Duke
08-17-2005, 10:04 PM
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/images/2005-09/gadguardv3-cover1.jpg"><img src="http://news.toonzone.net/images/2005-09/t-gadguardv3-cover1.jpg" border="0" align="right" hspace="5" vspace="3" width="200" height="282"></a>Giant Robots. Who wouldn't want one? A robot the size of a skyscraper would be cool, but a ten-foot tall robot would be nice too. For one thing, it would be easier to take care of and hide in case you're ever chased by the police all over the city. Plus, it wouldn’t talk much, so you wouldn’t be annoyed by a sarcastic sidekick every ten minutes. But what happens when people use their giant robots for evil?
Gad Guard Volume 3: Persona begins with a focus on Katana, who was previously defeated by Hajiki and Lightning. Katana is looking for some Heavy Metal (what the robots are called by the common folk) parts in order to make a new arm for Zero. In his search, he meets an old friend. Saiyuri (Katana's traveling mate) quickly makes friends with both him and a kind old gentleman, but something sinister is waiting in the wings. Next, Hajiki is forced to become a fugitive after someone begs him to convey a mysterious gym bag to a woman named Helen. Hajiki hides out in the forest to evade both the police and Katana and ends up finding the old airport where his father died. After that adventure, Hajiki unknowingly becomes involved in a gang war after he literally delivers a bomb that ends up killing some powerful crime lords. Unsure of what to do after killing someone for the first time in his life, Hajiki's mind is muddled, which leaves Takumi, Aiko, and Shinosuka to pick up the slack when a Techode starts causing trouble. Finally, Hajiki's mother and his teacher are fed up with him skipping class to go to work and assign him a ton of reports to keep him in school. However, our hero has a job on his plate, to deliver a hundred wedding invitations before tomorrow night. As if that wasn't enough, Shinosuka's cat, Andromeda, has run away and hasn't come back.
Gad Guard is quite different from your usual giant robot show, mainly because of how it feels. The big, dark city, with its mix of blues and blacks, along with the jazz soundtrack and the throwback character and mech designs make this series really feel both futuristic and retro. The Tezuka-esque mech designs bring a fantastical element to this reality-based world. There are also the humans who have dreams, ambitions, and problems with everyday life, such as schoolwork or fateful reunions. Then there's the story itself. Instead of a big, epic storyline about Hajiki trying to save the world from a great evil, we get smaller stories that keep the story inside Night Town. All four episodes on this disc are stand-alone, though elements carry over, and all four are almost quaint in nature. Hajiki's not a superhero (despite an outfit that looks a lot like Davis'/Daisuke's in Digimon 02), he's just an average kid with a big robot. The most impactful story on the disc is in Episode 11, which deals with the mafia and the rise in electricity prices. But even then, it all feels very restrained in nature. And, as almost a less sci-fi Cowboy Bebop, it works.
But not all the time. Since the series lacks an underlying plot (aside from Katana's and Hajiki's ambitions), it's hard to tell where it's going. While I think this works in the series' favor, some may find it annoying that we're already in double-digits and not much has changed since Episode 1. Some might also have a bit of a problem with the lack of focus on the Heavy Metals/Gads, especially on this disc, as they seem to be thrown in to draw in mecha fans a la The Big O. This last worry is unfounded-- the Gads actually feel very natural in the storyline. The lack of underlying plot is the only real problem with these stories.
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/images/2005-09/gadguardv3-cover2.jpg"><img src="http://news.toonzone.net/images/2005-09/t-gadguardv3-cover2.jpg" border="0" align="left" hspace="5" vspace="3" width="200" height="283"></a> This series is animated by Gonzo, so we get some wonderful animation, excellent lighting, and spectacular special effects that fit in perfectly with what the story is trying to tell. Animation is solid, cheats are few and far between, and the characters are actually on-model most of the time, which is always great to see. The only problem I have is that the series isn't in widescreen. Even if the series is trying to be more hometown in nature, widescreen is always welcome, and I wish all anime would start going widescreen. Eh, maybe in the future. And since this is a Geneon release, you can expect the transfer to be solid as well.
As I said before, the majority of the soundtrack is jazz-based, including an instrumental opening and ending, which helps give it the Bebop vibe I was talking about earlier. And like Bebop, the soundtrack frigging rules, and if I could find it, I would definitely buy it and enjoy it immensely. Dubbing is done by Bang Zoom!, and it's weird to see how young Tony Oliver's voice can become. In a weird twist, though, I actually greatly enjoyed the Japanese cast. Usually, after listening to the English cast, I find myself wandering through the Japanese track, and nothing ends up standing out. I have to watch a series in its original Japanese version first before I can see which voices I like or don't like, but that's not what happened here. I really enjoyed the Japanese cast, almost as much as the English cast, which is rare for me. Unfortunately, there's no 5.1 Surround Sound, so that's a bummer.
Sadly, we don't get many extras either. The disc itself features an art gallery and three trailers. Outside the disc we get a pin-up of Hajiki and Lightning as well as a reversible cover.
If you enjoy giant robots but don't feel like another "end of the world" or another "government is bad!" storyline, this series is for you. With the vast majority of the giant robot shows either Gundam, Eva, or Power Rangers knock-offs, Gad Guard is a refreshing change of pace.
Episodes on Volume 3: Persona:
Episode #9: “Snow Melts the Heart”
Episode #10: “Bundles of Bills in the Setting Sun”
Episode #11: “No Returning to Rainbow Town”
Episode #12: “Blue Bird”
Gad Guard Volume 3: Persona begins with a focus on Katana, who was previously defeated by Hajiki and Lightning. Katana is looking for some Heavy Metal (what the robots are called by the common folk) parts in order to make a new arm for Zero. In his search, he meets an old friend. Saiyuri (Katana's traveling mate) quickly makes friends with both him and a kind old gentleman, but something sinister is waiting in the wings. Next, Hajiki is forced to become a fugitive after someone begs him to convey a mysterious gym bag to a woman named Helen. Hajiki hides out in the forest to evade both the police and Katana and ends up finding the old airport where his father died. After that adventure, Hajiki unknowingly becomes involved in a gang war after he literally delivers a bomb that ends up killing some powerful crime lords. Unsure of what to do after killing someone for the first time in his life, Hajiki's mind is muddled, which leaves Takumi, Aiko, and Shinosuka to pick up the slack when a Techode starts causing trouble. Finally, Hajiki's mother and his teacher are fed up with him skipping class to go to work and assign him a ton of reports to keep him in school. However, our hero has a job on his plate, to deliver a hundred wedding invitations before tomorrow night. As if that wasn't enough, Shinosuka's cat, Andromeda, has run away and hasn't come back.
Gad Guard is quite different from your usual giant robot show, mainly because of how it feels. The big, dark city, with its mix of blues and blacks, along with the jazz soundtrack and the throwback character and mech designs make this series really feel both futuristic and retro. The Tezuka-esque mech designs bring a fantastical element to this reality-based world. There are also the humans who have dreams, ambitions, and problems with everyday life, such as schoolwork or fateful reunions. Then there's the story itself. Instead of a big, epic storyline about Hajiki trying to save the world from a great evil, we get smaller stories that keep the story inside Night Town. All four episodes on this disc are stand-alone, though elements carry over, and all four are almost quaint in nature. Hajiki's not a superhero (despite an outfit that looks a lot like Davis'/Daisuke's in Digimon 02), he's just an average kid with a big robot. The most impactful story on the disc is in Episode 11, which deals with the mafia and the rise in electricity prices. But even then, it all feels very restrained in nature. And, as almost a less sci-fi Cowboy Bebop, it works.
But not all the time. Since the series lacks an underlying plot (aside from Katana's and Hajiki's ambitions), it's hard to tell where it's going. While I think this works in the series' favor, some may find it annoying that we're already in double-digits and not much has changed since Episode 1. Some might also have a bit of a problem with the lack of focus on the Heavy Metals/Gads, especially on this disc, as they seem to be thrown in to draw in mecha fans a la The Big O. This last worry is unfounded-- the Gads actually feel very natural in the storyline. The lack of underlying plot is the only real problem with these stories.
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/images/2005-09/gadguardv3-cover2.jpg"><img src="http://news.toonzone.net/images/2005-09/t-gadguardv3-cover2.jpg" border="0" align="left" hspace="5" vspace="3" width="200" height="283"></a> This series is animated by Gonzo, so we get some wonderful animation, excellent lighting, and spectacular special effects that fit in perfectly with what the story is trying to tell. Animation is solid, cheats are few and far between, and the characters are actually on-model most of the time, which is always great to see. The only problem I have is that the series isn't in widescreen. Even if the series is trying to be more hometown in nature, widescreen is always welcome, and I wish all anime would start going widescreen. Eh, maybe in the future. And since this is a Geneon release, you can expect the transfer to be solid as well.
As I said before, the majority of the soundtrack is jazz-based, including an instrumental opening and ending, which helps give it the Bebop vibe I was talking about earlier. And like Bebop, the soundtrack frigging rules, and if I could find it, I would definitely buy it and enjoy it immensely. Dubbing is done by Bang Zoom!, and it's weird to see how young Tony Oliver's voice can become. In a weird twist, though, I actually greatly enjoyed the Japanese cast. Usually, after listening to the English cast, I find myself wandering through the Japanese track, and nothing ends up standing out. I have to watch a series in its original Japanese version first before I can see which voices I like or don't like, but that's not what happened here. I really enjoyed the Japanese cast, almost as much as the English cast, which is rare for me. Unfortunately, there's no 5.1 Surround Sound, so that's a bummer.
Sadly, we don't get many extras either. The disc itself features an art gallery and three trailers. Outside the disc we get a pin-up of Hajiki and Lightning as well as a reversible cover.
If you enjoy giant robots but don't feel like another "end of the world" or another "government is bad!" storyline, this series is for you. With the vast majority of the giant robot shows either Gundam, Eva, or Power Rangers knock-offs, Gad Guard is a refreshing change of pace.
Episodes on Volume 3: Persona:
Episode #9: “Snow Melts the Heart”
Episode #10: “Bundles of Bills in the Setting Sun”
Episode #11: “No Returning to Rainbow Town”
Episode #12: “Blue Bird”