertainment. It's a keeper. 8 out of 10 Rating. 4 out of 5 Stars.
[/quote]


I agree with the above poster. I used to be a journalism writer, remember important info first and work your way from most important to least.
Also, I LOVE GUNGRAVE!!!!

Brandon Heat v Harry...the story of friendship, and betrayal and the love that can never be. Brandon Heat seeks vengence, but is that what he truly wants....