Generator Gawl Recommended

Director
Seiji Mizushima
Production
Tatsunoko Productions, TV Tokyo, Victor Entertainment
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
12 episodes
Year
1998

Generator Gawl

By Eric
28th Apr 04

Ah yes, another anime about giant, fighting mechs. Yawn, it's been done before in Evangelion, way too many Gundam series, and more mainstream titles than I have time to name. What makes anyone think that Generator Gawl would be any better?

Ah yes...it is that Generator Gawl does something that I have yet to see in any other giant robot anime (with the exception of Evangelion): focus more on plot and character than on the actual fight scenes.

Gawl, Koji, and Ryo are a trio of teenage boys, including the prerequisite quiet type and playful goofball. They come from a future where the mysteries of human genetics have been solved and human potential has evolved and expanded, specifically, into the ability to mutate into giant mechs. Naturally, war ensues, and these mechs destroy civilization as we know it. It's up to Gawl and the others to go back in time and stop the scientist who uncovered the final wonders of DNA, thus preventing the future..and Gawl's existence.

Sound Terminator-esque? Well, with each passing episode, more and more secrets are revealed about Gawl, his friends, the family whose room he rents during his stay in the past, and characters even thought to be unimportant. It is all done with flawless pacing. Nothing is as it seems, and this is the only anime with an ending that left me literally breathless.

Character wise, there is bound to be at least one person that can be liked by the viewer. Everyone is wonderfully diverse, the rivalry between Gawl and his landlord's daughter contains slapstick AND sophisticated humor. Each character has a whole other side to them, and all of their vulnerabilities are revealed, making them even more human.

Graphics-wise, Gawl is a very colorful, well-lit anime. It is not a very big budget production, and techniques such as shading aren't used liberally, but there were no scenes that I found poorly drawn or displeasing to look at.

If this series has one flaw, it would be in the sound. Voice acting is done well, very well, but the music is forgettable. I didn't find myself humming any tune, but nothing made my teeth grind, either. It is a very minor complaint, no series is perfect in every way, after all. Even so, Generator Gawl comes very close.

The fight scenes! How could I forget. They aren't particularly bloody (until the end) and sometimes they don't last long. Personally, I'm glad it's not dragged out, but some may disagree.

Generator Gawl is a series that is sorely underappreciated, and I fear that it shall be overlooked despite my raving. A lack of advertising or merchandising will do that. Do yourself a favor, if you see this series in a store, buy it. It's only four volumes! Once you watch Generator Gawl, you will not be able to stop until you reach the shocking ending, and you will look back on it all with a sense of bewildered awe.

10/10

-- Eric 28th Apr 04

Generator Gawl Images