Search - Elemental Gelade - React (Vol. 1) on DVD

Just Okay

Collector | USA | 06/21/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'll be completely honest and say I bought this DVD because Cou on the cover looked a little like Edward Elric. Moving on...I wasn't quite as disappointed as I expected to be. After I checked out the artwork inside the case and the back more closely my heart sank because I knew I was in for some very generic fantasy story. Yes, the story and characters are very very typical of what you would expect in a RPG type anime. Surprisingly I sort of enjoyed the first volume. I haven't watched such a simple and innocent fantasy anime in a long time. I find the cliche characters endearing in a way...even though they had me laughing at the cheesiness of the show. All the characters are 'cute' looking especially Cisqua who I instantly fell in love with. I have a thing for girls with guns. Especially big guns. There's really nothing to rave about this volume but it was colorful enough to distract me for a while. Sometimes simple and uncomplicated can be good for the tired soul."

USING THE ONE YOU LOVE

Sesho | Pasadena, TX USA | 07/31/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nobody respects the young boy named Cou, who while being a pseudo-mascot of the Red Lynx Sky Pirates, is pretty much pushed to the side when any real action occurs. After a pirate raid, Cou is customarily feeling sorry for himself when he happens upon a large box that the pirates have just stolen. Inside it is Ren, a beautiful young girl who revives from a coma-like trance. Ren is an "Edel Raid", mysterious beings that can "react" to humans and become powerful living weapons. In Ren's case, she can turn into a sword. Because Ren is one of the most powerful Edel Raids, a lot of people are hunting for her to gain her power! But not everyone looking for her is hungry for power. Cisqua, Rowen, and Kuea are from the "Perfect Association to Protect Edel Raids", or "Arc Aire" for short. Their goal is to take Ren with them to a place where Edel Raids can live in peace without fear of exploitation. That might sound good if Ren didn't have her own destination in mind. She wants to go to Edel Garden, the place where she was born. If Cou can get her there without any harm coming to Ren, he will finally become a full-fledged member of the Sky Pirates. His feelings of affection for Ren also come into the equation as the two, accompanied by the three Arc Aire members set out on a dangerous journey.

I thought at first that this series was going to be too low-brow Shonen Jumpesque for me but episode by episode I found myself enjoying it more and more. We've all seen the meek girl disguised as living weapon and headstrong kid trying to prove himself a man storylines before, but the characterization was really good so it overcame the cliches in Gelade. Cou and Ren's relationship is pretty complicated because Ren wants Cou to be better than the humans she has known before. You can tell she's just waiting to see one human who isn't interested in her because of her power. Cou is interesting because he is not a goody goody cast in gold boy hero. He likes Ren a lot and vows to protect her, but he cannot help desiring the power that Ren possesses. It brings him strength and respect. Of course, we'll know he's mature when he is able to strike a balance between his desires for himself and his love for Ren. He's just a little selfish, and doesn't know the difference between using Ren to save their lives and using her to make himself feel good. While Elemental Gelade has some serious underpinnings, it is mostly an adventure comedy which is well worth checking out."

Protect her with your life

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 08/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The world of Guardia is where airships are the main mode of transportation, chunks of land float in the air, and living weapons named Edel Raids fight alongside humans.

It's a fairly interesting idea, and it serves as a solid base for the first volume of "Elemental Gelade." The first five episodes of this series introduce us to a sweet boy-meets-Edel-Raid-girl story, filled with airships, pirates and dastards who want to steal the heroine for themselves. It's not terribly unique -- you can point out quite a few cliches -- but it is entertaining and sweet.

After the Red Lynx pirates raid a massive airship, Coud Van Giruet stumbles across a mysterious box, with a blue-haired girl named Ren inside. Turns out she's an Edel Raid, a living weapon -- although Coud cares more about her as a kindred spirit than an expensive weapon.

But a lot of other people want her too -- first the pirate ship is invaded by a trio of agents from Arc Aile, and then by a horde of very hostile ninjas who bomb, fight and shoot their way in. As Coud battles them he "reacts" with Ren, turning her into a lethal weapon attached to his body. As the Red Lynx pirates deviate away from the young boy and the Edel Raid, Coud promises to take Ren to her destination: the Edel Garden.

Of course, the three nuts from Arc Aile's "Edel Raid Complete Protection Agency" comes along too, determined to take Ren back to Arc Aile. More problems arise when Ren is kidnapped by a malignant dictator, and Coud and his little band must rescue her. And to make matters worse, an old friend of Coud's has been attacked by the Sting Raids.

There's nothing terribly original in the overall plot of "Elemental Gelade" -- we have a plucky young hero, a mystery girl, aerodynamically improbable airships, battles, Evil Villains who want to get ahold of the mystery girl, and so on and so forth. Nothing here is terrible unique except the idea of the Edel Raids themselves-- weapons that look like pretty girls, but can transform into blades.

But that lack of originality doesn't really hamper "Elemental Gelade" from being an entertaining little fantasy story. The world of Guardia is an airy place filled with vaguely Final-Fantasyesque airships, clouds, and bold, bright colours. And the story kicks off without any delay or even much introduction -- loads of stuff happens in the first episode alone, although the four that follow are a bit slower-paced.

It's also graced with a fair amount of fast-paced action, including a a lovely airship battle as the pirates go down in flames, and firefights with the ninja airships. Despite the relatively rough animation, there are exquisitely pretty moments such as Ren's initial awakening in a dark room filled with pirate loot. But these are balanced by plenty of comic relief slathered on -- such as Coud's crazy flying skills, or when he tries to make a dramatic speech to the pirates' victims.

His immediate attachment to Ren seems implausible, but Coud still manages to be a fairly nice hero in the typical teen-hero mold -- a pirate who is honest, loyal, a bit clumsy (he almost crashes into one airborne island), and just flawed enough to be likable. Ren herself is a bit harder to warm up to -- she sort of sleepwalks through most of these episodes, only waking up when it's time for a tender moment with Coud.

And the Arc Aile nuts are a pretty good supporting cast for Coud and Red. They're led by a loopy hyperactive girl with a mushroom hat, a handsome and calm young man and his perpetually hungry Edel Raid. And it's too bad that the pirates vanish from the picture pretty quickly, because the Boss is a big likable old geezer who would have given the cast a dose of wisdom and maturity.

"Elemental Gelade" isn't a terribly original anime series, but the first volume is funny, poignant and colourfully entertaining. Worth checking out, especially for anyone who loves airships."