mamemimomu

I am a big fan of the original Gatchaman. So last year I found this anime "Gatchamn Crowds" by total chance. I was excited and had high hopes for this one, so I watched it throughly at once, marathon style - not because I programmed it, but because it got me hooked immediately.

This part one of the review will serve as an introduction to the Gatchaman series and and a glimpse of Crowds more specifically - and why you should watch it. At this moment there are two complete seasons for "Crowds" and I have watched both of them, but I will NOT review the second season now - I'll leave that for the next parts of the review.

Background Info - Gatchaman

Gatchaman is a 1972 anime series produced by Tatsunoko Productions (responsible for Speed Racer in the 60's, Casshan in the 70's, Macross and Robotech in the 80's and Video Girl Ai in the 90's, just to name a few).

It was a big hit in Japan and overseas, and one of the most prominent series to establish the "Super Sentai" theme and genre into anime.

It dealt with themes like conservation, environmentalism and conscious and responsible use of technology. (Yeah baby, back in the 70's!) Keep that in mind, because will talk about that later.

The series had two direct sequels, Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter and some OVAs. Although for a long time, for people in the west the only (and main) contact with Gatchaman was through its adaptations, being Battle of the Planets the more well known, and later would come G-Force - both centered on the first phase/series only. Then another series focused on Gatchaman II and Fighter, combining them to create what would be Eagle Riders.

I'm Brazilian and I was born in the late 80's, hence my childhood was during the 90's. So my experience with Gatchaman comes heavily from G-Force, which aired here in Brazil during the 90's on Cartoon Network, and to a lesser extent Eagle Riders, also aired during the end of the 90's - if I recall correctly - on the now dead Fox Kids channel (later Jetix and now Disney XD). In the early 2000's, a Brazilian open TV station aired BotP, but since there is a LOT of confusion and misinformation here (even "specialized" entertainment, news and anime sites here make the most horribles mistakes when talking about Gatchaman/BotP/G-Force/Eagle Riders), I really don't know exactly WHAT was it that they were broadcasting (the US version of BotP, G-Force or even maybe the original Gatchaman dubbed to Portuguese), and since I wasn't cringing too much on nostalgia but living the most intense years of my teen days, I never actually watched this version - or wanted to.

With the advent of the internet, I got my hand on the OVAs many years laters.

There's also a live-action adaptation released in 2013 (only in Japan as far as I know). With all the basics covered, let's proceed.

Gatchaman, The live-action movie - mini review (SPOILERS!)

The basic characters, villains and settings are retained from the original show. The Gatcha have basically the same names, same weapons and somewhat the same personality from the original anime. The evil threat/villain is still the Galactor and its leaders Sosai X and Berg-Katze. Overall, everything that made Gatchaman, well, Gatchaman, is still there. The main differences are that instead of just a spandex-like costume, they got an updated suit with some armor and high-tech gear that allows them to maneuver like pinball balls and some plot elements that needed to be altered to fit in the new narrative. Some back history was created and some was altered to fit the live-action, feature length film adaptation. Otherwise, it "kinda" stays true to the source material. As with most japanese live-action adaptations of franchises that were born and shine on other media (manga, anime, tv series and even games), you have to take it with a grain of salt if you're a fan of the source material. Also, it's not fair to compare these productions to the ones from Hollywood (be it for style or more obviously from the gap in budget). Also worth taking in consideration is the cultural difference in what we perceive as "good acting" here in the West and in Japan (they are FILLED with their own kind of soap opera, the "doramas" and also have obviously different takes on what humor is or should be like). So, in the end, is the live-action movie Gatchaman any good? I'd say not really, and I'd recommend to watch it only if you are a die hard fan of the original series. It's not a bad movie though, I just don't think it's justifiable to watch it if you don't have any prior experience with the series - you'll probably laugh or leave it before it ends. But, as weird as it is and even being a bit disappointed with it, it DID exactly what I expected it to do: to UPDATE the Gatchaman lore to a more modern setting.

Gatchaman Crowds: Initial expectations

I had high hopes, I was excited but also concerned. How would a 40 years old series come back in the era of internet and social media? How would the themes of environment and ethical use of technology be discussed in this new iteration?

Initially I though it would be either a continuation (another sequel) or even an "update" to the original series, bringing them to a more modern context and scenario, something more like a remake. As with mostly ANYTHING I care and am excited about, I didn't read anything about it prior to watching and having my own experience, trying to not spoil the fun.

I knew one thing: I wanted it to be awesome!

Crowds vs Gatchaman (what's new, what's not)

(Note: if you have watched any of the previous Gatchaman and/or its americanized adaptations, there might be a few but insignificant spoilers. If you haven't, you might want to skip this part.)

Watching the first two episodes, I confess it was all a bit shocking. It had almost nothing to do with the original, or at least, that was the only thing I could think. Maybe it wasn't what I was expecting.

Instead of the bird-themed suits and the vehicles, the new Gachca wear armored suits with shining bright lights. The device used for transformation is no longer a watch/wristband but a notebook (called, you guess... Notes). Instead of an alien race menace they were fighting big blocks of pixels called Noise (though they claim it to be aliens in the show). The fights happen inside the crowded city. Yeah, at first it seemed it had nothing to do with the original but the name.

Additionally, there are more than five G-Team members, their headquarters is nothing like you would expect and the group of people in the team look at first hand like the most unlikely cast of heroes.

They kept some key points like some names, the catchphrase for the transformation, the logo for the G-Team and well, that's pretty much it. The anime could be easily called just Crowds: if you watch carefully, the "Gatchaman" on the title is always smaller than "Crowds" and all official artwork that contains the logo, Crowds always comes first.

Gatchaman Crowds: First Impressions

WHOA! Just wow! I was blown away right through the first two episodes. EVERYTHING about Crowds was over the top and overwhelming for me. Yes, I was very confused, but also in awe. This anime is BOLD in every way and sense of the word. I was so shocked and yet curious, I couldn't make my mind if I was loving or hating it.

Part of me was even more excited than before I started watching it, and another part was maybe a bit disappointed, but I wanted to keep going.

If my initial desire was a taste of the Gatchaman of old, then I was still hungry for it. But after the 3rd or 4th episode, it was clear I wasn't going to get any. At that point, I had to decide to ignore whatever prior expectations were to focus on the experience of watching this show on its own grounds, for what it is and not what I wanted it to be, and that's the best choice I could have ever made.

Gatchaman Crowds: Final Thoughts (a.k.a. Is it any good???)

After a shaky start and some doubts, I absolutely LOVED IT when I finished watching. Gatchaman Crowds it's NOT your typical anime. Sure, there are some stereotypes, but none of them are that blatant. It's no Evangelion (another favorite of mine) by any means, but in my humble opinion it can be as good as. It's more in the likes of Code Geass maybe. Where Evangelion is darker and dense, both Crowd and Geass are a bit lighter - but far from superficial. Overall this is a show that will invite you to think, and that doesn't mean it's boring or over philosophical. Taken in the right context and mood, it can be DEEP.

When I was younger I loved anime, but since entering adult life, I kind of lost interest - name whatever boring reasons or excuses you want. Until Crowds I was a bit bored of the old and same formulas and stereotypes and a little tired of the plethora of new titles to keep up with or the neverending animes with infinite seasons and episodes *KILLMEPLEASE*. So in a way, Crowds was a fresh breath and a warm and bright new light for me.

But what makes Crowds so awesome to me?

Well, it's straight, concise, short. There are only 12 episodes and when it ended I wanted MORE. (Luckily there would be a season two later :P). The art style is gorgeous, and even though at first I wasn't sure about the character design (specially the mechas), I love it now. The soundtrack was composed by Taku Iwasaki, whom I'm a huge fan of. The animation is good and is, in my opinion, a rare case of good use of 3D blended into anime. The story is both interesting and thought provoking. There is a good balance of action and plot/character development. There's a female protagonist that is awesome. Finally, this show is a bold and clear statement that distances itself from the common place of black and white "good vs bad" ideology and from the establishment of what anime should be or do.

So is Crowds a sequel, an updated remake a complete reboot to the Gatchaman franchise or something else? Well, I have to say it could be considered either, all or none. It's hard to describe what Crowds is when considering the Gatchaman name attached to it. Crowds tries to break a lot of conventions, including ones stablished by its predecessor. It is its own thing, and could have done it without relying on the Gatchaman legacy for quality alone. Even though I highly believe that was more a marketing strategy than anything else, I'm very happy Tatsunoko took that path to be honest. I think they saw Crowds as an opportunity to both revive one of their most iconic franchises and to appeal to a younger audience, broadening the reach of the brand Gatchaman while also "updating it", making it relevant again and adjusting it to the reality of the 2010's. And that's the beauty of Crowds: while it strays away from the original in terms of plot, setting and conventions, it manages to reach the core of what made Gatchaman great in the first place: Heroism - the role of heroes, our need and desire for them, what is a hero and what it takes to be one.

So, should you watch it? I'd highly recommend so!

Do you need to watch the other Gatcha stuff to enjoy it? Absolutely not. Actually, if you're younger than I am (I was born in the late 80's, remember?) or if you don't know heck about Gatchaman, don't even bother. Crowds is its own thing.

Some considerations and observations

First and most important of all, if you like anime and haven't watched this one, I really think you should at least give it a try. There are two completed seasons by now and they're both short, but you CAN skip season two if you don't like the first, as there are no major cliffhangers in either.

Gatchaman Crowds was first aired on 2013, but I only discovered it on 2014 and watched in a single run. The second season, Gatchaman Crowds Insight debuted July this year and ended this September. I followed "insight" episode by episode, as it was being simulcast on crunchyroll. With the end of season two came my desire to produce a series of analysis on this great anime that is now one of my top favorites. My next post will be a spoiler-free review for Crowds insight and then I'll start those crazy, crazy analysis and discussions.

So, you are interested and want to watch it? You can do it legally and for free on crunchyroll!
(No, myself, this page or this post aren't sponsored by crunchyroll, ok? =P)