Gad Guard

Gad Guard was a good anime while it lasted. The characters were all unique and nothing like most animes in which you wish you can punch (shoot) them and drop the show. I honestly thought this when I decided to watch this show. Thankfully no one was really like that... with an exception for Hajiki. The story was original but doesn't go into much depth. In the first and middle episodes you don't really get an explanation about the gads which is understandable because Gads are rare and nobody really knows anything about them except for small hints. The final episodes you get a fewmore hints and, in my opinion, a half-assed explanation. Some questions are also left unanswered. The art is in the middle. It is not blown-in-your-face-holy-wow-that-is-good but not I-wish-the-animation-was-better. In Gad Guard you mostly hear jazz music. I am not one for jazz myself but the music is incredible. I have caught myself humming to one of the songs numerous occasions. There are some times in which the music does not fit the scene, however. I give this a 7/10. It will be remembered like all the other animes but it will not hold a speacial place in my heart.

Gad Guard had the potential to be a decent anime. The plot was interesting and the mood of the show was unique to say the least. I mean any show dealing with young kids obtaining Gun… I mean mechas has to be good right? Sadly the execution of the story elements left something to be desired. I’m getting ahead of myself so let’s start with the story. Gad Guard tells the story of Hajiki Sanada, a 16 year old street smart teenager working as a delivery boy in a city called Night Town. Due to the depletion of Earth resources cities have been separated into unitsand every night at midnight the electricity gets shut off. This leads to a surge in organized crime and black market deals. During one of his deliveries Hajiki gets involved with a cubed shaped object called a Gad and it seems that everyone wants it in the underworld. It’s during a skirmish for the Gad that it shows its true colors as it transforms into a Techode. Like I said before the story had a lot of potential. The contrast between futuristic mechas and the 1920’s mob crime made for an interesting plot in the beginning. Yet instead of focusing on this contrast other story elements are brought in that disrupt the balance. There were also many execution problems as well. While Gad Guard focuses on Techodes the show never truly gives the background story on the Gads and how they came to be until the end of the anime. Some of the characters also have a deep connection to the Gads and Techodes yet their stories are never brought up even though they hint at it throughout most of the anime. Most of the middle part of this anime was filled with episodic adventures that felt more like fillers than anything else. Lastly the ending goes so far on a tangent that it doesn’t feel like you’re watching the same anime. Now the animation isn’t going to win any awards but it wasn’t all bad. The saving grace in the animation department is the Techodes themselves. Each felt unique and well crafted to suit the owners as well as give off a futuristic hope in such a bleak environment. And when I mean bleak I really mean it. Night Town during the daytime looked like all the color was washed out except for gray and brown. During the night scenes everything was either too dark or blinded by the moonlight. It doesn’t help that until the near end of the show Night Town is the only location you’re going to be seeing so having to see nothing but brown and gray hurts the eyes. Needless to say you aren’t going to find great quality here and while I’m not saying it’s the worst it’s just that it feels that there is no originality in the series. The music is practically nonexistent. In keeping with the 1920’s theme most of the music including the opening rely heavily on jazz. And while it’s interesting in theory, just like the story plot, the execution was not up to par. It felt like the music was there because it had to be there. The background music in Gad Guard has no feeling and it doesn’t help set the mood for any scene in the show. The music just sits there never really standing out or helping improve the quality of the show. Overall Gad Guard is just another mecha show that you won’t remember after you watch it which is a shame. The idea of this anime had so much potential. Sadly the inconsistent story and bleak atmosphere makes it a passable show. So if you never watch it you’re not missing much.

This is my first review on here so it might not sound too well written or coherent. This show has a very 'Nintendo' feel to it. Like the plot by itself isn't too great but the characters are so charming, and the vibes are so energetic I fully believe it can get a lot of people looking for a simple story on board. Story: Some other MAL reviewer said they like to judge a story based on how well it's balanced with the characters, like weak characters but strong story and vice versa. This show is a very good example of good characters but weak story.There's not really a central overarching plot outside of the rival just trying to take over the city that the anime takes place in. The anime is pretty vague on the actual societal problems that plague 'Night Town', so the most the viewer knows is that it's just a dump. The setting not really being too interesting can tank down a story, and since this whole story is primarily about taking over the setting, it's not too interesting. The show also takes its sweet, SWEET time getting to the actual mystery behind the mechs and not going to lie by the time they actually do reveal it you'll most likely have lost interest by then. Overall, a pretty weak overarching plot with a handful of stellar moments. 5/10. Characters: Easily the best part of the shows writing, I truly do love a majority of the characters in this anime from the bottom of my heart. Almost every interaction feels realistic and genuine. So much of the cast just bounce off each other so naturally it's insane, ESPECIALLY in the way the adult characters behave towards the kids. However, I can't mention the characters without mentioning my all-time favorite from this show: Katana. On the surface he can just come across as a very typical rival character, and honestly, he is. But I don't know if it's his design, his English dub voice (which is shared with Kakashi Hatake btw), or just how smooth and overly aggressive every single piece of dialogue that comes from is, but he's great and without a doubt the star of the show in my eyes. Hell, I definitely liked him a lot more than the main character, Hajiki, and this is no slight against him because I loved him a lot too, but he really just doesn't compare to Katana. Every episode that centers around Katana is genuinely a highlight of the whole series, no joke. What's DEFINITELY a lowlight would be two the kid characters: Arashi and Aiko. They both genuinely don't contribute much to the show other than having crushes on the male characters, and normally I wouldn't care as much but when so much of the cast is so good they genuinely stand out with how mediocre their writing is. Despite this, I still love this show's cast to no end and it's definitely the best part of it all to me. That comfy 'community' aspect of this show's cast reminds me of the video Majora's Mask, which might also be a pretty big reason as to why I love them so much. Music: I'm not experienced in music and so this section's not going to be long, but this soundtrack is godly. This is coming from someone who doesn't even care for jazz that much, the main genre of this show's OST, but every, and I mean EVERY track is either so catchy or so memorable I can't hate it. There are definitely some standout tracks of the show and trust me when you hear them you'll now them. Visuals: The lighting is genuinely some of the best in not just any 2000s anime but in a lot of anime in general. I'm not going to lie, I'm a heavy fan of more muted, subdued colors in anime, especially in 2000s anime. It's one of the main reasons why FMA 03 is one of my favorite anime of all time. The lighting is easily the third best part of the show, and I genuinely don't think any sane human being with an eye for lighting wouldn't recognize it. I also adore the character designs, every single one of them, from how 1930s 'Tom and Jerry'-esque gangster Katana looks, to the cool more 2000s urban look of Hajiki. That being said though, when the show is saving on budget, you can tell. Especially since it's a 2000s anime and ESPECIALLY since all of the kid characters have very simplified designs, and my belief when it comes to anime is that if the character designs are going to be simple it should usually have stellar animation to back it up (Mob Psycho 100 or for a more 2000s example, FMA 03), but this anime doesn't really have what I would call 'stellar animation'. Despite that though, the fight scenes are genuinely still entertaining, primarily due to the high-speed movement of the mechas. Overall: If you're coming into this show expecting writing on par with some of the greats of mecha anime, or even just 2000s anime, it's not here. However, if you just want a simple fun show with a very charming cast, pretty great visuals, and an amazingly catchy soundtrack, then hopefully this review convinces at least someone out there on the internet to watch this. Overall, a solid 8/10 for me.

This is only my second review so bare with me on this. I watched this anime a long time ago but, had never finished it until now and I'd like to share the pros & con's. Story: First of all, Gad Guard had a good concept story that pulled you in at first, About a boy that worked Day to Day to help support his family that his father had abandoned trying to be a better man, until stumbling upon A plot twist that ultimately completely moot as the later episodes seem to skip a lot of important information and got rather confusing and feels likeit was rushed making the story kind of hard to fallow, for example Character's relationships developing without how it came to be, or how this character gained this. I can still recommend this anime though it feel's sloppy toward the end it still has a good message. The character's have rich/fun personality's. Art: The art design of this anime was kind of cheap, to many commonly used greys the colors kind of ran together at some parts but it wasn't horrible and wasn't totally bland. Sound: Music is mostly comprised of jazz music and some techno but is still pleasing to the ears. not bad, not great. Characters: The characters were fun to watch but a lot of character development was left out but you can kind of see where the characters were headed before hand. Overall: All-in-all this is a good fall-back anime when you've got nothing better to watch, its a fun ride to pass the time and Its not totally horrible but kind of cliche, I enjoyed it enough to a certain point though it lost it's plot somewhere along the line and lost most of its potential. I give this a 5/10

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