An interesting look at the differences in human goals and aspirations, Gad Guard isn’t the mech-battle anime you might be expecting. Instead, this series focuses almost entirely on the human teenagers whose bond to these mysterious beings is what decides how each will act when confronted with terrible choices. As the mystery of the extremely rare Gads is revealed, we learn that while Gads contain almost infinite possibility, most that activate end up bonding physically with a human, forming an Atechode, and acting on the baser emotions that called it into being; usually destruction-bent rage or crippling greed. Unfortunately, an Atechode doesn’t always release the human it’s bonded with, even if something does manage to stop it’s spree of chaos and destruction. However, in night town, it seems that five teenagers have each not only managed to accidentally activate a Gad, but something in their personality has spawned a Techode, of a unique design reflective of their masters inner hopes and dreams, and responsive to their personal intentions.
While each new Techode user/owner has this one thing in common, each is individually a very different person with a different past and background. Hajiki Sonoda is just your average good kid, maybe hangs around with some junior punks-in-training, but he does what he has to in order to get by. His Techode, Lightining, represents a whole new field of opportunities for him, both as a companion in his job and an opportunity to really fight the bad guys. Aside from our main character, we have four other Techode users: Katana (An up-and-coming crime boss determined to use his Techode Zero to eliminate all other mobs in the unit and placing himself at the top of the power grid. Not a vicious guy, really, just very…driven.), Arashi Sinozuka (a girl who’s struck out on her own in order to make a fresh start away from her overly controlling family. Her Techode Hayate allows her to finally fulfill her dream of flying.), Aiko Harmony (a kind and generous spirit, daughter of the one of the richest magnates in the unit. She really tries to be friendly towards everyone she meets, and has trouble seeing the bad in people. Her Techode Messerschmidt is essentially a quiet protector she shares her thoughts with.), and finally Takumi Takeda (Batman. No, really. Spoiled and pretty like a girl, his parents died and left him more money than he’ll ever need, so he’s decided to set up a base in his place and monitor all criminal activity. Then he puts on a disguise and uses his Techode Thunderbolt to fight what he views as “crime,” which he’ll then blame on Katana.)
Not really the anime you might have been expecting, Gad Guard is instead a story of choices, and how those may or may not relate to ideals. In a perfect world (or even a more generic one), all Techode users would band together like Voltron to fight villains and save the world. In this reality, each user has their own idea of what it means to have a Techode, and despite the Techode’s lack of speech or independent thought, considers them a friend or a tool that belongs to no one else. Should they be used to fight crime, like Takumi envisions? Are they merely the method one uses to gain power over their immediate world and future, as Katana sees it? Is there even any reason to believe these kids have anything in common, despite how their individual Gads transformed? Twenty-six episodes explore the life choices these users make as they come to understand what their Techode means to them, and what they’ll do to protect that bond. A unique art style (that features one very out-of-place looking dog) conveys the motion and emotion of these characters perfectly , and sets the scene in a world that could be a scant future from our own. The voice acting is well-done, if not precisely ground breaking, and the music is thankfully understated, allowing the scenes to convey emotion visually (as most humans perceive it anyway, lacking as we do the internal score to our lives).