"Gasaraki" is the story of the Earth's first robotic combat machines. Yushiro Gowa, the prodigal scion of the innovative Gowa Corporation is skilled both in piloting the robotic Tactical Armor units (TAs) as well as in invoking mystical energies through the Gasara dance. Despite his talents, Yushiro suffers from an eternal emptiness that just might be filled if he can make contact with and understand Miharu, another Gasara dancer under the control of the nefarious secret organization known as Symbol.

For reasons yet to be revealed, Symbol has used Miharu's Gasara dance to unleash a large blast of energy in the fictional post-Soviet Republic of Belgistan. Multinational forces, fearing the development of weapons of mass destruction, have attacked the republic with aid from the Gowa Corporation, which sees the conflict as the perfect opportunity to justify building its TAs, the most cutting-edge weapon of war the planet has ever seen.

The Tactical Armored units of the Gowa Corporation clash with enemy TAs deep within Belgistanian territory and capture a defeated unit. Meanwhile the public is fascinated by the use of the new bipedal weapon systems, and SNN's very own Ronald Fagan attempts to get live footage for the viewing public.

The evil organization Symbol institutes a coup in Belgistan to hide evidence of their involvement. The new leadership, lacking knowledge of Symbol's hand in events, immediately pleads for a ceasefire. Yushiro uses the opportunity to sneak deep into Belgistan and meet Miharu face-to-face, and the American government uses the pretext of weapons inspections to gather intelligence on the Gowa Corporation's bipedal weapons.

The squad of TA pilots defies orders to rescue Yushiro from Symbol forces in Belgistan. The Gowa Corporation fights to keep their technological secrets and captured enemy TA unit from the snooping Multinational forces and the hostile troops of another fictional post-Soviet Republic, the nation of Armekistan.

Creator Ryosuke Takahashi aimed to make his latest piece of robot animation stand out from the previous works he had done. To accomplish this, he added a healthy dose of traditional Japanese mysticism and a steadily unfolding plot. Although these innovations are used to great effect in the opening chapters of "Gasaraki" ("Gasaraki 1: The Summoning"), in the second collection of episodes ("Gasaraki 2: The Circle Opens") these elements fade into the background and a tired story of robotic combat dominates focus.

The mysticism that flavored earlier chapters is mostly missing. Neither Yushiro nor Miharu participate in new Gasara dances, a shortcoming which strips the plot of a key element leaving viewers to subsist on flashbacks to their earlier mystical encounter. Some slight hope exists that the writers will reprise and expand the mystical aspects of the narrative, as evidenced by Yushiro and Miharu's visit to the historical Church of Akura. Bas-reliefs of monsters and demons cover the stone walls of the church, but the writers rush through this moment to return to hackneyed scenes of robotic combat.

Unfortunately, little more is revealed about the nature of the Gasara dance or the connection of the TA systems to mystical power. In place of new innovations, "Gasaraki 2" supplants its characteristic subtleties with explicit explanations of earlier episodes. If the first group of episodes suffered from a lack of exposition, this set suffers from an overabundance of it.

Short cuts in animation and voice dubbing also take their toll. Animation director Keichi Watanabe waters down robotic combat from its potential highs, making even the battle simulations of the first episode more exciting than the real battles of the fifth episode. Long scenes in which characters stand around dryly discussing the situation make the story long-winded and stagnant. Further evidence of voicing flaws abound in scenes that include interaction between the pilots of the Japanese Defense Forces.

Numerous scenes look dynamic when the sound is off, but often seem forced with the volume on. A major source of the problem is poor acting; characters phone in their lines without believing them. This is a death knell in a genre that, by its nature, demands that viewers suspend their disbelief about robots and magic.

These faults heavily tax the middle of the "Gasaraki" series. Fortunately, more episodes remain to rectify the problems found here. The writers have the benefit of the strong, carefully laid foundation established in the opening chapters of the saga. Had they been as clumsy then as they were here, the entire edifice would have already come toppling down.