A.D. 2115 – the island nation once called Japan is now known as the “17th Far East Imperial City Management District.” The citizens were promised a life of peace in exchange for some of the comfort they were used to having. People believed their lives would never change and tomorrow will be the same as today. No one suspected the impending doom which their society was about to face...
Gunslinger Stratos: The Animation is based from a popular third-person shooter arcade game developed by Byking and Published by Square Enix. Personally, I've never played the game but as soon as I found out that it's been adapted into an anime series, I wanted to check it out. So, what did I think of the first episode? Hit the jump to find out.
Maybe I was just having an off-day, but the first time I attempted to watch the first episode, I turned it off after 10 minutes. It just looked slow and boring. The first several minutes started with a dream that was so ambiguous, I had no idea what the show was going to be about and frankly, didn't care to find out. However, after a good night sleep I decided to watch it again and I'm glad I gave it another shot as it turned out to be a promising new show.
Tohru Kazasumi is the main protagonist who seems to possess great skills but is rather content on blending in and staying off the radar. With his school's ranking system, he could easily rank at the top but he appears to have issues being noticed. Kyoka Katagiri is his childhood friend who's a total opposite of him. She's confident and has an ever-ready attitude. One day, on the way home from school, Tohru and Kyoka saw a little girl that was asking for help and they chased after her. Suddenly, they get transported into another dimension (or maybe time traveled?), falling from the sky smack in a middle of a gun battle. What they discover right after is something unimaginable. What is it? For the ones familiar with the game, you know exactly what I’m talking about. For the rest, you'll have to watch to find out.
The show offers high quality animation - it's clean and fluid. Its art somehow reminds me of Neon Genesis Evangelion, but much improved. The action scenes, yet nothing spectacular are satisfying nonetheless. The side characters may be typical but not really an issue. When it comes to the story, it's cohesive enough, easy to follow and doesn't throw multiple plots right out of the gate. Both opening theme, “Vanilla Sky” by Mashiro Ayano and ending theme, “MIRAI” (Future) by GARNiDELiA are good songs and it fits the show's atmosphere. Voice acting for this new series is satisfactory.
Despite starting kind of slow, Gunslinger Stratos: The Animation is shaping up to be a good action, sci-fi series. Granted, time travel has been done a million times, but it doesn't mean it's any less entertaining. In Gunslinger Stratos’ case, their time travel setup could keep the show engaging, so I'm not too disappointed with the concept. Also, the big reveal at the end of the episode definitely peaked my enthusiasm and I am now invested in the series. I recommend checking it out.
Grade: B+
BY: Jovanni Febrero
