If you are like me, you’ve always wanted to have an anime version of Ghostbusters. Uniforms that resemble something a paramedic might wear, crazy weapons, and relatively creepy enemies--these are some of the things I love about Ghostbusters. Ga-Rei-Zero does have the three things I mentioned above, but that doesn’t make it Ghostbusters
However, Ga-Rei-Zero is essentially Ghostbusters, but on complete opposite ends of the spectrum; east vs. west. It’s dark, emotional, and over-the-top. There’s a big guy who flies a helicopter, a peppy little girl who runs the show, and a main character who wants revenge. This is the complete opposite of Ghostbusters, a comedy that doesn’t have a shred of emo within its slimy exterior. But what it does have its fair share of stereotypes as well, like the smart guy with glasses, the black sidekick, and the never-serious womanizer. What I’m trying to say is that this might not be Ghostbusters the anime, but it’s the closest thing we got.
Check out my review of the first episode after the jump.
The basic story of Ga-Rei-Zero is that there is a government agency that defends the world (Japan) against small ghosts and bigger ghosts. They use special weapons, but more specifically special bullets to fight these ghosts. The weapons might seem generic, but my otaku sense is telling me that more fantastic weaponry is on its way. Honestly, this sounds like any other generic team of people killing ghosts anime that have been present in practically every season since anime was created.
What saved this anime from that generic hell was the last five minutes of the show; one of those “WTF!” moments I dare not to ruin for those of you who haven’t seen it. If a show can surprise me to that extent, then I can assume the rest of the show will be filled with these show-changing events. I can also might be wrong, but we won’t know until we watch a few more episodes.
Other than that, the visuals fluctuate somewhere in-between awesome and average; sometimes its hard to judge when everything is so dark, like it is in this show. The music on the other hand is very upbeat and joins in at all the right times; no complaints here.
I need to watch the next episode, there’s no way around it. Only then will I decide if it’s worth my time to continue watching this series. It has action, emotion, giant monsters that rip people apart, and “A” rated ghosts that slice people up with swords; those people who love that sort of stuff should give this a shot.
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