Reviews Gun X Sword (Anime Review)

Name – Gun X Sword (pronounced “Gun Sword”)

Creator/Studio – AIC, Written by Kurata Hideyuki. Licensed in the US by Geneon

Type – Anime

Style/Genre – Giant Robot/Action

Number Episodes – Twenty Six

Is it complete? – Yes

Format the Anime was viewed – Fansubs. However the series is Currently Licensed by Geneon and the Fansubs have been discontinued.

Brief Description of Anime – In the far future, upon another world name “Endless Illusion”, mechas known as Armors stride the planet dispensing justice at the whims of their corrupt masters. Upon one town by the name of Evergreen a gang descends upon the city gates, blockading the citizens inside demanding they hand over the money in their bank. Amidst the turmoil a young girl is separated from her brother as he tries to hide her from danger.

The blockade continues and the girl, whose name is Wendy, learns her brother had been kidnapped by a man with a claw for a hand. Desperate to save him she takes extreme measures to find out his location, and as a result is almost murdered in a church along the outskirts of Evergreen. She is saved by a man wearing a swallow tail suit (A type of Tuxedo) who goes by the name of Van.

After several incidents Van decides to rescue the town from the gang and their armor by calling down his own- A slim Mecha sporting a large sword called ‘Dann of Thursday’. Descending from the sky Van and his Armor obliterate the gang. Wendy, upon learning that Van is after the same man who has kidnapped her brother, follows him as he leaves, determined to find and rescue him.

And from there their adventure begins.

Animation – 9 The scenes are smooth and the animation is fluid. Van’s Armor, “Dann”, is fun to behold and cleverly uses computer effects to enhance his animation. It’s never sharp or jerky, and everything appears crisp and clean. There are a few CG scenes but they are well rendered and don’t interrupt the watching experience at all. While there are a few “cookie” cutter scenes where they recycle old animations from episode to episode, they are very short, and given the context in which they are used, there really aren’t very many ways they could have animated these repeat scenes differently.

Voice Actors – 7 The voice actors are your standard fare. While nothing special they certainly aren’t shabby, though a few characters do seem a little whiny.

Music – 9 I really dug the music of Gun X Sword. It was an odd mix of Western and Japanese with a DEFINATE throwback to the classic music of old school Mecha Anime. It started off as a little quirky, but really grew on me. The music for the action and other scenes really painted the mood. The ending theme is dead sexy, and I enjoyed it a lot. The music was done by Nakagawa Kotaro who also worked on Zoids Genesis and s – CRY – ed. Good stuff.

Storyline – 8 Not the strongest plot in all existence, but not bad at all either. Not bad by a long shot. They do a wonderful job raising the question who is really the enemy? Who is really the villain? While they didn’t explain a few key things (like why the Claw man did what he did to Van and Ray), they did a wonderful job of creating characters you care about and sealing their fates in an excellent manner. At the beginning it seems a little slow and recycled, after about the seventh or eighth episode it starts to come together and you realize the motives behind the main villain.

Character – 9 Surprisingly strong characters. A few of the supporting cast have some odd quirks (which kept this from getting a full 10) but for the most part they all have strong ideals and emotions guiding them, and they don’t feel hallow or cookie cutter. The villains are all driven by powerful emotions of comradre, while Van and his group rely upon Vengeance. None of the main characters compromise their ideals for weak, cheesy reasons keeping them nicely individual.

The supporting cast, however, can get downright corny sometimes. While some of them (like the over-the-top crew of the Amigo- a genuine throwback to the glory days of Mecha Animation in the early to Mid Seventies) can be forgiven. A few characters (like the Swimsuit Queen, or the Mayor who attacks with his overdeveloped Moustache) seem to tax the believability of the anime. They just seem too silly to be a real part of the series. While they do add an interesting flavor, some of them leave behind a sour taste.


Overall – 8 – Gun X Sword is a strong anime filled with great characters (as long as you weed out the embarrassingly over-the-top ones) and a solid story line of Revenge. There are plenty of action sequences (Both inside the cockpit of Armors and out) and the story moves at a good pace, leaving behind few, if any, questions at the end.


Opinions – As a person who almost NEEDS a strong ending at the conclusion of his anime, you’d be happy to know that Gun X Sword delivers. At first I was a little taken back by the appearance of Dann (thinking “Oh, great, one of these Animes”), but in actuality Dann is an important character who’s never really overpowered. His appearance is less like Optimus Prime or Wing Zero from Gundam, (Big, and bulky) and more slender and agile like in Evangelion. He does not undergo transformations and does not combine with other Mechas to form a “Super Anime Mecha!!”, that’s reserved for Amigo.

This was actually one of the things I really enjoyed about this series – The throwback and references to classic Mecha Animes pre-dating Gundam Wing. The crew of Amigo sport the classic uniforms of an Anime style long since left behind and they’re even old and crusty like characters from thirty years ago would appear today. Even the music seemed to be a tribute to the classic Days of Mecha Anime; the opening theme leans heavily upon it with the familiar trumpet bursts and deep booming drum rolls. I could almost see some guy posing in a bulky, Mecha suit A-La Ultra Man every time I listen to it.

However Dann and Bolkain (the Armor from another Pilot on a vengeance quest against the Man with the Claw Hand) are far from outdated. The former reminds me of Eva 01 with a massive sword, while the latter Heavy Arms from Gundam Wing. Both know how to deal and take damage, and both have their quirks that make them fun to watch.

Combine this with a wide cast, catchy, high quality music, the good vocal cast (I’m in love with Fasarina’s Seiyuu <3), smooth animation and a good, solid storyline and Gun X Sword becomes a fun watch… the few quirky, out of place episodes aside. While it won’t re-write the Anime Mecha scene, it is a great tribute to the bygone days and a fun title to simply sit and enjoy.

Wake Up, Dann!

~W