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by Dan Borses |
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"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 through his relationship with Miharu, another Gasara dancer working for the mysterious
organization known as Symbol.
Episode 8: "Inferno"
Amid evidence that the Japanese government is involved in some sort of cover-up regarding the TAs, Yushiro's elder
brother Kazukiyo Gowa meets with Hiraku Nishida, an elderly, blind warrior who wishes to unleash selective violence against the
Japanese people in order to strengthen Japan against growing opportunism and selfishness. At the Gowa laboratory
the plot takes a startling twist when Miharu breaks into the Gowa headquarters to retrieve the missing components
taken by the Japanese TAs in Belgistan. As she exits the plant, Miharu reveals to Yushiro the startling secret she
has uncovered during the raid - the Gowa family refers to Yushiro as "the test subject" and that the real Yushiro
Gowa has been deceased for years. As the episode ends, Yushiro's entire existence is mired in uncertainty.
Episode 9: "The Storehouse"
In an attempt to understand the information Miharu has imparted to him, Yushiro returns to his family home to
confront his parents. At his ancestral home, Yushiro meets with his instructor, Sorachi, who leads Yushiro into an
abandoned storehouse. There Yushiro discovers the cryogenically preserved body of Sorochi's son Ku-ya as well as a
body that is probably his, along with the slouched form of a formidably-advanced robot, known as the Kugai.
Meanwhile, Yushiro's sister, Misuzu, and Ataka, one of the female TA pilots, have followed Yushiro to the site,
where they are surprised by the sudden appearance of Miharu and another of the symbol weapons platforms, known as
Ishtars.
Episode 10: "Kugai"
Sensing the proximity of Miharu and the other Symbol Ishtar (known colloquially as Fakes), Yushiro instinctively
begins to perform the Gasara Dance. Before long, the stomach of the abandoned robot, known as the Kugai, opens up
and takes in Yushiro as a pilot. The robot, adorned like an ancient Japanese samurai, battles and defeats the
intruding weapons platforms and captures Miharu. When Yushiro leaves the Kugai, his master, Sorochi, informs him
that Yushiro is a kai, a man with the special talent required to control the Kugai, and that the Kugai itself is a
gift from Gasaraki. Sorochi says Yushiro must travel to Kyoto with Miharu in order to find out more.
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Inexplicably freed from the lethargy of the second cycle, "Gasaraki" Vol. 3
quickly takes the narrative to top
form. All of the plot elements that made the first Gasaraki volume both exciting and inventive return in the third
cycle, and the mystery unfolds in exciting new directions as characters whose development had languished in
cryogenic freeze burst back into life.
The primary innovation of the Gasaraki epic has been its seamless weaving of the familiar battling-robot story
with endless layers of Japanese and Buddhist mysticism. Earlier episodes opened with Yushiro performing the
chillingly mystical Gasara dance for reasons that were not quite clear. "Storehouse" and "Kugai" advance this plot
masterfully by revisiting that dance and fulfilling the subtle promises that dark forces were in fact behind it.
As it turns out, the development of robotic combat platforms might be the result of a nefarious relationship
between the Gowa clan and the dark god Gasaraki. The robots may not be merely man-made killing machines, but the
unholy avatars of the dark god on Earth. Adding to the joy of this revelation is the fact that even as the original
inscrutability of the plot drops away, there are tempting hints that more delectable revelations lie just over the
next horizon.
Even the characters of "Gasaraki," thus far not the strength of the story, find themselves suddenly defined in
the third cycle. The Gowa brothers are no longer merely overlords of an ultra-high-tech corporation, but members
of a conspiracy that may outshine the Iran-Contra affair for complexity and malevolent genius. Ataka, one of the
TA pilots, assumes her place as a companion to Yushiro in the real world, a perfect foil for the Miharu, Yushiro's
potential companion in the world of the kai. Yushiro too, finally acquires a credible motive as well when his
brooding turns out to be completely justified - after all, he is dead! Now, the central protagonist is on a quest
to rediscover himself, and the audience will be allowed to discover the real Yushiro along with him.
Even the battle scenes evolve in this latest cycle, as the tireless battle between Gowa TAs and
Symbol/Belgistanian Fakes is replaced by a melee between the talented Miharu and the devilishly slick Kugai. Instead
of machines firing at machine, the battle in "Kugai" is reminiscent of showdowns between Samurai warriors. This is
far more involving than the childish interposition of underdeveloped robots onto a romanticized Gulf War backdrop
that made the second set of episodes a dud. With these developments, the series is back on track and ready to
thrill.
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