SYNOPSIS:
1969. Strange invaders threaten Japan's recovery from the devastation of World War II with a shocking form of guerilla warfare. Fortunately, a new type of hero has been discovered among the teenage population of Japan - the Gatekeepers! Able to channel "gates" to other dimensions, this new generation of heroes is the only thing standing between Earth and total annihilation!

Contains the entire 24 volume Gate Keepers TV series on 8 DVD volumes and all 6 episodes of the OVA sequel, Gate Keepers 21, on 2 DVD volumes for a total of 10 DVD volumes in this brick set!

REVIEW:
Gate Keepers the TV series is an energetic action adventure. The anime starts with the Earth Defense Force coming across the reckless and cocky Shun during an attack by the Invaders. Who the Invaders are actually is never fully explained in the series, but it’s not some heavy science fiction, but rather a lively sci-fi action series that looks to entertain and engage the viewer, not make you think too hard. After the pretty and dutiful girl Ruriko gets Shun to join AEGIS, they then look for other people with the ability to use Gates and join their fight against the Invaders. Soon they are joined by rowdy gangster Bancho, tomboy athlete Kaoru, the shy and ditzy piano player Keiko, and the odd time by the mysterious ghost girl Yukino. Each has a gate ability and the powers are varied. There’s the Gate of Light and Life, Illusion, Speed, Protection, Fire, and more. They use them to fight the Invaders time and again while an even more dangerous threat rises in power, hidden in the shadows, readying to strike.

The show starts off with a lot of action, which is carried throughout the series and has a lot of good natured comedy. The battles tend to be formulaic:  the group is alerted to the presence of Invaders, the Invaders attack, the Gate Keepers uses their gate powers to save the day. However, as the story progresses, it gets more serious. This is achieved through the presence of the gate keepers Megumi and Reiji. They both hide darker sides than their AEGIS friend. And one of them hides a secret that may just bring about the ruin of Japan by the Invaders.  This more dramatic story line is compelling and gives the show some added edge. The only flaw with it is that the end is a bit inconclusive as to what happens to two of the important characters, and what happened to the Invaders at the end is never truly explained. This makes the wrap up a bit too loose with some much needed threads left hanging, but it does let you know enough about the main characters to have a fair idea to what has occurred with most of the cast. And in the end, the anime proved to be an entertaining distraction. It holds some vibrant animation, and although a bit heavy on the CG, kept offering some solid good quality animation for a slightly earlier series.

Gate Keepers 21 is the OVA sequel to the TV series set 30 years in the future after the events of the TV show.  It holds some very slick animation that is a stand out improvement over the earlier show. It also has a much darker look with somber colors, and a darker, edgier storyline. Ayane is the daughter of Shun and is looked after by a character everyone familiar with the TV series will immediately recognize and surprise viewers. She’s nothing like her parents though. She’s acerbic, anti-social, and unattached to everything and anyone in the world. However, she nevertheless fights against the Invaders. Unlike the TV series, the Invaders are no longer sleeper shells of a made-up person that transforms to an Invader when it’s time to attack. Now they are actually humans who turn into Invaders after they’ve completely lost their heart. Therefore the fight to save humanity has a greater toll as Ayane, and any who fight with her, are actually defeating and destroying transformed human beings. They’re killing people. At least, attackers who once were people. Miu, the ditzy and whiny girl with Gate ability that Ayane enlists in the fight, can’t stand the thought of killing anyone. It bears down on her and eventually causes a rift between the two girls.

Halfway through the series (ep 4) is the appearance of a new Gate Keeper with a large, red sword. She’s another opposite to Miu and Ayane. She loves her job of destroying Invaders and she’s brash and loud; quite unlike Miu and Ayane. It drives the division between Ayane and Miu deeper. A huge turning point happens when one of the girls is shot. The violence of this anime and the serious tone is a marked deviation from the vibrant and energetic action and comedy of the TV series. 

The OVA comes across more like a borderline horror than a sci-fi action with the way the anime is portrayed, humans are killed and the overall atmosphere of the show. Ultimately, the message of the story is that antisocial behavior and selfish aims are bad, that no person is an island, and the value of friendship is a priceless gift that makes us stronger together, than apart.

Both the TV series and the OVA were done by the same crew, featuring an impressive list of talent such as Hiroshi Yamaguchi (Writer/Director) with such anime series to his name as Evangelion, Bastard!!, and Blue Submarine No. 6; Keiji Goto (Animation Director/Character Design) who worked on Nadesico and Those Who Hunt Elves; and Mahiro Maeda (Invader Design) worked on Animatrix and mecha design for Escalfowne. The animation is done by Gonzo (Hellsing, Trinity Blood, Vandred, Last Exile, Black Cat, burst Angel and many more). All these talents combine to make two very different feeling yet both enjoyable series.

EXTRAS:
Bonus features for the TV series include Geneon previews, line art galleries, special openings and endings, TV commercials, Japanese box art gallery, Agent ID gallery, script covers, and clean opening and closing animation.

Gate Keepers 21 bonus features include reversible covers on both discs, Geneon previews, original Japanese opening and closing animation, clean opening and closing animation, conceptual art gallery, Japanese cover art gallery, and an Invader Hunter license gallery.

IN SUMMARY:
Gate Keepers the brick set is an impressive DVD collection that won’t heavily tax the wallet compared to how much the volumes would cost individually. The TV series is an overall fun sci-fi action with lots of energy and only some angst towards the end. The OVA series, Gate Keepers 21, has an entirely different tone, divesting itself completely of the comedy of the lively TV series for a well crafted dramatic, at times even horrific, story with superb animation.

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