GACHIAKUTA

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ActionGachiakuta
MUSICTomoshibi
MUSICLET'S JUST CRASH
ANIME ActionGachiakuta 2nd Season

REVIEWS

• 

  KoraxCatalyst

  65/100
  While aesthetically unique, Gachiakuta still has much work to do in order to become something exceptional.

  I saw a funny comment a few months ago briefly detailing how Gachiakuta was Viz’s first attempt at an Industry plant, and even now I can somewhat see where they’re coming from. For the manga’s case it was because the series was licensed to North America very shortly following the first volume or two, and when it was, there were these big cardboard cutouts promoting the release and everything, almost unheard of for a series from a new mangaka. When it came to the anime there was also a notable marketing push from every party involved, and it just made logical sense from the perspective of a savvy oversees licensor. Gachiakuta is a grungy shonen battle manga with an incredibly intense aesthetic style by a freshman mangaka who’s been designated the successor of Atsushi Ohkubo, the creator of Soul Eater and Fire Force, respectively. It begins with a split society-type story structure with heavy class elements, and literally dives into a post-apocalyptic monster hunting agency narrative. If I’m to be honest, you’d have to be kind of a moron to pass that up.

  Now, I don’t know what Ohkubo’s motivation was for ordaining Kei Urana like he did, it’s honestly unprecedented for a mangaka to do so, but that part is also somewhat clear to me. Both Urana and Ohkubo have styles fiercely inspired by various youth, western, and alternative subcultures that act as the aesthetic spine of their work, crafting worlds and narratives around their sensibilities. It so happened for Ohkubo, he could create a narrative work like Soul Eater with impressively strong characterization and appetizing world building that allowed him to tap dance all over concepts like “tonal consistency.” It was charmingly juvenile and quirky, but still had enough level headiness and sensitivity to not completely abandon its cast for mere visual spectacle. Fire Force is more of a mixed bag, where the vibes overshadowed much of the other elements that made a work like Soul Eater so beloved. Even so, once the anime concludes next year, I’m sure people will talk about Fire Force relatively positively for the foreseeable future. And Ohkubo himself has taken his success in stride, retiring at 42 to be one of the most successful mangaka of his generation, with two internationally successful manga and three anime adaptations under his belt.

  In this light, Kei Urana had big shoes to fill. Gachiakuta is something of an elaborate and expensive test to see if she can fill those shoes. The question is, does she?

  In terms of financials, I’m sure it’s been working out fairly well. Gachiakuta has been the number one show on Crunchyroll since like episode 12 and has been loitering in the top 10 since it started airing. Even if the show were somehow a complete financial disaster in Japan, the international streaming contracts could probably pay off the cost of production on their own. More importantly, how has Urana carried on Ohkubo’s legacy from a in terms of quality?

  Well, just like her mentor, Gachiakuta has an ever-present visual aesthetic along with very strong character designs, you truly are up to your eyeballs in vibes. Technically, Gachiakuta is a manga really headed by two people, the other of which being Ando Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi is a graffiti artist who teamed up Urana, and while he officially only designs the graffiti proliferated throughout the manga’s many backgrounds, his role and influence is seemingly much more ambiguous in practice. The anime conveys Hideyoshi’s work fairly well, Gachiakuta never leaves its seedy atmosphere for even a second, and its endless graffiti is a constant reminder of that. However, when it comes to everything else in Gachiakuta, it becomes much messier to talk about.

  To keep it simple, Gachiakuta is a series where much of the enjoyment is found in its aesthetics. It’s unfortunate because the show doesn’t have the exceptional animation of a typical Bones production. And conversely, the writing is loosely structured on a broader level, and its characterization disjointed. People will complain about the tone, and I think that’s fair, but my main complaint is that it feels like the actual arc of its main character was an afterthought, and the characterization of the rest of the cast wasn’t even considered until recently. Gachiakuta keeps introducing ornate design after ornate design only to provide most of them with surface level characterization. After a 24 episode season, I can’t say if I truly “care” about any of them, and that’s with some characters being VERY hit or miss, like that binky kid, hate him.

  I originally had more to say about Gachiakuta, but I don’t think the series is interesting enough to warrant that. Rudo, the main character, is okay. They lean more into the psychological disorder angle with the kid, but ultimately it’ll be healed by the power of nakama because shonen, so it’s whatever. I think pathology is always fun to explore in these stories, and this series has a bunch of that, but it’s not the whole thing, there has to be a bunch of fighting.

  And I guess that’s the problem with Gachiakuta, given that it literally switches setting in the first episode, the series never has the time to properly lead you into the setting, and thus do the early leg work necessary to characterize at least SOMEONE enough to get me to care. I decided to check out Gachiakuta originally when I had like 15 shows to try out, and frankly I’ve never been terribly impressed. I think there’s enough here that if there is more in the future, I may well check it out, but I won’t perish if we never get Gachiakuta ever again. But I don’t think I’m unique in this take, the response to Gachiakuta has largely been lukewarm by the anime community if both irl friends and these aggregate sites are any indication. I always like supporting young creators, so I hope Rei Urana further refines her style in the near future and is able to elevate Gachiakuta to something exceptional. Otherwise, until then, people will largely keep saying “It was alright.”

  Have a nice day.

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• 

  OskarL

  90/100
  The Beauty of Edgy Anime That Isn't Really Edgy

  I won't lie, this is probably the biggest progress anime made on me in one season of watching it. Initially, I wasn't very fan of this anime, I didn't like the first two episodes (and I still don't like them a bit) they were too over the top edgy for me, the author tried too hard to sell me this cruel and dirty world so everything seemed so forced, and the action in episode 1 with Chica still makes no sense to me and was a forced situation for the larger Rudo depression. Initially, I gave it a 6/10 and even thought about abandoning it so as not to bother myself with it, but luckily the three-episode rule exists for a reason, from the 3rd episode and the shitty action everything changed.

  From then on, the series never declined in my eyes, it only grew to be better and better with each episode. What's not to love here? Amazing supporting characters, a style that makes it damn pretty to look at for a trash anime, a drip that makes 90% of the characters look like they could be in a fashion magazine, the main protagonist having an interesting problem with himself that he can overcome, and so much more.

  However, the absolute turning point where I said "I love this shit" was episode 13 with the legendary Amo backstory. It took me by surprise in many ways, the fact that they even tackled such a topic in a battle shounen is one thing, but what was especially beautiful was the execution. This backstory was disgusting in a good way. You felt disgust for what was on screen, but not for the author. The subject matter was presented well, with respect for the victims and without unnecessary sexualization of the character. And the artistic choices with the children's drawings were masterful. At that moment, I realized something, "Wait, a story about how to be a better person? How conversation and understanding end conflict? Where sensitive topics are handled with respect and not just for the shock of the viewer? This doesn't sound like an edgy story for edgy teenagers."

  You see, the beauty of Gachiakuta is that it looks like an edgy anime, but when you break it down, it turns out that this anime has little to do with being edgy. It may look edgy and have its aesthetic and the "contorted faces" typical of edgy series, but the story itself? This one is closer to Iruma-kun than to something like Jujutsu Kaisen or Chainsaw Man. I was surprised by how this series somehow deceived me in what it was supposed to be, but I'm happy with that. And when we reached the second half, I realized another thing, this anime is unpredictable as hell.

  From the moment we met the antagonists, things kept happening that I hadn't anticipated. Every time I thought something was going to happen, the anime seemed to take my thoughts into account and go in a completely different direction. Here, your knowledge of battle shounen worked against you. And the scene with the gun and the car are truly the funniest moments of the fall season for me, the comedy in this anime can be really good.

  I also like that this anime doesn't rush the plot, preferring a slower pace. For a battle shounen with 24 episodes, there were quite a few fights, but I'm not mad at that because what we got in return was worth it. The world building here is magnificent, and the anime will surely show us many more wonderful places to visit and how the systems in this world work.

  The only reason I'm not giving this a 10/10 and only 9/10 is that I still don't like the first two episodes, but other than that, it's an absolute masterpiece. One of the most unique battle shounen in recent years, and hard to confuse with anything else. I'm looking forward to a second season in the future, but in the meantime, I'm going to read the manga. Goodbye, Anime Fellas.

  (This was my first review, which I initially wrote as a comment, but it got so long that I decided it was worth posting as a review since I wasn't writing spoilers anyway. I apologize for any mistakes.)

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• 

  Benkei

  86/100
  Spoiler-free Review of Gachiakuta: Edgy, Intense, Punk!

  ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Considerations ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ ● This is a spoiler-free review. ● 80+ in my rating means really good. ● I've added one of the anime soundtracks (Opening) to the sound section. If you wish, scroll down, start it, and use it as your background music while you read. ● This anime deals with heavy themes such as abuse and depression. If you feel like those themes are sensitive topics for you, please skip this review and the anime. If you are struggling with any issue, call your country's hotline. Take care ♡. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Story ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Rudo lives in a floating town, The Sphere, a place where poor people scrape trash off the rich. One day he's falsely accused of murder and they've reserved the worst punishment: to be driven off the cliff. Down on the surface, the trash has bred vicious monsters, and with all the desire to get his revenge onto those who falsely accused him, Rudo has to survive and become a warrior. The story of Gachiakuta is good. The whole universe is interesting, the theme of a "trash-punk" was incredibly captivating for me. The pacing of the story is really well done too; there's no wasted episode, they keep building to a crescendo to finish into an amazing end of the season. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Art ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The art is incredible. There is CGI in the anime, but it's really well done, mostly to handle beats and some "other things." In general, they're very fluid and mix well with the 2D environment. The animation in general is very fluid and there's one specific episode that is 11/10, like literally 10 minutes of straight-up surreal animation which is breathtaking. Another point that Gachiakuta has done well in terms of the art is the ambiance. The "trash-punk" world looks incredible; there is graffiti, communities look like slums, and everything is portrayed in an incredible way to show how they're in a hell-hole. Overall thoughts are that Bones has cooked an incredibly well-animated series. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Characters ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ There are a lot of characters in this work. Besides the people from the sphere that we know briefly, there is a whole universe in the surface with different groups, cities, and styles. Everything is very well done, even among the main cast, characters are very unique both in design and personality. They're not forgettable, which is the most important thing. About the main character, Rudo is really incredible. I started liking him really in the beginning of the anime and throughout the show he has so many points of development that it is a joy to watch. He's one character that I want to follow, I want to see how he's going to get stronger. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Soundtrack ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The sound part of Gachiakuta is really good. Both in terms of opening and ending and true soundtrack for combat, ambiance, and such. They bought different sound styles which is a joy; I remember pop, reggae, rock, etc. The first opening is such a slap in the face and really shows that you're seeing a more mature show. Honestly, nothing to complain about.

  (This is just the full OP1 sound, check the animation too on youtube) ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Conclusion ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ If you're like me, you skip everything and read only the conclusion because you don't want to get spoiled with other themes. So I will try to be brief on this point: Watch it. If the triggering themes are okay for you, this show has everything that someone can ask from an anime: great characters, great animation, unique theme, and great development. Throughout the series, I was talking to a friend about how Bones has invested heavy on Gachiakuta since something has to bring back the $$ since Boku no Hero is over. It's just an incredible show that I can't wait for season 2.
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