Gungrave is a Anime based on a Ps2 game with the same name who had character design made by Yasuhiro Nightow (same guy behind Trigun).
The Anime is split in two parts; The first one tells the story of Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowel, 2 small time crooks and childhood friends, and how the joined the criminal organization , Millennion ( the mafia that controls the entire city). Brandon joins so he could be near his beloved, Maria , who had moved up to live with Millennion’s founder and commander, Big Daddy; Harry joins so he could raise up in life and become an important man. during the anime, we see the bond between this 2 men and how they raise up inside the Organization: Brandon as a elite hitman and Harry as a top member. After a series of events, where Harry gets more and more power hungry, and Brandon gives up on Maria to Big Daddy, Harry asks Brandon to betray Big Daddy and get control of Millennion together. Having refused it, Harry kills Brandon.
The second part happens 13 yeas later: For the sake of protecting Maria, Big Daddy and their daugther Mika, Brandon was brought back to life by Dr. Tokioka, a scientist who was working for Millenion. Now renamed as Beyond The Grave and with vague memories of his past, the only thing he cares now is protect Mika and destroy both Millenium and the man who betrayed him, “Bloody” Harry.
This anime has a very slow pace: with the jazz soundtrack and the ganster enviroment, we are taken through the animated adaptation of “Godfather” at a pace most viewers aren’t used to. Another thing to be taken in account is the various similar trends between Gungrave and Trigun: from the guns Grave uses , some character similarities (like Bunji reminding Nicholas Wolfwood.) and even the existance of tomases (which lead to several rumors that Gungrave happens in the same planet of Trigun, several centuries after.)
The really strong points is the character developments. The creators have focused on explain the motives of every characters and their way of seeing life even if it lead tho less action scenes than normal. It’s a very drama filled plot, where the characters (specially Brandon) suffer until the end, giving a unique tone to the whole Anime. In terms of animation itself, the show lacks quality, often giving the impression the studios were short on budget. Not even the fairly made CG’s help much to improve the overall look.
Gungrave had all to be a excellent Anime, but the flaws crippled it , giving it the status of underdog. If you like mafia movies and drama filled stories, it’s a great show if you ignore the defects. But if you are more into action-filled flicks, this ain’t for you.
GUNGRAVE IS THE ISH