I wandered into a random screening room sometime around ten at night, mostly just looking for a place to sit down and rest. It almost didn’t matter what anime was showing; a seat and a break from the convention was the goal. As soon as I sat down, the opening for the next episode began. Some seconds pass. Hazy forest images and the first phrase of an acoustic guitar walking beside a gentle voice singing — I knew Mushi-Shi was something else. The opening imagery and music were so atypical of anime that I found myself relieved of any cynicism I might have carried into the viewing experience. Almost a purification. It’s kind of funny that the opening song is The Sore Feet Song considering the only reason I was in that chair at that particular time was because my feet hurt.

Wallpaper from Desk Top Anime

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GunxSword ends well. I knew it would, because through and through it was a well plotted road trip adventure. In the beginning, it might not have felt that way, seeming like it was going to do the standard anime thing and waste the first eight episodes on throwaway plots that are just lame vehicles for character introductions before getting on with the real show. That happens a bit here, only, almost all of that throwaway stuff comes back. That loop around really delivers an efficient pay-off.

DVD Back Cover Blurb: At the bottom of the universe, on the planet named Endless Illusion, a man adorned in a tuxedo has scoured the wild lands…to finally accost the clawed man responsible for the murder of his bride. Outnumbered and outgunned, Ray, Pricilla, Carmen99, Joshua, and the Eldora Four make their last stand at the Claw’s stronghold; however, Van is still missing in action, while the Prison Planel Destroyer system has already initiated. As Wendy confronts her brother Michael for the last time, will everyones’ sacrifices and suffering have been in vain?

I’m trying to make the storytelling in this anime sound a little smart, but really I’m just trying to come up with a different way of saying, man that was cool. When the last little cameo loop around appeared I was clapping. I had a lot of fun with how this road trip played out. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil GunxSword’s ending for you. It is the uncommon anime that ends well, which is all you need to know.

The last three episodes are all about getting to the claw before he can finish the last step and complete his dream. Everyone digs deep to find that last bit of energy, strength, and courage. For everyone that means something different and each character is given time on screen to find it, which is cool for fans of each character. It always sucks when your favorite character gets short-changed or left on the cutting room floor. No. All the guys going against the claw contribute.

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