Gilgamesh

Mention the word 'Anime'. The pictures that generally spring to mind, nowadays, are such horrors as Dragonball Z and Yu Gi Oh. Mention it to someone slightly more knowledgeable in these matters, and the names Street Fighter 2 and Street Fighter Alpha may materialise within their minds. Mention the word to a true fan of Anime, though, and you'll have names such as the following reeled off to you: Neon Genesis: Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, X, Samurai Showdown, and very possibly Gilgamesh.

I love Anime, a paradox in that I watch very little of it. The extent of my Anime covers movies such as Spriggan, the aforementioned Street Fighter movies, Samurai X, and very recently Gilgamesh.

I bought Gilgamesh on a whim. I had a gift card to spend, I had thirty bucks left on it, had already loaded myself up with music. I couldn't see anything else that looked entertaining, and figured when I picked the DVD up "What the hell, if I don't like it, at least I didn't have to pay for it".

The DVD contained the first five episodes. I loved every single one of them. The story is dark and ghostly, demonic and depressing, scary and beautiful, and all with a minimum of violence and gore. The film boasts a seemingly unique artistic flair, and is wrought through with a visual etherealism and surrealism that sends shivers down your spine. The voices synch perfectly with the movement of the mouths, and the facial expressions are a delight to behold.

I have yet to encounter an animated movie/TV series which parallels the bleak and sinister nature of this movie. The spectrum of colour used in the movie isn't all that wide, and seems to consist predominantly of darker shades of grey and black, with some colours interspersed throughout. The colour choices lend a feeling of hopelessness to the film, of despair, and the very real possibility of death in the next few minutes.

If you plan on watching this series, you can do it no other way apart from the beginning through to the end. If you miss a single episode you'll be lost. Watch this series. Enjoy it.

Which side are you on?

I read the review for this in Play magazine, and it lived up to ALL expectations. The animation is spectacular and unique among anime, feeling more like a film-noir than a typical Berserk or Hellsing type of show. The voice acting and dialogue are spot-on, and the story features excellent battles without being excessively gory, touching love without being sappy, and a series of twists and turns so beautiful they will leave you pondering and discussing the show well after it's ended. The only words I have to say against it are that you must watch it from the beginning, and not miss a single episode, or you will be hopelessly lost. And, if you are too put-off by dark themes (very dark). Gilgamesh is a true masterpiece, a Neon Genesis Evangelion for the new millennium.

The plot summary given here is accurate, so I don't see the point in giving another version of it. What I'd like to explain are what I feel makes this anime well worth watching, and why I felt I could have been better.

As other reviews point out, with Gilgamesh you get a very different plot from most other anime. What you'll also get is art which is quite different: for example, while character faces are still quite stylized, they are very unlike anything I have seen in 95-98% of the anime I have watched, and that's not the only aspect of the art that stands out.

Gilgamesh also makes very intelligent use of the myth which is referenced by the title and other material in the story. I don't want to say more about this issue as it is worth audiences enjoying this aspect without any information given away ahead of time.

The soundtrack is also exceptional. While I personally don't find either the opening or ending themes unique, I found that the score is very well done, and the inclusion of both the hymn "Shall We Gather by the River?" and Beethoven's 5th Concerto (also known as The Emperor Concerto) is brilliant. These two pieces contribute to the depth of the story, demonstrating the attention to detail used in the creation of the anime.

The one aspect of this anime that I found disappointing is the actual animation, which is so bad at times that is sometimes rivals the worst animation found in the Hellsing TV series. It's a travesty to find such terrible animation in such an otherwise superior series, and is the reason why I have given it 8 out of 10 stars.

Regardless of this last trait, I do encourage people who truly enjoy good anime to check out this series.

The concept of outer space and battle mobile suits is severely wearing itself out, it's a breath of fresh air to see something new and original that does not revolve around machines. This anime does not have the flaws that most animes carry, with a new style and idea that makes this an original project.

Each episode gets right to it - There are no unnecessary scenes and everything is a contributing factor to the story being told. I enjoy how you can get to know the characters without straying from the plot to focus in on their personal lives. The timing is great, it does not stay on one scene for too long, keeping your interest and at the same time not cutting out any details.