Ga-Rei Zero

“Why is he naked?”

With the first half of the first episode of Ga-Rei Zero, I was already contemplating whether or not it should be thrown out. Organization that fights Demons, been there done that. Cheesy fight sequences with ridiculous music to match it, again, I feel like I’ve already seen this. Then, in the last three minutes, I saw something that really piqued my interest; a scene so graphic, that it could only be compared to the likes of Elfen Lied. It wasn’t the gore that amazed me; it was the way that the entire sequence contrasted with the rest of the episode. All of the sequences that lead up to this point lull the viewer into a state of comfort, only to rip them out of that state in the last three minutes. Those three minutes are what really pulled me into Ga-Rei Zero.

So, is the rest of the series awesome? Well yes, yes it is. Look forward to characters that actually matter to the storyline, character relationships that are built and maintained, battles with the undead featuring all sorts of “interesting” weapons (including an Iron, no joke), and an ending that’s not so happy-go-lucky. The last point aforementioned really cemented this series for me as one of my favorites. Happy-go-lucky endings where characters walk into the sunlight and talk about how they’re going to “live life to the fullest” have worn out their welcome long ago.

The only point I’m deducting from this series is due to a minor set of grievances I have. The first would be that some of the sequences during the series depend too heavily on the background music for inciting emotional responses from the viewer. This has a tendency to make anything seem more like a soap-opera than a drama. The other would be the cheap CG monsters that appear all throughout the series. If the CG aspect of your production is going to be underfunded, don’t bother trying to work it in.

Saying anything more about this series would be doing it a great disservice, so I implore you to go watch Ga-Rei Zero. If you liked Blood+ and/or Mai-Hime, you’ll probably enjoy it.

9/10

Oh, and one last thing, the anime series takes place before the manga. So be sure to watch the Anime first.

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