Gungrave | |
ガングレイヴ (Gangureivu) | |
---|---|
Genre | Crime[1] |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Toshiyuki Tsuru Mitsuyuki Masuhara (assistant) |
Produced by | Hideki Gotō Masao Morosawa Shigeru Kitayama Tōru Kubo |
Written by | Yōsuke Kuroda |
Music by | Tsuneo Imahori |
Studio | Madhouse |
Licensed by | |
Original network | TV Tokyo |
English network | G4techTV (Anime Current) G4 (Anime Unleashed), Funimation Channel |
Original run | October 7, 2003 – March 30, 2004 |
Episodes | 26 (List of episodes) |
Gungrave (ガングレイヴ, Gangureivu) is an animetelevision series based on the video game of the same name, created by Yasuhiro Nightow. The series is directed by Toshiyuki Tsuru, written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and animated by Madhouse.
Already familiar with Yasuhiro Nightow's Trigun, Gungrave is a vastly dark, yet richer story. In this world, there are no good guys. Trigun's Vash was a kidder, but deadly with the steel.
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.[2] 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.[3]Gungrave was announced as one of the several titles under the agreement on December 30, 2008.[4] As of November 26, 2010, Funimation has fully licensed the anime series.[5] The anime series returned to US television on May 11, 2011 on the Funimation Channel.[6]
Plot[edit]
Gungrave opens thirteen years after Brandon Heat is betrayed and killed by his best friend Harry MacDowell. He is reborn through the use of necrolyzation 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[edit]
- Brandon Heat / Beyond the Grave
Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese); Kirk Thornton[7] (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 respect for their old friendship. It's unknown whether he lives or dies when Mika finally arrives. He acts like a parental figure to Mika, and told her to move on as he no longer belongs to the living.
- Harry McDowell
Old Harry Voiced by: Tsutomu Isobe (Japanese); Tom Wyner (English)
Young Harry Voiced by: Kenji Hamada (Japanese); Tony Oliver (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 Big Daddy, he refuses to give up his life as a hit man for the mob and calmly but coldly rejects Maria, who then marries Big Daddy.
- Mika Asagi
Voiced by: Kumi Sakuma (Japanese); Kari Wahlgren (English)
- The daughter of Big Daddy by Maria. After the incident at her home, her mother tells her to seek protection from Brandon. Throughout the series, she goes through many hardships as she sees those close to her pass away one by one. Her personality is similar to 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 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 married to 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 he most likely kept it from Harry. Due to 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 which his older brother Cannon Vulcan was a member of) 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[edit]
- ^'Gungrave DVD 1'. Anime News Network. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^'AX2003 - Pioneer Acquisitions'. Anime News Network. July 5, 2003. 2009-12-23.
- ^'FUNimation Entertainment and Geneon Entertainment Sign Exclusive Distribution Agreement for North America' (Press release). Anime News Network. 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ^'FUNimation Entertainment to distribute Geneon Entertainment's Gungrave' (Press release). Anime News Network. 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ^'Gungrave DVD Complete Series (Classic Line)'. RightStuf.com. Archived from the original on 2012-12-29. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
- ^'FUNimation Week 20 of 2011'. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25.
- ^'Destroyer in the Dusk'. Gungrave. Episode 1 – via Funimation, YouTube.
External links[edit]
- JVC Music's Gungrave website(in Japanese)
- Gungrave (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Gungrave on IMDb
- Gungrave at TV.com
- GUNGRAVE OST UNO 'RIGHTHEAD' at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- GUNGRAVE OST 2 'LEFTHEAD' at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gungrave_(TV_series)&oldid=934120618'
(Redirected from Gungrave G.O.R.E.)
Gungrave | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Red Entertainment |
Publisher(s) | |
Designer(s) | Naohito Hanai Tomohiro Maruyama Hidenori Tanaka Ken-ichi Iwaida Takashi Hata Masaaki Karube |
Programmer(s) | Naohito Hanai |
Artist(s) | Yasuhiro Nightow(character design) |
Composer(s) | Tsuneo Imahori |
Series | Gungrave |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gungrave (ガングレイヴ, Gangureivu) is a third-person shootervideo game developed and published by Red Entertainment (Sega in North America and Activision in Europe) for the PlayStation 2. Gungrave follows its main character through a variety of stages on a path of revenge.
While the game play received moderate reviews, Gungrave received acclaim for the character designs provided by series creator Yasuhiro Nightow (Trigun) and mechanical designs provided by Kōsuke Fujishima (Oh My Goddess! series, You're Under Arrest series, Sakura Wars series). Both artist's respective styles helped give the game a distinct feel, which (along with fan support) helped Gungrave translate from a video game to an anime series as well as a video game sequel for the PlayStation 2 entitled Gungrave: Overdose in 2004. Cinematics were provided by Ikusabune Co., Ltd., which developed the sequel with Red Entertainment's supervision.
- 1Gameplay
- 2Plot and setting
- 3Characters
Gameplay[edit]
As a third-person shooter, Gungrave focuses entirely on combat and forgoes the puzzle solving aspects of some of its forebears. The player advances through hallway-like stages, but has a free range of motion in these areas. The player confronts wave after wave of fighters en route to an end-level boss. Combat varies between gunplay with enemies at a distance and simple melee combat at close range, and the game rates the amount of flair the player uses to destroy everyone and everything in sight.[2]
Beyond the Grave is equipped with a damage-absorbing energy shield that can absorb a large amount of damage in addition to his life bar. This shield appears as a blue bar alongside Beyond the Grave's life bar in the game's heads-up display. When the shield is fully depleted, the player is highly vulnerable and further damage reduces the character's health level rapidly. However, the shield will recharge fully if no damage is sustained for a brief period of time.[3]
By performing well during stages, the player can unlock special attacks such as machine guns or rockets launched from the coffin on Beyond the Grave's back. These can be used by charging the beat meter which is represented by a skull on the top left corner of the game's heads-up display. To build the beat meter, Beyond the Grave must perform combos sometimes numbering in hundreds of hits (destroying enemies or practically anything in the game environment). Strategy is required in setting up combos that are as long and devastating as possible, which helps to carry on the over-the-top action of the game.[4]
Stages and some important events within stages are separated by anime cut-scenes featuring art by Nightow. This is where the game's story takes place. Characters are expanded on and the player is given a back-story that is not obvious through gameplay alone.
Weapons[edit]
Grave's twin handguns Cerberus
Cerberus — Beyond the Grave's twin handguns, named for the three-headed hound of Hades. Grave has an unlimited amount of ammo with these, and never has to reload. If the player allows Grave to stand still during a fight, he will begin to target and shoot every available target on screen without looking.
![Ost Ost](http://townmp3.com/images/247/arai-akino.jpg)
Coffin —Beyond the Grave carries a tremendous (though technically small, as it is not the size to hold a body) metal coffin on his back which contains a variety of weapons that can be only used as special attacks. Grave can also use the coffin to strike nearby enemies, and if timed correctly deflect projectiles fired from a distance, destroying the enemy that fired them. The manner in which Grave carries and uses the coffin bears a strong resemblance to the cross carried by the wandering priest Wolfwood in Nightow's manga series, Trigun. It is also directly inspired by the 1966 movie Django in which the main character carries a coffin with a Gatling gun inside[citation needed]. The Coffin contains all of the same weapons as the trio of Mariachi in Desperado, which Grave (at the beginning of each mission) retrieves his handguns from like El, has a missile launcher (in which he strikes the same pose when firing as the Quino) and the Gatling/machine gun that Campa held.
Demolition Shots — Special attacks performed using the coffin that consume levels from the Beat Meter. They can help the player get through sticky situations. These attacks exemplify the over-the-top style for which the creators are known. There are four offensive techniques in all, along with the option of regaining health using the beat meter. The first offensive technique is available at the start of the game, and the other three are unlockable through good performance during stages.[citation needed]
- Death Blow — Beyond the Grave fires a single rocket that explodes and kills every enemy within the immediate vicinity of the point of impact.
- Bullet Dance — Beyond the Grave releases a machine gun from the coffin, and spins in a 360° circle, destroying everything around him.
- Hellhound Roar — Beyond the Grave launches three rockets ahead of him. The attack has a greater explosive range than Death Blow and causes greater damage.
- Raging Inferno — Beyond the Grave spins in a circle and fires his machine gun, and follows up by jumping into the air and doing it again.
Graveyard Special — Starting with Bob Poundmax in stage three, when a boss is near death, the skull at the top of the screen begins to glow and the player is given the option to perform a special fatality demolition shot. These usually break away from the fight for a special animation of Grave launching an extravagant attack. This consumes a demolition shot and can be performed only against a boss's final form. Each successive use of these techniques performs a different attack which build off the previous one.
Plot and setting[edit]
The game takes place in an unknown city that is controlled by the Millennion organization. The city is overrun by crime and a mysterious drug known as seed. The story follows Grave as he sets out on a course for revenge against the man who killed him, his former best friend and colleague from Millenion, Harry Macdowell.
Stages in the game are presented as missions issued by Dr. T, and follow Grave as he hunts down the boss of that stage. Settings include a bar, a lab, the subway, and even a traditional Japanese dojo set atop a sky scraper. These environments are complemented or contrasted by the urban environment that surrounds them.
Story[edit]
The game opens with the young girl dragging an oversized attaché case toward a warehouse with difficulty. 'Bloody' Harry Macdowell has just carried out a coup against Big Daddy, the leader of the Millennion organization, and his daughter Mika needs to find someone that can protect her and stop Harry's mad plans. The occupants of this warehouse include a kindly looking old doctor, and a man with a notable scar on his face. Mika arrives, and the man with the scar claims the contents of the case: two massive handguns. That man is revealed to be the game's title character Grave, and now that he is armed he can start his mission.
Gungrave first approaches its stages as a series of missions issued by Dr. T, first to gather information on the current makeup of Millennion from a low-level street gang, and next destroying a research facility that creates Harry's undead soldiers. In the third stage, while attempting to pump information from an informant, Grave comes into contact with the leadership of the Millenion organization—once friends and allies that he now faces as enemies. Each have used the research Harry supported to give themselves inhuman powers. From here on, Grave is hounded by each member as he makes his way to Harry's tower at the heart of the city.
As the player progresses, the game uses anime cutscenes to reflect on the history of young Brandon and Harry, gradually bringing the pair's back story into focus. Close friends, the two had both become lieutenants in the Millennion organization, working directly under Big Daddy, the group's leader. Brandon shared a bond with Big Daddy and some flashbacks show the two sharing more of a father-son relationship. Brandon even let Big Daddy marry the woman he loved so that she could find a better life, but the two remained close. Not content with the power he had been given, Harry asked Brandon to help him kill Big Daddy so that he could take over. When Brandon refused, Harry shot his friend in the left eye, killing him. Fifteen years later, Harry carried out his coup. His actions as leader inspired Dr. T to revive Brandon who was the only person capable of stopping Harry. Dr. T's connection to all of this is not made clear, but he often makes comments that indicate some connection to Brandon's former life.
Grave picks apart the leadership of Millennion to make his way to Harry. At the top of the tower that Harry uses as a headquarters, it is revealed that Big Daddy still lives in the form of a twisted monster. Harry forces Grave to fight his creation, and following the final battle, Harry accepts his defeat graciously and allows his friend to kill him.
With Harry defeated, Mika's protection becomes Grave's only concern, and to keep his promise to Big Daddy of protecting the family, Grave protects Mika while they drive away from this tragedy.
Characters[edit]
Gungrave sports a colorful cast of characters, each designed by Nightow.
Beyond The Grave[edit]
Formerly Brandon Heat, Grave was once a high ranking and trusted member of the Millennion leadership. Gungrave opens shortly after his resurrection, fifteen years after his death. Throughout the game Grave's past is told through the use of flashbacks in the form of anime cutscenes as Grave recovers his memories. Grave is a silent protagonist, receiving his mission and carrying it out without a word. As a result of his transformation into an undead soldier, his body must be sustained by periodic blood transfusions or else he becomes weak and his body will collapse.
Grave has an important trait that makes him stand out from other models of Deadmen from his generation: he possesses a sense of self and will of his own. He also retains a small portion of his memories as a human, which he regains over the span of the game.
Brandon entered the organization with his friend Harry and both shared a strong bond from their childhood. While a member of Millennion, Brandon also shared a bond with Big Daddy, looking up to him as a father. Eventually, Brandon was forced to choose between supporting Harry in a coup or protecting the group's leader; he is killed for deciding not to side with his friend.
Allies[edit]
Dr. T - Voiced by: Motomu Kiyokawa
The kindly yet enigmatic Dr. T is Grave's main source of support throughout the game. He both provides Grave with information that he acquires through his own channels and provides Grave with treatments that sustains his body. The doctor has a connection to Brandon from his time in Millennion and has his own reasons for wanting to see the group see its end. The doctor's connection is that he was the lead researcher for Harry's undead soldier program. During the intermission sequences, the player can choose to let Dr. T talk and provide some information about the upcoming stage and reflect on the past until his death while Grave is in the middle of a blood transfusion.
Mika Asagi - Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami
The thirteen-year-old daughter of Grave's former love, Maria and Big Daddy. Mika seeks out Grave for protection after her parents' deaths and provides Grave with his guns so that he can set out. During the intermission sequences of the game, the player can choose to let Mika talk about current events and things that her mother told her about Brandon and Millennion. After the death of Dr. T, Mika picks up where he left off and attempts to support Grave over a two way radio.
Mika trusts Grave completely, regarding him as the only family she has left.
Over the course of the game it comes to light as to why this girl is someone precious and important to Grave—a promise between Maria and him (when he was still Brandon) to look after and protect her child, one of the few memories Grave retains of his past life.
Millennion[edit]
Maria Asagi - Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue
Maria was Brandon's sweetheart when they were young. She is also Mika's mother. After his entrance into Millennion, Brandon rejected her so that she would go to Big Daddy and be provided for. The two still remained close, and she took care of the Cerberus after Brandon's murder. She told her daughter that if there was ever a grave situation where her life was in danger, she should seek out the man that can use them for protection. The game opens after her death.
Harry McDowell - Voiced by: Tsutomu Isobe
Harry is the ruthless head of Millennion, and was Brandon's childhood friend. Harry kills Brandon just before he launches his coup of Millennion. He is the only Millenion leader to not have a transformation, and is not fought as a boss.
Bob Poundmax - Voiced by: Chafurin
This extremely heavy-set and boorish man is the first member of the Millennion leadership to challenge Grave. His first reaction to seeing Grave is to berate him for the ingratitude he now shows towards the group he once dedicated his life to (ignoring that this is also how he met his demise). In his second form, Bob resembles Baron Vladimir Harkonnen from the original 1984 Dune film.
- Initially Bob attacks Grave with a sub-machine gun, and four dark-suited enemies attack alongside him. He proves more agile than one would assume, jumping and using his size as a weapon. 'Killing' him causes him to shift to overkill mode.
- After his first encounter with Bob, Grave runs outside to see a helicopter take off with Harry inside it. However, the transformed Bob Poundmax blocks his path, offended that Grave would forget about him. Bob now uses a special suit to help him float and again uses his girth to try to crush Grave. He is easily dispatched and finished off with a variation on the Hellhound Roar.
Balladbird LeeVoiced by: Masaya Onosaka
Grave's second opponent, Lee is responsible for killing Dr. T and kidnapping Mika in order to lure Grave into a trap. His primary concern seems to be avenging Bob Poundmax. Initially, Lee appears to be an Asian male wearing clothes that are Manchu Qipao in style. His overkill mode resembles the Violator from Todd McFarlane's Spawn.
- While pursuing Mika's kidnappers, Grave finds and boards a train. The train immediately starts to move, and Grave fights from car to car, eventually fighting a helicopter that attacks from outside. After Grave destroys the helicopter, Lee opens the door and states that he does not believe that Grave could have killed Bob and that he will avenge his friend. He then throws Mika out the door, and the train crashes.
- In the wreckage of the train, the transformed Lee assaults Grave in the debris of the crash. During the fight, Bunji Kugashira watches from the sidelines, having saved Mika from her fall. Grave finishes Lee with a modified Bullet Dance. After this fight, Mika passes on the ominous message that his next opponent will meet Grave at 'the tower'.
Bear Walken - Voiced by: Ryūzaburō Ōtomo
Grave's third opponent, Bear Walken, resides in a dojo built on the roof of an office building. Bear is an older man and solidly built. After Grave reaches the top, the serene atmosphere belies the fight that is to come. He transforms into his first attack form and levels everything on the rooftop immediately after greeting Grave.
- In contrast to the noble kimono he wore moments before the battle, Walken now has several arms, each fitted with a different weapon (machine guns, rocket launchers, and flamethrowers). The dojo has been completely destroyed and the fight takes place on the now flat roof of the office building where the stage took place.
- When you disarm Walken, he transforms again. In this new form, Walken has one massive and one small arm. He throws debris, smashes the ground, and lunges at Grave. When he is close to death, Grave defeats him with a modified Deathblow. Immediately following Walken's defeat, the top portion of the tower is destroyed and Bunji Kugashira appears, telling Grave to recover his memory more quickly. Grave falls to the ground and finds himself standing before a long-forgotten cathedral.
Bunji Kugashira - Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki
Once Grave's student and trusted friend, Bunji became Harry's second-in-command in Grave's absence. Bunji is extremely similar to Grave, right down to fighting style. He wants nothing more than to duel with his rival. Physically, he bears a passing resemblance to Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Bunji does not transform into Overkill Mode like the three bosses before him, but does not need to (it's said that he is always in overkill mode, just that his body doesn't change).
- Bunji has several attacks, including his own powerful handguns, a kick to avoid close-range combat, and his own Graveyard Special. He can also regenerate health if he is given a chance to rest. Grave finishes the fight with an improvised Raging Inferno. Bunji is left against a wall of the cathedral with a cigarette in his mouth. He thanks Grave for defeating him, wishes him luck, and comments that he wishes things could go back to the way they used to be. As his cigarette dies, his body begins to dissolve until there is no trace left.
Big Daddy - Voiced by: Iemasa Kayumi
Once the leader of Millennion, Gungrave starts shortly after the coup that ended his reign. Big Daddy is shown scarcely through cut scenes, but it is apparent that he was close to Brandon. He helped to raise Maria, and the two were eventually wed. In a cutscene, he says that he has achieved all that he had ever wanted to, and now wants to enjoy his success with his wife and unborn daughter.
- While the player is led to believe that Big Daddy had been killed before the start of the game, Harry had more sinister plans for him. Using the technology that created his undead soldiers, Harry turned Big Daddy into a mutant, who was held at the top of his tower. When Grave confronts Harry, he is captured by this creature, who pursues him through an endless tunnel. Grave shoots it while keeping out of its reach, and eventually performs a Hellhound Roar/Deathblow combo to finish him.
- After his defeat, a larger creature, known as Alien Head, devours Big Daddy's body and attempts to do the same to Grave. After the fight, Grave pulls out all the stops and uses each of his four special attacks in his final Graveyard Special.
Sequel[edit]
Two years after Gungrave: Overdose, adds new playable characters to the series and a new story.
In 2017, Korean developers Iggymob and Blueside, under the supervision of Red Entertainment, revived the Gungrave series and released Gungrave VR for the PlayStation VR in late 2017 in Japan and late 2018 in North America and Europe. Gungrave VR serves as a prologue to a new sequel titled, Gungrave G.O.RE. Gunslinger Of REsurrection, which is in development for the PlayStation 4.[5]
Reception[edit]
![Gungrave Gungrave](http://img.soundtrackcollector.com/cd/large/Gungrave_5251.jpg)
Reception | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The game received 'mixed' reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic,[6] due in most part to its short length and minimal replay value. The anime stylings of creators Yasuhiro Nightow (of Trigun fame) and Kōsuke Fujishima (of Oh My Goddess! and You're Under Arrest fame) gave the game a very distinct and unique look and feel that impressed many critics.[citation needed]
References[edit]
- ^http://mediaarts-db.jp/gm/syosai.php?id=392113900623&kbn=c12
- ^Smith, David (July 15, 2002). 'Gungrave Hands-On'. IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ abSmith, David (September 13, 2002). 'Gungrave Review'. IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^Laidlaw, Mike (October 26, 2002). 'PlayStation 2 Review: GunGrave'. The Adrenaline Vault. NewWorld.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ^Luster, Joseph (December 15, 2017). ''Gungrave VR' Paves Way for Brand New PS4 Game'. Crunchyroll. Otter Media. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- ^ ab'Gungrave for PlayStation 2 Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^Edge staff (October 2002). 'Gungrave'. Edge. No. 115. Future plc.
- ^EGM staff (October 2002). 'Gungrave'. Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 159. Ziff Davis. p. 179. Archived from the original on March 30, 2004. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^Reed, Kristan (December 6, 2002). 'Gungrave'. Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^'プレイステーション2 - ガングレイヴ'. Famitsu (in Japanese). Vol. 915. Enterbrain. June 30, 2006. p. 93.
- ^'Gungrave'. Game Informer. No. 114. GameStop. October 2002. p. 85.
- ^Major Mike (September 18, 2002). 'Gungrave Review for PS2 on GamePro.com'. GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^Gee, Brian (October 2002). 'Gungrave Review'. Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^Kasavin, Greg (September 17, 2002). 'Gungrave Review'. GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^Nam, Michael J. (October 18, 2002). 'GameSpy: Gungrave'. GameSpy. Ziff Davis. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
- ^Watkins, Rob (October 10, 2002). 'Gungrave Review'. GameZone. Archived from the original on September 29, 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^Smith, David (August 8, 2002). 'Gungrave Import Review'. IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^'Gungrave'. Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Ziff Davis. October 2002. p. 147.
- ^Walk, Gary Eng (October 11, 2002). 'GUNGRAVE'. Entertainment Weekly. No. 677. Time Inc. p. 86. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^Steinberg, Scott (October 2, 2002). 'Gungrave'. Playboy. Playboy Enterprises. Archived from the original on October 21, 2002. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- Johnston, Chris. 'Gungrave Archives'. (January 2007) Newtype USA. Volume 6, Number 1, page 145.
External links[edit]
Game Information
- Gungrave.com, Official Japanese website
- Gungrave at MobyGames
Music Information
- GUNGRAVE OST UNO 'RIGHTHEAD' at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- GUNGRAVE OST 2 'LEFTHEAD' at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
Anime Information
- Gungrave (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gungrave&oldid=916692749'