Cheap Gungrave - Beyond the Grave (Vol. 1) + Series Box (DVD) Price

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Customer Reviews of Gungrave - Beyond the Grave (Vol. 1) + Series Box

Very Different But Very Good Anime; Treads Some Unexpected Territory
The first of the "Gungrave" series starts out in the not-too distant future, a world that appears to be right on the cusp of a dawning new age where science has brought forth monsters and virtually unstoppable cyborgs. A lone scientist, a teenage girl, and an early cyborg prototype - who's first activation is in the opening moments of the disc's first episode - are on the run from a vastly powerful and utterly ruthless organization which seems to be at the heart of the upcoming chaos. It succeeds in having its characters make an instant impression that you'll want to care about them, and offers the kind of stunning, monsterous action (with stunning sound) that will appeal to all horror and action fans. <
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> Then everything changes. With the story barely begun and everything still very enigmatic we're suddenly back over a decade in the past starting with the 2nd episode, in a time that's apparantly the present, to witness how it all begins. Having not Yet seen the rest of the series (they're definately on my must-see list) I can only assume that the series is going to follow the characters through the years, eventually 'catch up' with that first episode, and then move on from there. <
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> The story the subsequent episodes on "Gungrave Volume 1" tells is of a modern-day city where smalltime teenage criminal gangs operate under a loose series of what I guess you'd call supervisors, who in turn answer to the mafia (a mafia that has its hand deep into all the cutting-edge sciences). The thing is, if I'd known that this was the focus of "Beyond The Grave" I probably never would have rented it, but I found myself drawn into it very deeply. It's well done and while most of the teenage criminal element seem to be just scum, plain and simple, there are characters among them who are surprisingly likable, possessed of the kind of nature that one would not expect to find them living their lives as small-time mob minions. I'm actually hoping the series goes back a little as well as forward and shows how some of these characters wound up where they are at episode 2's beginning. Instantly likable is the young (and non gang member) girl, Maria I believe her name was who shares a mutual attraction with one of the smalltimers that her father is trying very hard to discourage. <
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>Not what I expected to get but none the worse for it; this is just the kind of movie that shows that one should vary from their more frequent paths every now and then because you never know when you'll be really blown away by a kind of movie you haven't had much prior experience with. Really looking forward to seeing the rest of this series, and really recommending this volume to those who haven't seen it yet.

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Incredible first half marred by an inappropriate plot twist
This anime starts out with a very weak first episode, as most animes seem to do (Berserk, Eva, etc.). However, it quickly turns into a very good mafia saga detailing the epic rise of two childhood thugs Brandon Heat and Harry McDowell. This goes well for the first...15 episodes or so. In fact, there are some parts that are just downright poetic. Watching it for the first time, I really loved watching the characters go about doing their mafioso business. There is also a rich assortment of secondary characters such as Bunji, Bear Walken, Balladbird Lee, Big Baddy, I could go on. In good anime, I tend to really begin to care about what happens to the characters, such as in Berserk and the Crest/Banner of the Stars series. This happened here, despite Brandon's strange "stoicness" through the first eight episodes or so. <
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>However...what had begun as an incredible series quickly collapses on its face in a matter of a couple episodes. After an incredible episode that really stops your heart with its emotional punch and unpredictable twist (you'll find yourself screaming through the TV screen at the people on screen), the story changes for the worst. To put it bluntly, it turns from an epic mafia saga of two friends fighting to rise to the top of a major crime family to a supernatural action fest that leaves everything to be desired. Granted, it did have a good ending, but the second half of the series is so inappropriate I feel like it is my duty to warn everyone before hand. Enjoy the first half, then be prepared for the second half. I rate it four because the first half really is that good. Oh well, not every anime can be perfect.

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Brandon Naked.
lol any Bishonen fan will love the fact that Brandon spends most of the first episode naked. Though damn that evil censor *shakes fist*