 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH DD 5.1 & 2.0 AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 100 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | TV MA | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 03/06/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 04/05/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
Get ready for psychedelic horror and debauchery that will rock and shock you!
Saiga, a messed up guy with good intentions ends up acquiring one Hell of an ability through his contact with unsavory others. This photographer can kill with his camera. When he crosses paths with a young girl, Kagura, being disgustingly and brutally used by a sleazy club powered by the highest of the high of government and the like, he saves her. And that’s when both their lives are thrown to Hell and the fate of the whole nation of Japan are about to feel the outcome in this jaw-dropping finale to this blood, guts and psychologically twisted anime series.
These final episodes start off with a scene that could rival a moment or two from the upcoming Tarentino/Rodriquez film Grindhouse. In Speed Grapher, the captain of the metro police, sexy and no-holds-barred tough cop Ginza, finds herself at the hands of a Tennozu Group Club member who likes to collect his favorite fetish – female limbs! The freak will cut off legs and store them. And Ginza is up the creek without a paddle, and maybe her legs (yikes!). Then behind curtain number three, Kagura is trapped by the Prime Minister of Japan, forced to eat human flesh as she is prepared to be sacrificed as the goddess for the club. Wounded badly, Saiga tries to get to her in time but he’s not the only deadly guy around wanting the sweet young girl. Suitengu has his forces ready and strikes at the PM to reclaim the girl he so obscenely used throughout the years. It all leads to a fight that will leave very few prisoners standing and could decimate the entire country!
Damn, this show is one crazy, evil mind trip! In other words: awesome! Everything, no matter how disgusting or disturbing, leads to the big showdown between Suitengu versus Japan and Saiga versus Suitengu and his lethal wings of blood. Everything Suitengu has done has been for this moment where he gets revenge on the nation that, in his warped opinion, brutalized him and his sister. He tells us his story, the unexpected link to both Saiga and Kagura, and the PM. Now Saiga wants to save Kagura. The eerie thing is that this whole series has shown one sick twisted fetishist macabre horror after another as we witness man’s inhumanity to man and yet you can still feel sorry for some of these sick types (not most of them though). The Club is filled with members who control every aspect of Japan. Considering how there’s been no extreme evil sin left unexplored by these twisted people, it’s no wonder Suitengu wants to decimate the corrupt government. As Japan collapses under the weight of corruption, other crooked nations turn their greedy eyes on the Land of the Rising Sun. Can Saiga save both the girl he’s come to love and the land he wants to save despite itself?
Wow, just wow. The story is awesome, like can’t-tear-yourself-away addictive. The animation is done by Gonzo. They have yet to do an anime that didn’t look the best of the best of animation today. The way the show starts with a bunch of psychedelic images set to an almost bossa nova groove is some grand funk. The way it shows you all sorts of horrors while still using some sneaky moves is cool, like when at the orgy at the club you don’t see so much, but the shadows and silhouettes on the walls are dong things like sex, flogging and more, it definitely lets you know what’s going on without outright seeing it all. The big battle at the end on all sides is violence animated oh so well. Whether it’s the aerial attacks, Ginza going one against two with her guns and blades, or Saiga and his Death Eye versus Suitengu and his wings of blood, each is what anime should always be – jaw-dropping and drool worthy gorgeous, even when it’s showing something awful. And Speed Grapher is chalk full of the awful with the whole corruption/greed/violence in it. The one thin thread of hope is in a photographer who’s seen too much and a girl who’s been used too harshly. The show is heavy and it’s superb.
EXTRAS:
Extras on the DVD are textless songs, trailers, image gallery, outtakes, character profiles, character cast audition of the English voice casting, Saito Documentary Part 3 which is a behind the scenes look and interview with Japanese talent Sei Saito (voice of Kagura).
The limited edition has a slip cover with cool art work, but its nothing compared to the wicked character art in the fold out case it’s holding. Inside the limited edition also includes a booklet with in depth character profiles and collectable tarot style/framed photo sort of style art cards that are wicked cool looking. All of this only comes with the limited edition.
IN SUMMARY:
Speed Grapher, an anime that if you loved Sin City, is one unforgettable experience you’ll want. It’s wickedness shown in every aspect: sexy, deadly and corrupt, ugly decadence that is ruining a country but shown through the eyes of the unforgettable people of this story. Warning: this anime isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s hard core, it’s merciless and it will keep you hooked and guessing until the very last second in this final volume.
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