Gilgamesh Tablet 1: Orphans of the Apocalypse - Anime Jump
- Anime Jump
- Jesika Brooks
- 08/06/05
- click here
"Gilgamesh works its intrigue like a snake charmer of ancient Babylon."
"Gilgamesh has a great mystery vibe going on.
"
In some undetermined future, a project called Heaven's Gate is underway. Little is known of this endeavor, just that it involves ancient Babylon. A group of scientists gathers en masse to determine the project's next course of action. The verdict is a shock: Heaven's Gate, it's said, must be shut down immediately.
Some scientists are diligently working when, horror of horrors, the main plant's security is breached. As the tension mounts, the scientists scramble to avert disaster. A woman stands in the middle of it all and thinks, 'So this is the end...'
A wavering cloud engulfs the Earth as Heaven's Gate goes seriously awry.
Later: The narrator tells of Earth's history, of a time when computers functioned and people relied on technology. After the Twin X incident, so named because of its date of occurrence on October 10th, computers ceased to work. War and famine wiped out much of humanity. The sky became a mirror, reflecting the skyscrapers and city beneath it. Now when it rains, more skyscrapers collapse.
Two siblings, Kiyoko and Tatsuya, are in a financial pickle. And, unfortunately, they are being hunted down by a group of very angry debt collectors. As the men break into their home, Kiyoko and Tatsuya hide in a closet. When the men leave, they pack some necessities and flee the scene. Despite their cautious retreat, the men spot them once more and give chase.
On the roadside, Kiyoko and Tatsuya evade capture when the men get hit by a strange energy blast. As they attempt to catch their breath, Kiyoko points out the huge Gothic-style house behind them. They seek shelter inside. The atmosphere is spooky; they're even more shocked when they run into a group of very odd gentlemen who look like they belong to some punked-out goth cult.
When the debt collectors manage to find the spooky house, the gothic gentlemen persuade them to leave-- in doing so, reducing them to little more than cadavers. When the GothCult asks the siblings to join with them to 'fight the devils of this world,' they realize that, hey, the goths might really be in a cult. It doesn't help that another superpowered goth group--dubbed the 'devil children'--is lurking outside the spooky house. There's a fight, but the outcome is unclear. The last image is that of a GothCult member transforming himself into an, er, a bird-like demon thing.
Are you following all this? OK, good.
From then on, the story only gets more convoluted. The devil children kidnap Kiyoko and Tatsuya and take them to see 'The Countess' at a local opera house. It's revealed that everything that's happened is somehow related to their dear ol' dad. Their mother's advice on the subject: If anyone comes looking for them, run.
Beyond that... well, I don't want to spoil anything else, but there's definitely more to the main characters (and the two cults) that meets the eye. Heck, this isn't even half a DVD's worth of plot! One thing's for sure:
Gilgamesh has a great mystery vibe going on.
The music fits the mood of the series well. Both gloomy and electric, it drives the action along with a terrific Middle-Eastern feel--there are strains of cymbals, bells, and ethnic percussion. The opening theme really grows on you. The artist, Koda Kumi, has done some OP/ED work before--perhaps you've heard the
Final Fantasy X-2 soundtrack? Or the
Re:Cutey Honey opening?
Regarding the art, one thing bothered me at first: The
lips. Man, the people in
Gilgamesh have anatomically exact lips. The rest of their faces are plasticine, almost mannequin-like, but the lips are perfectly pert. Even the ugliest, most greasy of the men have girly fish lips. Thankfully, the sheer bombardment of lips wears off after a while. The rest of the art is very lovely. The way certain scenes are drawn does an excellent job of conveying the creepy mood this series so relies on. In the first episode alone, there's a shot of salamanders in glass tubes glowing with a fiery whiteness in the spooky house. Vivid images like this make
Gilgamesh a visual treat.
The characters, too, are interesting. While there are more questions than answers, this just serves to pique interest in the whole gloomy cast. Judging by the plot so far, I'm guessing that either Kiyoko and Tatsuya will have some trauma from their past revealed and they'll totally freak out. (I look forward to that particular scene, being a bit of a fan of dark angst. Schadenfreude, I know.) If anything, the demon guy is fairly intriguing--maybe he should call
himself a 'devil child.'
One problem I have with
Gilgamesh is its slow, simmering buildup. While it certainly is mysterious and it certainly has good characterization-- or lack thereof, lending to the mystery-- the plot starts out a bit sluggish. At first,
Gilgamesh has more establishing shots than actual action. Thankfully, the story picks up past the first episode. At least the mystery vibe keeps up a high level of interest-- it's that vibe that makes me want to finish the rest of the series.
Gilgamesh works its intrigue like a snake charmer of ancient Babylon. There seems to be a decent science fiction tale hidden in the maze of unanswered riddles; I'm actually curious as to where it will all lead. The art is nice on its own (lips!) way and the characters have depth. Though it won't appeal to those fond of cutesy,
shoujo tales or tame, slice-of-life stories, if you dig apocalyptic sci-fi with a mysterious bent, you'll likely enjoy
Gilgamesh. The military buff will speculate on the weaponry; the horror fan will revel in the taut, tension-filled atmosphere. Just be patient: The action comes fast but the plot comes slow (and fairly tangled).
What can I say?
Gilgamesh is fun for the whole family-- if you live with a bunch of wee li'l science fiction fans, that is. Just watch out for October 10th.
Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 (Archive on Tuesday, September 06, 2005)