Gilgamesh Ep. 1 and 2
KichigaiSaru
The setting is a very dark future world where the act of a single scientist has caused total collapse of civilization as we now know it. A huge project, Heaven’s Gate, has gone completely awry, and surrounded the earth in a reflective field very loosely described as a magnetic phenomenon. This has prompted the malfunction of all computer driven devices. The dependence on computers prior to the incident caused this worldwide malfunction to be catastrophic. The failing of computers meant inevitable wars which wrought destruction across the entire world. The survivors of the war were plagued with famine, and crime lords seem to have taken control of the streets.
This is your world when you start into this enthralling series. It’s hard to pull yourself out once you’ve started. The animation here is done in a slightly different fashion. Nothing drastic, but the subtlety is part of it’s charm. The faces of the characters are drawn slightly fuller than is typical. As I said, it’s subtle. The sounds, art, and story feed off of each other splendidly to make a very solid and unified body for Gilgamesh. The entirety of the show, at least the first two episodes which composed the preview disc, is absolutely grim. It’s a post-technological, gothic thriller mystery.
The story is, to say the least, wildly intriguing. Although it’s true that the techno-apocalypse is something of a cliché now, they have managed to make this concept fresh and new. The beginning of the end was triggered by a disgruntled researcher who refused to give up his project, and now the future is in the hands of two groups. One fighting for good, one for evil, but the distinction is so cleverly blurred that it is impossible to say which is which. The children of this mad scientist are the focus of the story. They carry some sort of precious value to the two groups in charge, although we have no idea what this is. This is only a preview, so the story is not very fully developed, but I have a feeling this is going to be an incredible ride.
The art, mentioned earlier as subtly different than many shows, is another great addition to the feel of the show. The whole concept of the show is very well embodied in the art. It’s dark, shadowed, and ominous. It’s impossible to tell who is on what side, as everyone is drawn with a sinister air. As far as the environment is concerned, it’s stunning. There is the new reflective atmosphere that has caused the widespread devastation to the crumbling buildings, falling into the streets in the background due to disrepair and heavy rain.
The sounds of the show are equally foreboding. Rain is a common theme, and the force of the falling drops can be felt through the sounds. The thunder furthers this eerie sense of the world, ultimately being almost indiscernible from the crashing sounds of the buildings falling. The voices of the characters follow suit, well acted and, as importantly as that, well chosen for their particular roles. Finally, the music is unusually melded into the rest of the show. When I tried to think about what to write, I couldn’t even distinguish music in my memory, outside of the credits music. So I popped the disc back in and don’t you know it, there is music. You have to listen for it, although in some cases it is a little more obvious, for the most part the beat of the music will follow the patter of feet. The cymbal crashes of the music will coincide with lightning crashes. This makes it hard to even pick out the music from the other sounds sometimes, always to fantastic effect.
This is a show that everyone will want to see. With the combination of mysterious story and intense action scenes, this is going to be a fantastic series.
