Anime Review: Gangsta.

When I say there's an anime called Gangsta. people probably assume that N.W.A. has an anime series too. Well that isn't the case. Gangsta. is an anime also known as Gyangusuta, in some circles. If those circles are made up of native English speakers, don't hang out in their circle. There's something wrong with them. The anime was produced by the now defunct Manglobe, which also created Samurai Champloo. The series is based on the manga of the same name by Kohske and appears in monthly in the @Bunch magazine.

The plot mainly follows Worick Arcangelo and Nicolas Brown, two men known around town simply as the "Handymen." They complete various task for people of the city including the police, the mob, doctors and old women. The entire service attempts to play neutral despite both having former ties to the one of the mob families in the city.

The story is an interesting. Nicolas is a twilight. A race of humans that were mutated due to drugs used during a war. Twilights have superhuman strength and durability. They're ranked by level of strength. While Nicolas is one of the highest ranked in the city it is revealed that this is only because he overdoses on the drug Celeber which all Twilights need to live. Then there are just super humans. These are humans who have the ability to match a twilight but live a full life and have no use for drugs. Then there are simply regular humans however some such as Worick are able to hone their skills after years of practice. The way the different races live among each other is one of the most interesting plot points. Just a few years prior to the story's start twilights were considered to be property and even at this point they still need a handler in most situations. There are still areas that won't let them in. Most of this is based on prejudice, fear of twilights without actually meeting them.

In addition there's also the mob families that are forced to work together while actively trying to overthrow each other. Then you add in the police who actively play favorites when it comes to the mob, choosing to turn away from crimes committed by some families. This can be due to the fact that two of the families actually do have noble causes in mind.

Lost in all this is the fact that Worick and Nicolas also take in Alex. Alex is a former prostitute that Nicolas felt pity for and Worick related to, because he's also a prostitute. However Alex wishes to leave behind the life forever and Worick enjoys it as a fast way to make money, despite only doing it a few times a month. Alex however is haunted by hallucinations as she attempts to recover from drugs her pimp gave her.

Meanwhile the city is under attack by people who wish to kill all of the twilights. There seems to be no end to any problems faced. Not just by the main protagonist but other characters in the show as well. One thing the show does well is build up side characters really well in a short period of time. Characters like Doug appear in 3 episodes and become fan favorites. While characters like Police Chief Chad Adkins and Mob Boss Daniel Monroe have some kind of relationship and are forced to work together and hold some kind of mutual respect. Meanwhile someone who rarely speaks like Delico is tied into major plot points based on his background. Then you have Marco Adriano who used to hunt twilights but works for Loretta Christiano who has a pro-twilight position.

The animation is done similarly to Samurai Champloo with a few differences. The color pallet for the Gangsta. is much darker. It matches the story well. During upswings in the story lighting is used to ease the mood. The anime uses far away shots from above during some talking scenes to save time and skip animating mouths. However it really shines in fight scenes. One thing about the anime that stands out is characters actually change clothes. It's nothing huge but in some anime, characters just don't change clothes. Something as small as changing clothes from episode to episode helps to really make it seem as if time is passing. That feeling is really important in this anime because a lot of things tie into the past. It's good to feel like things are actually moving and not stuck in one moment of time.

Overall it's a great anime. The biggest problem is that it ended on a cliff hanger. This wouldn't be a big problem but Manglobe went out of business. Luckily the anime is a faithful adaptation of the manga so you'll be able to pick up the manga and be up to speed. If you've got the time, it's something you'll want to check out. However I will admit there are a few scenes that aren't for those with weak stomachs or hearts.

You can hear Darrell on the CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts. He also plays classic arcade games on The Cabinet
Follow @OriginalKingD