Overview:
I'm not sure how many people have noticed this, but revenge tends to be viewed very unfavourably in Japan, especially when compared to the West. While people in America tend to favour "retributive justice" as they call it, Japan generally stick to the belief that seeking revenge on those who have wronged you will make you just as bad if not worse than they are. "Gun x Sword", while not innovating in many ways, is one of the few anime that actually favours revenge to an extent, but does it in a way that doesn't come off as being overly-edgy. How does it achieve this? ... Well, you're about to find out.
Story (7.5/10):
Set on the "Planet of Endless Illusion", "Gun x Sword" tells the story of Van, an anti-social warrior who wields a whip-like sword and can summon a legendary mech from a satellite to aid him in combat. Three years prior to the story, Van lost his would-be wife Helena to a mysterious man known only as "the Claw", and is now wandering the planet in search of him. After passing out from hunger in the middle of a desert town, Van saves a 12-year-old girl named Wendy Garret, and after being treated to lunch by her, learns she's in search of her missing brother, Michael. Not long after, it becomes clear that Van and Wendy's interests in fact overlap, as Michael was sold off to the very man he's searching for. As such, Wendy decides to accompany Van on his journey (with him being less than thrilled by the idea) so the two of them can achieve their respective goals, with them encountering many allies and enemies along the way.
In case it wasn't clear already, "Gun x Sword" is a space western, right down to having a protagonist dressed like a cowboy (though his weapon of choice is more like what a samurai would wield). However, this isn't "Cowboy Bebop" meets "Trigun". Oh no, this is more like "Cowboy Bebop" meets "Inspector Gadget", with a whole bunch of other references thrown in for good measure. While the series does start in a desert, it soon becomes clear that that's only one small part of this planet, and there's overall a good amount of variety to be found, from civilizations to fields. The actual story does admittedly take a while to really get going, with the first few episodes following an episodic format where Van and Wendy travel to some place and, after solving whatever problem is there, walk away no closer to their goals. This changes towards the end of the sixth episode (which up until then looked like one you could easily skip), which gets the show's momentum going, and from then on we gradually learn more and more about the Claw, his organization and what his plans are. Even so, there isn't really anything that original about the series, and a lot of the twists are probably things you'll see coming.
However, while the story may have some pacing problems and be rather lacking in originality, it is nevertheless one I found myself very much enjoying, mostly due to its unique way of approaching revenge. Rather than going for the old "revenge is bad" message we've heard so many times, the series doesn't necessarily portray Van's desire for revenge as particularly damaging or self-destructive (and it certainly helps that he refuses to let it become that way). Nevertheless, the series doesn't shy away from the fact that revenge can definitely turn you into something you're not, with one character showing this in a truly disturbing fashion and being made to directly contrast Van. The series also almost consistently improves in quality as it goes on, with the last few episodes in particular being highly memorable, culminating in a highly satisfying ending that, while not the best I've ever seen, is nevertheless notable for delivering exactly what the series promised.
Art & Animation (8/10):
"Gun x Sword"'s studio AIC ASTA isn't all that well-known, and it shows by the fact that "Gun x Sword" doesn't have any particularly standout visuals. While the character designs are very cool and unique, the models are fairly rough around the edges and the environments aren't amazing-looking either. There are some very nice special effects, however, with probably my favourite being the one when Van summons his Armor, Dann of Thursday, to fight for him, and we see it come down from space and him merging with it. Overall, the series does look pretty good, especially considering it came out in 2005.
Sound & Dialogue (8/10):
"Gun x Sword"'s music really isn't all that standout or memorable. There are some decent tracks worth listening to, like the opening and a couple of the ending themes (of which there are five in total), but it doesn't really feel like anything you've heard before, though it does definitely fit with the series. The voice acting is generally very good; David Vincent captures each aspect of Van's character very well, Stephanie Sheh delivers a great performance as Wendy, and the cast as a whole is quite solid, including a number of big names like Michelle Ruff, Yuri Lowenthal, Liam O'Brien and Johnny Yong Bosch, though some performances are certainly better than others. One part of the sound design I really wasn't a fan of, however, is the ridiculous narrations that begin each episode. These narrations aren't clever or provide any more context to the series, they just waste time and are clearly trying way too hard to be philosophical, overall feeling like a complete waste of Jamieson Price.
Characters (7.5/10):
For the most part, Van plays the part of an apathetic bystander, often refusing to help people with their problems for the simple fact that he has no reason to and getting annoyed when people, especially Wendy, take a liking to him. That being said, pushing him into doing the right thing is very possible (especially if somebody does something that pisses him off) and he's ultimately just very reserved and anti-social as opposed to actively unpleasant. Furthermore, while he is extremely focused on his quest for revenge, to the point that him passing out from hunger due to forgetting to eat is something of a running gag, he has no intention of letting his quest consume him or making it his sole reason for living, as he (rather rightfully) believes that becoming a man different from the one Helena loved would be an insult to her memory. This is evident when he meets a man with near-identical circumstances, but is willing to do anything in order to get his revenge, and Van is so disgusted that he refuses to team up with him despite them sharing the same goal, showing that while his goal may be personal, he also has very strong moral standards. Beyond that, Van is also a huge badass, and while that's pretty much a given when you're linked up to a giant robot, he's more than capable of kicking ass even without Dann, and only really summons it when he needs it, which he very often does. While he isn't the most complex lead character out there, he's nevertheless very likeable all around and more than worthy of being the protagonist of a story like this.
Second in importance to Van is Wendy, who is also my second favourite character. While Van does encounter and befriend many people over the course of his journey, as well as getting acquainted with several people from his past, Wendy remains his most consistent companion over the course of the series, and is generally the one to push him into helping others. Fortunately, rather than just being some tagalong kid, she is a character with her own subplot and character arc- a point constantly made in the series is she's coming of age. She is often irritated when people put her aside as a child and she has attempted various times to be more adult-like in Van's presence from when he dismissed her as a brat in the first episode to go back to her town. With each progression in the story, she learns more and more about the world, developing her own thoughts and opinions in the process. And yet, despite being quite mature for her age, she's still ultimately just a kid and so often ends up getting driven by her emotions rather than logic, which if anything only makes her more human. While she's pretty much useless in combat, having no weapons other than a gun with a single bullet, emotionally she's pretty much indispensable to the plot, and proves herself to be very a likeable, well-developed character.
Over the course of the story, Van and Wendy are joined by many other people. Chief among these is Carmen 99 (real name Carol Mendosa, though she prefers the nickname), an old acquaintance of Van's who knows about his past and works as an intelligence agent. She starts off as an on-and-off ally to the main duo (though she's generally even more apathetic and less willing to help others than Van himself) but she ultimately joins them full-time once things between her and the Claw's group become personal. While she doesn't have an Armor like Van, she can still more than hold her own in combat, fighting with a killer yo-yo esque weapon. And speaking of badass ladies, there's also Priscilla, who unlike Van and Carmen, is always eager to help others, introduced as competing in Armor tournaments in order to earn money for the sake of orphans she's taking care of. Loveable as she is, however, her rather late introduction means she's isn't nearly as developed as some other characters, nor is she given nearly as many chances to shine. As for male companions, there's also Joshua Lundgren, a young man who becomes fast friends with Wendy due to their very similar personalities and circumstances. Joshua is something of an "idiot savant"- he's a brilliant engineer who can fix pretty much anything, but is seriously lacking in common sense and makes some very bone-headed decisions, though he's still kind and loyal and can be counted on to make a good point from time to time.
Besides the heroes, the villains are also quite interesting. When we first hear about the Claw, he seems to be little more than a horrible person whom Van has every reason to want revenge on, though later we see that he's that and a lot more, as he has managed to earn an incredibly good reputation merely by helping out those who needed him. His minions are loyal to him, almost fanatically so, by choice, and his goal isn't necessarily an evil one, depending on how sincere you think he is. In a couple of ways, he feels like a villain from the "Tales" video game series, who are known for being very sympathetic and ambiguous, though even his most generous interpretation still makes Van look like a hero by comparison. Besides the Claw, the series features a number of notable villains, though it's hard to talk about most of them without giving away major spoilers. However, there is one villain who has easily the least screen-time out of the major antagonists, which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that he has a stronger connection to Van than any other villain besides the Claw himself. It's hard not to see that he could have made for a very interesting secondary villain, which would have provided some more character development for Van as well. All in all, the series does a good job with both the heroes and villains, but I have definitely seen better.
Enjoyment (8/10):
There are no two ways about it; from start to finish, "Gun x Sword" is a very enjoyable and entertaining series, only becoming more so as the series progresses. There's an action scene or several to be found in almost every episode, and while the Armor battles can get somewhat formulaic at times, they're pretty much never boring. There's also some great comic relief too, mainly resulting from Van's odd habits and Joshua's cluelessness, and overall the series maintains a surprisingly hopeful tone despite being a story about revenge.
Overall:
"Gun x Sword" is a highly obscure series that has never managed to pique the interest of many, whether it be when it first came out or now, and personally I think that's a shame. Sure, it might not stand out at all in terms of visuals or sound design, and it certainly can't compare to Goro Taniguchi's other mech series, "Code Geass", but it's still worth watching if you're a sci-fi fan, with likeable, fleshed-out characters, exciting action scenes and a good story with a highly satisfying ending.
Score:
7.5+8+8+7.5+8=39/50=7.8/10
Alternative Titles Synonyms: Gun vs Sword Japanese: ガン×ソード Information Type: TV Episodes: 26 Status: Finished Airing Aired: Jul 4, 2005 to Dec 26, 2005 Premiered: Summer 2005 Broadcast: Unknown Producers: Studio Tulip Studios: AIC ASTA Source: Original Theme: Mecha Duration: 24 min. per ep. Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older Statistics Score: 7.271 (scored by 33,633 users) 1 indicates a . Ranked: #30742 2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #2423 Members: 78,627 Favorites: 366 Available AtResources |
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