Search - Gun Sword - Endless Illusion (Vol. 1) on DVD

I guess I'm not as anime-savvy, cause I am enjoying this a l

Mir | North Miami Beach, FL USA | 12/31/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm sort of new to anime, only caught a few over the last two years. But I've been ill, so I've been using my ROKU while wheezing on the couch, and I've been enjoying some anime from the last few years that I didn't see the first time round, such as Saiyuki and some of the early episodes of Bleach.



I added this one to my line-up, and yesterday, I caught a little over half of the episodes in one sitting. Yep, that's like 5 hours of this in one go. I wouldn't have done that had I not been drawn in to the story of the black-clad, black-hatted, mecha-controlling loner on a revenge quest to get the Clawed Man who killed his bride. Not the most original plot, but it's definitely fitting for the west-meets-east-meets-a-little-steampunk sort of tale. It's got humor, action, family issues, and adventure. I like it.



Yes, it is a going from town to town chasing Claw-Man thing, helping people (no matter how initially reluctantly) along the way. Van may try to be aloof, but he ends up picking up sidekicks and aiding the oppresssed, all the same. And he has another "armored" fella out to kill the Claw competing with him. So, the race is on.



As I said, I'm over halfway done, and I found the 14 episodes engaging and the action fun and the humor not irritating (like some anime humor can get with the over-the-top cutesiness or dopeyness).



Obviously, other reviewers have a more broad anime perspective with which to judge/compare/find faults. As a newbie anime-watcher, I think this is a fun series and I want to see what happens to the characters. I even like the weird intro music that starts with taiko drumming and segues into a sort of Western-retro-theme updated for anime.



Mileages vary, right?



Mir"

A good solid title to relax and enjoy!

Tallin | U.S. | 05/04/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After some of the heavier animes like Evangelion or X, this is lighthearted fun and reminds me of Kino no Tabi just a little bit.

What's great about this is that you never get bored, every episode is in a different location and has new characters. By the time some of them reappear near the end of the series, it all ties together in a nice whole.

For the most part, a fun series, though the ending leaves a little bit to be desired. If you're looking for an 'in between' title, this is a sure bet."