Generator Gawl

—by Eric "Scanner" Luce

One common genre of anime is the person-who-transforms-into-a-super-being/monster. Frequently this ability does not come from choice either so, right off, we have a formula that provides us action, suspense, and even some angst. Add in some mystery and a love interest and you have a story ready to sell. Well, except that this formula has been done to death in the past 20 years or more. What makes GENERATOR GAWL worth watching if you have seen that already? Ordinarily, not much, but this series may surprise you. The attraction is in how the directors have broken up the characters and their roles as well as the setting itself. Plot threads were established early and in such a way that makes one want to watch more. Towards the end of the series it gets nothing less than intense because of the involvement you feel towards the characters.
After the catchy opening animation, GAWL begins with Masami in her room playing a video game as the weather report plays on the TV. Her mother interrupts her game playing to get her to see to the guest room that they are going to rent out. Outside the wind is blowing very strongly and Masami sees a strange light in the distance followed by a stroke of lightning. Elsewhere in the city two people also see the lightning and comment that it is beginning.
The next morning as Masami is getting ready to go to school, her mother asks her to help around at the house after she is done with her part-time job. Masami objects, since she may have something to do with her friend, Natsume. As Masami rushes off she passes Kouji, Ryou, and Gawl, all dressed in unusual costumes. Ryou sees Masami and comments "That must be a girl." Gawl does not really care about girls but complains continuously of hunger. However he is easily distracted by seeing a stream full of clear water! Gawl quickly finds out where the nearest station would be making one old lady think that he is a foreigner. Kouji cautions Gawl not to attract the police. As the trio wanders through the city Kouji observes from a newspaper that it is September of the year 2007. They only have three months instead of a year.
As Ryou taps into a computer network, Gawl wanders off and ends up drooling in the window of a fast-food restaurant. Inside Masami, who works there, notices Gawl and accuses him of being a pervert. Gawl and Masami immediately hit it off (ie: hate each others guts) and this is not improved by Masami summoning the police to arrest this pervert.
Things only look like they are going to get worse for the trio as the manufactured identities and the place that Ryou has rented for them over the network to stay ends up being at Masami's home.
During this whole escapade there are flashbacks to their last battle as they fled some monstrosity only to finally rely upon Gawl changing into his generator-form in order to defeat the beast. For some reason Ryou seems to really want Gawl not to transform, as if there were some danger in doing so.
The viewer can see the setup immediately—Gawl and Masami as romantic interest. Gawl, Ryou, and Kouji having traveled in to the past to accomplish something and now they have only three months instead of the expected one year. We have people already in this present who know they are there as well. Where did they come from that makes them think the sight of a girl, clean water, or a room full of flowers is unusual? What are they trying to prevent? Why is Ryou so worried and troubled? Why does Ryou worry even more when Gawl uses his ability?
The animation itself is decent but overall on average with what one would expect from a TV series. Some of the action sequences are very well animated. The viewer gets a real feeling of tension in battle. Luckily, even though the apparent frame rate varies a lot based on the scene the details are not dropped. Where characters are placed, whether they have a smirk, a scowl, or a timid smile are all important and you get a good feeling for place and person. The character designs are simple, yet not plain. Thankfully, each character is distinct enough as to be easily identified no matter the lightning or situation.
Although GENERATOR GAWL is not the best title on television in Japan, it is definitely a contender. It is also better than many shows in its genre. GAWL is worth watching for a couple of episodes to see if you can become entangled in the lives of these strangers.

6 volumes, each volume 50 minutes
LD Vol. 1 - JVLA58035, VCT S-1 - VVAS1075 Available Now
LD Vol. 2 - JVLA58036, VCT S-2 - VVAS1076 Available Now
LD Vol. 3 - JVLA58037, VCT S-3 - VVAS1077 Available Now
LD Vol. 4 - JVLA58038, VCT S-4 - VVAS1078 Available 4/7/99
LD Vol. 5 - JVLA58039, VCT S-5 - VVAS1079 Available 5/1/99
LD Vol. 6 - JVLA58040, VCT S-6 - VVAS1080 Available June 1999
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