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GAREI-ZERO- 01: let’s watch some kick-ass fight scenes together?

Posted by blissmo 6 October 2008 19 Comments

This is like … only the best Fall has to offer so far. And spoilers ahead.

Besides CLAMP’s new anime, Mouryou no Hako, I was also fairly anxious about GA-REI -zero- because of the character designs and the promise of the sweet supernatural action I witnessed during the promo. At first glance, the characters seemed rather shallow—-if not, imagine your typical soldier boy with little knowledge of the “real” world. However, at the beginning of the first episode, we see a glimpse of Tooru’s (main character voiced by Maeno Tomoaki) past; this allowed me to figure out the whereabouts of his demeanor, how significant his role in this series may become, and what consequences could lie ahead for him and his friends. Regardless of my lack of understanding of what was really going on due to the absence of reliable subtitles (not that there were any, anyway), I was altogether captivated the second the show started playing.

Yes, her motorbike is her weapon

The idea of having the human-shaped creatures invisible to the naked eye was different from other supernatural anime I’ve seen, but it was a good different. After all, it never hurts to be original, even a little. One scene I particularly enjoyed was how the vehicles were being trampled on by what seemed to be thin air. Of course, I was confused just as much as the innocent fire-fighters were, but when the secret organization revealed what they were dealing with through special a rectangular lens capable of detecting the monsters, I leaned in closer just to make sure that I could capture every single detail of what the monsters looked like. Although simple in appearance as they seem, I can’t help thinking that they could be souls escaping from Hell, or that they have some sort of “bad” tie to the human beings.

Ahuh, the main guy just got his throat cut

Another memorable moment in the first episode was when the gang planned a way to defeat the “big lizard” without us really knowing what exactly it was that they were planning—-either that or I really shouldn’t have watched this RAW. Each character did his or her thing and everything worked out really nicely, and the background music definitely complimented what was taking place. It was just minutes after that marvelous battle rewarded with cups of coffee to celebrate their success in defeating the demon that they all were suddenly easily wiped out—-to be more specific, sliced to pieces by a girl in black uniform. More of Tooru’s past was then unveiled, showing us a scene where he was forced to kill his friend, or possibly, lover, in front of a boy with blue butterflies fluttering around him. When we find out that the girl in the uniform had shared a close relationship with Tooru, she slits his throat and the episode ends with a gradual fade.

*nods* The evil boy likes blue butterflies

Unfortunately, there isn’t even any preview for what happens next week *sobs*, but I can guarantee you that this episode of GA-REI -zero- won’t be a disappointment. I’ve got no complaints—-nothing against this fantastic episode. It was thrilling; a joyous ride. I mean, how many times have you seen a girl kick butt on a motorcycle, and since when did elephant feet scare people? This may not be your average cup of tea, but it’s definitely worth a try. I just hopes this series can continue to stay good or eventually get better, and way less predictable (not that it is).

19 Comments »

  • kanzeon said:

    Finally, there’s a show that we’ll watch together XD

    kanzeons last blog post..Anime’s Next Top Model [FINAL]: And The Winner Is…

  • hazy said:

    Ohoho, the subs are out?! Must watch it now. And I can’t wait to watch Mouryo no Hako.^^

    hazys last blog post..AniCon 2008 and some goodies!

  • biankita said:

    really??? i’m not expecting much with this anime. :D must check it out when subs come out. ^^

    biankitas last blog post..Manila Con Hopping: Anicon 2008

  • lbrevis said:

    You had me at “her motorbike is her weapon”. I secretly desire to be that cool.

  • Shin said:

    Since the Queen of Yukan is pimping it so much, I guess I have no choice but to comply and give it a go.

  • mellow_bunny said:

    This better be good. In fact this better be awesome. DO NOT FAIL ME.. oh wait sorry wrong blog. This show looks great blissmo <3!

    mellow_bunnys last blog post..Tidbits | Music and my mind or being creative.

  • otou-san said:

    You make it sound worth a shot, even for traitors… Your bloodlust is legendary so it must be some good action.

    otou-sans last blog post..BLASSREITER (Review)

  • Nagato said:

    Original idea of this didn’t pique my interest enough to watch it raw. Still no idea if I’ll keep up with this series. I’m beginning to think Tooru is not the main character.
    Whatever, it was only my ‘maybe’ list and nothing else has come out (except CLANNAD After) so I blogged it.

  • jitensha said:

    I’ve been searching it since I heard that all the protagonist died on the first episode! Sadly, I can’t find any working streams (I’d like to watch a preview of it first). I’m not really sure if I’ll blog this one but I think I should watch it. :roll:
    jitenshas last blog post..Clannad ~After Story~ [The Return]

  • Omisyth said:

    One of the best parts was the Firey CG Dinosaur of Doom.

    Omisyths last blog post..Kurogane no Linebarrels First Impressions: Magical Breast Summoning

  • jitensha said:

    I’ve just watched it and the massacre scene is pretty creepy XD 8O. I was quite confused when I saw that the girl who slit Tooru’s throat was also the one whom he pushed away when his first girlfriend also died. :roll: Is she an enemy or what?

    jitenshas last blog post..Tales of the Abyss [I've just seen what I saw on the PS2]

  • blissmo (author) said:

    @jitensha: That’s the whole point: not knowing! lols

  • otou-san said:

    You did not fail me! 19 minutes of pretty decent (but kinda silly) action and 3 minutes of WTF. I have no idea what this series is going to be about now. But you’re right, that’s part of the fun.

  • Hynavian said:

    Blissmo, this is the first time that I’ve taken your advice and like a series. GAREIzero is full of suspense with lots of action, gore and mysteries that I sat on the edge of my seat throughout.

    Count me in buddy, I’m following GAREIzero with ya! :D

  • Kabitzin said:

    Not to spoil it, but obviously the girl with a nodachi was a jealous ex-girlfriend.

    Rolling flaming dinosaurs was amusing but kinda stupid…

  • blissmo (author) said:

    @otou-san: Have I ever failed you?

    @Hynavian: Oh finally! We can enjoy some murder together and laugh when people die

    @Kabitzin: I didn’t know that …

  • lelangir said:

    I think it’s episodic. The 2nd episode was completely different, and seemingly, the episodic protagonist dies. I think Kurogane had a preview of the third which talked about Kagura and Yomi so I dunno…it’d be tight if it were episodic though.

  • biankita said:

    i finally got around watching this show… i like it. but i’m still in the process of downloading the second and third episode.

  • The Coke Machine » Twelve Moments in Anime 2008 #4 - Gai Rei Zero 01 [Day 9] said:

    [...] as I’m sure you’ve already heard, Gai-Rei Zero episode one went from a ho-hum sci-fi zombie slaying to “WTFFFFFFFFFF [...]

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