Generator Gawl

Generator Gawl - Human Heart Metal Soul (Vol. 1)

While a furious storm rages, three young men materialize in Tokyo in 2007: friendly, blond Ryo; aloof, serious Koji; and irrepressible, offbeat Gawl. They've been sent from the future to prevent genetic biologist Takuma Nakasa from making the discoveries that will lead to the creation of metamorphic humanoid "Generators." Posing as students at the prestigious Oju Academy, the trio take a room in the home of abrasive fellow student Masami. Ryo and Koji try to maintain low profiles, but Gawl invariably sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. Masami decides to play Nancy Drew and discover the secrets of the attractive but reclusive new students. She mistakenly identifies Gawl as a local stalker but continues to pick on him, even after she's proven wrong. Someone from the future has already staked out the Academy and is protecting Nakasa with Generators, human-seeming creatures who transform into bizarre monsters. Gawl, who is also a Generator, must destroy these monsters--and hide the fights and their aftereffects from Masami's prying eyes. Director Seiji Mizushima makes the trio's mission seem crucial without revealing too much about it, and the result is an entertaining, fast-paced, and suspenseful series that should enjoy an enthusiastic audience in America. Contains these episodes: 1. "The Visitors," 2. "Flowers and Girls," 3. "Curiosity." Unrated; suitable for ages 10 and up; occasional risqué humor and some violence, restricted to monster versus monster. --Charles Solomon

Generator Gawl - Future Memory (Vol. 2)

Overcome with guilt about his involvement in generator creation, Ryo breaks rank and confronts Professor Nekasa in order to stop the discovery that led to Gawl's transformation and the future calamity. Though Koji and Gawl are unaware of his plan, the mysterious (and dangerous) Ryuko Saito is more than alert to Ryo's intentions. And as Ryuko intimidates Ryo and wickedly toys with Koji, advanced and more powerful generators from the future come back for Gawl. Their bolder, increasingly vicious attacks begin to weaken Gawl - and come dangerously close to the young girl Gawl has befriended.

Generator Gawl - Perfect Collection

Entertaining, fast paced, and suspenseful, Generator Gawl combines elements of Evangelion and the Terminator movies with a brash good humor all its own. During a furious storm, three young men materialize in Tokyo in 2007: friendly, blond Ryo; aloof, intelligent Koji; and offbeat, irrepressible Gawl. They've come from the future to prevent biologist Takuma Nakasa from making the discoveries that will enable scientists to turn humans into metamorphic "Generators." Posing as students at prestigious Oju Academy, the trio take a room in the home of fellow student Masami. The eternally curious Masami drags her gentle friend Natsume into her investigation of the attractive lodgers. But they don't want to be investigated: they need to keep anyone from learning Gawl is a Generator who transforms into a fantastic monster to destroy the creatures protecting Nakasa. Director Seiji Mizushima skillfully balances the comic arguments between Gawl and Masami with philosophical discussions and hard-hitting action sequences. Koji, Ryo, Masami, and Gawl are ultimately pitted against the megalomaniacal Ryuko Saito in a conflict that determines the fate of humanity. The filmmakers never really resolve the paradoxes inherent in characters from the future attempting to change the past, but they make the story so engaging, it seems churlish to cavil over mere problems of logic and physics. Voice actors Monica Rial (Natsume) and Vic Mignogna (Gawl) offer exceptional performances, taking their characters from farce to tragedy in believable arcs. Unrated; suitable for ages 12 and up: Brief nudity, minor profanity, grotesque imagery, risqué humor, violence. --Charles Solomon

In October 2007, Professor Takuma Nekasa uncovers a gene code that will unlock our body's greatest mystery and expose mankind to its greatest threat. So Gawl, Koji, and Ryo - three young scientists from the future - must travel back in time to correct this mistake from the past. The catch? They have only three months to save the world from the mysterious and cunning Ryuko Saito and her Generators, unearthly assassins posing as humans. As Ryo and Koji try to complete their mission, Gawl must become like his enemies to fight on their terms. And it may cost him his humanity. A thermonuclear fusion of action, comedy, and mystery, Generator Gawl draws you into its web of intrigue with eye-catching art, startling plot turns, and compelling characters. ADV Films' release of the Generator Gawl Perfect Collection contains the entire twelve episode series on four discs in the English language, as well as the Japanese language with English subtitles. DVD extras include character sketches and ADV previews. Generator Gawl was created by the writing and directing team of Seiji Mizushima and Hidefumi Kimura (Dai-Guard), and produced by Tatsunoko Productions (Battle of the Planets).

Generator Gawl - Secrets and Lies (Vol. 3)

As the title suggests, all the characters in this excellent sci-fi series are concealing something: the three adventurers from the future, the mysterious biologist Takuma Nakasa, the deadly Ryuko Saito--even the innocent Natsume may not be all that she seems. Many of these secrets are revealed in the linked flashbacks of "Future Tense." Ryo and Koji are not innocent students, but scientists who were deeply involved in the research that transformed Gawl into a Generator, a human capable of metamorphosing into a fantastic monster. When Ryo inadvertently discovered that evil secrets underlay the research program and their entire society, the trio left 2145 for the near future (2007), hoping to stop the experiments that produced those evils. They haven't had much luck: Gawl may be an exceptionally powerful Generator, but Saito's monsters are taxing even his strength, perhaps fatally. Not realizing that the future of humanity is at stake, Masami plays Nancy Drew and complicates matters further. Many anime adventures have dealt with the paradoxes posed by altering the past to prevent an undesirable future, but few have done so as deftly as Gawl. Director Seiji Mizushima continues to build suspense through each episode, balancing the comic attraction between Gawl and Masami with hard-hitting action sequences. Unrated; suitable for ages 10 and up; occasional risqué humor and some violence, restricted to monster versus monster. --Charles Solomon

Generator Gawl - Out of Time (Vol. 4)

This engaging comedy-adventure builds to a surprisingly complex and satisfying climax in its final episodes. Koji, Ryo, Masami, and Gawl are pitted against the megalomaniacal Ryuko Saito in a conflict that will determine the fate of humanity. As the resolution nears, the generator-monsters grow increasingly bizarre and Gawl's battles with them increasingly violent. The filmmakers never really resolve the paradoxes of a plot involving characters from the future attempting to change the past, but they make the story so entertaining, it seems churlish to cavil over mere logic and physics. Voice actors Monica Rial (Natsume) and Vic Mignogna (Gawl) offer exceptional performances, taking their characters from farce to tragedy in believable arcs. With any luck, the artists at Tatsunoko Pro will chronicle the further exploits of the irrepressible Gawl and his friends. Unrated; suitable for ages 10 and up; brief nudity, minor profanity, grotesque imagery, monster-versus-monster violence. --Charles Solomon

As time runs out for Gawl and his friends, Kanae offers a shocking revelation that could prove integral to their mission's success. However, Kanae's covert disclosure is nothing compared to the powerful-and dangerous-secret the evil Professor Ryuko Saito has in store for them! Now, as armies of evil generators from the future converge in the present, Gawl is forced to generate into a powerful, rage-fueled new form to battle a vicious apparition that could destroy himself, his friends, and his world. After three suspenseful previous installments, the fate of the world now lies in the hands of 3 brave young men from the future who have journeyed back to the past to save the world from the apocalyptic nightmare that is preparing to be unleashed upon it in the final volume of Generator Gawl!