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| 3. Iodine
 
Shorter, darker, and far more successful than the lightweight
original, GateKeepers 21 is a sequel OAV to GONZO's GateKeepers
series. Taking place in the present day, barely any mention of the original
team is made, but several of the old characters play important roles simply due
to their absence. Our central heroine is a bespectacled girl named Ayame, a near-perfect
copy of the first series' pessimistic Megumi. Ayame is one of only five GateKeepers
in the new OAV, who fight against the renewed threat of the menacing Invaders.
Though new technology signals the change in the times, the well-structured AEGIS
organization is gone, replaced by a single, shadowy figure of dubious intent.
The story is much more serious and focused here, spending much of its time on
the causes and consequences of Ayame's negative behavior as the crises and battles
escalate. The goofy humor and fluffy love-comedy antics of the original have been
replaced with grimmer explorations of the origins and ambitions of the Invaders.
For anyone who wished that GateKeepers had more depth and substance, this
is what you've been waiting for. Animation is top-notch
and the graphics are as flashy as ever, but the atmosphere is much colder and
more unfriendly. The music follows suit, though there are a few familiar themes
that brighten things up now and then. There are weaknesses in the writing that
can't be ignored, not the least of which is that the story depends greatly on
knowledge of the original in order to be effective, and has several expository
gaps. Also, with only six episodes, several major characters are regrettably shortchanged.
The show does, however, do very well in the portrayal of Ayame, whose curiously
bitter personality is an interesting change from those of the usual supercute
preteen heroines. Though a sequel, the OAV works fine by itself, and is over much
too quickly. |
| 2. h8er13
The only reason that this anime gets a somewhat "ok"
rating is because the animation is very nice. Gatekeepers 21 is the sequel
to Gatekeepers and it is set a few decades after its predecessor. I didn't
like the first one all that much to begin with, but I still enjoyed it more than
this one. I suppose the biggest problem is that the characters are not very creative
and it's not much fun watching them do whatever they are supposed to do. I know
it's a short series but I wish more development of the characters could have been
done. I also wish that there was a stronger connection between Gatekeepers
and Gatekeepers 21, or that it was at least presented more apparent. I
would only suggest watching this series if you have already seen the original
Gatekeepers. |
| 1. SAGO 
The Gatekeepers series continues with a 6 part OAV series.
Gatekeepers 21 is set in Present day Tokyo. The heroine of the series, Isuzu
Ayane is a Gatekeeper with a high knowledge of the Virtual Gate along with Manazuru
Miu, a friendly, clumsy girl with the Jump Gate take on the Invaders that is causing
trouble in Tokyo once again. This time the odds are stacked against the Gatekeepers. Gatekeepers
21 has great visuals, easily surpassing most newish anime releases out there.
It still has the old character designs of the original. The storyline is top notch.
The characters are cliche as usual and headed by the anti-social Isuzu Ayane. For
the intro music, the first three episodes have the laid back theme that some people
may dislike. Personally, I felt that it is perfect for the series especially for
a jaded anime fan. Not to worry, the last three episodes has the traditional energetic
anime theme song that we have all become accustomed with. The
first thing I noticed with this OAV is that it is unlike its predecessor; Gatekeepers.
GK21 is a dark series with almost zero humor as opposed to the light-hearted
TV-Series. I think that this is a good thing that fully realizes the potential
of this Invader idea. With only 6 episodes, Gonzo did a good job continuing
the series. Whether or not you're a Gatekeepers
fan, I highly recommend that you watch this OAV series. It would shed light on
the many questions about the Gate, the Invaders, and the future of 10% of the
original Gatekeepers characters. |
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