Gungrave

• DIRECTOR: Toshiyuki Tsuru.
• PRODUCER: Madhouse.
• ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Bang Zoom! Entertainment.
• GENRE: Action, Drama, Gangster, Criminal, Sci-Fi, and Supernatural.
• EPISODES: 26.

STORYLINE

Gungrave’s storyline actually consists of two parts. The first part focuses on the friendship of two small-time criminals, Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowell, who entered the biggest syndicate in the world, Millenion. Brandon joined Millenion in the hopes of being close to Maria, his love interest. Harry, on the other hand, has his own ambitions. At first, Brandon and Harry climb the syndicate ladder together, but when Harry’s ambition to become boss gets in the way, they fight off in a nasty showdown where only Harry survived. The second half of the story picks up thirteen years after Brandon’s death. Harry, as the new syndicate leader, starts a project called Necrolyzation. This is a project wherein the dead could be resurrected; Harry will then use this undead army to fulfill his ambition. Mika, Maria’s daughter, took it upon herself to resurrect Brandon. Brandon, now undead and possessing superhuman powers, promised to protect Mika and the world by killing Harry.

CHARACTER PROFILES

Brandon Heat (“Beyond the Grave” or simply, “Grave”): Brandon is a quiet and reserved young man who values loyalty and protecting his loved ones above all else. He, along with his best friend, Harry McDowell, joins Millenion, but his purpose is to get close to Maria, his love interest. In Millenion, he is trained to be a hitman. Due to his guilt at having killed too many people because of his profession as an assassin, Brandon deems himself unworthy of Maria, eventually urging Big Daddy, the leader of Millenion, to marry Maria. But still, though he has given up on having her, Brandon continues to be loyal to Millenion and Big Daddy for Maria’s sake. Later, when he is tested for his loyalty between his best friend and the organization, he chooses the latter and dies because of it. He is later resurrected by Maria’s daughter, Mika, as “Grave.”

Harry MacDowell (“Blood Harry”): Harry is a charismatic young man who quickly rises the syndicate ladder because of his wit and his talent in politics. However, he is ambitious to a fault and, despite having taken an oath of loyalty to the organization and to Big Daddy, makes his own plans to take over. In his quest to fulfill his dreams, he kills his own best friend, and when ‘Big Daddy’ confronts him about it, Harry kills him, too, in a fit of guilty rage. Later, he takes over as the syndicate’s leader and heads off the project called Necrolyzation.

Maria: Maria is Brandon’s love interest. She used to live with his stepfather who was a member of Millenion. Later, she is taken into Big Daddy’s custody when her stepfather dies. She is rejected by Brandon because Brandon deems himself unworthy of her. She then marries Big Daddy despite the age difference.

Big Daddy: Big Daddy is the owner of Millenion. He meets Brandon in the start of the series and takes a liking to him. They eventually end up as fishing buddies. Harry, in a fit of rage, kills him because he thinks that his Brandon chose Big Daddy over his own best friend.