Based on the Playstation 2 game of the same name, Gungrave opens with Beyond the Grave relentlessly waging war against the crime syndicate Millennion. However, this apparently undead being isn’t merely out for a killing spree. He began life Brandon Heat, a former favorite of the very same “family” he now seeks to destroy, and who was once one of its most promising young members and looked upon fondly by the boss, “Big Daddy.” The series quickly backtracks to Brandon’s youth, and follows him as he and his best friend, Harry McDowell, rise through the ranks of the area’s biggest crime family, and continues to and beyond the final betrayal that sparked the creation of Beyond the Grave, whose purposes are manifold: Avenging his own death, and the betrayal that sparked it; Protecting the only remaining family of those he held most dear (and who were brutally killed by the new leaders of Millennion); and furthering the ideals of Millennion that he held himself to so strongly.
Following the path of the friendship between these two men, the contrast is immediately clear: Brandon, quiet and loyal, is willing to follow and support his friends to wherever their goals may take them. Harry, on the other hand, is ambitious and extremely goal-oriented, willing to use whatever and whomever is available in order to achieve his ends. As childhood friends, the two were inseparable, and when most of their ‘gang’ is killed in an attack, they joined Millennion and began their promising careers. (Little note for your personal edification: Do not anger the avenging spirit of one of the most successful SWEEPERS in Millennion history. He was successful because he was so good with guns, people!) Largely following the story of the game, the series completely chronicles their rise to power, the official ‘welcome’ into the inner ranks of the family, and the final betrayal when the future “Bloody Harry” McDowell begins to manipulate his way to the top, heedless of the rules of honor he is expected to abide by.
Through the years we are given a complete picture of Brandon’s progression from shy street-thug to reserved killer, as he experiences the first blush of love. Later, you see how that love is protected to the point of refusing it in favor of protecting innocence, and yet fiercely defended, even after death. When a young girl named Mika awakens Grave thirteen years after the betrayal that redefines him, he protects her with every fiber of his being, but is it out of respect for her parents, or her own sake?
Fans of the original game might find this incarnation somewhat disappointing. While Brandon/Grave does briefly appear in his in-game costume (Half Pirate/Half Cowboy), the zest, if you will, of the fighting seems largely lost. Where the game featured nothing but butt-kickery and outrageously show-offish moves designed to inflict the maximum number of kills in the minimal amount of time (earning ‘rankings’ very similar to those of Devil May Cry), this series is largely backstory. What gunfights are present are usually reserved to low-level enemies, like opposing criminals or hordes of mindless Orgmen, with the larger boss-fights dissolving into single, brief encounters with quick resolution and very little of the supernatural aspects these characters may have had in the game. Also, the emotional aspect of the ending was disappointing, in my opinion, and I’m afraid of going into it further for fear of coloring the overall review too much.
The series drew more than inspiration and story basis from the game, however. The same great minds that provided such a rich and detailed creative background also provided artistic cohesion and continuit
The series drew more than inspiration and story basis from the game, however. The same great minds that provided such a rich and detailed creative background also provided artistic cohesion and continuity to the anime. The animation in this is minimalist, if well-done, with character designs sprung from the mind of Yasuhiro Nightow, of Trigun fame. Mechanical designs were provided by the talented Kousuke Fujishima, and the music by Tsuneo Umahori.