Gatchaman Crowds Review

Story:
Ichinose Hajime is strange by anyone’s standards. But you can’t deny that she loves life and is one very happy young lady. But when she’s chosen to be the newest addition to the Gatchaman hero team, no one is quite prepared for all the changes that come with her. She sees enemies from a completely different light, shaking up the old tried a true Gatchaman ways and questioning everything they’ve ever done.
With a smile, of course.

Violence:
Pretty close to Fullmetal Alchemist level violence in this one. There is stabbing, blood, cuts, slices, screaming in pain and the main villain is completely insane. This is not a show for people queasy about violence.

Language:
Sh-t is the favorite in this show, happening semi-regularly near the end. At all other times it’s normal YA fare of d-mn, sh-t and a few b-words. Nothing overly frequent though.

Nudity:
More than a few shots focus on our heroine’s large bust, though it’s always clothed. One other female character, however, likes to wear lingerie around for no reason. She’s not busty, so we’re spared anything… hanging out… But it’s still kinda awkward. Also, one male character makes a few leading comments now and again while another dresses as a woman most of the time.

Theology/mythology:
You’ll find some pretty stereotypical explanations for the Gatchamans’ powers. Such as their transformation/communication devices being attached to their souls and life force and such. If that kind of thing bugs you, you can pretty much shrug it off though as it doesn’t really mess with the plot too much (aside from it being a weak point in battle). Also God is mentioned in passing, usually to represent something else. At one point the heroine says that if another character is “like God, then he probably won’t do anything.” This may be insulting to some people, but as I’ve said before, Japan has a very different idea about God than Westerners do, so take it with a bit of rock salt.

Personal impression:
This was a pretty enjoyable ride for me, to be honest. It’s usually hard for me to get into transformation superhero shows do to way too much tell and very little show. This series was a very nice counter to that. Most of the time, things will not be explained for viewers. You just have to watch, pay attention and figure it out. Especially the end, which kinda reminded me of Beyond the Boundary in terms of how ambiguous it is about the fates of a few characters.
The art was bright, yet also tastefully pastel-ed here and there, similar to Tsuritama‘s style. It was a nice break from the typical color schemes in shows, even if the CG used for some of the fight scenes was on and off clunky. The music is decent as well, just slightly above average though not quite enough to get stuck in your head for long.
If you like superhero anime, this is a wonderful, though short, show to try out. Just don’t expect the end to be spelled out for you.

Personal rating: Young adult

Episodes: 12
Languages: Sub
Official rating: TV14
Genre(s): Action, fantasy
Company: Sentai Filmworks
Legal streaming: Crunchyroll 
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