Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
SevensDran
GunxSword (pronounced Gun Sword) is simply a stunning 2000s space western mecha anime about a man out for revenge.
On his wedding day, Van of the Dawn lost the love of his life Elena, and his only memory of the killer is the strange claw where his right hand should be. And thus, that is the journey we follow till the very end.
Aloof and reserved, a real loner, a man whos biggest emotion is anger at anything in relation to The Claw, Van is such a fun protagonist to watch. He really is unpredictable........
...........to the chagrin of Wendy Garret, a young girl who joins him on this journey because her brother was kidnapped by The Claw. Well more like she tags along, because Van doesn't want her around. Hanging off a necklace is her pet turtle Kameo, cause more anime need live animal…
Read at the sourceJoe_Devaney
Overview:
I'm not sure how many people have noticed this, but revenge tends to be viewed very unfavourably in Japan, especially when compared to the West. While people in America tend to favour "retributive justice" as they call it, Japan generally stick to the belief that seeking revenge on those who have wronged you will make you just as bad if not worse than they are. "Gun x Sword", while not innovating in many ways, is one of the few anime that actually favours revenge to an extent, but does it in a way that doesn't come off as being overly-edgy. How does it achieve this? Well, you're about to find out.
Story (7.5/10):
"Gun x Sword" is set on the "Planet of Endless Illusion", a planet very similar to Earth that has been colonised by humanity. Van, an anti-social warrior who is linked…
Read at the sourcetwopence
Gun x Sword is an exercise in futility. I had high expectations for this series. When I learned that the plot centered around the protagonist attempting to avenge his dead wife, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, with each passing episode I felt more and more dread that this series would not live up to my initial expectations. I still had a faint sense of hope that the series would prove me wrong in the second half. My prayers were left unanswered and I am left with a 26 episode waste of time. It is soulless and formulaic in every way. It has no depth. It throws everything possible at the viewer in a vain hope that something will stick. The simplest way to describe it is that on the surface, it is a Trigun ripoff with elements of Cowboy Bebop mixed in and none of their depth. Once you start w…
Read at the sourceVaguelyweebish
Gorou Taniguchi is singlehandedly the most frustrating Director in the entire anime industry. Propelled forward by his directorial debut in the original "One Piece" OVA, a series of small successes (albeit one of them being one of the few Gundam series that was technically canceled due to low ratings) eventually led him to his "Magnum Opus" Code Geass, after which it was all downhill from there as his old fans grew up and realized that a plot twist carries no true meaning without a logical leadup to it or proper payoff. Not to mention people just got tired of angsty, selfish protagonists who somehow always do the "right" thing with the power of all-encompassing vengeance and black-and-white worldviews tailored to be shallow enough for the average tween to comprehend. Add a series of embarr…
Read at the sourcecozyhouse
What a vibe. The ultimate space western, its a shame its popularity is lower because of poor marketing when this show aired and the fact that space westerns are more popular in America than japan.
Its not smooth or perfect but rather has quirks that makes it more enjoyable. its like a home grown tomato that doesn't look the best but tastes better than any factory made tomato you see at a grocery store. Hopefully my comparison made sense but what I'm trying to say is it isn't like all these other shows with generic characters with the same jokes & story.
Without spoiling 2 of the quirks I enjoy so much are
2) The way van gets all the condiments and adds them to the food. Its weird its kind of stupid but I enjoy it
1) the way the legend of the main character will spread and they will give…
Read at the sourceDawnofTheVan
Premise:
a man in a tuxedo is wandering in a desert and is starving to death and complains about not having food. He hears a bell ringing in the distance then looks to see above the hill there is a town off in the distance and he arrives at a church looking for someone to give him some food where a young girl is immediately shot. The men who shot the girl, aimed their weapons at the man in the tuxedo asking for his valuables. Now Tuxedo man defended himself from these criminals and noticed the girl wasn’t dead. The girl aimed her Revolver at Tuxedo man thanking him for his help. He said he wasn’t trying to and introduced himself as Van but then was rudely interrupted from his stomach pains and passed out in front of this girl named Wendy. Which begun a great adventure between the two chas…
Read at the sourceBaroDrinksBeer
This is 100% worth a watch, but you shouldn't follow someone elses word on it, I wouldn't want to drag you down my path.
Anyways besides that here is a more detailed synapses of this show.
I rated the story an 8, simply because the story is simple. The MC is a representation of life moving on with a new age, even tho he isnt one.
I gave the art an 8, because I always liked the art from stuff like Cowboy Bebop, Air Gear, Black Lagoon. Its a very serious art style at the end of the day, it almost as if we imagine the hardships of life to look like this when looking back on it all.
The sound is alright, you know classic to this art style.
Characters were fine, a couple were good. However there are 6 characters that seem out of place, but in the end you realize why they were there.
Read at the source93Noire
OK, after revisiting and re-watching this amazing anime for some years. I can say honestly say, without being bias, that is a underrated, low profile, anime thats needs more recommends. Plot is based on vengeance, dreams and other crazy ideas (so its not boring). I does have a slow start but its picks up quickly. The art style is great. Music is the same. But the MC is the best thing about this show. He`s not weak, doesn`t kill everything in one punch, and has a strong roll in this show (basically things would go to shit if he died). Takanori Hoshino put a lot of effect into Vans Character (you`ll see it later on) it shows in the best scenes. All side characters are well developed. All Antagonist are well made. This anime has a bit of every geners, also in some scenes lewds scenes (that do…
Read at the sourcebmoore07
*******
He appears to be on top of the world. Surrounded by a legion of followers that fervently scream his name and a trio of women that lovingly caress his shoulders, this man seems to be the center of attention, and he’s not only aware of this but he enjoys it as well. This man is Lucky Roulette, the ringleader of a gang known as the “Wild Bunch”. They’re a nasty assortment of thugs, mugging, murdering and inflaming anyone or anything that obstructs their path to riches and renown. The “Wild Bunch” migrate from one town to the next, mercilessly pillaging the inhabitants’ resources before moving to the next locale. Their acts of destruction are all overseen by Lucky, who views each undertaking as an opportunity to assess how much luck he possesses.
“It’s the one thing in God’s domain. N…
Read at the sourceFrozenRoy
Gun x Sword is an anime that is rather different from many of its contemporaries, although it has two obvious comparison points: Trigun and Cowboy Bebop, although I feel the Trigun comparison is somewhat misguided, mostly in that their similiairites are something many anime of its style have anyway, like colorful one shots.
Getting into the show itself, the main character is the tall, dark and lanky Van, who travels the world with a single purpose in mind: To kill the mysterious clawed man who took his wife, Elena, from him on his wedding day. Van isn't exactly your average protagonist, as he is quite apathetic, snarky and not the most sane, with him perfectly willing to let the starter village from the first episode burn since it doesn't concern him at the start. Most of his heroics come…
Read at the sourceBenjaminRogers
Usually when I review an anime a lot of thought goes into every piece of that anime, and the result is a well constructed reasoning on why that anime deserves that rating. Gun Sword seems to be an exception from this system. I really enjoy Gun Sword, it is still one of my favorite animes to this date, and I first saw this anime almost 5 years ago at this point. I've tried and tried to think about why it is such an amazing anime, but something I've noticed is that there is two different types of people when it comes to this anime. There are people who see it as a standard futuristic mech anime that doesn't do anything special, and those that think its the best thing ever and cant explain why.
If you are going to like this anime you will know by episode one, Van is a hilarious character, sim…
Read at the sourceakshayrao
This anime is not good in visuals but the story and action sequence are so good . this story is based on revenge a fight for justice. This story is about Van whose wife is killed by claw . This story is rated as PG - 13 but it contains a adult content . It can be watched after 18 years .
I liked this story but not the visuals
its sound track is also good . I liked only character of van and claw. I think claw should be an epic villian he is calm and quite villian
wendy is worst character I saw in my life . This role is not important in whole story
Read at the sourceorchestralslices
It's been a while since I've seen GunxSword so bear with me. Let me preface this review by saying GunxSword is one of my top five favorite anime of all time, but at the same time the entire anime is somewhat cookie cutter. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why this anime is one of my favorites because usually I detest mechs.
Anyway, the story I gave a 7.
It's really not very unique; badass seeks revenge on man who harmed his woman, and picks up various companions along the way. It's a bit of a rehash of Cowboy Bebop.
The art I gave an 8.
Fairly well done, nothing spectacular and the mechs and fight scenes were fine.
I gave the sound an 8.
I wasn't too fond of the opening as I don't think it really fit the style of the anime, I enjoyed the ending though. The other music was good, nothi…
Read at the sourceBatCountry9000
I have to be honest here: I kinda expected Gun X Sword to be a little different than what it really was. I thought it was going to be a purely-western anime, and that the main character, who is dressed like the typical main character in a western movie, would wield a weapon that functions as both a gun and a sword (this show is called "Gun X Sword", after all). Well, I got the 'dressed like the typical main character in a western movie' part right, but that's about it.
The story is nothing new. The main character's wife was killed, and now he's searching for the bastard responsible, while making some friends and helping others along the way. It's been done before, but that doesn't mean it's bad. In fact, it's actually done really well here. The series takes place on a different planet kno…
Read at the sourceDark_Moon13
This anime is captivating from beginning to end. The main character Van is just sooooo spontaneous you never know what he'll do next. I enjoyed this anime a lot for all of the action and adventures it presents. The character development is also great. When you finish watching you feel as if you've known the characters your whole life and you just don't want it to end. Overall i think it's a great anime from beginning to end. My favorite part was the ending but if you wanna know what happens you have to watch it and find out
Read at the sourceDrdemennto2440
Quentin Tarantino is one strange guy. His cult films are homages to the genre portrayed. Reservoir Dogs was an homage to such mob movies as The Godfather and Scarface. Kill Bill was and homage to the western genre of well... westerns as well as the Eastern Kung-Fu or samurai genre. I bring this up because Gun X Sword is a real cult anime that pays homage to it's genre.
Gun X Sword is a mecha anime revolving around Van and Wendy. Van must find "The Claw" whom killed his wife and Wendy must find her brother. This premise, you would think, is very simple and you know what, you would be right. Much like Tarantino's "Kill Bill" a good old classic revenge story is what this show is. This is a very strait forward show but that is the charm of the show. It's simplicity is very refreshing. There a…
Read at the sourcesakuyabloodwing
I am a big fan of trigun and as soon as I started watching this anime I realized how close the two are if you really pay attention. Van is pretty much a second realm vash and the art style is also very similar.
While not as good as trigun it is a very awesome anime if you are in to fun action and fight scenes that will make you giggle like a school girl. There is a lot of comedy in this show, they even have a full episode near the start of the series that is a power ranger rip off.
This is a show I watched for a while, stopped, picked back up, stopped, and finally picked back up and finished.
I wouldn't say this is a show you can sit down for a day and pass it away. But this an anime I would say you can watch in between other things for fun.
Read at the sourceMouse2010
Overall: This series is a clever pastiche of different genres (Western, sci fi, mecha) which manages to bind together elements of drama, comedy, heroic adventure, and just a hint of potential romance with a distinctive style. I highly recommend it, but I recognize that the distinctive style/atmosphere of the show won't suit everyone's tastes.
Story: As many other reviewers have pointed out, Gun x Sword isn't particularly innovative when it comes to story. It's a revenge drama, and it borrows elements from a long tradition of such revenge dramas. As the series progresses, however, the plot becomes increasingly complicated. Van's simple quest for revenge becomes intertwined with a crusade to save the world (from what? I can't say; that would be a spoiler). The pacing of the series is a bit…
Read at the sourcealchemistnarutoZ
An usual plot gains a certain amount of specialness.
Story - 5/10
The usual stuff. There isn't anything new here. I don't even know what to comment about it. The main character, Van, is in a quest searching for a man with a claw, who killed his bride. As soon as he get to this claw man, he will kill him. Van is driven by vengeance. And at each episode, there is a mini story involving a mecha fight to save the town where Van is, and to get information about the one he seeks. And i can't forget, at the first episode, a girl named Wendy starts following him, in search for her brother, that was kidnapped by the Claw. As time passes, they encounter various characters and armors - the robots - , and the plan of the Claw starts to be uncovered. All the story is set in a planet called the Illusio…
Read at the sourceDekion
This anime really surprised me. I found it via Netflix. Van, the main character is seeking revenge on the guy (known as the Claw) who murdered his fiancee on their wedding day. Along his journey, he meets many others who are travelling with him for their own purpose. Wendy, the "heroine" of the story had her brother "kidnapped" by the Claw.
The first half of this anime appeared to be episodic. However, I loved how this anime tied each episode together. From the different names that were added to Van, to the way this anime referred back to previous episode. The amount of detail this anime had really surprised me.
What made me really enjoy this anime, wasn't the overall story. It was the supporting cast. In face, I really didn't even like Van. His character was rather dull for me. I enjoy…
Read at the source
