Elemental Gelade - The Complete Series Box Set

It's weird that anime seems to be able to sustain a DVD buying fan-base that is prepared to wait weeks and weeks for the next single disc instalment of a series. This isn't a model that works for any other category, and certainly not for TV series in general where the most that DVD distributors dare get away with is splitting a complete season into two parts (C.S.I. and Battlestar Gallactica for example).

It's not something I fully understand. However, for some fans it gives them a chance to try a little before buying a lot, and maybe it's fun in the way that reading a serial or watching a soap is fun. Personally I much prefer the idea of buying a complete series in one go. And I especially like it if it comes packaged in a decent box with slim-line cases. Like this set. It really is just right.



'Elemental Gelade' (EG) is a 26 part TV series which starts (in the US dub) with a rich-voiced American who states amongst other things, in his comforting Disney trailer voice, that "This is the story of Cou, a young sky pirate, and the adventures he experiences in his pursuit of love and freedom". And that is certainly true, though it's a much richer weave than just that.

EG creates its own little universe which is similar to our own in many respects but, in common with many science fantasy books, has its own vocabulary and value system. In this world humans mix with Edel Raids, Sting Raids and super special Edel Raids called Shichiko-hoju. These are human like creatures with special powers, and they are identified by the glistening stone that they have embedded in their skin, like an 'elemental gelade' which is the stone that our heroine, Ren possesses.



EG started out life as a popular manga series written and illustrated by Mayumi Azuma, and it was then adapted as an anime for TV in 2005 as well as being adapted for PS2 and GBA games. The anime ended after these 26 episodes though the manga rolls ever on.

It's set in the world of Gaurdia where Edel Raids co-exist with humans. Edel Raids have the ability to 'fuse' with humans to become a powerful living weapon. This particular story focuses on a young Sky Pirate called Coud Van giruet ('Cou' for short, an unintentional doppelganger of Ed Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist) and an Edel Raid named Ren. Three guardians from the Edel Raid protection society (Arc Aile) accompany Ren on a journey to the legendary land called Edel Garden. Ren is a very special Edel Raid (Shichiko-hoju) and as a consequence a whole series of villains try to kidnap her on their journey to the elusive Gardens.

Though plot-wise it all sounds a bit like Lord of the Rings, this is far less dark, though the good versus evil mapped against a journey towards an elusive goal is something they have in common.

The first half of the series features much action and adventure though by the second half its relationships that dominate (particularly between Cou and Ren).



Here's a summary of the action - though be warned, this contains spoilers.

Disc 1
Cou, the youngest member of the "Red Lynx" sky pirate squadron, has discovered an ancient race of Edel Raids. Ren, at first glance, seems to be a shy and defenceless girl, but she holds within her a power that many are willing to kill for. When Cou takes it upon himself to protect Ren on her journey to a mysterious place called Edel Garden, he immediately makes new friends and dangerous enemies.

Disc 2
Cou is forced to learn the limits of his newfound bond with Ren. Though his inexperience with girls starts to show, his fierce determination and tireless efforts become an inspiration to his travelling companions. Along the way Cou and his friends meet another Edel Raid, and at their first stop, the port city of Razfe Ankle, the group decides to earn some money for their journey.

Disc 3
In this volume, Cou makes use of his training with Ren when they are forced into a fight after enemies arrive unexpectedly.



Disc 4
Torn apart by their supposed protectors, Cou and Ren's paths have split, and Cou desperately chases after Ren only to encounter past enemies. Ren, meanwhile, continues her journey solo, and despite making new friends, misses Cou terribly. With new hope, Cou and his Arc Aile friends embark on the last leg of their trip to Edel Garden aboard a cruise ship where an old friend is discovered and a new friend puts them in jeopardy.

Disc 5
As a last resort, Cou reacts with Viro, but this new bond creates mixed emotions for Ren. While the gang continues to wonder about Viro's intentions, they must also find out exactly what Chaos Choir's intentions are in order to survive. When the group arrives at Viro's childhood village, they get a lot more than they bargained for as new and more powerful enemies lie in wait.

Disc 6
The truth about Ren emerges in the midst of a heated battle. What's worse, Arc Aile and Chaos Choir are primed and ready to fight each other to the death over Edel Garden. Cou and Ren both make it to the island safely, but the fate of the Edel Raids and Ren hangs in the balance between men who desire ultimate power and a boy who just wants to be a man.




Picture and Sound
Once you get over the fact that this is 1.33:1, it really is one of the nicest looking animes I've seen with very satisfying blocks of primary colours and a transfer that is really first class. The English 2.0 Dolby track is fine and the US voices seem very appropriate for the characters. (I rarely bother with the Japanese track unless the dub is truly awful).

Extras
Apart from the usual bunch of trailers, textless titles (who watches these?), and line art galleries there are few curios. There's a promo video of the title song, a trailer for the Tokyo Anime Fair which could be classed more as an advert than a feature, Japanese voice artiste interviews, a US voice cast commentary and Japanese video game trailers.



Overall
Though there's nothing jaw-droppingly different about Elemental Gelade, it is nonetheless a thoroughly enjoyable series that, despite lasting more than 10 hours, moves along at a pace. It's a satisfying mix of fantasy, action and romance that will have appeal for teenagers as well as adults. It's a really easy-to-follow piece where little gets lost in translation, so a good place to start if you're just about to dip your toe into the anime world. For those looking for something with edge or creative bite then this may well disappoint. Though it does try to touch issues of morality, it does so without subtlety (the prejudice shown to Sting Raids is just one example). So whilst it's not life changing or thought-provoking (in the way that GITS or Serial Experiments Lain were for example) nor full of crazed and violent action, it remains pure, unapologetic light entertainment and in this regard it works very well.