[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Speed Grapher episodes 5-8
The opening instalment of Speed Grapher was interesting in concept and looked pleasant enough but the plot was muddled to say the least. Now that the introductions to the main players have been made the second outing is able to advance the plot a little so it shows much more promise.
The last time we caught up with Saiga and Kagura they were on the run from her family’s henchmen (including our buddy the sniffer-bishie) and in the opening episode here we see them seeking refuge in a strange nightclub. Obviously, if you happen to think a bunch of cross-dressing men passing themselves off as caberet dancers isn’t strange you might not have given it a second thought…anyway, such an unlikely spot seems to be the perfect place to lie low while Saiga works out what to do next. At their insistence Kagura takes to the stage to perform a song of her own - it doesn’t serve any purpose to the story (nor does it exactly consitute ‘lying low’ either) but it is a stunning rendition of a classic song that does Kagura’s VAs credit in both dubs. Unfortunately the pursuers still manage to track Saiga and Kagura down with Madame Kogenai, another Euphoric, in tow.
This is where the show seems to fall into a ‘monster of the week’ format in which Saiga, after taking out the rubbery ballet dancer in the first volume, has to contend with two more successive Euphorics whose individual powers test his inventiveness and courage. To be fair, each encounter is suitably exhilerating and you can almost forget about the series’ shortcomings in terms of animation quality. Madame Kogenai has something of an expensive means to acheive her ‘euphoric’ status, although it does highlight the sometimes tragic ways in which the Euphorics can become the monsters that they are - sadly this depth is not extended to the next one, who can be best described as the Dentist from Hell! These details do not exactly justify their actions of course but they give some background and reasoning behind them. The fight scenes expand on the ‘killer camera’ theme with the surprising ways in which Saiga uses his strengths and the features of his camera, such as different lenses to increase the range or distance of the damage he can inflict on his adversaries.
The most interesting aspect of this disc for me though was the exploration of Saiga’s character and some details concerning Kagura’s own remarkable abilities. The latter promisess some hard-hitting and tragic stuff in the next volume while the former paints Saiga as less of a mercenary and more of a good, honest man struggling to find his place in an increasingly corrupt and dishonest world. At the same time there are some developments on the side of Suitengu and the Club, which all makes for a satisfactory continuation to the story. Needless to say I have the third disc ordered already!
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