Gilgamesh Vol. 1: Orphans of the Apocalypse 2003 - 2004 ADV Films Official US Website Buy It Now Official Japanese Website

I've watched a lot of anime over the year, especially over the past three years or so, and there are certain levels that are to be found. There are series that are simply fun, without too much thought behind them and they serve to simply be entertaining. There are also series that are complex with twists and turns in each episode and a very colorful and vast amount of not only characters, but also terminology, making for some fantastic storytelling. Perfect examples of these would include Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon, Texhnoloyze and a number of other series. These are the series where missing an episode can make things a bit complex and difficult to catch up on, and now ADV has yet another intriguing series that is guaranteed to keep you watching and guessing.

Gilgamesh, named after the legendary hero of ancient mythology, takes us into a future world of grim proportions. In the middle of the century, a terrible event happened; a terrorist attack unleashed a wave of destruction that disrupted all computers across the planet and turned the sky into the equivalent of a mirror and known now as the Sheltering Sky. With the fall of most technology, civilization became overrun with war, plague, and famine. Many years have passed since that incident, and things have hit a point of semi-stability.

Kiyoko Madoka and her brother Tatsuya are the children of the man responsible for the terrorist attack who adopted the name Enkidu. Their past is the least of their concerns however as the present is biggest issue. They have incurred a rather large debt due to their mother's illness and the lenders, who happen to be the Yakuza, have come to collect. The two soon find themselves in the "protective" hands of members of Gilgamesh, a group who still believes in Enkidu's ideals and claims that he is alive and well. They soon see the terrible mutations that these people are capable of and instead wind up with Ogra, a group of young people who also have incredible powers. Under the leadership of the wealthy Countess Werdenberg, Kiyoko and Tatsuya are asked to side with them, but it seems that no one may be telling them the truth.

Gilgamesh at first is a rather difficult series to get into, and quite slow moving, but keep in mind that like many other things, anime and otherwise, this is simply a means to bring the story into full perspective. Gilgamesh is also colored with a rather interesting amount of terminology derived from different sources. The initial group that Kiyoko and Tatsuya meet is none other than Gilgamesh, comprised by young people who have something of a cult-like persona. They all dress in black clothing adorned with an intricate symbol and their abilities include being able to transform into horrible monsters, something we later learn is a composition of anti-matter and shouldn't exist in the world. According to them, Enkidu, their father (and a name also found in the story of Gilgamesh) is waiting to see them, but they simply don't trust these newcomers.

The opposing faction, Orga, seems a little more down to Earth, at least when it comes to the younger members. The Countess on the other hand is a different story, and it seems that she will do anything to accomplish her goal. At this point, what the objective really is happens to be something of a mystery. She's made claims, but we all know that these are more than likely anything but the truth. The children of the group all have fantastic powers brought about by what is known as Dynamis and Tatsuya has the same ability though it hasn't fully come into being.

The first five episodes spend a good deal of time trying to give a little more information on the characters and the future setting. The premise of civilization meeting a grand downfall due to electronic failure isn't a new one, and most will recall the paranoia that surrounding the coming of the new millennium. There were literally fanatics that had hidden themselves away, convinced that when the clock struck midnight, the world would drastically change. Now the next belief is that this will occur when the Mayan calendar ends, a event that is scheduled for Christmas Eve of 2012. Some might think that the world stopping if computers were rendered useless is a far-fetched premise, but it really isn't if you think about it. You bank account is tied into a computer; almost every car has some for of computer in it, and for the most part, almost everything that we rely on today has some form of computer residing in it to make it run. If technology of this sort were made useless, in many cases it would be the end of civilization as we know it. Interestingly enough, while much of the world of Gilgamesh seems to be without power, there are areas that do seem to have access. My assumption here would be generators, but those would still run on gas unless someone has designed a way to use solar power, but as of yet, this hasn't been addressed.

With Gilgamesh containing two warring groups, one who is trying to destroy the world and the other trying to possibly save it (and there isn't even a hint yet at which is which) it is a similar theme seen in a number of things. For anime, the series that immediately came to mind was X: The TV Series, though in this case we have a world that has already collapsed. Children with special powers and mutations are also a familiar premise, and the list of things that can be tied to it is quite lengthy. However, again trying to pull from anime, E's Otherwise has some common threads with Gilgamesh in this regard. However, Gilgamesh really comes down to the main plot being Kiyoko and Tatsuya being played, and at this point, it seems to be coming from both sides. I'm feeling an X-Files type of vibe coming on with Gilgamesh; don't trust anyone.

As with many newer anime series, you will find that Gilgamesh takes the liberty of using a moderate amount of computer animation, but not enough to make the series an eye sore. A few effects are done in this fashion, but I do appreciate the fact that things like smoke for example are done in the classic animation style instead of using CG. The character designs fall somewhere between what was seen in RahXephon or Aquarian Age, and more and more anime tends to being moving away from big eyes and spiked hair and instead has a more human and real quality to it. The backgrounds in Gilgamesh however are the real attractive part of the series. Without a doubt, there was a lot of time spent getting these just right and there is something of a photo quality to them.

I was really hoping that given the nature of the series that ADV was going to throw fans a bone with the additional material, but instead it's just the garden-variety inclusions that have become common. There are clean version of both the opening and closing animations, and quite honestly I found neither of these to be impressive, and I find myself snickering with the ending song as it sounds off key at the start. It's not, but that's just how it sounds to me. There is a collection of production art and sketches that will allow you to see the detail in many of the locations, and you will find character sketches and art as well. The DVD insert has a mini-glossary of terms that you will hear used in the series and reading this should give you a better understanding of some of these, though there are some spoilers.

Gilgamesh is off to a rather slow start, but I'm expecting to see some rather interesting twists and turns as it progresses. The packaging itself gives the hype that you will be switching sides with each episode, but at this point, I've decided to really side with no one. The series is just barely getting started and we still haven't been given enough information concerning who is really trying to do what. Gilgamesh isn't necessarily a series for those that want action immediately, but if you're looking for a series that is going to keep you trying to second guess what's going on, this is it.

Episode 1 - le Prelude

Kiyoko and her brother Tatsuya have big problems. The yakuza is after them for some money they owe, and if they aren't paid, Kiyoko's body will belong to them while her brother will become an organ donor. An old dark house may provide some safety from them and the rain, but what they find inside is rather bizarre.

Episode 2 - Grafin Werdenberg

Tatsuya and Kiyoko might be thankful to those that saved them from the Yakuza, but now they have found themselves caught in the middle of a war as another group has shown up at the house. While watching from afar, the pair witnesses the horrible transformation their saviors are capable of. They soon find themselves in the car of the rival group and on their way to meet the Countess.

Episode 3 - Children of a Lesser God

The Countess has asked Kiyoko and Tatsuya to stay for dinner, something they aren't pleased about but go along with her wishes. They find that she wants them to join in her fight against Gilgamesh, the group they met before, but they flatly refuse only to soon find themselves caught in the middle of yet another conflict.

Episode 4 - Hotel Providence

Now that the Countess has bought the contract in regards to the Madoka family's debt, they belong to her, or so she claims. However, the Hotel that serves as Orga's base of operations doesn't seem so bad, at least not until the piece of one of the Gilgamesh members begins to cause some problems.

Episode 5 - Dynamis

Tatsuya and Kiyoko are beginning to adjust to their new life at the hotel, but they still have many questions. Tatsuya wants to understand more about Dynamis, the power that the children here seems to have and the same on that he seems to be developing.
 

-mike-
 

Genre: Science Fiction Series Directors: Masahiko Murata   Directed by: Episode 1 - Masahiko Murata Episode 2 - Sakura Namina Episode 3 - Hideki Hiroshima Episode 4 - Mamoru Enomoto Episode 5 - Takashi Shichijohji   Written by: Episode 1 - 4 - Akio Satsukawa Episode 5 - Shinsuke Ohnishi   Voice Cast: Daisuke Namikawa (Tatsuya Madoka) Chie Nakamura (Kiyoko Madoka) Mitsuki Saiga (Countess Werdenberg) Kentaro Ito (Isamu Fujisaki) Sanae Kobayashi (Fuko Omuro) Kouki Miyata (Toru Tsukioka) Shigeru Shibuya (Novem) Akiko Kimura (Uno) Makoto Homura (Sex) Takashi Mito (Octo)

DVD Features: Dual Language Japanese/English English subtitles Clean Opening Animation Clean Closing Animation Character Sketches/Art Background Sketches/Art Contains Episodes 1 - 5