Gyt again, and I finally got around to borrowing this title from my friend Alc, although I wasn't sure what to expect at first. In the end though, I was left quite impressed by this title, given the amount of distaste Speed Grapher seems to be held in by a lot of fans out there.Let me start off by saying that this show is NOT for the kiddies. Violence, gore, extreme cursing, near-miss nudity, and lot of uncomfortable situations await the viewer of this show. With that said, it's no wonder the show was picked for airing on IFC. ^_^;
Speed Grapher chronicles the adventures Tatsumi Saiga, as he tries to get young Kagura Tennouzou away to safety. It all starts off with Saiga, disappointed with the life of a media photographer and longing for the days of war journalism, gets an assignment to look into a secret underground club in Tokyo. He manages to infiltrate the club, only to find the kind of twisted things that are best left to nightmares.
A ceremony is being held in the club that night, where a lucky member will have his deepest, darkest wish brought to reality. Kagura as 'The Goddess on High' is dropped down from the ceiling, and her kiss will awaken those latent desires. Unfortunately, Saiga is caught photographing her, interrupting the ceremony. He is ordered to be killed by the club's leader and founder, Suitengu, but before that happens, Kagura kisses him, awakening his innermost desire and power. Now, Saiga's camera blows people apart instead of taking their pictures, and that (along with his desire to free Kagura from the life she's been living) makes him target number one for Suitengu's band of freaks.
The series basically follows a 'Freak of the Week' formula earlier in the series, and even features a re-cap episode before it's all said and done, so early on it's not all that impressive, beyond showcasing things I never thought I'd see in an anime. For me, the re-cap episode, while amusingly done, was a bit much - you don't need a re-cap when you're only 16 episodes in in my opinion. However, I still enjoyed this show none-the-less, if for no reason other than Suitengu. About half-way through the show, you start to learn about the past of the primary villain, and after seeing it, it's hard to REALLY call him an evil person. Yes, he does evil things throughout the series, but his reasoning is very believable given his past.
Other than the 'trying to hard to be adult' comment I've heard many people make, the other chief complaint I hear a lot is that the art is less than stellar. I'm no art expert, my drawing ability is barely enough to get ideas across, but I just don't see it. It's definitely no Bleach, which has some of the most beautiful art I've ever seen, but it still is wonderfully executed, at least in my opinion.So now that the initial excitement over watching this series has passed, I can pass judgment on it fairly. In the end, I found that I quite liked this show. It's definitely not for everyone though - if you are easily offended by sexual things and intense violence, you'd best stay as far away from this one as you can. However, if you're into that kind of stuff, than this show is a must-see. I'm not bothered by the stuff, but it's not what I go looking for as a title I want to see, what attracts me is a good, engaging story, and Speed Grapher definitely has that. So, in the end, I'd have to give Speed Grapher a 6 out of 10 - It's not something you'll find me ranting and raving on years down the line, but I enjoyed it, and you might to. If you find the boxset cheap or for rent, go for it, or watch it on IFC. You probably won't be disappointed.