Gangsta.

Gangsta is the type of show that sounds catchy as it gets. As the name implies, there are gangsters which means there’s crime. However, there are people who takes care of business these problems in the city of Ergastulum. Enter Nick and Worick, a pair of badass bishounen who takes cares of crime like another day in the park. As ordinary as the show sounds, it gets more complicated once they are assigned to a task that goes beyond their expectations. But for the audience, what should your expectations be for the show? Based on the manga written by Kosuke, Gangsta is essentially a series ofcrime fighting and classified as a more mature seinen. The urban city setting invites a lot of attention when it comes to violence such as prostitution, drug dealing, and other illegal activities. Luckily, we do have Nick and Worick to take care of the troubles. To make their task easier, we learn that Nick is a “Twilight”, the type of person who has heightened abilities enhanced by a special drug. While Worick doesn’t possesses heightened senses, he does make it up for his smooth way of talking and photographic memory. The two aren’t really alike as partners to kill crime. However at the end of the day, it’s hard not to feel attached to them with their roles in the story. The pacing of the story is not hard to get comfortable with. The first few episodes quickly establishes the vulnerability of Ergastulum. Sometimes, it feels like a Gotham city where crime runs loose with Nick and Worick playing the roles of Batman and Robin. The mature style of the show can be quickly realized when they undertake an operation on screen in the first episode. The show isn’t shy about making the violence happen on screen because it needs to create a bit of realism. At the same time, Nick and Worick recuses a young woman named Alex, who plays many important roles in the story. As a show like Gangsta, we learn much more about the characters. And that’s a strong emphasis that needs to be realized because we want to learn more about the characters. They come from such different backgrounds and their lives are often at risk in such a dangerous environment. In Ergastulum, there are essentially no rules. It’s about making a living and surviving each day. When it comes to characterization, I can safely say that Gangsta knows its characters quite well. We get background storytelling especially for Nick and Worick. In fact, we learn much about their past including the people Nick associated with and how he got involved as a member of Twilight. On the other hand, there’s also Worick who became his partner. The series reveals his true name and how he used to be neglected by his parents. A good amount of focus is the chemistry between the duo. It also takes elaborate time to detail how Twilight members are made and what their rules are. In the present, we can see how their past affected their relationship. As characters themselves, Nick is also unique as he suffers from a disability; he is deaf. At first, this may seem like a big problem as partners needs to coordinate well vocally. However, it’s quickly established that he and Worick can work well with sign language and seemingly instinct to trust one another. And that’s important development for the two. With such dangerous assignments each day, trust is a vital part between partners and the series does a good job to show their trustworthiness. On a comedic note, we also see what Worick does on his time off. The smooth antihero has a way to give ladies pleasure and his keen sense of photography plays important roles in breaking cases. Nick is more like a warrior – armed with a sword, ruthlessness, and self-sense. This is an antithesis compared to Alex, a frail girl who suffers from PTSD-like symptoms. As the story progresses on, we learn more about her as well that reveals the darker side of Gangsta. Despite having some comedy here and there, the majority of the show has a mature feeling. Most of the characters are adults and in their mid-30s. The gangsters in the show are also prone to violence and some show how reckless they can be to accomplish their goals. Guns, swords, and bombs are no strangers to the series along with the fast paced action. With a setting that has a Mediterranean-like feeling, the show also seems like a social satire at time with its cultural themes. In particular, Nick and Worick are dressed with style while other characters such as Alex are portrayed with vulnerability. While it gets top and gory at times, the show is also something I’d describe as a smart flick. The themes of prostitution, child soldiers, and experimentations are an anti-establishment of what we try to make society as of today. Because in Gangsta, there’s all types of trouble running loose with gangs and the mafia. The underworld is nothing short of what we try to eliminate from today’s society. And in this show, that’s clearly an understatement. In essence, artwork is crude for the show. By crude, I don’t mean it as sloppy but rather by the way society is depicted for its story. For its setting, the show does a clever job to make it seem like Ergastulum is a separate space from the outside world. The urban style combined with its classic atmospheric setting is very fitting for a show such as this. The characters are dressed neatly with the expensive suits and jewelry. However, it’s the way the violence that’s handled that gets cruel. Make no mistake. Gangsta is uncensored glory and enters a territory where cops cannot handle jobs on their own. That’s why we got people like Nick and Worick. Speaking of which, the duo can seem like an eye candy for the ladies. In particular, Worick has that womanizing like charm with the way he looks. And as stereotypical as it can be, the guys in the show are designed like bishounen with hardcore abs and well-built figures. The show also has fan service with sex, in particular involving Worick. That’s right. He’s a ladies man and the show doesn’t make us forget that. It’s really hard to ignore the soundtrack. There’s no easy way to describe it but there’s a combination of upbeat, chilling, and jazz. It almost gives off a feeling of relaxation even during the most intense of scenes. Of course, action itself is also well coordinated with the OST. I’d also have to say that both the OP and ED theme song are very attractive. It has a stylistic way of portraying the themes of the show with a montage of the main characters. And speaking of the characters, a strong plus for the show is their character voice mannerisms. In particular, Nick is the one to take notice of because of his lack of hearing. When he does speak, his voice seems like it’s disconnected especially with the broken sentences. That’s what really makes him different from the other characters though as it also establishes a link between him and his past. But really, when it comes down to it, Gangsta’s music is bold and can be relentlessly appealing to the ears. So what’s to say about Gangsta in the end? It’s a pretty much a badass show ran with its premise and knows what its intentions are. The cast of characters has an enthralling presence and throughout the story, we learn a great deal about the main protagonists. Sure, the show can seem a bit cruel at times but it’s important to realize its purpose. Gangsta is not a show with colorful rainbows and where happy endings happen. In fact, I would say that the ending of the show is a bit controversial in itself. Regardless though, it’s still a show that I’d recommend anyone to give it a try especially for fans interested in a mature action flick.

Despite a few extraordinary contributions, the pulp crime genre is one that anime does not do particularly well. I felt compelled to write this review of Gangsta because of the many unwarranted comparisons to Black Lagoon. Gangsta is nothing like Black Lagoon, and it will be especially disappointing to watch with such an expectation. If you want to watch pulp crime involving heists, car chases, and briefcases full of guns, cash and drugs, well that's not this anime. Gangsta has no grounding in real world politics or criminal activity. In fact, the mob families seem uninterested in any actual criminal activity, outsideof episode 1, and some mobsters, like Miss Christiano (the Tohsaka Rin of mafia bosses), seems so goodhearted as to be a downright pillar of the community. You may be disappointed to find that Gangsta has no relationship to reality at all, set in a fictional city with a past that does not fit into our real-world history. Many of the characters are superpowered humans called Twilights, and the story arcs are driven by the existence of Twilights and how humans interact with them - as opposed to something that is more grounded in real world situations and groups- like say, looting a Nazi submarine for fun and profit. Gangsta is also not a fast-paced action-movie roller coaster, but rather has languid pacing. This could make for a fine noir tone, but except for Nico, Worrick and Alex's flashbacks, Gangsta has neither good writing nor execution. The entire series felt disjointed and fragmented, with the characters aimlessly shuffling through one poorly animated, forgettable vignette to the next. Conflict built up from episodes 9 to 11 ends anticlimactically, with an final episode that fails to resolve the remaining plot threads. It was very difficult to maintain any interest week by week, let alone care about minor characters that suddenly begin to "matter." Gangsta has no soundtrack to speak of, which only makes the show an even more low-key affair and frankly, the OP is better than some episodes. The artwork begins on the cheap side of average, with uninteresting backgrounds, and suffers increasingly egregious off-model shots in both fight scenes and dialogue (such as episodes 8 and 9). Poor art can be forgiven if other elements fall into place, but that is not the case here. Gangsta has some clever moments, mostly Alex's character development, Nico's unique character and his past with Worrick. But the rest of the storylines unfold clumsily with no sense of urgency, drama or resolution. A comparison between Gangsta's 12 episodes and Black Lagoon's first cour reveals the difference in quality. The last episodes of Black Lagoon's first cour tie into and build upon themes of belonging that are raised beginning with episode 3, and ends on a self-contained high note with arc resolution and character development for its female and male leads. All things considered, maybe it's lucky Manglobe's storyboarding team have just managed to stumble the show as far along as they have, unlike Bones and their handling of Blood Blockade Battlefront earlier this year. Gangsta is probably better compared and contrasted with Darker than Black. Both Darker than Black and Gangsta feature superpowered humans that work in the criminal underworld as a result of their superpowers. Darker than Black offers noirish story arcs rather than action movie pacing. Ultimately, both Gangsta and Darker than Black are about pleas for acceptance of the different and marginalized (Darker than Black's "Contractors"). However, Darker than Black features clever writing and compact, film noir storylines while Gangsta does not. Darker than Black grounds its science fiction elements in real world politics, locations, and organizations, enough that character motivations and situations make sense despite the vague handwaving of how people acquired their powers. It's a much better execution of a similar sci-fi/crime hybrid concept.

In the Ergastulum justice system, breaking any of the three laws is considered especially heinous. In Ergastulum, the dedicated individuals who investigate these vicious felonies are members of the laid-back duo known as the Benriya. These are their stories. In the city of Ergastulum, violence, narcotics, and sex run rampant. For a series named Gangsta, it comes as an expectation of sorts. For anime, as a medium, an excess of violence, drugs, and real world sexual themes (doping prostitutes and pimping, which is far different than ecchi) are rarely put in place as a combination to form the core of a series. Gangsta utilizes this factand diligently puts it to use, allowing it to lure in those who are curious. In more ways than one, Gangsta comes off as a flashier mobster film equivalent from Western media. The narrative of Gangsta follows the life of three main characters: Worick, Nicolas, and Alex. As Benriya (the Handymen), Worick and Nicolas are depicted as hired muscle doing odd jobs around the city, mainly for the big organized crime families — of which they are very acquainted with — and the police. The duo supposedly walk the line of neutrality, but it is seemingly a farce, given how deep they are affiliated with the powerful figures that run the city. The overall story of the series revolves around Twilights, people with enhanced, drug-induced capabilities which exceeds that of a normal person's by varying amounts. Their strength, or combat capabilities rather, are ranked from D to S, the latter being the highest. Like the case with all differences, being a Twilight brings upon discrimination. This acts as the main strife in the series, as increasing tensions build up around the city. While the environment of Ergastulum is eventful and entertaining, the direction that Gangsta moves towards often strays from a decisive path. This is one of the biggest issues that Gangsta has: the sub-plots are shallow and detract from the story as a whole. As one goes progresses through the series, countless characters come and go. New characters seem to pop up every couple of episodes, but you can never be sure if they're actually going to be anyone that's relevant; usually they aren't. Because of the amount of characters and their individual problems, there's simply too much information and too little time to present it. The series only just begins to get into the big conflict during the last third of the show but, even then, it ends abruptly at a cliffhanger. Another aspect of the series that seemed very dull and recycled, to me at least, was the rankings of tags that the Twilights possess. To put it in honest terms, it's really just power-levels renamed. I'm personally not a big fan of power-levels being ranked; it takes a lot away from the potential of fights in a series since you already know who's stronger and projected to win. With that being said, the violence in Gangsta is probably still a great selling point for many. The fights aren't bad, but they leave something to be desired. As previously mentioned, the amount of characters that Gangsta introduces in such a short amount of time is seriously astounding. We get enough backstory about Worick and Nicolas, obviously because they are the main duo, but there's not much regarding any of the supporting cast affiliated with the big families, the hunters, or the guild. Ginger? Gina Paulklee? Literally who? As one of the main characters, I was expecting a bit more out of Alex. Besides recovering from her destructive lifestyle as a prostitute, she doesn't do much else other than house sitting the Benriya bachelor pad. I understand the purpose behind Alex's character, but she feels a bit out of place and useless as a main character. Her struggles with coming clean adds a light element of a feel-good story, but she could have easily been just a supporting character and not much would have changed. From how the series portrays her, she appears to only serve as a staple that showcases how Worick and Nicolas are good guys. Oh, and fan service. In terms of visual quality, I thought that Manglobe did pretty well. Visually, the show appears to be a good adaptation of the manga. In terms of audio, Renegade, by the Stereo Dive Foundation, is memorable. The overall OST is also pretty good. Whether or not Gangsta can actually be considered good is up for debate and what you come to expect when defining something as actually good. In comparison to the rest of the Summer '15 season, it was certainly one of the better shows that aired, but that's simply because the season as a whole was quite barren. Ultimately, Gangsta had a lot of interesting ideas, and even potentially interesting characters, but none of that matters if it is not utilized.

Seventh Review - GANGSTA. Were do I begin talking about this, At first I was a bit bored but then it picked up, This is more of an adults anime rather than a younger audience anime and you have to pay attention to detail or you can easily get confused. I started liking this anime and it reminded me a lot like Black Lagoon in some ways as it was about gangs and guns, however as you carry on watching it it's actually very different. The plot is unique and strange, you have to understand it in order to like this anime, you have tobe able to get in the right mind or you won't like it. The plot is pretty simple, two handymen or 'assassin-like' people and a girl in the line of dirty work. The plot picks up at the end mainly where some 'strangers' come into the mix and everything goes mayhem. The characters I personally liked, I found them very interesting to get to know, especially as it shows you their pasts bit by bit. I personally liked Alex as her past was hidden a lot until the end. I love the uniqueness that was given to each character. Some characters were shown as 'stronger' than others and this gave you the feeling of authority that was around the city. You could see who was the underlings and who was the boss, It was great that the anime didn't pay attention to just some characters but shown you a variety of them, and not all are gangsta bosses, they would be a simple 'cigarette seller' or 'doctor'. The art was great for this sort of anime, it was in detail and you could keep up with the style. For the genre the anime is I thought that the art work was generally good and it kept me liking the anime more. Honestly, some people hate this anime but for me I loved it, it had enjoyment from it. I admit some areas you got bored or had to rewind to understand what was going on but if you managed to keep up then it was a good anime. I am looking forward to more of this, I held of for a week because I didn't want it to end and now i know there more to come I'm happy and excited. If you like action, gang-violence and a rough style then I would recommend you give this a try. Canaan~

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