Armed with a metal sash that straightens into a sword, lanky swordsman Van is traveling through the desert, searching for the mysterious clawed man who killed his bride. Along the way he picks up a fellow traveler: Wendy, a young girl whose town he saves from bandits by summoning a mecha with his sword. Wendy is searching for her missing older brother, whose engraved gun she carries on her back. In their mutual quest they run afoul of more bandits and villains, a mysterious woman named Carmen99, and more mecha battles a la Wild West.
Characters
[edit] Protagonists
Voiced by: Takanori Hoshino (Japanese), David Vincent (actor) (English)
- A tall, lanky wanderer of few words clad in a dark swallowtail suit. Most who pass him by seem to think he's half-asleep, as his speech is slow, laconic, and unhurried. However, when hearing news referring to the clawed man, his disposition shifts to extreme anger. He acquires many titles throughout his travels. The plot is based on the movie Kill Bill. Van's bride was killed on his wedding and the main villain looks very similar to Bill.
- Van has been compared to both Vash the Stampede and Spike Spiegel. His outfit is similar to Vincent Volaju the villain in Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. While his hat shares similarities to the one worn by Jubei in Ninja Scroll. Both hats have a cut in the middle.
Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)
- Van's first traveling companion who joins him in episode 1 in search of her missing brother Michael, after he saves her town from bandits. Although somewhat naive she is compassionate and determined, often wanting to assist those they meet in contrast to Van's 'leave everyone to him/herself'.
- She carries her Brother's gun which she retrieved from some townspeople after his kidnapping. It only contains one bullet.
Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (English)
- A mysterious and self-sufficient intelligence agent/mercenary who Van encounters in episode 2, her real name is Carol Mendosa.
Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese), Liam O'Brien (English)
- A withdrawn and ruthless Armor pilot whose wife was killed by the Man with the claw hand; he first appears in episode 5 but is opposed to Van at first.
Voiced by: Junko Noda (Japanese), Yuri Lowenthal (English)
- Ray's younger brother, he's upbeat, talkative and sociable. His main asset is his technical skill, being able to repair numerous everyday items, analyze armor weaknesses, and even setup timed explosives.
Voiced by: Saeko Chiba (Japanese), Carrie Savage (English)
- A pink-haired girl who first meet Van during an armor tournament and later joins his company on their quest.
[edit] Antagonists
Voiced by: Kenyuu Horiuchi (Japanese), Kirk Thornton (English)
A mastermind and the primary antagonist. He killed both Van's and Ray's wives and is the subject of their hatred.
Voiced by: Souichiro Hoshi (Japanese), Johnny Yong Bosch (English)
- Wendy's older brother, who voluntarily follows the Clawed Man, and willingly believes in him as a leader, despite the fact that he was kidnapped from his hometown of 'Evergreen' and taken to the Claw Man.
[edit] Armors
One of the biggest differences in the world of Gun Sword is the use of multi-storey suits called 'Armors'. These are generally humanoid in design, and are primarily used for combat. Below are listed some of the most noteworthy ones.
- Metal Glow
- The armor appeared in episode 2, and resembled a battleship with a vast humanoid torso attached. Metal Glow was commanded by Baron Mayor of the bridge city in order to conquer the world. Its main attacks were the use of its gigantic arms and the Regulus Cannon, a turret that sprayed molten metal over its opponents. Van managed to destroy Metal Glow by throwing Dann's sword through into the regulus cannon then used his foot to push on it sending the sword through the centre and back out the other side.
- S-Drive Dragon
- First appeared in episode 8, the S-Drive Dragon resembles a metallic Chinese dragon. As well as being able to hover through the air, it used a powerful water-jet cutter from its mouth and a constricting attack to overcome any who tried to cross the mountains where it lay. The S-Drive designation referred to a set of solar panels on the spine of the dragon that would store energy from the sun. When the dragon was finally defeated, Van and Ray discover that the armor was unmanned; the pilot had died inside long ago.
- Van's team is ambushed by a pair of automated Dragons when they attempt to pass through the underwater tunnel leading to the Claw Man's base. These two dragons are armed differently, as instead of using the hydro cutter of the first dragon they attack primarily with a pair of head mounted beam cannons. These two were dispatched by Brownie and Eldora Soul.
- Finally, a fourth Dragon armor is used by Mudaka's rebel force as they try to escape from the Claw Man. It also attacks using the twin beam cannons, as well as unleashing a missile barrage against Saudade of Sunday from multiple back-mounted launchers. Mudaka's Dragon was destroyed by Michael during this encounter.
- Golden Cradle
- After Van sees through Joe's deception in episode 7, Joe summons Golden Cradle to do battle against Dann. Golden Cradle looks like a large medieval knight, with a massive cross-bearing shield and large lance as its primary armaments. Its face is half-covered by a golden helmet, the other half revealing a robotic skull face. Despite its heavily armored appearance, the Golden Cradle is reasonably agile and able to duel with Dann to some degree.
- After slicing open Joe's outer cockpit, Van manages to severely wound the Golden Cradle by blinding Joe with a well-reflected beam of sunlight and slashing through the armor's shield in the confusion. Joe self-destructs Golden Cradle, depriving Van of any information regarding the Claw Man.
- The Golden Cradle design is seen again when Van's team journeys to the Claw Man's secret base. Several automated green colored versions, called One-on-Ones, form the outer defense line of the Claw Man's facilities. The One-on-One version is armed with a set of shield-mounted machine guns in addition to its large melee lance. Their autopilot is seemingly crude and predictable, as Priscilla is able to anticipate its movements and destroy them handily.
- Vulcan
- Armed primarily with a long-range automatic rifle and a pressurized single-shot pistol, Vulcan was designed to be a ranged attacker. In contrast to Van's sword-slashing technique to call down Dan, Ray's is summoned by firing his gun in a circle around himself at the ground. Vulcan's armored drilling carrier then homes in on Ray's location and delivers the armor to the battlefield. Its noted that Vulcan's weapon system served as a basis for the weapons of the Original Seven armors.
- Vulcan is shrouded in what appears to be simple cloth cape. Although it seems to be just a mere mecha fashion accessory, the cape is actually a specially designed beam-spreading coat that can absorb the energy from incoming beam attacks. This protection allows Vulcan to fight effectively against the long ranged attacks of the Original Seven armors.
- Piloted by Ray Langren
- Brownie
- Brownie is a highly maneuverable pink armor that is controlled through a unique interface system. Its pilot plugs in to a port in the rear of the cockpit, allowing Brownie's movements to mimic that of the pilot's physical actions. This interface system is reminiscent of the neural interface used by the Original Seven armors.
- During Priscilla's initial encounter with Van during the Armor Battle Tournament, Brownie is only armed with a single weapon: the Fairy's Stab. This consists of an elongated armor-piercing spike that is stored on Brownie's left elbow. Priscilla's usual course of action in a match is to carefully analyze her opponent's attack patterns, find an opening, and swoop in for a crippling strike using the Fairy's Stab. Van was able to nullify this attack by using Dann's secondary blade to cut through the tip of the spike.
- Piloted by Priscilla.
[edit] The Original Seven
In addition to the numerous custom made models are a group of highly-advanced armors called 'the Original Seven,' each named after one of the days of the week and having an alternate mode that resembles an oversized weapon. Apparently the pilots change every generation, each bound to one of the Armors for life, and must make regular contact for both to regenerate. If an Armor is destroyed or damaged beyond repair, then its rider will die. Originally the Planet of Endless Illusion was used by Earth as a prison colony, with the Original Seven as guards.
When in humanoid form, their primary weapon is a smaller version of their weapon form. Van's armor is referred to as 'Dann of Thursday', and resembles a giant sword, another called 'Saudade of Sunday' resembles a giant golden rifle. Others include Diablo (Axe) and Metsä (Rapier), though all except Van's are piloted by followers of the Clawed man.
Each of the Original Seven armors are stored in orbital satellite bases, called the SA System. When the proper signal is sent, the SA System bases can drop the Original Seven armors through the atmosphere and directly onto the battlefield. The satellites have a distinct cross-shaped arrangement of solar panels which seem to supply the energy necessary to recharge and repair the armors.
In later episodes, its revealed that the Original Seven armors are equipped with an electromagnetic shield that's capable of deflecting beam attacks. This shield takes a significant level of skill and bond with the armor to activate, but once achieved it raises reflexively to protect against incoming beams. Gadved explains to Van that all of the Original Seven had become rotten with corruption over the generations, especially when the mother planet 'Earth' was blown up.
- Saudade of Sunday
- Weapon form: Bayonet
- First found underwater during episode 10 in the remnant of its satellite storage unit, its weapon form is seen in episode 11. Its pilot uses a twin-bladed sword to control it.
- When Michael moves to pursue Mudaka's escaping Dragon Armor, he transforms Saudade and reveals its true form as the Claw Man's audience watches from the base auditorium. Saudade changes from its previous golden rifle form into a humanoid mecha with a dramatic set of dragonfly-esque energy wings. It is armed with a pistol/sword weapon that can fire ranged shots or be used to slash.
- Saudade is a Portuguese word that roughly means homesick, or longing for home/loved ones, and the hope that they will return.
- Piloted by Michael.
- Diablo of Monday
- Weapon form: Axe
- Piloted by Gadved at first in episode 12 and 13. Diablo means 'devil' in Spanish, but the original Greek word is 'diabolous', which means 'divider'. In this sense, Gadved was the dividing line between the previous Original Seven and the Claw man's team. Diablo is able to heal Gadved, similar to how Dann heals Van.
- Metsä of Tuesday
- Weapon form: Rapier
- First appearing in episode 15, Metsä uses a long rapier for dueling and has two beam cannons mounted on the shoulders for distance attacks. Dann initially is no match for Metsä and is defeated easily, its armor severely damaged by Wuu's rapier and beam attacks.
- When Van returns for a rematch in episode 16, he is able to raise Dann's electromagnetic shield and repel Metsä's devastating cannon shots. Metsä is cleaved by Dann's blade and destroyed, falling into Wuu's castle.
- Metsä is a Finnish word that means forest.
- Piloted by William Will Wuu
- Dahlia of Wednesday
- Weapon form: Three Part Staff
- First appearing in episode 20, Dahlia is summoned to stop Van and his allies from advancing further. Its humanoid form has two fighting staffs, and its beam cannons are mounted on extended shoulder struts, surrounded by flower petal-like plates. It also has a set of extendable tendrils for close-range defense.
- Dahlia means 'elegant' or 'unstable', and could refer to Fasalina's cold and merciless attitude. It is also the name of a pink-petalled flower.
- Piloted by Fasalina
- Dann of Thursday
- Weapon form: Long Sword and Short Sword (Able to combine)
- Summoned from space by Van, Dann's control system is within its chest cavity, and resembles a dome-shaped room with shimmering blue-black coating on the floor and walls. A giant blade is mounted on its back, and can spin to allow temporary flight. Most unusual is its ability to heal injuries or illnesses that Van has, including hangovers, once he enters the cockpit. The name Dann is another name for Odin, the primary hero of Norse mythology. It refers to the Dragon Kings: those that have a large percentage of Anunnaki blood - blue blood.
- Sin of Friday
- Weapon form:Tonfa
- Sin is a massive hulking armor, departing from the slender humanoid designs of other Original Seven armors like Dann or Metsa. Sin stands in an almost feral fashion, with a long blue spiked tail to the rear and large arms. Its head design is also themed similarly, adding a wild and animalistic feel to the armor that conveys the attitude of the pilot Carossa.
- Sin is armed with a shape-changing Tonfa weapon; it shifts its forms based on the attacks the armor is doing. When Carossa senses an opening in Van's defenses, Sin's weapon changes into a spear to pierce the chest of Dan. Like Metsa and its sister armor Sen, Sin of Friday is also armed with a pair of shoulder-mounted beam cannons.
- After Sen and Melissa are destroyed by blocking the first shot from Vulcan's powerful beam rifle, Carossa makes an enraged dash at Ray's armor seeking vengeance. Sen is destroyed, but manages to injure Ray by tossing one of Sin's blade weapons into Vulcan.
- Piloted by Carossa
- Sen of Saturday
- Weapon form:Chakram
- Sen is the smallest Original Seven armor, especially when compared to its companion armor Sin of Friday. It is specifically designed to fight in unison with Sin; Sen can interlock into the torso area of Sin and fight as one.
- The chakram weapon is very deadly, capable of boring into an enemy's defenses before returning to Sen like a boomerang. Like Wuu's Metsä, Sen is armed with a pair of beam cannons on its shoulders for long ranged attacks.
- Sen of Saturday is destroyed when Melissa moves in front of Carossa's Sin to block Vulcan's extremely powerful beam cannon blast. Sen's electromagnetic shield manages to withstand the blast for a few seconds before it cuts through and obliterates the armor, shearing its torso from its legs.
- Piloted by Melissa
Opening Theme:
"GUNXSWORD" by Kotaro Nakagawa
Ending Theme:
#1: "A Rising Tide" by Shuntaro Okino (eps 1-8,10,12-16,18-21,23,25)
#2: "Paradiso" by Hitomi (eps 9,11)
#3: "S.O.S" by Kikuko Inoue, Houko Kuwashima, Satsuki Yukino & Saeko Chiba (ep 17)
#4: "A Rising Tide (Accoustic Version)" by Shuntaro Okino (ep 22)
#5: "Calling You" by Shuntaro Okino (Ep 24)
#6: "GUNXSWORD (Starting Again)" by Kotaro Nakagawa and Ondekoza (ep 26)
No comments:
Post a Comment