Ten years after the Bubble War, the dichotomy between the rich and the poor in the world becomes more prominent and Japan is no exception. The rich seek to satisfy their desires and derive pleasure for themselves, and Tokyo has materialized into such a city as a result. Saiga, once a war photographer, works for Hibara Ginza in the capitalist state of Tokyo. He infiltrates the Roppongi Club, a secretive base located in the red light district of the city, to collect information about them. However, he was caught in the process and brought forward to a girl called Kagura who was in the midst of a ritual. His contact with Kagura awakens his special ability: the power to make things explode when photographed. In order to unravel the mystery behind the Roppongi Club and Kagura, Saiga begins his solitary battle.
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Comentários
Bishounen_Hunter
Main No matter which site or forum I go to I see very mixed reviews for this show, Speed Grapher. And it's usually because the show looks good and dark and gritty but then it's disliked because it's not as action packed as___ “insert your favorite anime here.” So based on that I think a good review should point this out. It should also state that if you want an anime that's good and dark and gritty but is also character driven and therefore will dedicate a few episodes to building and defining the characters' personalities, then you will like this show....if youwant a show that's gritty and dark but has low character development and more shootings and bigger explosions then watch, Black Lagoon.
Art-Style
The animation is very good....it's by Gonzo [I'm actually starting to remember these company names]. Gonzo is the company that did "Last Exile", which had very awesome art and animation, so Gonzo is a good company to base your art/anime standards by. Speed Grapher is very dark and gritty. Even grittier than Black Lagoon because there was really nothing that seedy about Black Lagoon. Black Lagoon tried to make their town [what was it....Roanapour?] seem so bad ass and dirty, but the art style contradicted that image they were trying to portray, it was too clean, too slick and polished. With Speed Grapher, you got the true sense of being in those respective environments; in the fancy mansions you felt it was fancy and high-class, in the seedy parts of town you got that feeling, seeing the trash and hookers and stuff. Also as I said earlier the animation was excellent, good fight scenes, no corners were cut and no looping.
Sound
The OP, well I never really liked Duran Duran, hmmmm OK well maybe except for the song they did for the James Bond movie also I liked “The Reflex” but I didn't go wild for this song “Girls on Film” it's just not my thing. But you gotta respect any anime that's willing to make that their OP. The ED songs were forgettable even if the art was nice. The Japanese voice cast did a good job [I don't think the Japanese have ever really done a bad job....except for Inuyasha's voice, where the US voice was waaay better!]
Story
OK so this is where it's crucial in the review, and this is where I diverge from the reviewers that didn't like the show or at least the story part. Because I really was impressed by this story. Like I had said in the animation part, this story is gritty! It gives you are real no-holds-barred account of how truly seedy and disgusting is the underbelly of the world's richest top 2%! Well at least within the fictionalized world of Speed Grapher. And you see the sleaze up close and personal, right down to the funky drool and the raunchy sex-orgies. This story depicts just how the real world works, that those in power feel then can do just about anything....that since they MAKE the laws, they are ABOVE the law. Sure a lot of things in the story are make-believe fantasy and science fiction but make no mistake that the very core of this story carries a kernel of truth! Political rants aside, will also be entertained [again as I said in the first part, you have to love character-based anime] by the various inter-relationships and dynamics between the characters as well as character development episodes, that lets you know some of the good guys aren't so good and some of the bad guys aren't so bad.
Cast/Characters
I have to say the bad guy, Chouji, stole the show for me! He was tall with long hair, sleek and impeccably dressed....oh and he has a kick-ass power! No doubt in my mind he's merciless, just for the simple fact that he allowed or even orchestrated Kagura to be subjected to all of that sick shit so I can't say I condone his behavior or even understand him on a moral level. He's simply on my radar because he scored high points when it came to the coolness factor. The main guy, Saiga, is an alright guy. I mean he has no 'razzle dazzle' qualities or anything, but he's cool. I guess you would have to look at it from the story point of view, he's supposed to be a normal citizen, he's not rich or anything....even though he's considered high-profile. Also he's supposed to be a bit on the older side and has been though a couple of wars and has seen and experienced a lot of hardcore shit so it wouldn't seem right for him to be this young fetchingly hot bishounen—right? Kagura, is the princess—or in this case goddess—so there really is no need to talk about her, she's cute she skinny and beautiful with long locks. OK, the last person worth mentioning is the blond chic with the gun. I think she's cool, she became a little bit scary and obsessive for a while......and I wasn't feeling that whole 'let's rape an unconscious dude thing' I don't care if he's your man—it's creepy! OK there are some gay dudes in this show that were not only there to be funny but were actually kind of vital to the plot.
Worth it or NOT?
This is a keeper. I would recommend this to people because it is more on the 'hardcore' side of anime, lots of sex and blood. I wouldn't consider this one of the anime greats but it is cool, intelligent and picks up the pace when it needs to. I can see my self re-watching this.
-ShadowClaw-
Speed Grapher This Series has a lot of Adult Subjects such as: Corruption, Greed, Power, Action, Sexploitation, Blood and Gore. So before u even give this series a try u should be careful as to what u are in for. General Thoughts: This is a relatively old Series exactly a decade old by the time of this review. However it does necessarily mean u should not give this show a try. As it has a lot to offer if u stick around to watching it till the end. Story: 7.5 ,The Story is about this Former War photographer who is now making a living as a freelancephotographer journalist named Tatsumi Saiga who has found himself investigating a secret fetish club for the Ultra wealthy called Roppongi Club. He tries to photograph the club's "goddess," a 15-year-old, exploited girl named Kagura, but is discovered. As he is about to be killed, Kagura kisses him, granting him the ability to destroy anything he photographs. Saiga soon discovers that Kagura's body fluids, like her saliva, in combination with a certain "virus", can give people bizarre abilities relating to their secret desires, fetishes, and obsessions. Club members strive for the honor of becoming "gifted" via Kagura's power.
Saiga soon becomes entangled in this secret underground society and the powerful and corrupt Tennōzu Group mega-corporation that operates it. He attempts to free Kagura, a move that puts the two of them on the run from the Tennōzu Group and blood-thirsty members of the club with bizarre and often horrifying special power.
The plot itself I found to be entertaining and it really engages how those with power and control can really become corrupted by that authority and wealth they outline and how they use it to their advantage. It is also set as a cat and mouse game where the main 2 protagonists are constantly on the run as they try to escape the Clutches of the club members and the corporation.
There is also a revenge story that builds as the story goes which would finally reach it’s climax at the end. The story itself is not exactly the greatest as there are time where it would seem a bit silly and the scenarios a bit repetitive but that it actually improved over time especially towards the second half.
Characters: 9 What really drives the series is not as much as the story but the characters that are within it. All of who have such complexities in their personalities and histories that all in one way or in another intertwine with each other that makes the story progression even more worthwhile.
Even the one off villains are given some form of development and background that would give the audience time to see as to what drove them to these actions and the reasons behind them. If not u can even sympathize with them to some extent no matter what the justification was.
The 2 main protangsts are also great because there chemistry works so well. There interactions and behaviour towards another is built up slow and progressively that in the end nothing would seem so forced or overdone.
However the real character that has been built up so well and done so right would be the main villain, In order not to give away spoilers all I can say is this, What he started out as one way would find himself different in another.
Art and Animation: 7 This is probably the series main real weakness, Even for a series that is over a decade old, the art and animation is not exactly the greatest as with other series that have also come out during that time.
At times it might seem a little foggy or a bit hiccuped and the frames might a little to stiff at certain scenes. However it is not exactly the worst either.
Despite the outdated animation and art it is still good, particularly the animation sequences that reflect the dark and twisted atmosphere that the story focuses on as well as those special moments where the focus on the characters feelings or to reflect their emotions with the animation background in which in those cases they work wonderful.
Soundtrack: 9 The series features a wide variety of music types which range from classical music such as moonlight sonata, to quire music such as Amazing Graze to a jazzy, action oriented sound track that makes it so compelling. Most of it actually is a combination of Jazz mixed in with piano and acoustic music.
The classical music is mostly used in scenes to reflect situations that would fit with the appropriate tone that the music is known to accessories with. It defiantly keeps up with the overall scenes and situations that makes watching the series even more worthwhile.
Bottom line: 8 If u are a looking for a good show that focuses on corruption and greed as well as fun action and good character build up and a good old revenge story than I would defiantly recommend you Speed Grapher.
It is not a series that would win high praise or a lot of attention but it is a good show to watch if u like the sort of genres that I have mentioned as well as to give something a try when u have some free time .
ratchet573
In all my years of watching anime I’ve encountered some really strange shows that left me scratching my head. But in all this time, despite the Boku no Pico‘s and the Kodomo no Jikan‘s, and even the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures, I’ve never encountered anything quite as strange as Speed Grapher, a Gonzo anime from 2005. And this isn’t a strange anime in that it’s inherently difficult to understand or presents itself as wacky comedy, it’s strange because it’s just really fucking weird. Our hero is named Saiga, a famed war photographer. Working for a newspaper in Tokyo, he gets caught up in a club whereJapan’s richest and most powerful go to have sex, eat, drink; indulging in depravity. Saiga winds up being captured by these people and is going to be executed when a young girl falls from the sky named The Goddess. She kisses him and gives him apparent superpowers. He can use his camera to make things blow up by snapping a picture of whatever it is. Anyway, he saves the girl, gets caught up in a plot to destroy Japan, and spends the whole series battling a bevy of strange enemies with superpowers like his, while also protecting the girl. There’s biological weapons, gray area bad guys, and lots and lots of really creepy sexual tension.
And this is where I find that the series really excelled: the bad guys. Each bad guy had a superpower related to his or her fetish or addiction. There was a dentist who got off to kissing a tooth he pulled. He turns into a spider person with dental equipment at the ends of his legs. There was a guy in a gimp suit who had elastic abilities. There’s a guy who’s made out of speakers who tweaks his nipples to turn up the volume. It’s really freaking funny and I don’t particularly know if it was supposed to be. I spent more time laughing at this series than I have at any anime I’ve ever watched. So if you’re looking for a comedy, you have one here.
The entirety of the bad guys is supposed to apparently represent the greed and corruption of the Japanese government, a notion that will be jammed down your throat more often than you’ll like. Especially toward the end, the message is so loud and spelled out in such simple terms that you’ll want to bang your head against a wall. “GOVERNMENT IS CORRUPT! OKAY! GOT IT!”
Another bang your head theme is how often the Goddess, whose real name is Kagura and has the ability to give people the superpowers, is kidnapped. If you’re looking for a strong female lead, this series is not for you. Kagura is weak, whiny, and entirely depends too much on someone to save her. A portion of the series is dedicated to her and Saiga escaping from the bad guys, but a majority is spent with Saiga saving her ass.
The interaction between these two is interesting though and the few reviews I’ve seen for this show either call the character development between these two one of pedophilia or one of brother and sister. I didn’t feel romance in any way brewing between the two characters, but it’s easily misconstrued as Saiga’s girlfriend gets completely jealous of the two anytime she sees them together. This makes the relationship out to be something creepy between a thirty-some year old and a fifteen year old. But nowhere in there is there sexual tension. He loves her, she loves him. If any romance was to be had it’s one-sided from Kagura’s end considering she spent all of her life bottled up in her house with very little outside interaction. So it’s pretty easy to understand if she loves the guy who saved her.
That said, I should bring up Ginza, the cop whose in love with Saiga and the character who gets my Seal of Best Character award. She’s a sort of yandere, threatening to kill Saiga if he doesn’t fuck her and such. But she’s got a more compassionate side that the series gives a little time to shine. She’s also hilarious, calling out any act of violence as “self defense”. The biggest problem with her is her outfit. Do Tokyo police not have regulation outfits? She’s basically showing off her thong. That is not regulation anywhere lady.
And finally we have the bad guy, Suitengu. At first he’s a bad guy, later he’s in the gray area. He has a terrible past and back story and he has white hair, glasses, and a coat, so you know he’s a conniving, evil person. In the grand scheme of things he’s not a memorable bad guy, especially compared to the weirdos Saiga battles to get to him. But he served his purpose and became a little more three-dimensional toward the end.
Issues with the series are plentiful, the main one with the story, for me, being the pacing. It starts off pretty fast-paced but the middle slumps a little and the end is protracted and drawn out to get to a slightly satisfactory conclusion. The formula also gets dull. A bad guy is played up then goes to face off against Saiga. Then when that bad guy’s dead, the next one shows up. So it can get a little stale which might be why I felt the middle wasn’t as exciting as the beginning.
Another problem is the music. And it’s not the actual music because the OST is fantastic, blending haunting piano with the jazzy action-movie music of the eighties. It’s the overuse of the same five or six songs. It’s obvious this show wasn’t made with a huge budget and the music really tells you that. The same songs over and over and over to a point of total annoyance. Plus, that damn piano gets stuck in your head.
The dub is…edgy? There’s a lot of curse words thrown in pointlessly and lots of yelling. It’s a pretty good dub that could do with just a few less “fucks” thrown in to make it “mature”.
The animation is dated and doesn’t hold up in any way. It’s low-budget and can look like total crap at points. It’s not God-awful, but it does make some still-shots laughable as hell.
So where do I stand on Speed Grapher? When it started, I loved it. It was wacky, it was weird, it was original. But as it kept going it got mired in politics and giving off a message. It grew stale because of the formula but stayed fresh by introducing ridiculous bad guys. The characters were, for the most part, decent, but could use more fleshing out. And the ending wasn’t as spectacular as I was hoping it to be.
Say one thing about Speed Grapher though: it’s entertaining as hell for all the wrong reasons. The inclusion of all these sexual deviants getting off to some of the weirdest stuff makes the show hilarious, despite the fact it’s trying to give us a message of greed and corruption. It’s an extended metaphor that is given in such a way as to make whatever message it’s sending a joke. Yes, political greed is bad. Yes the country is fucked up. But when you play up the Prime Minister to be absolutely evil then fight him as his head expands into a giant balloon and his tongue becomes spider legs, your whole message is destroyed.
Metal Gear Solid could throw us messages because, despite the bevy of insane, weird, and otherwise unrealistic characters, there were still human characters and situations we could relate to. And I see a lot of Metal Gear Solid trying to come through here. It just doesn’t work.
This is an entertaining, dark, and edgy anime. But it’s also not at all as smart as it tries to be, nor as serious. It’s hilarious, it’s weird, and it, ultimately, is one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen.
Especially Saiga baring his chest to show the ten cameras he has strapped to himself. If ever there were a laughable way to defeat a bad guy, it’s goddam chest cameras.
Suggested.
fr0z3nshad3
Story (7.7) - It starts when Saiga, who was a war photogapher, started investigating an special underground group controlled by Suitengu, a survivor from an attack to an island in an attempt to erase some kind of weird experience. Only 2 people survived that day, suitengu and saiga. Thats where they got some kind of virus that allows them to have "superpowers". After finding out what the group was all about, Saiga decided to fight against them using his special ability, killing everyhing he photographs. Its a fine story, it started very well indeed, then by episode 12 it gets a bit worse, but still verynice.
Art (7.2) - Art...Although not bad, i think it lacks in some characters design, also is not an aspect that got my attention. But its not that terrible,so 7.
Sound (7.3) - Sometimes fits well, sometimes it doesnt fit so well. Besides that, the voices are ok, opening and ending are also ok, the big problem is just the other sound, from the ost some are good, other are not good, and as i said it in some moments the action doesnt fit perfectly with the music. But still ok.
Character - (9.0) There it is.. i liked the characthers in speed grapher. After i finihsed i can say some things about all the most important characters in the anime, and thats positive. Another point is that the characters have nice abilities, and that turns it more interesting. Not perfect, but for sure one of the best aspects in my opinion.
Enjoyment (8.0) - I liked! I seriously dont think i wasted my time..an anime with lots of action, with fine story and characthers..so i recommend..
Overall (8.0) - Not much left to say, basically its an average of all the aspects.
Lampington
What if you had a gun? The entire premise and synopsis of this series is about a photographer who anything he takes a picture of dies... but this isn't quite accurate. Garnering several comparisons to Death Note regarding "supernatural object that kills people efficiently and powerfully from a distance" one may think they are in for another analytical thriller where the protagonist can carry out undetectable assassinations, or perhaps some sort of monkey paw-esque cursed object scenario where a photo is taken of a large group of people and they all start dropping dead 1 by 1 and he has to find a way toundo the curse before it reaches his loved one who was in the picture. This series is nothing like those scenarios that may have been brought to mind.
The titular camera upon interacting with the supernatural powers will fire a ballistic concussive blast directly forward at the first thing in its line-of-site. Literally like a gun. It isn't a special "cellular lifeform degeneration" effect that leads to certain death either, several characters receive multiple 'shots' at point blank range and continue to remain alive. Like a gun. This anime is largely about political corruption and conspiracies so perhaps if it was in a setting where the protagonist has the only 'firearm' trying to take down legions of bad guys without being mobbed down knowing a single mistake would be certain death, sadly that is not the case. Every episode has easily 12 bad guys who all have guns and have no qualms shooting them. The supernatural element draw of this anime is immediately nullified. Granted they do follow up with some interesting limitations of the camera shots ability - it won't focus correctly in fog, if something is transparent it can't be focused on, there needs to be adequate lighting before a picture can be taken, etc.
I'm writing this review 14 years after the series came out so I'm being mindful of conventions in the medium that may now seem dated. It comes from an era where studios were getting experimental and finding what works in this field and the products can be hit or miss sometimes. I finished this series feeling like I really wanted to like it but I just couldn't. I'm told this genre of anime is considered "ecchi" - there is a lot of sexual content, and a lot of dark themes. However instead of coming off as mature and distinctive it just comes off as weird and out of place. A criminal mastermind couple will be talking about their next step in their mafia empire and then the guy will just grab a boob out of nowhere. A fugitive who escaped numerous hitmen and survives deadly injuries passes out and the detective who takes him to the hospital starts licking his face. It's not erotic, the mood isn't there, it often just feels thrown in to be edgy. There was one scene where it was used effectively but it was in tandem with bribery in exchange for sexual pleasure and abandoning your moral duty so the complexity of everything made it more effective than just 'random boob'.
The characters are hit or miss. The main protagonist Tatsumi Saiga is the main character and the series won't ever let you forget it. In the very first episode we get to see how all the women want him, but he's too cool with his cigarettes and being the only male to have a popped-collar shirt. Even the men want him too, in case you forgot that he's super awesome. He isn't given any real flaws so it's hard to relate to him or truly care about his struggles beyond a surface level.
Hibari Ginza is the main police detective who has a history with Saiga, but the writing seemed to forget to ever make her likable to the audience. I absolutely hated this character. Whenever she was getting shot at I hoped she would die, when she gets kidnapped I hoped she would stay gone. It is ridiculous how obnoxious this character ended up being. I think in 2005 she was intended to be a "sexy" and "cool" character similar to how Bayonetta is today but instead EVERYTHING just comes off as cringey. She's supposed to be a detective but constantly brandishes extremely flashy and gaudy gold-plated pistols that would be highly impractical in detective work. She constantly has tantrums and shoots people with no repercussions, including someone literally walking out of a hospital after recovering because they are interested in another woman more than her. The intros have her running a pistol slowly along her crotch and then licking the other one but as you learn more and more about her personality it just makes you think "gross" instead of "hot".
Suitengu is one of the villains who has a fairly interesting and complex backstory (one of the parts of the series I did enjoy). Unfortunately it is lacking somewhere as we eventually learn that both Suitengu and Saiga share a common enemy at one point but instead of teaming up or even taking them down separately, Suitengu continues to fight Saiga for no explained reason. It's like that part of the storyboard got moved to a later episode and they forgot that they have no reason to be enemies at this point.
The real crowning character is Kagura Tennouzu. One of the only characters the series gives you reason to care about, grow on you, and actively want to be safe, taken care of, and overcome all kinds of obstacles to have a happy ending because she deserves to be happy just for once. She was the reason I watched the series to the end because it made me invested in her struggle. If you've ever known a kind person who tries their best in the world but keeps getting beat down over and over Kagura should remind you of them in some ways.
A large focus of the plot is on a super rich crime organization that lets powerful people indulge in their desires to a supernaturally hedonistic degree. While this could have been done well, it comes off as very "monster of the week" style with each super power villain being dispatched in the very episode that are introduced, if not the very next one. There were some interesting ideas explored here (especially for a 24-episode series) like someone who loves diamonds gets the power to become pure diamond, someone who loves food gets the power to devour anything, etc. but they didn't get to be fleshed out much more than that which would have been fun I think. A lot of the bad guys seem a little TOO over the top - a guy that likes girls hands literally collects sawed off hands in a room, a guy that likes teeth literally collects teeth, a guy that likes girls legs literally collects sawed off legs in a room, etc. While there are depraved people like this we see too much of the same kind of depravity to be believable.
A major complaint I have is that the series appears to only have 3 songs. I'm not talking about the 2 openings and endings, I mean the music that plays during the episodes. You will recognize the tunes quickly because there are literally only 3 and they play a LOT. I didn't realize how much it would be fine for characters to just speak without music playing in the background until I had to hear the same song over and over and over and over every episode. It feels like they were trying to be jazzy-artsy like Cowboy Bebop from a similar era but they didn't quite have the budget for it. On the other hand the sound effects are quite effectively used. Some of the high-pitched whirring used when a bad guy is using dentist drills had me physically wincing with sympathy pain. The disgusting villain that can devour anything made some super gross slobbering noises as he devoured stuff that left me feeling grossed out too.
I don't have a strong closing summary for this anime in mind. I watched it because someone had recommended it as similar to Death Note (which I love) and this is nothing like it, so I created an account to give my perspective on this series. It is a very interesting attempt and you can see that the team gave it some effort at some points but overall I can't recommend it.
Dj_Frog
Ok this anime is meant for adults...So nudity, secks(yes lotsa) ,violence. Shinsen sub did a good job on subbing this anime so My thanks to them. Despite being supernatural mysterious genre, it's more towards the reality and things happening around us..so dont expect any super heroes in it as they're, previously were humans due to some sort of... The story itself has many good turnouts and each time, it will make the viewers to think about the moral behind the story. The characters(including villiains) have different personalities from the gross to ones should respect. I cant say i am totally enjoy this anime so far fromthe episodes i watched 'cause some scenes are quite disturbing..yet it digs out my curiousty to find out more. My advice is - dont rush and watch it slowly.
Mouse2010
Speed Grapher initially seems to have a lot going for it. The plot is semi-episodic, with an overall story arc that binds the individual episodes together. While some people complain about the art, I had no objections there: it is a grim, gritty setting, and the art has a film noir look that fits that setting. Likewise with the sound: while I don't have much to praise about the series's music, I don't have anything to complain about. Where it really failed for me was in the category of character. To give the show credit, both the heroes and the villains have well-developed back stories.These are people who have suffered, and it seems like we ought to care about them when they are fail or triumph, as the case may be. And I have to say that the story arcs for all significant characters have satisfying endings: whether the characters live or die, you feel that their stories are wrapped up well. That was one of the things I liked about the series.
The problem is that I simply didn't care that much about any of the characters, not even the two central characters. Saiga was a passable hero. In my opinion, he lacked an appealing-enough personality to carry the show on his own, but he could have worked as a hero given the right pairing. Unfortunately, he was paired with a girl who had virtually no personality at all. Under the circumstances, I wouldn't expect a young girl like Kagura to be a fighter, but she should have at least shown some sense of humor, or charm, or wit, or emotional depth . . . or, well, anything other than the naive sweetness and vulnerability that characterized her. A sweet, vulnerable heroine is not always a bad thing (such a character can give the hero a reason to protect her), but Kagura needed some additional spark of personality in order to function as a likeable protagonist or a believable potential love interest.
Ultimately, this meant that the relationship between the two main characters --which COULD have been one of the strengths of the series--was, from my perspective, shallow and uninteresting. At the end of the series, I was relieved to be done with it, but while I could abstractly note that the finale was a solid one, I just didn't really care about the fates of any of the characters. And, in my book, that's a major failure on the part of the series, given that it tried so hard to develop both villains and protagonists as well-rounded characters.
mard80
I was on the lookout for as mature anime series - mature in the sense of gritty and adult themed plot - and following some surfing I found this gem - Speed Grapher. Once the I saw the opening with Duran Duran's Girls on Film, I knew I would like this. The idea of the main character using his camera as a weapon was an interesting concept, kind of reminded me of the horror PS2 game Project Zero (Fatal Frame), and although this series has slight horror by the way of various monsters making their entrance in the show, I felt this series to be moreof a action drama.
The relationship between Saiga and Kagura was sweet and core to the series. It was his teachings to Kagura about the reality of the world which was interesting to watch and you can really see their affinity for each other grow as the series progresses. However it was the villain Sitengu who stole the show for me, after seeing his background and motivations in what he is doing and I personally felt - good on him and hope he succeeds, which to have that kind of feeling for the villain for the peice proved to me that this was good story. YOu even start to have feelings for his back up crew of villains, which again I have only seen in Black Lagoon.
I did feel however the series did become a monster of the week scenario, and the series could have been shorter, but its a TV series so I think we all have to live with this!
Fan fave - Ginza was welcome humour relief to the series, however she was a much needed contrast and flip side of the coin in protection Saiga. It was nice to see that similarity portrayed. Plus she fulfilled a guys fantasy of taking control of some situations - if you know what i mean! ;)
With regards to the sexual themes, were they required? I think this aspect is where Speed Grapher was trying too hard to aim for its intended mature audience, and could've been handled better, but I think it was probably a way of enticing people to watch the series,m thankfully it didn't interfer with the story.
Animation wise - not as good as Gonzo could be, but not that bad that it effects enjoyment. Sound track wise - fiited the series well, but nothing too memorable that makes you want to OST.
At 24 episodes not much of investment of time, and if you do like a dark gritty character driven story, and you dont mind some OTT, give Speed Grapher a go, especially past episode 4 where it starts to shine.
An overall 8/10.
themegamancave
Oh the 2000’s… It was a growing period for anime, but produced some of the most gripping series in the history of the medium (Monster, Full Metal Alchemist, Ergo Proxy etc.). It was also a period of time when directors tried new things, for better or for worse and major risks were taken to produce that next “big” original series. Produced by the once giant Gonzo studios (Kaze no Stigma, Welcome to the NHK), Speed Grapher tries to push the envelope of an adult anime while making every effort to establish itself as a standalone success. Unfortunately, lofty expectations mixed with inconsistent animation anda sporadic use of themes cause the anime to meander to the point where it loses itself. Simply put, Speed Grapher is what happens when an anime tries to do “too” much.
For story’s sake, Speed Grapher has a solid premise laid out from the get-go. A once acclaimed war photographer, Tatsumi Saiga, decides to investigate the inner-workings of a private club for high ranking Japanese officials in order to help reinvigorate his career. He ends up getting more than he bargained for and becomes tied up in the club’s intimate secrets when he is kissed by a 15 year old girl at one of the parties. The girl, Kagura Tennouzu, has a unique virus dwelling in her body that can be transferred to certain individuals possessing a genetic variant causing mutations. Basically, she accidentally kisses Saiga and now he can blow shit up with his camera. That’s the kind of show we’re talking about here.
The anime sounded so outlandish that I just had to give it the old college try, and although there were massive hindrances, I enjoyed it overall. The first thing I want to throw out there is that Speed Grapher is absolutely NOT suitable for children. The series is interspersed with adult themes, and incorporates vivid scenes of dismemberment and borderline pornography. Although it didn't get tagged with the “adults only” title, I would strongly advise against anyone under 14 watching this. Unfortunately these lewd scenes are so prevalent that it ends up detracting from the overall experience in Speed Grapher. It's one thing to show shots of ongoing orgies featuring heavyset 50-year-old men when it ties together with the scene (I guess), but it's another to drop them in sporadically. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth, to say the least.
However, the groundwork for the story is quite well written. It features two strong protagonists, each with their own set of goals and morals and plenty of nonstop action and brilliantly paced suspense around every turn. The show’s villain is bad to the core, stopping at nothing to get what he wants… which of course he initially does. There are a multitude of themes explored in Speed Grapher as well, but due to the sheer number and relatively short air time, most of these ideas become diluted and ineffective. After a promising first few episodes, the series limps to the finish line in the most predictable anime ending of the century. Although so much was attempted, few aspects were actually fully explored or successful. By the end of the series I began to become bored and felt like it drug on into its inevitable conclusion.
The complexity in dialogue within Speed Grapher is very erratic and inconsistent. One minute they're talking about serotonin levels and brain functionality, and the next they're throwing around four letter vulgar insults and pedophilia references. I'm all for playful conversation, but at least be more consistent. The tumultuous dialogue, mixed with the overwhelming number of ideas explore cause Speed Grapher to fall into a “hodgepodge” of sorts, making it harder to understand the overarching message the writers were trying to convey.
Character wise, the two mains (Saiga and Kagura) are leagues above everyone else in the series when it comes to development. Saiga is actually a “smart” protagonist, which is hard to come by these days. He is dealt defeat multiple times throughout the series and most of the time isn't rushing to save Kagura with a blind eye (pun intended for those of you who have seen the anime). His motives and justification are made very clearly known and his relationship with Kagura is more of a bond than anything sexual. Fortunately for the viewers, the writers didn't overstep their bounds in trying to make a romance happen between a 15 year old and a 30-somethings washed up photographer. Kagura, in contrast to Saiga is fragile, innocent and pure. She knows nothing about her condition and Saiga does his best to keep it that way. The two play well off each other, taking the damsel in distress concept a bit further than normal. It's interesting to see Kagura’s growth into a more independent woman as opposed to her aimlessness from the beginning of the series. Some of her moments (acting wise) are a bit cliched, but she IS supposed to be a highschooler after all.
Our main villain, Chouji Suitengu is a one-dimensional character on the surface: wanting only money and power to spread his influence. Needless to say it was nice to see his past and motives fleshed out, even though they were somewhat irrational. His acting was superb, and added to the level of mystery immensely. The episodic antagonists each had a small backstory, and starkly unique abilities. It reminded me of Xmen in an odd way, with each of them harboring a strange power only they would have. In the whole scheme of things I don't really care for the one-off approach to characters, and Speed Grapher was full of them… and it seemed like sometimes the writers were just trying to fill episodes. I was a bit let down that more time wasn't spent getting backgrounds of Suitengu’s henchman, and why they were so loyal to him in the first place. I think there was only about two scenes that expounded on this.
Alright, let's get down to the fatal flaws Speed Grapher has: the animation and the sound. I understand that the anime came out over ten years ago, but there are some straight up sloppy instances of animation here. Disfigured character faces, choppy action scenes and bland background images did not bode well with me at all. I get that the washed spectrum of colors sought to set the atmosphere, but it just didn't translate well for me.
The music is especially bad. The OP is decent, but the real pain was the misuse of background music throughout the entire anime. I could probably count 8 tracks that were played over and over and over and over and… well you get the point. The style of music the worked with shows like Gungrave failed miserably here because of their repetitiveness. If you can sing each tune from the OST after watching the series once, they're probably overdoing it a bit. The tracks, in addition to being overused were also too loud, causing the dialogue between characters to be drowned out occasionally. The 2nd ED was perhaps my favorite track of all, and the images were drawn quite well. Best part of the audio? The English dub. It is FAR superior to the Japanese one, and offers much more to the mood due to its noticeable Western influences. Chris Sabat’s role of Saiga was brilliant, and I'm glad to see Justin Cook’s skills on full display here adapting it.
Well, I can say that I really did enjoy Speed Grapher more than I should’ve based on its shortcomings. I'd chalk it up under a “cult classic” or “guilty pleasure” category. It's low brow, vulgar and justice filled, with the standard good guy, bad guy ending we all know so well. I'd recommend this to fans of similar 2000’s shows like Gungrave, Black Lagoon and Darker than Black… though sadly I don't feel it's technically as good as any of those. Take what I say with a grain of salt, because this could very well be a surprise series for you if you can get past the imperfections. As always, thanks for reading!
thecandyman328
Story: 8. Pretty interesting story. Kept me on my toes to know what happens next and for that I give it an eight. It didn't give me any chills down my spine that would deserve a 10 but connecting all the stories of Suitengu Saiga and the other characters so well served as a good point. Art: 8. I love the realistic animation style Gonzo and Asahi used for this series. The action scenes are also pretty good. Could have used more visible wounds though for an R rated anime. Sound: 9. If there is one thing that irritates me about using English in anime it iswhen the English is bad. What stopped this show from getting a 10 (the opening by Duran Duran was sick) was their voicing for the occasional parts in English. I don't know why anime producers can't just get someone actually ENGLISH to do the voicing. Good music though.
The characters in this anime were awesome. You came to love to hate characters like Suitengu and Kagura's mother and get attached to Saiga and Kagura. The side character's are also great: Bob, Ginza, Ryougoku, and Tokoshi are all of Saiga's friends and are great supporting characters. Suitengu's Tsujido, Makabe, and Niihari are great supporting character's as well.
Enjoyment: 9. I really did enjoy this anime. It's dark elements were very interesting (for example the Club) and it was never really boring. Good show.
Overall: 9.
TakeMeFarAway
First things first: This anime was absolutely awesome. The story was amazing. It was original and captivating. It kept you enjoyed throughout the whole story. It had a great flow and was easy to follow. Every episode was great and every episode was unique. Absolutely a ten, hands down. The art was pretty good. There were some very beautiful scenic or sky backrounds that took my breath away, but there wasn't anything especially brilliant. The sound was also pretty good, I think. I really enjoyed the opening theme song. The characters were outstanding. Every villian was great with their own different power. I was always amazed at the powersthey came up with and couldn't wait to see what the next villian could do. The main characters were also outstanding, all with their own personalities and features.
This is not an anime for kids though, because there were some sex scenes, all though they never really lasted more than a few seconds. It wasn't for hentai reasons and it helped add to the story.
Speed Grapher was the perfect mix of violence, hate, friendship, and love. It was dark and deep. Once again, it was absolutely amazing. LOVED IT!
petrichorbones
I saw some reviews praise the character development of this show and that plus that it has such a high overall score made me want to write what I thought about it. I saw a review use "monster of the week" to insult the way the show uses the characters that shapeshift into basically monsters and honestly I think actually giving it a real monster of the week structure would have been a positive change. I don't hate monster of the week though, so thats definitely just my opinion. Personally, I felt the so called character development other people are praising doesn't exist. I struggledto really care for any of the characters, I struggled to see what their motivations even were most of the time. The main "villain" who is supposed to actually be some sort of tragic hero has an understandable desire for revenge, and technically there is nothing wrong with a character being consumed by revenge for only revenge's sake rather than wanting to prevent future tragedies or to make the world a better place but together with the bleak and devoid of personality main characters Saiga and Kagura it just fails to give you any emotional investment in anything happening.
I also don't see a ton of people talking about the show's treatment of women in general. Given the age of the show it's not surprising or special but it does hurt the show in my opinion, especially considering one of the main characters, Kagura, is extremely devoid of any personality whatsoever AND has virtually no agency at any time in the plot. The relationship between her and Saiga is vague and fails to really feel natural and I didn't feel any emotional investment. She was definitely the only main character you could truly root for throughout the show and desire to see have a happy ending but thats mostly rooted in the fact she is an abused 15 year old who doesn't really do anything wrong. But she doesn't really do anything at all either.
The only other prominant female character is some kind of police officer and her motivations and relationship to the main character are extremely vague and don't really make any sense either. I fail to see how her "happy ending" is character development. She was my least favourite character and thats saying something since most characters in this show other than Dr. Ryogoku and the main two leads are portrayed as bad people on purpose lol. There was some characters working closely with the "villain" Suitengu that had more potential for an interesting story but they weren't really given a lot of time for actual character development. I would have liked to see more of their story but it would have required a whole restructuring of the entire show. I also would have liked Suitengu better if the show was different, if maybe we were watching from his perspective instead or something maybe. Idk.
I felt like the amount of scenes showing mostly random non relevant characters being depraved was overkill and often redundant. At some point I just kept asking "and why did we need to see that?" because its not saying anything new. I say that an actual "monster of the week" structure could have helped this show because I think cutting down on redundant "lust and greed happen" scenes could have allowed them to use the monsters to portray the absurd levels of greed/lust etc better in a more interesting way, and also maybe we could have had more of a motive for Saiga to keep fighting other than "actually maybe I really did just wish I had a gun all this time". Because theoretically he wants to save Kagura but its hard to really FEEL that he does. It would have been interesting to connect in some way the other characters "euphorians" desires with Saiga's in a way that made sense. Because I never really understood what made him so different. Or why characters like the one with the strong sense of smell didn't lose their mind like many others despite also being a euphorian. If it was being purpose/goal oriented I felt like the show failed in making that evident due to Saiga's lack of personality. I think the show tried to use Suitengu and Saiga as like foils or something but it just didn't really work tbh. Also I kind of wish the show actually gave more scenes and explanation to what exactly this "virus" was. There were some details about Kagura in the beginning that never are directly explained and make no sense. It could have made the story more interesting to have more focus on that instead of just throwing it out there at the end as an "explanation".
XaronAngel
As 22 yr old uni student, its a core anime to watch in my top ten list. This show is mean for adult audience with action, blood, nudity and truely great to sit back and enjoy. Nowadays, there is no more fine piece like this and monster, Steingate anime anymore. Truely recommand for mature audience, not for kids. Suitengu starts up this society, then the photographer guy, Saiga, crashes the party, gets kissed by the girl with the power-giving powers, Kagura, gets his powers to kill/explode things through his camera lens, and then kidnaps the girl and kills a bunch of richies as he makeshis break for freedom. Then the chase begins. This is a multi-angled chase too. Suitengu's boys are after Saiga and Kagara; Saiga and Kagara are after relics of both their pasts; and Saiga's domineering S&M fuck buddy, police detective Ginza, is after her boytoy in order to keep him all to herself. Then the show becomes a bit like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon in that it becomes "He's got the sword.. Now the other guy has the sword.... Now he's got it back again... No, wait, now somebody else has the sword!" Only instead of "sword" I mean "weak-willed, rich, little, persecuted, teenage girl named Kagara." It doesn't get tedious, and quite frankly it does advance the plot; it just seems like they could have done something more interesting. Whatever. It's just, wow, really strange to make this show seem somewhat normal in this review. Because it is as bizarro a show as one could imagine. Strange. Very strange. Imagine watching Terry Gilliam's Brazil or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for the first time when you're 3 years old, and that's kind of like what this show is like to an adult with the mind of a child (i.e. me and people like me).
racerx2105
Speed Grapher is about a man named Saiga. Saiga is a photojournalist who's seen it all. He is well known for being a war photographer. He now lives in Tokyo doing regular photo work and is completely disappointed with his work, until one night he stumbles into a secret club where he finds some of the darkest most disturbing truths about the world around him. But amongst the grim he find's the beautiful girl which to him instantly becomes the perfect subject for his camera. All hell breaks loose and Saiga now finds himself with a new disturbing power which he can't explain and theyoung female who doesn't understand what's going on either. They end up running for their lives while trying to solve the mystery behind Saiga's powers and the girls connection to the club and what it all means for the city.
Story: The story is well told and very complex. This anime does a great job of showing some of the more disturbing sides of life. You can actually walk away with a wider perspective of some of the ways people in this world actually think.
Art: The art is very sharp and crisp. The scenery changes quite a bit giving you different contrast in colors so that you're not always looking at the same thing.
Sound: The music and sound of the anime is good but probably one of the weaker points not because it is bad but more because it really doesn't stand out much on its own at any point.
Character: Other than the main character's, you'll meet a new character every episode. It's unique in the fact even in just a 30 minute episode the creators do a great job of letting you understand the new character's quite well before the end of the episode. The main character's are very well explained through the show, you're constantly learning something new about them while you watch the story progress.
Enjoyment: While you're constantly wondering what's going to happen next. You'll also be trying to understand the world in where this is all taking place as and get a handle on it. It's definitely a suspenseful show that does a great job of making you sit back and think about the world around you.
Overall: I'd recommend this show to anyone that like's a interesting story but its definitely at an off beat pace. Be forewarned though, this anime delves into the sick and perverse side of human lives, so you'll see a couple slightly disturbing imagines depending on how sensitive you are to said scenes. But the show tells a great story which gives some good insight to life.
ObscureObsidian
speed grapher it's good because it shows you the world we're living now, and criticice the capitalism. Some scenes, like the desesperate ones who can't pay the menbership of the tennouzu group, are a good example of the well-construct critic. Despite it was released in 2005, the economical themes are just what happened in the last years. Unfortunately, some stuff bring the quality of this series down: the animation is mediocre and looks old, but it wouldn't be a excuse to don't give a try to this series. The characters give me different impressions: Saiga is a good main character, but Kagura, despite she startedfine, lacks in character development. The best characters, along Ginza, the cool police woman, are the villains, Suitengu, Tsujido, Makabe and Ginji, they're cool, and it the end of the show they really feel human. Others, like Bob, act too steryotipical. And then the Euphoria...some of them are really memorable, like Lady Diamond, other are just weird and perverted dudes the main couple has to defeat, and really forgeteable.
My recommendation: give it a try, just for the social, political and economic themes, the show deserved it.
DarkRavie
The story follows the exploits of former war photographer Tatsumi Saiga, who is on the trail a secret fetish club for the ultra-wealthy called the Roppongi Club where politicians, media moguls and industry CEOs meet to indulge in primal and deprived fantasies and everything from sexual fulfillment to torturing someone to death is possible. He tries to photograph the club's "goddess," a 15-year-old exploited girl named Kagura, but is discovered. But instead of killing him, she kisses him, and the photographer gains a strange new power from that kiss: everything he takes a photo of explodes… My thoughts: This is an interesting series that contains alot of nudity and sexual references so I don’t recommend it for those under the age of 16. It depicts the greed in human nature; what people will do to get what they want. The action in the story is really just the encounters Saiga has with the ‘monster of the week’ that show up to stop him and grab the girl. Although sometimes the villain of the story is to be hated, I found that I liked Suitengu and his three loyal goons. What happened in his life is what shaped him and though you’re sure of what he’ll do; he surprises you when he does something totally out of character. If you like dark, gritty and the hardcore side of anime, then you’ll enjoy Speed Grapher.
Darkmoq
Story 5: We have a pretty standard storyline with a few spurts of originality. Basically the male protagonist and the female protagonist are on the run from an evil organization. Oh and some people have super powers. As you can imagine the protagonists have to hide from/kill a whole horde of henchmen while learning about the organization and how they fit into it. Around the halfway mark things just fizzle out. It’s not even like they start up a lame new story arc…they continue the first one with no new ideas. This series could have been 12 episodes long. This anime is watchable ONLY ifyou’ve seen everything else in this genre already.
Story pros:
-Some of the characters have pretty cool super powers. The main bad guy’s power is awesome.
-There are some really twisted themes in here that try to explore the depths of human depravity. Money is portrayed as an all-powerful corruptive force that runs the world, while the elite are portrayed as hedonistic monsters who live only to sate their dark, perverse fantasies (in this anime they are usually violent, sexual or both). There are definitely more than a few WTF moments..
Story cons:
-Some of the characters have pretty lame super powers. The second in command bad guy’s power is a great sense of smell…there’s a bit more but he’s pretty much useless.
-They have this habit of randomly cutting to flashbacks without warning the audience. I appreciate the attempt at developing a backstory but it sometimes takes a few minutes for you to go “ohhh, this is in the past”…usually after you see an already-dead character come on screen.
-There are definitely dead spots in this anime where nothing is really happening. There will be long car rides with Saiga and Kagura and you’ll think “this is a great opportunity for a conversation and character development”…then Kagura falls asleep in her chair.
-One episode is SHAMELESS filler. It’s the worst filler episode I’ve seen. They play 15 minutes of old scenes (usually explosion/action) scenes and tally up the monetary damage as they go along.
Art 5: Weakest part of the show. The animations look pretty dingy and cheap. Maybe it adds to the whole “gritty” feel but it feels dated and sloppy. And oh god I want to shoot myself whenever they show a scene with mist or smoke (there are a bunch of them). It makes the screen look like a giant smudge.
Sound 7: I felt like the music was not too memorable. What stood out (in kind of a bad way) was their frequent use of English in the anime (the Japanese version). As much as I dislike listening to English dubs, I really, really hate it when Japanese voice actors attempt to do either American and European accents. I’ve never seen it done well and it always makes me cringe. This anime may be the worst case of it. Jesus, there were at least 2 episodes with 10+ minutes each of “English” dialogue. It wasn’t pretty.
Characters 6: The leads were boring. Saiga is your classic, gruff, tough, scruffy male protagonist…the type of dude who’s burnt out, drinks more than he should and probably has PTSD. His past as a war photographer is interesting but I felt like they didn’t develop him enough. By the end of the series I still wasn’t quite sure what he was all about. Kagura was also kind of disappointing. She lacked any emotional depth and pretty much stayed a pawn for the entire series. The romance story was also done wrong. The ages are just too far apart. Saiga looks 30+ and acts like a broken down old man while Kagura is 15 and is basically a naïve child. I feel like the series didn’t quite know whether to make Kagura a girlfriend, sister or daughter figure to Saigas. For most of us, these are mutually exclusive roles so it was just weird to see them interact in some scenes. Ex: (Saiga to Kagura) “You haven’t even lived half as long as I have!” wtf do I make of that?. I thought Suitengu (bad guy) was very cool as a character and had complexity and an engaging back story. All of his scenes were interesting. Despite his depth, he and Saiga didn’t really click well as enemies and there wasn’t any of that synergy between foes (i.e. like in Death Note or Psycho Pass). In essence they didn’t make each other shine. One more thing. I’m a fan of the Yandere character archetype and I feel like the series missed a real opportunity with Ginza. I mean she is psychotic, a police officer, in love with Saiga, and prefers using lethal force over making an arrest. She could have had a much more interesting an influential part in the series than the always-one-step-behind the action role that she got.
Enjoyment 6.5: I realized what this series was a few episodes into it and I continued to watch it for the hell of it. I didn’t hate this series but it left me feeling irritated and unimpressed.
Overall 5: Just not enough substance to keep me entertained or caring about what would happen next.
Violence/Gore: lots of blood and killing. If you want that then this may be the anime’s salvation. Usually something fucked up or violent every episode
Love/Romance: They tried to stitch something together but it came out forced and creepy. I would have gone with Ginza.
Sex/Nudity: yes. Lots of bizarre sexual situations.
Yuffira
Here's my first review... Speed Grapher, an anime mostly about money, abuse of power and more money. Overall it's very darktoned and dramatic. Not my kind of thing but I decided to watch it anyway. Story: 7 A girl, Kagura, is drugged and used to pleasure rich politicians. Then a famous photographer, Saiga, gets caught up in it and decides he wants to save the girl. The main story is that of Kagura and Saiga. Infected with a virus (at least I think it is a virus) they try to save themselves while escaping from the aristocrats who try to capture them. Behind this thereis a deeper story which centers on the "dirty politicians" and messed up society we live in. Though showing their good face to the citizens, these politicians abuse their power to achieve money and sexual pleasure.
It's not my thing, but it portrays reality pretty good.
Then there also is the supernatural part in which people turn into maniacs who basically have orgasms collecting human legs, eating diamonds or bouncing around like tennis balls. I hoped the story would center more on the virus which inflicts these crazy habits and abilities, but it didn't.
Art: 5
Didn't like it. Very little color, but I suppose that goes with the dark tone the anime has. Little time was spend on the caracter design. They only one I enjoyed watching was Tsujido.
Don't remember the backgrounds too well so I guess they weren't too special either.
Sound: 4
At the beginning the music was nice. The fact that they only used 3 tracks in the entire anime bothered me.
Opening was nice, so is the video that goes with it. The first ending was horrible, Shione Yukawa just can't sing. Luckily halfway the series they save us by changing the ending song to another, much better, one.
Character: 7
They are good characters, Saiga, Kagura, Suitengu, Tsujido... Very distinct, each with a fixed goal to achieve. They are all quite powerful characters. Kagura I liked least, she's so manipulative, running behind anyone depending on how she feels.
Enjoyment: 5
If you like this kind of drama you'll probably enjoy it a lot more then I did. It's a story about reality like we all know it. I see it every day so I don't have to see it in an anime too.
Overall: 6
It's a good anime, has a lot of drama and criticizes society. It also has quite a bit of supernatural events to make things more interesting. If I would be neutral about my preferences in anime I would probably give this an 8. But I expected a more supernatural-based anime, which I didn't get, hence the 6.
If you're looking for a dramatic view on society however, you'll probably enjoy this very much.
DoodlebugFour
Speed Grapher, An anime series I 1st caught on IFC Channel Late at Night over a decade ago, along with Witchblade and Hell Girl. I am compelled to write my own review of it, so hop on board everyone! Series Composition done by Shin Yoshida, who has involved himself in some of the Yugioh series. Story: Speed Grapher is about a Former War Photographer turned Photojournalist with an odd photography fetish named Tatsumi Saiga, who gets involved in investigating an underground fetish club where he witness all the lewd and illegal activities going on, eventually stumbling upon a ritual where he ends up gaining to power toblow people up through a Camera, the show is then about him trying to free the Club's "Goddess" Kagura from the Club. It's follow a monster of the week style format in the early and the middle episodes as Saiga having to fight a club member that had been blessed by the Goddess known as a Euphoric.
Characters:
Saiga weirded me out at 1st with his photography kink early on, but ended up winning me over with how despite his jaded outlook in life, he still desires to do what's right despite his status, plus he's a hot Ossan with nice sideburns and goatee, which isn't exactly common protagonist material. So he stands out in my book.
Kagura Tennouzou, while I'll admit could favor for some character growth, is a Damsel in Distress done right as the show actually goes out of it's way to show her circumstances and how it affects her sheltered lifestyle, along with how Saiga goes out of his way to inspire her to live on and get her darn freedom, despite the rest of the cast getting in the way of that.
Chouji Suitengu, or as I like to nickname him "Pimpcoat Sephiroth" is the show's main villain, at 1st he seems like your standard hedonist mafia boss, but as the show goes on we eventually learn his origins and true agenda despite his reputation.
Hibari Ginza, Or as I like to nickname her the "Cop THOT". is easily my least favorite character in the show, her whole character is that she stalks and lusts after Saiga, wanting to get into his pants despite his lack of interest nor consent. And also becomes jelly of Kagura for having Saiga looking after her instead of giving Ginza the D. While the show does try to redeem her towards the end of the series, it's still wasn't much to excuse her BS.
Other Characters of note include Shinzen, Kagura's cruel b**** of a mother, Suitengu's lackies Tsujido, Niihari, and Makabe. Bob, Saiga's gay neighbor. Togashi, Saiga's Boss, and Ryougoku, a doctor who's well acquainted with Saiga since the war, as well as the various Euphorics Suitengu hires to try to kill Saiga and capture Kagura. Overall a pretty decent cast, even if alot of the characters are scummy hedonistic jerkfaces you want to see get their just desserts.
Visuals:
It's average GONZO fare with the occasional offmodeling GONZO is infamous for, but at least they hardly relied on CGI here which is a good thing. Backgrounds hold up pretty fine, though Character Models may seem rough by today's standards.
Sound:
Shinkichi Mitsumune of Yugioh and Utena fame composed the BGM here, and I will say this is one of his more underrated works, appropriately Gritty, Melancholic, and Jazzy, even upbeat at some points. The Original Opening for the Japanese Release is Duran Duran's Girls on Film which is great. Though because of licensing, the Funimation Release used one of the bgm "Shutter Speed" for the OP, which blends in with visuals just fine. The 2nd Ending Theme "Break the Cocoon" by Yorico is great, though the 1st ending theme "Hill of Poppy" feels rather out of place and jarring considering some of the earlier episodes end on a disturbing note.
Voice Acting:
The Japanese Cast stars Yuji Takada, a not so prolific VA in his only leading role as Saiga and Kei Shindo (who won the role from a contest of over 300 participants) making her VA debut as Kagura. They fair fine, if a little lacking at times in Takada's case. The Big Highlight of the Japanese version was without of doubt Toshiyuki Morikawa as Suitengu, especially considering he's Sephiroth himself, who does a nice job showcasing Suitengu's ruthlessness and angst. Other seiyuus to find include Takako Honda, Gara Takashima, Hiro Yuki, Hisao Egawa, Kenjiro Tsuda, Takehito Koyasu, Rikiya Koyama, and more. Though it does suffer from some really bad attempts of English speaking from Saiga and American characters later on in the show, so be prepared to LOL (or Cringe depending on how you react to Engrish).
The Funimation Dub is what intrigued me alot more, and I will say it's stands out alot more than the Japanese cast here. Christopher Sabat got to showcase a more jaded and weary performance as Saiga, which is a big contrast to the roles people usually know him for. It was also notably the 1st time he and Monica Rial (who plays Kagura) got to covoice together here long before the likes of DBZ Kai, One Piece, and Fairy Tail, and their vocal chemistry here holds up strong. Also of note is Christopher Ayres as Suitengu, who also does a great portraying Suitengu's ruthlessness and angst just as good as Morikawa, and makes the eventual rivalry between Saiga and Suitengu more amusing in hindsight since Ayres would eventually voice Frieza in the Kai dub of DBZ. As much as I hated Ginza, Clarine Harp knows how to steal the show whenever Ginza is on screen and does an amazing job showcasing Ginza's selfishness and how much of a ruthless psycho she can be. Other VAs to find include Mark Stoddard, Pam Dougherty, Greg Ayres, Bob Carter, Robert McCollum, Antimere Robinson, Kent Williams, and more.
Overall: One of GONZO's stranger original titles they made, yet It's a show I still remember fondly to an extent to this day, even if it's a show that will have you disgusted, but intrigued for what they were going for here.
