Gasaraki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gasaraki | |
|---|---|
 A scene from the opening sequence. |
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| Genre | Drama, Mecha, Military, Supernatural |
| TV anime: Gasaraki | |
| Director | Ryousuke Takahashi, Goro Taniguchi |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Network | TV Osaka |
| Original run | October 4, 1998 – March 28, 1999 |
| Episodes | 25 |
| Manga | |
| Author | Meimu |
| Original run | October 1998 – May 2000 |
| Volumes | 4 |
Gasaraki (ガサラキ Gasaraki?) is a mecha anime television series produced by Sunrise. It was written by Ryousuke Takahashi, who also created the series with Sunrise and shared directorial duties with Goro Taniguchi.
The series is marked by an exceptionally detailed and convincing treatment of mecha design and operation, albeit within the context of the alternate reality of the story. Set in the near-future (at the time of release), a little-understood form of matter known as "Mile One" allows a powerful and influential Japanese family, the Gowa, to produce a bipedal weapon which they refer to as a Tactical Armor (TA). At this time a war breaks out between the US and the fictional Middle East country of Belgistan, much like the Gulf War. When US military forces attempt to seize the capital they are systematically wiped out by what appear to be rival TAs. The Gowa Family seizes this opportunity to demonstrate their weapon system, and civilian pilot Yuushiro Gowa and the military squad to which he is attached are deployed to Belgistan. There, he meets rival TA pilot Miharu, with whom he seems to share a deep spiritual bond.
Much of the initial plot is driven by means of news reports, the style of which is heavily influenced by the coverage of the first Gulf War by CNN. Elements of Japanese culture, such as Noh, rigid family hierarchies, corruption of government by Zaibatsu and Samurai appear throughout the series.
Contents |
[edit] Composition
Gasaraki consists of 25 television episodes which were first aired on TV Osaka from October 4, 1998, to March 28, 1999. It was released on VHS and DVD in North America and the UK by ADV Films.
[edit] Characters
- Yuushiro Gowa (豪和 ユウシロウ Gowa Yuushirou?) - The main character of Gasaraki is a quiet, withdrawn teenage boy who is viewed as a tool through which his elder brothers in the Gowa family seek to further their goals. He is a member of a special JSDF unit charged with testing the TA system. As a test pilot, he is found to possess the ability to synchronize to an extraordinary degree with the TA hardware, and in particular with the Mile One synthetic muscle tissue (a process described as a "Mental Burst"). At the behest of his family, he is also a performer of a fictional, mystical form of Noh theatre, the dance of Gasara, through which he is able to open dimensional gateways.
- Miharu (ミハル Miharu?) - Much like Yuushiro, Miharu is a quiet, introvert girl, who is a test subject for the organization known as Symbol. She pilots the organization's version of the TA, that is referred to as Fake.
- Kazukiyo Gowa (豪和 一清 Gowa Kazuhiko?)
- Kiyotsugu Gowa (豪和 清継 Gowa Kiyotsugu?)
- Meth - A council member of Symbol
- Phantom - Symbol's CEO
[edit] Episode List
- On the Ancient Stage of Stone
- Opening Movements
- Tantric Circle
- Mirage
- The Touching
- The Puppet
- Return
- Inferno
- Storehouse
- Kugai
- Ties
- Unravel
- Disembark
- Companions
- The Threshold
- Karma
- Chaos
- Rear Windows
- Wails
- Upheaval
- Run
- Personification
- Eternal
- Punctuation
- Gasara
[edit] Voice Cast
| Character | Japanese Actor | English Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Yushiro Gowa | Nobuyuki Hiyama | Chris Patton |
| Miharu | Mami Kingetsu | Monica Rial |
| Kazukiyo Gowa | Yūji Takada | Andy McAvin |
| Misuzu Gowa | Satomi Koorogi | Hilary Haag |
| Kiyoharu Gowa | Isshin Chiba | Brett Weaver |
| Kiyotsugu Gowa | Sho Hayami | Jason Douglas |
| Daizaburo Gowa | Takehiro Koyama | Ted Pfister |
| Tamotsu Hayakawa | Kunihiko Yasui | John Gremillion |
| Rin Ataka | Minami Takayama | Kelly Manison |
| Nozomi Takayama | Junichi Sugawara | Mike Kleinhenz |
| Kiyoma Yonetani | Unknown | Charles Markham Anderson |
| Jun Kitazawa | Tetsuya Iwanaga | Andrew Klimko |
| Kahoru Kaburagi | Narumi Hidaka | Heather Bryson |
| Sunao Murai | Sakura Tange | Jennifer Earhart |
| Takuma Tokudaiji | Kazuhiro Nakata | Kevin Charles |
| Takuro Suemi | Nobutoshi Hayashi | Randy Sparks |
| Meth | Tokuhiro Natsuo | Mike Kleinhenz |
| Phantom | Issei Miyazuki | Illich Guardiola |
| Akihiro Hirokawa | Shingo Hiramori | Jay Hickman |
| Kei Nishida | Yukimasa Kishino | John Swasey |
[edit] References
[edit] Media links
[edit] External links
- (Japanese) Gasaraki – Sunrise' Gasaraki page.
- Gasaraki at the Internet Movie Database
- Gasaraki (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
