Plot: What’s it about?
The presence of alien beings has been known to exist on this planet since 1945, or I should say, some people have known since that time. Although the general populace is unaware of the aliens, they do wander this planet and at times, need to be dealt with. Some have no ill intentions, but some are true invaders and as such, those forces must be contained and in turn, eliminated with extreme prejudice. In order to police and control these aliens, a team of special agents called AEGIS is around and because of their unique profession, they work above and outside the law, should those kind of steps become needed. In addition to these specialized forces, some people have the ability to open “gates” and as such, possess power to battle the aliens also. These mystical gates open portals into other dimensions and in some cases, the “gatekeepers” are the last line of defense against the alien menace. If the powers of AEGIS and these “gatekeepers” could be combined, perhaps the aliens could be beaten, but will they ever be able to join forces?
I was quite taken with the cover art of GateKeepers Vol. 1, so I decided to give it a whirl and see how it panned out. I wasn’t too impressed with the storyline or character work, but I was having so much fun, I never really noticed. I viewed the episodes a second time to focus on those elements, which is when I could tell how weak the series was there. But in truth, it is clear the intent is to entertain here and as such, I see no reason to be overly harsh. The series is loaded with bursts of energy and color, which means the pace is brisk and the visuals are intense, both of which are good news in this case. As the pace remains fast, we never dwell on the story and by default, the flaws and that’s how it should be with GateKeepers. The animation is excellent and even when some CG work is done, I was more than impressed with the results. This series has a lot in common with other anime series I have seen, but it has enough unique touches to stay fresh, so this is not some retread by any means. These first episodes were a lot of fun and as such, this series is more than recommended to those in search of fun, offbeat anime.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame transfers, as intended. The episodes all look superb in this package, but the first one looks a shade better than the others. I found the first episode’s transfer to be flawless, while the other episodes were very good, but not quite up to the same standard. No serious problems surface in any of the transfers, but I did note some minor color issues at times, though again, nothing too extreme. On the whole however, color hues seem bold and accurate, while contrast is stark and on the mark. The visuals here are not flawless, but they come darn close, so viewers should be most pleased.
Audio: How does it sound?
I was never let down with the audio presentation here, but I wasn’t too impressed either. Both Japanese & English language tracks are included and while I chose the Japanese track, I sampled both for review reasons. I never had any real issues with either option and as such, you’ll be safe with either, though I recommend the Japanese choice. The focus here is on dialogue and some low impact sound effects, so don’t expect too much in terms of directional use or overall presence. The musical score and some power based elements can be heard in the left & right channels, but as I mentioned, don’t set your standards too high here. This disc also includes English subtitles, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a television commercial for the series, creditless opening & ending sequences, and a special prologue & ending.
