Better than the original | Gate Keepers 21 - Invader Hunters (Vol. 1)

A new flavor on an old theme | Gate Keepers 21 - Invader Hunters (Vol. 1) | Wendee Lee, Sherry Lynn

DVDs:


	• Gate Keepers 21 - Invader Hunters (Vol. 1) Wendee Lee, Sherry Lynn Geneon [Pioneer], 2003 average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Opening a Gate never looked THIS good!

All of us watch anime for different reasons. Myself for hardcore action mixed with the occasional comic relief, and lets not forget the fan service!

Gate Keepers 21 is by far superior to its predecessor. The origanal Gate Keeper team went on various exploration missions in order to defeat the invaders. In Gate Keepers 21 you are brought to the 21st century where the show begins with Shun Ukiya's (the main character from GK) daughter taking on some invaders. You will soon learn that this show takes inveder hunting to a whole new level. It focuses SO much more on a relationship between the four (thats right there are only four) main Gate Keepers, with a little bit of Yukino thrown in for flavor.

The artistic quality of this show is much darker than the origanal Gate Keepers. "The invaders are no longer lifeless beings." There is going to be more in the way of beautiful action carried out by our hero Ayane. HOwever, with this digital upgrade in animation some of the invader transformations are much more graphic. I would recommend this anime to anyone who has seen the entire Gate Keeper series or anyone who may be new to the series. Just keep the kids that are under thirteen away from it due to some graphic violence, a scene where the two main girl's shirts become see through (bra only), and a few d--n's thrown in to make the moment more serious. So Enjoy the greatness that IS Gate Keepers 21!

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Better than the original

Gate Keepers 21 (2002) is a 6-part OVA sequel to the original Gate Keepers 24-part TV series (2000). The original was set in 1969, and the sequel in 2001. Gate Keepers are those rare individuals who can open transdimensional portals, called gates; they use the resulting gate energy to fight alien invaders. Gate Keepers are coordinated by the AEGIS Network. The main character in GK21, Ayane, is the daughter of the main character of the original series, Shun Ukiya - though she prefers to use her mother's maiden name, Isuzu. Numerous other points are carried over from the original series, the main setting, for example, is still Tategami Highschool.

Earth has been invaded by aliens with the ability to control humans, draining people of their humanity and individuality, turning them into invader foot soldiers. By 2001, invaders have penetrated every level of human society, forcing the once powerful AEGIS Network into the shadows. Widespread greed and corruption among humans are outward signs of invader success.

The tone of GK21 is downbeat overall, as if the AEGIS operatives know they are heading toward an ultimate confrontation, with slim chance of success. The main character, Ayane, is an unpopular nerdy girl, openly critical of other girls' interest in boys and leisure activities. Her partner, the newly-recruited Miu Manaduru, is a shy, though popular girl who finds fighting invaders exciting at first - until she discovers the invaders she killed were once human. This sets the tone for the conflict between the two girls: Miu wants Ayane's acceptance, but Ayane thinks Miu is useless and undependable because she now refuses to fight invaders. Ultimately, both girls come to realize it is our differences, rather than our similarities, that make humans strong. We also learn why gate keepers tend to be young - there is a price to be paid for opening gates.

Visually, GK21 is low key. Colors are muted (the school uniform, for instance, is gray), and images are less cartoonish than the original series. The sound, however, is spectacular in Dolby 5.1. On a well-adjusted system, you are immersed in a rich sound field so realistic I sometimes found myself pausing the player to see whether sounds were from the film, or real airplane and traffic noises.

The six episodes of GK21 are more tightly-focused and coherent than the original series, with a serious, adult point of view. Though low key and gritty throughout, Gate Keepers 21 ends on a hopeful note as Ayane visits the Ukiya family shrine to honor the father she had always resented. Highly recommended.

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A new flavor on an old theme

I was shocked! I thought this would be like Vandread: Second Stage; the same story with minor changes. Instead, we're treated to new techniques, characters, and new enemies to deal with.

They start with new revelations regarding what's thought of Gate Keepers' powers, Invaders' origins, and who is masterminding this new wave of corruption. To go with all that, the campy nature of the TV series is gone, and replaced with a gritty, dark feeling. Even during the daylight scenes, there is this oppressive feeling that permeates everything. It was a breath of fresh air in a stagnant plot.

Overall, the odd personalities of the new Gate Keepers, mixed with the evolution of powers and abilities on both sides provide some excellent surprises. I'd reccommend this to anyone who thinks originality is bleeding from anime.

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Episode description!

I don't know how many episodes are gonna be in here, but I will add more if theres anymore... :)
Episode 1: The first 21st. Century Gate Keeper Ayane Isuzo, is looking for new Gate Keepers to fight the invaders, that appear after 31 years. She goes around looking for invaders an collects the cristals an gives them to NAZO (ENIGMA, he is Reiji Kageyama tha evil gate keeper aperantly not evil anymore). Ayane finds in the night the shade of Miyu Manadzuru, a real Gate Keeper an sh teaches her the imitation gates with cell phones an gets hired to be the Gate of Leap. Ayane uses the gate of Ukia like in the first episode of Gate Keepers.
Episode 2: Miyu and Ayane are catching invaders but, Miyu dosn't know how to control her GATE very well yet an has a bad reputacion with Ayane, but Yukino's pet leads the to the center of the old Far EAST branch of AEGIS, an they find Yukino inside, an the car UP-15 they take the car an they discover General Machine's Base with a lot of cars, they look soorouded but they mannage to leap out an to use the Explossion Gate to destroy all the lair... In this episode you can see NAZO (Reiji, the evil Gate Keeper) opening the gate of Darckness, after he is sorouded by a lot of cars. In this episode Ayane says that the invaders are HUMANS transformed into INVADERS...
Episode 3: Miyu is hanging arroud with her friends when in the meanwhile Ayane is destroying invaders. Ayane is walking in the street when she sees her aunt, her aunt really looks like Ukias sister, well like their mother. But then Miyu is singing with her friends in a karaoke place when invaders attack, she uses her Gate in different ways to help her friends... Ayane is stock in the traffic when Miyu tries to open her gate of fire in the cell phone but she is scared, just when the invaders got them, a new Gate Keeper (called Satoka Tachikawa -no name in the episode) appears an opens a Gate that makes a sword an destroys them all... an she thinks Miyu is Ayane... when Ayane San is about to get into the sceen the NEW evil girl talks to her in her mind an the episode it's over... CAN WAIT TO WATCH THE NEXT ONE!!!!! In Japan theres 3 series... Gate Keepers, Gate Keepers 21 an Gate Keepers 1985 (with Ukia & Reiji) when they grow up. See ya Next time!!! :)

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Mediocre Sequel

I guess most of my frustration towards this is that it only spans 6 OAV episodes, and in my opinion, didn't do any good in really answering any questions. It actually made more. In retrospect, the TV series started out with a bang but ended up disappointing me in the end and I was hoping this OAV would help to improve my image of it. It showed promise but they kept being too vague and didn't really talk about the cast of the TV series too much.

Gate Keepers 21 starts out in the year 2001 where the Invaders are still very plentiful and actually set in present Tokyo. Compared to the TV series, Gate Keepers 21 is a lot darker in mood, tone, and animation than its original counterpart. The protagonist of this OAV series is Ayane Isuzu, who uses cell phones and technology to harness the power of various gate powers. She tends to stay away from using her own gate power, the Gate of the Wind (the same Gate power that belonged to Ukiya Shun of the TV series). I don't think it's too hard to guess their relation. Because of her past (which we never really find out), Ayane isolates herself and battles the Invaders alone but tried to enlist the help of Miu, a Gate of the Jump user from her school. Miu is somewhat cowardous but she has her reasons to not want to fight the Invaders. The same bad guys from the TV series are back but are headed by a mysterious blonde girl instead of Kageyama. Currently, Kageyama is actually on the side of good, heading AEGIS.

Final Note: You can expect the same amazing quality of digital animation and sound. I actually did enjoy this series quite a bit. This series is more about human relationships and the feelings, doubts, and fears that people have in their minds. In that, it was really good. However, they didn't really touch up on their pasts or the 'futures' of the TV series cast. They touched it but never really went into it which made me crave more. Hopefully there will be just one more to explain the questions that have been brought up through the past two series.

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Old enemies return... Ayane Isuzu, a high school student, also works as an invader hunter for the AEGIS Network run by the mysterious tycoon, Reiji Kageyama. Ayane attempts to recruit her classmate Miyu, but once Miyu discovers that the Invaders are humans, she tries to go back to living a normal life... Meanwhile, relentless attack by the invaders led by the mysterious Ghost Girl and the revived Kaiser Kikai continues... Why is Ayane reluctant to use her gate- a legacy of her father, Shun Ukiya? A continuation of the hit series Gate Keepers featuring animation by Gonzo (Hellsing, Vandread, Gate Keepers, Blue Submarine No.6) and character designs by Keiji Goto (Gate Keepers, Nadesico). DVD Extras: 5.1 Japanese and English Dialog, credit less opening and a reversible cover!

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