The most recent of Broadcast Dubs by Funimation to wrap, GANGSTA. is a show that was highly anticipated. People really enjoyed the manga, and it was looking visually great. By the end, though, well, some people fell off the hype train while others were still riding high. Those that fell off the train were manga readers, understandably so, as apparently the creators began to cram whole chapters together into a single episode. I can't speak for this, as I haven't read the manga, and have no intention to.
Honestly, I ignored most of those comments. If you're going to adapt something, it has to be able to stand on its own without me having to go back and check the material, and see if anything is missing. There were some moments near the end where I felt as if we were missing something, but prior to that, everything was going great.
This is a series that, I feel, was tailored to what I really like in an anime series. I know I talk a lot about Fairy Tail and Attack on Titan and what not, but some..scratch that...my top favorite series are the ones where the characters are interesting and there are good, quiet moments for them to act as themselves before big, visually appealing action sequences. It's a grounded series, too, so there won't be anything too extreme or over-the-top going on. Nothing supernatural of the sort.
Not to mention that when the top three series Funimation.com recommends are Black Lagoon, Cowboy Bebop, and Hellsing: Ultimate, you're probably on the right track.
GANGSTA. is a series set in semi-modern times (honestly I could never get a grip on what time period these people were in, as there were old telephones and cell-phones simultaneously) in the fictional, military city of Ergastulum, where four gang families, run by the Four Fathers, rule the streets, though not with an iron fist like one would expect.
The series focuses primarily on the Handymen, a duo comprised of one "normal" and another "Twilight," which is essentially a human bred for one purpose: be a military machine of might. Enter our stars, Worrick (normal) and Nicholas (Twilight). In the first episode, we're also introduced to Alex, a "pro" (figure that one out for yourselves...you're probably right), who serves sort of as our gateway into the world of Ergastulum as well as the Handymen.
The setting of Ergastulum at first was unappealing as it was boring, nothing really to it. But as the series went on, you could really see the city come to life. There were so many different people it housed, that it almost felt like an experiment of sorts. It was not the place you expect. Much as Worrick rants that its a horrible place, there are so many characters that are genuinely kind to everyone else that it's tough to pin down what kind of place this really is. Sure there are mobs, but, they only attack each other in series moments of aggression, and everyone understands who the real monsters are and how to deal with them.
Now that doesn't excuse the fact that killing is often a norm, like when we meet a second Twilight named Doug or even when we're introduced to Doctor Theo. There are several bad things that can happen but it really does seem like if you stick with the right people, you'll be just fine. The four families, like I said, do sometimes brawl but not very often, and even then, it's not to hurt innocent people. It really does feel like a military city at times.
The best part of the series was probably the characters and how they evolved over time. We got to see Nicholas come out of his shell a lot more with Alex, as well as Worrick develop into someone putting tons of thought into his work and using the city to his advantage. Alex, I guess, underwent the most development but by the end of the series its questionable if that's true or not. The whole ending is a beast on it's own, and I'll get around to it later.
The variety of the cast was great, too. Doug was a nice touch for the Twilights, Doctor Theo was always great to watch, as well as his exact opposite/ partner, Nina. Marco and Loretta were great additions midway through as well. The cast grew quite a bit later on, but there was a pretty deep connection established early to make me care for the characters we were first introduced to, and had me, for the most part, invested in their stories. Particularly Nicholas and Worrick.
That, though, is because of some pretty handy flashbacks. During the middle part of the series we got to see somewhat of the origins between the Handymen, and how the mirror each other. Both are reluctantly going along with their situations while their superiors literally and metaphorically abuse them. They both have a reliance on each other to get through the days, Nicholas in particular as he is deaf and has no way of learning how to communicate.
It's really touching watching Worrick help Nicholas grow and, again, invests you in their characters and their friendship in the future. There was always this vague distrust, though, and while we do see why, there is no further flashbacks to show how they overcame this and became the duo they are today. The flashbacks cover their childhood but do little service to answer how they got to Ergastulum, how they befriended so many people, and how Nicholas rose through the Twilight ranks.
Some of the time given to Alex could have been devoted to that. Perhaps there's more in the manga, but I really wish they could squeeze it into the anime, as the flashbacks were incredibly compelling, oftentimes disturbing. Alex, though, felt useless at times. She only began to suffer from her PTSD about midway through, and even before/ after there were entire episodes where she did little to nothing. I wanted her to have more things to do. Much of her path was dedicated to finding out more on Twilights, which sort of just feels like an exposition route for the viewer to also be caught up. It makes sense, but I can't help feeling that way.
The story is where things get a little hazy. There are so many moving parts that it becomes difficult to keep track of, and by the end it's hard to tell who the real threat to the characters really is. While the city was vibrant and all, it also invited tons of characters in, many of which just appear out of nowhere and are suddenly extremely relevant when we already have so many to deal with.
I think my biggest issue is with the ending, and it sucks to think that this is how the series may stay forever. It ends on somewhat cliffhanger, but it clearly was setting up for a second season. There was tons of build-up with no conclusion. Seriously. There is no ending. What happens with the Destroyers? Or Erika? Constance? Alex begins to slip back into her PTSD more and more and we're left with more characters being pushed into new places without knowing what happens.
The reason I say we may never get a season to is that the animation company behind GANGSTA. (and coincidentally Deadman Wonderland) recently went bankrupt. The best case to follow the story is to catch up on the manga. I've already invested myself in Deadman Wonderland (it's well worth it) and now have to consider getting into GANGSTA. to see how this all wraps itself up.
Though, I don't know if the manga can compare in terms of art and animation, because this series looked ridiculously good. Not the best I've seen in 2015 (that easily will go to Fate/ Stay Night unlimited blade works), but really, really solid. There were a lot of flat colors used really well, everything was solid, there were hardly any breaks in the animation during the fights, which were well timed and well put-together. The characters all stood out and were distinguishable, too. For a show this grounded, they really stepped it up with the animation. A really solid last hoorah, I suppose.
GANGSTA. is a series I'm not sure I can recommend, though, given the nature of its ending. It starts great, building and building with fun new characters until it suddenly begins to overload the boat and things sort of fall apart. If this series were longer than 12 episodes, we would probably be looking at a whole other situation. Still, if you're not too iffy on a lack of an ending, really do check it out. It has elements for mature audiences, sure, like scantily clad women, language, gore, and mafia politics, but I still found it to be an enjoyable watch. It's not too crazy, and it's something non-anime viewers may find themselves enjoying.
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