I’m still shocked Guyver never became a huge American film franchise. Sure, we had two films in America, but they were direct to Video dribble. The first film was nothing but schlocky camp based around lampooning the concept, and the sequel almost got it right by staging a very stern and sleek action science fiction picture that barely anyone saw.
With this relaunch of the “Guyver” series who knows what the future holds for my favorite anime franchise of all time? This type of material seems ripe for any American studio to turn in to a three picture franchise with Rick Baker at helm for creature effects. The possibilities of that prospect just thrills me. Someone jump on this while you can! The Guyver deserves proper big screen treatment. This Funimation reboot tells almost the same story as the original series but in a much cleaner and Americanized fashion.
Funimation is famous and yet notorious for Americanizing anime properties, and here they do it to Guyver with mixed results. While I’m a fan of the splatter and gore that came with the original franchise, this sleeker version is also nothing at all to scoff at. It’s pretty damn hard to make The Guyver lame. Not even the original American movie could do that. And they had the guy from “Good Times” as a villain.
The Brotherhood are the villainous secret organization who breed and refine monstrous villains for their foot crew, and they’re all desperately trying to get a hold of a scientist who has engineered the perfect alien technology. They’re called the Guyver Biobooster Armor units. Three specially crafted pods that when attached to their hosts, become genetic biological life forms that craft specially powered body armor around the owner. This then forms a symbiotic relationship where the holder of the armor becomes a super human with abilities that can dwarf anyone’s.
The problem is the power is often too much for any one person. Where in Sho has one laser in the center of his head, some have many, where Show has two massive blades along his elbows that can retract, some have multiple around their bodies, forming crab-like armor. There really isn’t anything new to the series from Funimation beyond their ability to take what’s amazing and transform it in to merely above average. But then sometimes they take nonsense and turn it in to gold. This time around the voices are refined for more American sensibilities, and some of the episodes are edited for brevity’s sake. There’s even a comical moment that’s mistaken for homosexuality in the second episode that’s cut in this version.
While that may spark anger in many militant anime fans, it doesn’t really ruin the integrity of the Guyver series, because as I mentioned above: It’s almost impossible destroy the Guyver. Unless you’re an American studio unwilling to see the franchise potential with this concept. Now the brotherhood wants all of the models and will do anything it takes to get them. Sadly, Shō Fukamachi is at the wrong place and the wrong time when the bio booster armor pods are lost, and they claim one accidentally. In the midst of exploring one of the pods, Sho is possessed by the pod that turns him in to the Guyver, taking hold of his body and forming him in to a living breathing weapon.
“The Guyver” is still a magnificent series with some of the most amazing character designs I’ve ever seen. While everyone has a favorite among the Guyvers, The first Guyver model is definitely my favorite. The other models are much too showy. Sho’s journey to figure out the Guyver unit, and test his limits and abilities makes for compelling material, as he battles with the organization, and even against rival Guyver units, some of whom dwarf Sho’s own model in weaponry and mechanics.
Extras: The complete set is 5.1 surround sound and letterbox format. There’s a comprehensive Manga to Anime comparison where key scenes are paralleled to the Manga series for every single episode. There’s a ten minute production sketch montage, a one and a half minute segment entitled “Clean Opening Animation” without the credits, and finally there’s also the Clean Closing Animation sans the credits. These could be classified as music videos, but who’s nitpicking?