Plot: What’s it about?
As the forces of AEGIS battle against the alien menace of the Invaders, it becomes obvious that additional members will be needed. While the current roster is a good one and the fighters have immense talents, the sheer numbers of the Invaders force them to look for support, to keep the conflicts balanced. Ruriko, Shun, and Reiko venture via bullet train to meet up with a potential target, but Reiko is left behind soon after, when she missed the train at one stopping point. Shun and Ruriko continue on and after they slap on disguises, make the trek to meet Bancho and of course, challenge him. But when some Invaders appear on the scene, Ruriko and Shun have to move into battle mode and as the battle pushes on, their disguises fall to the wayside. Bancho then falls head over heels for Ruriko and pledges to do whatever she wishes, which kicks off with a demand to assist her and Shun in the battle. But Bancho is just the first of the potential new AEGIS members, so what kind of other fighters could be scouted out to join them?
I enjoyed the first round of Gatekeepers episodes and as such, I was looking forward to this second volume of programs. But the storyline was rather thin in the first batch of shows, so I hoped it would pick up here, at least somewhat. As it turns out, the story does take some nice turns, but remains predictable, though that isn’t too bad in this case. You see, just as was the case with the first volume, these episodes are so much fun to watch, I never noted how weak the story elements were, until I rewatched and paid closer attention. So if I had just been viewing these programs for personal interest (as opposed to for a review), I wouldn’t have been too troubled, since the show is such a good time. And while I expected some slowdown from these episodes, the same brisk pace and quick movements still exist, despite the new characters & additional story elements. So if you liked the first disc of Gatekeepers, this new installment offers more of the same offbeat, often hilarious antics. In short, this one is highly recommended to those interested.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame transfers, as intended. Just as with the first disc, the episodes look excellent and while the first volume had some slight color issues, those are absent from these transfers. So we have vibrant, bold color hues that stream across the screen, with no flaws in the least to mention. I mean bright hues too, like juiced shades and lush colors at all times, but never to the point of oversaturation. I found the contrast to be up to the same standards, with stark black levels and no evidence of detail loss. In other words, this is as good as these episodes can look and as such, I am scoring this one with the full five points.
Audio: How does it sound?
As is often the case with their anime titles, Pioneer has included both Japanese and English language tracks here. I recommend the original Japanese option of course, but in terms of technical performance, either Dolby Digital stereo track should suffice. This is a nice, juiced television mix pretty much, with some good panning present at times, which isn’t true surround sound, but as good as stereo allows, in most cases. No issues with the dialogue either, as vocals sound clean and crisp at all times with this mix. This disc also includes optional English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a selection of Japanese packaging artwork, as well as the special Japanese end sequences.
