Review of Gun X Sword: Vol. 6 - Lost Prayers

Introduction

Almost at the finish line, but not quite.

Volume six of `Gun X Sword` is the penultimate volume of the show`s release, containing episodes 21 through 23. Uh-huh, it`s shortchange time again, where instead of adding an extra episode and bumping the count up to five for a couple of volumes to balance the 26-episode run over six discs, we get a pair of volumes with a measly three episodes apiece. Of course, it makes practical business sense for distributors to get an extra SKU out of a property, but that doesn`t mean it can`t leave a bad taste in our collective mouths -- like a stale beer and tuna brine cocktail.

And so, the story marches on. Van, armoured up and ready to scrap, faces off against Claw`s sultry right-hand femme Fasalina and her Original 7 machine Dahlia of Wednesday. Meanwhile, Wendy, Carmen and the rest of the gang prepare the hover base for an assault on Claw`s hidden base. But the final stages of his nefarious master plan have been put in motion, as the older of the Garret siblings is launched into outer space with his destination set for the moon that orbits Endless Illusion. At least, it looks like a moon. Wait a minute, that`s no moon, that`s... something else entirely!

Episodes:

21. Wish in the Sky Peace on Earth
22. Adios Amigo
23. Everyone`s Song

Video

A top-notch 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, probably the best you`ll see that doesn`t have the words `Ghost` or `Shell` in the title. Beautifully crisp and brilliantly hued with deeply saturated chroma and great contrast, `GXS` sports one of the brightest, most vivid colour palettes outside the works of Miyazaki. There`s a fleeting hint of aliasing now and again, but you have to try really hard to care. What may not be to everyone`s tastes is the choice of character design for Van, which is a sort of amalgam of traditional action anime design and the elongated, disproportionate characters that designer and director Masami Obari (`Virus Buster Serge`, `Fatal Fury`) likes to employ. But Van is the only main character to be drawn this way, if flashbacks of `Virus Buster Serge` and its overstated body models and gangly legs come crashing back to haunt you. All in all, `GXS` is a particularly stylish looking anime, particularly the anime-meets-James Bond opening credits, and the transfer is difficult to fault.

Audio

Your choices are three-fold when it comes to soundtracks. A native Japanese DTS 5.1 or Dolby Digital 2.0, and an English dub presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The surround tracks are excellent. There`s sufficient directional implementation to remind you anime can do something special with 5.1 when it comes to travelling a soundstage, the dialogue is exceptionally clear through the center, and both the DD and DTS really know how to work a sub-woofer with the show`s gamut of various explosions, thuds and crunches.

The English translation from Californian dub house New Generation Pictures is spot on, and for the first time in a long time succeeds in representing a teenage girl in anime without having her sound either inherently whiny and annoying or shy and reserved. Wendy`s dub is full of youthful exuberance and character, and although Van is a stock tough-guy-loner, all terse and laconic, his performance doesn`t sound samey or feel overly contrived. As the show is set on an Earth-like planet with English featuring exclusively in the signposting and in towns, the English track could be considered the lead track in this instance.

Features

Ah, `Gun X Sword-san`, what would we do without you? Well, these `GXS` discs would be a lot less interesting, that`s for sure. Episodes 11 and 12 are present on the disc, and as always, it`s a witty and rousing CG micro-series that turns characters from the show into self-knowing hand puppets with content and language more adult-orientated than the show it compliments; something that is an infinite source of mental confusion.

Art galleries, a creditless closing segment and trailers also take up space on the disc.

Conclusion

The tumultuous `Gun X Sword` journey is nearing its finale, and you can tell as things actually get a little more interesting. There`s nothing in volume six that makes up for several volumes of constantly serving up mediocrity pie, but I know I spent less time than usual hitting the display button on my DVD player to check how long was left until I could go and do something more interesting like trimming my knucklehair or flossing my dog`s teeth. This is partly down to the fact that the episodes contain less inane banter between the main characters -- as the first skirmish in the final battle has essentially commenced -- and that there`s a distinctly action-orientated tone with an actual purpose over this set of episodes. Not to mention the fact that Ray has returned, one of the more appealing characters the show has produced, and once again he and Van are prepared to knock seven shades of something brown out of each other over the right to kill their nemesis, the one who calls himself Claw.

Still, the more screen time series antagonist Claw gets, the more you can`t really take him, his motley band of followers and his world-changing ideals seriously. The whole thing reeks of a weird scientology-type moron cult, and while `GXS` has never been one to walk a particularly sober footing, the idea of a built-up arch baddie who, it turns out, would rather give you a hug than eviscerate you with his huge appendage, takes too much puff out of the story`s sails to take seriously. I mean, no-one expected The Laughing Man to be an actual laughing man, but Claw is a bit of disappointment to say the least. And if this was a ploy to make the villain of the piece appear, at least on the surface, morally ambiguous, it sure as hell ain`t worked as I`m still at a bit of a loss as to what he`s actually supposed to be trying to do. And then there`s the pseudo-romance angle that`s been brewing over the past few episodes. It starts to come to a head here, but if the vacuous characterisation wasn`t helping in trying to take it seriously, then the fruity dialogue squashes any notion of sincerity.

The volume`s episodes are heavily arced with little distinction between them. One may have a little more chatter, one a little more glorified Rock `Em Sock `Em Robots action, but they`re all basically setting up the finale. The final episode on the disc is particularly more interesting that the preceding two mainly as it takes the show to places it`s never been before, and manages -- despite all the series` shortcomings -- to be reasonably exciting as Van makes what appears like a last ditch effort to stop the terrible plan of his enemies from coming to fruition. I`ll still be glad to put this one to bed next month though, if only so I never have to suffer the character of Joshua ever again. Surely no coincidence that his introduction to the show coincided with a slip down the quality scale.