Gatekeepers: To the Rescue (Vol. 5)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Story and Series Development by Hiroshi Yamaguchi
Directed by Koichi Chigira
Character Design by Keiji Goto

Features:

• original opening and closing
  
• line art gallery
  
• trading card
  
• English and Japanese audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• needlessly complex cast of characters
• sudden, anachronistic mecha
• scheming aliens

Rating: 13+

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Skip it.

According to Gate Keepers, and the guardian organization AEGIS, aliens have been among us since 1945. The year is 1969, and in the rough aftermath of WWII, Japan needs a new hope to help them against this alien threat; enter the "Gate Keepers," teenagers with the ability to channel the energy to open and close gates into other dimensions. The heroes are able to use these gates as weapons, which convert the aliens into crystalline form. In this disc, three new foreign agents (an Englishman, an American woman, and a German man) are joining our heroes in the Far East branch. But their arrival throws the Far East branch into a chaos of suspicion and self-doubt.

What sounds like an interesting premise just ends up kind of silly. Aside from the Sailor Moon/Blue Seed elements, there's just not a lot new here, and what's old isn't done so well that you forgive them. The plot is almost non-existent in this volume, as action is nearly sacrificed to "character development." Too bad the characters don't actually grow much; instead, they just complain a lot, argue among themselves, and act kind of silly. The ending is predictable, and you just don't care enough to even cheer.

The characters of Gate Keepers are interesting enough, but the series, though half over, has just introduced three more characters: an already crowded cast has become even more complex. When the writers and animators have to keep track of that many disparate voices, it's difficult for the result to be coherent to viewers, or to give viewers a chance to really get to know any of these people.

The sound is good; the music and background noises don't drown out the voice actors, even in the quieter scenes. Dialogue in both English and Japanese is clear with no crackling or weird cuts. The English voice actors lack some of the virtuosity of these particular Japanese voice actors, but they're still good enough. Try the subtitling though, even if you usually prefer dubs. The visual quality is also solid, and the transfer was well-done. I didn't see any spots, crackling, or streaks, and the colors were plenty vibrant. The animation was free of anything that would make it less than a quality release.

The extras are nice, if not spectacular: the original Japanese opening and closing credits for each episode are included, and there's also a line-art gallery. Each disc also comes with a playing card/AEGIS agent ID card. Spiffy. But that's about it. No translator's notes, out-takes, or much of anything else. Good enough, but not great. The reversible covers and clear plastic case deserve a mention. The art is good, and I like the versatility of the cover; this indicates a nice level of dedication and attention to detail in the production company that bodes well for things to come.

If you're a die-hard science fiction and comedy fan, you might be able to pick out enough elements from Gate Keepers to enjoy it. But mostly, you'll just find yourself wishing that you could change details and vast swaths of the plot and character development. It's possible that Gate Keepers will grow from here, now that the new trio of agents has arrived, but I'm not sure this disc makes me care enough to give it that extra chance. The premise, however, is interesting enough that I hope other volumes are better written than this one.