Generator Gawl Perfect Collection (2001)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Original Story by Tatsunoko Pro Project Room
Directed by Seiji Mizushima
Character Designs by Akira Oguro
Japanese Voices by Nobutoshi Kanna, Shinichiro Miki, Tsutomu Kashiwakura, Yoku Shioya, Yuriko Yamaguchi, Satsuki Yukino, and Masami Toyoshima
English Voices by Jay Hickman, Lash Bourque, Rachel Buchman, Kaytha Coker, Rozie Curtis, Jason Douglas, Matt Kelley, and Vic Mignogna

Features:

• Clean opening and closing
  
• Art gallery
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Human enslavement
• Tactical meetings in the john
• Snoopy girls
• Violence
• Conspiracy
• Hard destinies
• High school angst
• Evil professors

Released by: ADV
Region: 1
Rating: 12+
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Get it.

Generator Gawl has a fascinating premise: Koji, Ryo, and Gawl have arrived in 2007 from the future. They are tasked with preventing Professor Nekasa from making a discovery that reveals not only one of the greatest mysteries of the human genetic code, but one of the greatest weaknesses as well. It seems that the future sees humanity enslaved by mutated "Generators." To help with the cause of saving humanity from this fate, Gawl has himself undergone the Generator process and becomes the team's fighting machine, while Koji and Ryo are researchers and scientists--the brains of the outfit. Alas, Our Heroes are not the only time-travelers; some Generators from their own time have traveled back with them to prevent them from stopping their future from coming about.

Generator Gawl is surprisingly funny, even given the requisite hatred the heroine has for the erstwhile hero. The sequence where Gawl chases a butterfly, frustrated in his attempts to catch it is hysterical, as well as a clever way to get Gawl into Natsumi's greenhouse. Koji's mathematical genius stuns the class at the "smart-kids school," as does Ryo's skill with bio-chemistry.

One of the best things about this DVD set is that, unlike the DVD fate of many short animated series, we get the entire show's run in one set, as befits a "perfect collection." It's much more convenient to have all twelve episodes in one tidy, easy to handle package. The discs themselves also deserve a mention: they are a dignified silver with an etched design of the titular character himself on each disc. Very simple, but nice.

The special features are on the spiffy side of "the usual." We get a selection of Generator Schematics, which show off the creative and appropriately imposing designs which highlights the fact that each Generator is different. The "Character Introductions" feature is essentially a sketch gallery, providing overviews of each character, as well as an inset of a few facial details and expressions. These, like the Generator portraits, are all done in white lines on a blue background, which isn't as hard to see as you might think. Each disc has its own selection of Generators and characters. Fans of the show's excellent animation are also treated to a clean opening and closing that truly show off the music, as well as the look of the series and the possibilities of digital animation. Finally, we get the usual trailer and DVD credits.

The audio and video quality are both solid. As an aside, note that the series theme song actually reflects the show, specifically Gawl. The subtitles are quite a bit different than the dubbed translation, but both are equally effective and true to the show's intent. Both language casts are quite skilled; this is one show where I actually prefer the English cast's reading of their characters. It seems richer and is actually funnier.

Anyone who enjoyed the time-traveling heroics of a film like The Terminator or 12 Monkeys or TV shows such as Quantum Leap or Sliders will appreciate this series. Its combination of courage, sacrifice, and destiny is hard to resist, as are the creative mecha designs, fantastic action fight scenes, interesting science, the clever dialogue, and the characters with real depth and personality. Generator Gawl is a great show, with humor, lots of action, science fiction genius, great writing, and just about anything else a future favorite show really needs.