Review of Elemental Gelade: Vol. 4

Introduction

Introductions, introductions, introductions...

You`re presented with a disc to review, you watch it, take notes if that`s your thing, then rush to the computer to gush, vent or present utter indifference. It`s actually pretty easy to whack down a summation of the techie details, the extras and an opinion on the piece. But it`s the damn introduction that can have you stumped. You don`t want to blow your wad by giving away too much of your opinion up front, so you try and fill it with peripheral information, set the scene if you will. But with episodic reviews, you`ve normally done all that by the time you`re a few volumes in, and there`s little left but to go over the synopsis for the episodes. So, without further ado...

The group have been separated. Arc Aile, Cou and Ren are now put on different paths, although inevitably, the are trying to get back on the same page. Arc Aile chase Cou as Cou chases Ren, the latter released from an elaborate illusion and a little confused. While Arc Aile have little trouble catching up to the former Sky Pirate, Ren`s whereabouts elude them. They`re also forced to deal with an enemy from a past episode who also has his sights set on the powerful Edel Raid.

Episodes:

14. Edel Raid Hunter Reappears
15. The Windmill Village "El Blanca"
16. Memory of a Wildbird
17. The Rocky Fateful Encounter

Video

Full-frame 4:3, and you`ll be hard-pressed to find any major technical flaws with the transfer. The show itself is bright and colourful, with some fairly energetic animation and the quaint, semi-cutesy visual style that seems to go down well among the broad-appeal anime fans. There are a few evident artifacts during some fast-motion scenes and a few instances where the visuals notably soften or dull, but you really have to be looking for these to pick them up.

Audio

English dub or native Japanese with subtitles, but disappointingly only in Dolby Digital 2.0; a strange choice for such an action and set-piece orientated show. Still, the tracks are both clear with solid mixing. The voice cast on the Japanese track is notably more mature-sounding and versatile compared to the rather dull and samey Americanised dub, which when combined with the manga-faithful artistic choices in terms of character design, does tend to make it feel like you`re simply watching a Saturday morning `toon for kids, doing the show an injustice in the process. Also worth mentioning is that the score is full of pop-ish tunes if that`s your cup of tea, and the theme tune which opens the show is truly a bubblegum J-pop fan`s wet dream.

Features

A textless opening and a series of trailers are easily usurped in the extras stakes by an English cast commentary for episode 15. If you`ve never listened to a cast commentary from an anime series and are hoping for technical detail and the like, you`ll be disappointed. As usual, these things are a 25-minute gigglefest as the cast get together and reminisce. Although I definitely have a preference for the original Japanese for this show (the voice-acting is particularly standout) and didn`t recognise any of the voices, I enjoyed the great big group laugh, and the few titbits of production information it brought along with it.

Conclusion

`Elemental Gelade` and its ilk belong to a category that could be considered the Marmite of anime; it`s brown, sticky and goes well with toast. No, wait, that`s wrong and it`s making me hungry. The true meaning, of course, is that it`s a love it or hate it affair, particularly with shows based on a shōnen-style manga. Well, kind of. `Elemental Gelade` is broad, clearly aimed at a much younger audience than most of the general anime-buying public and suffers from a drought of real characterisation and plot. There`s a temptation to cut and paste the review of volume 3, as I think with that I pretty much nailed how the show translates to an adult whose preference for anime runs mainly to - without wanting to sound elitist - the more highbrow, mature-themed material. Alas, such a move would be frowned upon, so I`ll simply restate the same sentiment; it`s bereft of hard adult appeal, but fun all the same for both younger audience and those looking for something so light than Newton is thinking on re-writing his three laws of motion. Or at least he would be if he liked anime and hadn`t been dead for some 300 of our earth years.

The story in the run up to this volume, as is usually the case with the most simplified, mass appeal anime, revolves around a journey. After the events at the end of volume 3, this changes somewhat as the gang are separated at Arc Aile headquarters, and the plot follows their quest to be reunited. This comes as a welcome change of pace, as the episodes present themselves with the first real sense of purpose since the opening episodes set the scene for the show. Wolx, the Edel hunter, and his partner Tidel make a return this volume, as they too are on the trail of Ren. This partnership raises a few philosophical questions - due to the nature of how Wolx views Edels, clearly a superior race to humans, as an underclass of simple `tools` - but again, `Elemental Gelade` isn`t the kind of anime that goes any deeper than using such devices for anything other than to further the plot. But that`s not to say the writing doesn`t have its charm, as the interaction between the characters can be frequently hilarious.

As I continue to review this show alongside `Gun X Sword`, I can`t help but notice how both shows are actually very similar in terms of structure, plot and characterisation. But while `GXS` seemed to have the initial qualities to become an exciting, enthralling anime, `Elemental Gelade` never seemed to be aiming that high, and was comfortable in its own little groove as a bit of fun. For my money, this is certainly the better show, even if everything about my taste in anime should point to `GXS`. Volume 4 throws up some stock setting locations that never really seem out of place on their journey - a cruise ship for example - and some of the Arc Aile members are giving us more backstory as they are forced to face their past. The group of characters who front the show are really starting to appear more appealing in their diversity, and it`s possibly this which makes volume 4 seem to contain the best set of episodes since the first disc.