Gungrave (anime)

Gungrave (ガングレイヴ, Gangureivu) is a Japanese animated television series based on the video game of the same name, created by Yasuhiro Nightow. The series is directed by Toshiyuki Tsuru, from a screenplay by Yousuke Kuroda, and produced by Madhouse Studios.

The series follows Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowell as they rise through the ranks of the Millennion crime syndicate.

Gungrave aired on TV Tokyo from October 7, 2003 to March 30, 2004, totaling twenty-six episodes. Like the Gungrave video game, and its sequel Gungrave: Overdose, the series' music is provided by Tsuneo Imahori; this also includes the series' opening theme.

In 2003, Geneon Entertainment, formally Pioneer Entertainment, announced the license of Gungrave in North America.^[1] On July 3, 2008, Geneon Entertainment and Funimation Entertainment announced an agreement to distribute select titles in North America after Geneon ceased distribution of their own titles in October 2007. While Geneon Entertainment will still retain the license, Funimation Entertainment will assume exclusive rights to the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of select titles.^[2] Gungrave was announced as one of the several titles under the agreement on December 30, 2008.^[3] As of November 26, 2010, Funimation has fully licensed the anime series.^[4] The anime series returned to US television on May 11, 2011 on the Funimation Channel.^[5]

Plot

Gungrave opens thirteen years after Brandon Heat is betrayed and killed by his best friend Harry MacDowell. He is reborn through the use of necrolyze as Beyond The Grave, and begins a quest of revenge against the crime syndicate. The series then backtracks to Brandon's youth, and follows him and Harry as they rise through the criminal underworld, detailing the circumstances that led to their eventual falling-out.

Characters

Brandon Heat / Beyond the Grave

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese); Kirk Thornton^[6] (English)

A small-time criminal who was in a gang with his best friend, Harry McDowell, along with three other close friends. After their friends were killed, Brandon and Harry joined the crime syndicate Millennion, led by Big Daddy. After joining Millennion, Brandon was assigned to a small collection crew in the West District, where they collected the organization's income from its illegal race track betting and black market operations. After being proven by a special assignment recommended by Harry, his affiliation with Maria and risking his life for Big Daddy, Brandon began to move up within the ranks of the organization. Brandon was trained by Millennion's Bear Walken to be a sweeper (assassin), eventually forming his own elite sweeper unit within Millennion called "True Graves".

As Harry rose to power, Brandon remained loyal to the syndicate. Brandon confronted Harry for betraying the organization, but found himself unable to kill his friend. Instead, Harry kills Brandon during his moment of hesitation. Brandon was resurrected by Dr. Tokioka as "Beyond the Grave". His purpose is to destroy the syndicate that he once worked for and the friend who betrayed him. At the end of the anime, Brandon chose to protect Harry instead of killing him out of the old time friendship. It's unknown whether he dies or survives when Mika finally arrives. Brandon acts like a parental figure to Mika and told her to move on when he told her that he no longer belongs to the living near the end of the series.

Harry McDowell

Old Harry Voiced by: Tsutomu Isobe (Japanese); Tom Wyner (English)
Young Harry Voiced by: Kenji Hamada (Japanese); Tony Oliver (English)

Harry McDowell always wanted true freedom. Even when he was young, he could not stand being held back or put in his place. He used his ambition to rise in the ranks of Millennion with the help of his best friend, Brandon Heat. Impatient by nature, Harry began to plot the murder of Millennion's leader, Big Daddy, when he could not advance any further in the syndicate.

As Harry's dreams become reality, he grows insane. The slightest sign of hesitation is taken as betrayal, and betrayal is punished with death. Harry succeeded in killing Big Daddy as well as hundreds of others in his quest for freedom, earning him the name "Bloody Harry." One of his victims was Brandon Heat. Now, thirteen years later, Harry targets Big Daddy's daughter, Mika Asagi, as his next victim. However, Brandon has returned as Beyond the Grave to protect her against Harry's push to destroy the last piece of Big Daddy's legacy.

Maria Asagi

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese); Michelle Ruff (English)

Maria is the sweet, clean-cut girl down the street, a contrast of Brandon's bad-boy image. Throughout the series, Maria makes her feelings for Brandon very clear. When she accepts Mr. Asagi's offer to live with him after her Uncle Jester dies, Maria is unaware that she is moving into the home of Big Daddy, head of Millenion. Brandon follows her and joins Millenion in hopes of being close to her, and for a while it works out.

It is when Brandon becomes a sweeper that their relationship crumbles. He finds it harder and harder to face Maria with every person he kills, and soon he stops visiting her altogether. Maria eventually figures out what is going on, and once she does, the strong-willed woman decides to confront the man she loves. However, vowing to follow Harry, he refuses to give up his life as a hit man for the mob and calmly but coldly rejects Maria.

Mika Asagi

Voiced by: Kumi Sakuma (Japanese); Kari Wahlgren (English)

The daughter of Big Daddy by Maria. After the incident at her home she was told to seek protection from Brandon by Maria. Throughout the series, she goes through many hardships as she sees those close to her pass away one by one. Her personality is like Maria's.

In order to stop Brandon from going out and wearing out his body in episode 24, she confesses that she cares for him and asks if he thinks of her as family, and she tells him they should just give up on revenge and runaway together. However, Brandon tells her to move on without him since he is no longer among the living, and knocks her out. In the final episode, Millenion is no longer trying to kill her, and she is seen searching desperately for Brandon. She eventually finds Brandon in the end.

Dr. Tokioka

Voiced by: Motomu Kiyokawa (Japanese); William Frederick Knight (English)

A scientist who developed the necrolyzation process(a process in which dead bodies are brought back to life as nearly invincible zombie-like beings). When Mika came to him, he used the process to bring Grave back to life.

Big Daddy

Voiced by: Iemasa Kayumi (Japanese); Michael McConnohie (English)

Millennion's founder and leader. He started the organization to protect his city and his "Family". He developed a bond with Brandon early in the latter's career in Millenion, which resulted in Brandon giving up Maria to Big Daddy out of loyalty to the man and the organization. Big Daddy was killed by Harry; due to a mental breakdown when Big Daddy revealed that Brandon knew of his betrayal all along. Shaken and angered by the news, Harry killed him and vowed to erase every trace of him; including Mika.

Bear Walken

Voiced by: Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (Japanese); Beau Billingslea (English)

A sweeper for Millennion, and one of the oldest members of Big Daddy's inner circle. He stays with the organization after Harry becomes the leader of Millennion for the sake of his daughter (who is romantically involved with Harry). Although his vow to protect his daughter and Harry forced him to take sides, he still held some form of loyalty to Big Daddy. As he was the only member of Millenion, that Big Daddy confided to about Maria's pregnancy with his child and most likely kept it from Harry. Due to in his own way of thinking, Big Daddy was no longer a member, thus had no reason to talk of it. He is later killed by a resurrected Brandon, after inviting Brandon to his home for a duel to the death. His last thoughts were of his daughter.

Bob Poundmax

Voiced by: Chafurin (Japanese); Doug Stone (English)

A formerly skinny man, Bob is now a portly, morbidly obese intelligence operative. He rose through the ranks of Millenion with Brandon and Harry. After Harry's ascension to the head of the organization Bob sat as one of the Big Four under Harry. He became the second "Superior" created after the procedure was perfected and the first to confront Beyond the Grave. He was killed by Brandon after begging for mercy only to attack Brandon when his back was turned.

Balladbird Lee

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese); Steven Blum (English)

Bob Poundmax's best friend. He owes his life to Harry after it was discovered that he was working with Lightning, a rival group of which his older brother Cannon Vulcan was a member, while in Millennion. However, Harry forgave Balladbird, allowing him to stay in Millennion in exchange for his loyalty. After learning of Bob's death, Lee kidnaps Mika and kills her two friends in the process. Lee is eventually killed in the subway by Brandon's Anti-Superior bullets.

Bunji Kugashira

Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese); Lex Lang (English)

Bunji Kugashira earned the nickname "Madness" for his skills as a killer. He is an expert both with guns and unarmed. He also has a strange sense of morals. He deems it fine to kill others as a hitman, but he has a strong sense of loyalty to his friends and coworkers.

Bunji first meets Harry MacDowell on a job to kill him. Harry tells Bunji that he is being used, and both men confirm it. Although Harry wants to recruit Bunji for Millennion, it is actually Brandon that persuades him to join. Brandon beats Bunji in unarmed combat, and Bunji has considered Brandon a close companion ever since. Bunji calls a lot of people "brother," but there is a sense that he truly means it when he calls Brandon that. It is this bond that makes facing Grave so difficult. Bunji is killed by Brandon in battle.

Maggie

Voiced by: Komina Matsushita (Japanese); Dorothy Elias-Fahn (English)

References

External links

• JVC Music's Gungrave website (Japanese)
• Gungrave (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Gungrave at the Internet Movie Database
• Gungrave at TV.com
• GUNGRAVE OST UNO "RIGHTHEAD" at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
• GUNGRAVE OST 2 "LEFTHEAD" at MusicBrainz (list of releases)