Guyver the Bioboosted Armor Volume One: Days of Future Past
Hawkeye
Years after the original anime, manga, and live action movies is a whole new production of Guyver, complete with all new animation and sound.
Sho Fukamachi was a normal kid. He had a crush on his best friend Tetsuro Segawa’s little sister, he attends school, and he likes to do normal everyday things. That all changed one day down by the local lake, when a nearby explosion sent a strange disc hurtling to his feet. The strange device looked like something out of a sc-fi movie, and it might as well have been, as it was really a living battle suit called the “Guyver”. After accidentally pressing a button, the disc sprung to life and latched onto Sho. Bonding with his body, the Guyver became a part of him and gave him unbelievable strength and power. That might actually be cool, if there wasn’t a ruthless agency called the Chronos Corporation bent on retrieving the Guyver from Sho at all costs.
On the front of the box it reads, “All New! All Different! Meet the new face of ultra-violence.” They were not kidding when they used the word “ultra-violence”. This series is rated mature and rightly so. There is blood, death, and carnage, though it still hasn’t beat out the classic series “Fist of the North Star” (I’ll attach a link) in blood-squirting goodness yet. However, this series doesn’t seem to just be gruesome guts and senseless fights, there’s a plot lurking about too. They really kept the old school feel as far as the story went, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this new rendition becomes as popular as the original.
The sound was good, with excellent voice acting, good sound effects and well-done music. As far as extras went, the ones on the disc were pretty good. They had an interesting manga to anime comparison, and, in theory, they had a 32 page booklet with interviews and stuff. Sadly, I can’t tell you if the booklet was any good, as it was strangely missing from my disc.
The anime was crisp and clean with a modern day feel. I was really impressed with the how they balanced the art style between grotesque monsters and every day life. I looked up pictures of the original anime and I can honestly say that this new rendition of the show gives the series the update it needed.
While I’ve sat down and watched a lot of the classic anime series I have to admit that I never watched the original Guyver. I can’t compare the new story and the old, or the different art styles, or how the characters have changed or haven’t changed. I can tell you however, that that this series was violent, interesting, well animated and entertaining. It was sci-fi mixed with blood and gore but also with an in depth and evolving plot.
Entertainment: 9
I love the old school anime plot combined with blood and guts.
Technical: 6
I’m just bitter I didn’t get my booklet.
Overall: 8
DVD Features: Episodes 1-4
DVD Extras: 32-Page Booklet with Interviews, Production Designs, Character and Zoanoid Info, Commentary with Guyver Fans Rod Peters and Jack Glauser, Manga-Anime Comparison, CLean Opening and Closing Animation
