Hosted by Swift Communications


SPEED GRAPHER

SPEED GRAPHER
Animation - 7.6
Sound - 8.4
Story - 8.4
Character - 8.4
Value - 8.1
Enjoyment - 8.4
Average - 8.2

Reviewed 25 times Statistic Help |  Review it


User Review
Next Jump to page   of 2  

drlovedrake    2009-03-28 05:41:26
Average 7.3
Animation 7
Sound 8
Story 8
Character 7
Value 7
Enjoyment 7
Speed Grapher is the epitome of an average anime. But that’s not really a bad thing! While there is nothing outstanding about the series, there is also nothing lacking.

When I first read the title, I thought Speed Grapher was about math, and people drawing XY graphs really fast. Dumb…I know. For anyone suffering from this same confusion, the title of the anime should really be Speed PHOTOgrapher.

The premise of Speed Grapher is that there is a secret ultra exclusive club that is THE place to be for all of Japan’s political elite. At this club, which is more like a cult, nothing is taboo and all your carnal desires can be satisfied. The most elite members of this club have the additional privilege of receiving the ‘blessing of the goddess’ which is bestowed by the kiss of a beautiful maiden and is said to give the recipient ultimate pleasure. In reality, the blessing of the goddess gives special X-Men like powers, where each person who has this blessing gets a different power relating to their interests. Our hero is a war photographer named Saiga, who gets caught in this mysterious cult while attempting to research it, and accidentally receives the blessing of the goddess. His new power is the ability to make something explode when he takes a picture of it with his camera. Naturally, the cult isn’t too happy that a photographer managed to infiltrate their ranks, so they try to catch Saiga but he escapes with the ‘goddess’ and so begins the series Speed Grapher. This anime is all about the origins and purpose of the club, the company behind the club, the political elite in the club and the source of the power that the goddess bestows. Each facet of the story is slowly revealed as the series progresses, and it is all tied in together at the end.

Like I said at the beginning, this is a good series, just not exceptional. The story was intriguing, but the episodes felt formulaic. In each episode, Saiga fights and defeats a bad guy and a little more is revealed about each of the various facets of the story. The creators didn’t switch it up very much, but that’s OK, because their formula worked. The story kept me interested all the way through, and the ending was very satisfactory. The same goes for the characters. None of them were super original, but they all fit their roles well. They were all likable as either being the good guys or the villains. As a side note, I did really like the op for Speed Grapher. Both the animation and the song were cool, and fit the theme of the series really well.

Speed Grapher is a cross genera anime. It is mostly sci-fi, action and drama, but it had some elements of romance and comedy in it as well. Because of this, and because there are no obvious flaws in the series, I think most anime fans would like this series. Don’t expect to be blown away, but do expect to be entertained and for the show to keep your interest throughout its twenty four episode run. I would recommend watching this show once.
::More from this review::

0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

Hikikomori (2008-11-03 21:49:01)   2008-11-03 21:48:12
Average 8.8
Animation 10
Sound 7
Story 10
Character 9
Value 8
Enjoyment 9
No matter which site or forum I go to I see very mixed reviews for this show, Speed Grapher. And it's usually because the show looks good and dark and gritty but then it's disliked because it's not as action packed as___ “insert your favorite anime here.” So based on that I think a good review should point this out. It should also state that if you want an anime that's good and dark and gritty but is also character driven and therefore will dedicate a few episodes to building and defining the characters' personalities, then you will like this show....if you want a show that's gritty and dark but has low character development and more shootings and bigger explosions then watch, Black Lagoon.
::More from this review::

1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

echow124    2008-07-30 02:05:11
Average 8.7
Animation 8
Sound 8
Story 9
Character 8
Value 9
Enjoyment 10
Characters are well developed and interesting. I like animes like this where their past unwinds slowly throughou the series giving you a fuller understanding of how they have come to be the character they are.

However, I just didn't like the whole lolita complex going on - it was a bit cheesy in that aspect. The costume design for Kagura is sure to be a hit for cosplayers, but it wasn't very visually appealing to me. The music for the introduction is pretty good, but the soundtrack for the anime itself is just about average to low-average. The villains remind me a bit of Fullmetal Alchemist.

I was pretty satisfied with the ending. Some animes leave you hanging or hungry for more, but this one had a nice closure.


1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

Encu (2007-11-18 08:21:11)   2007-11-17 23:40:53
Average 4.8
Animation 3
Sound 5
Story 4
Character 7
Value 5
Enjoyment 5
This started off as an anime that I really thought I'd enjoy. It seemed powerful, depthful, and willing to take bold risks in order to explore an interesting concept.

But, this anime seriously wears down towards the middle, and by the end is a farcical pile of poorly conceived nonsense about an overly trite theme, explored in a much better fashion elsewhere.

The anime does have its strong points, however, being two of our characters and several of its concepts, but it comes together too poorly and so I'd recommend staying away from Speed Grapher.
::More from this review::

2 of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

corventus    2007-07-29 18:46:36
Average 9.8
Animation 9
Sound 10
Story 10
Character 10
Value 10
Enjoyment 10
Wow... this is a pretty refreshing anime. Don´t let the idea of "killing people with a camera" discourage you cause the storyline, characters and value are top notch!! The only real problem with this anime is the animation. I´m not talking about the resolution of the colors, I´m talking about the frame rate. Its feels pretty slow and makes me think that people inside Gonzo didn´t want to put a lot of money on the anime cause of the strange "camera" idea wich was a grave mistake in my opinion. In the last 3 episodes the animation starts to improve, I can think that they realized that the ending needed the extra $$$ boost so they did wich is so Ironic cause the anime talks the entire time of the need of money that it makes me laugh just by thinking about it.

But anyway like I sed I recommend this one to you and everyone on this planet and by the way the theme song is really refreshing too, I kinda got tired of the whole rock and roll themes that are around the anime world. The director and the producer of this one did an awesome job, congrats from a 15 year long anime veteran.


0 of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

De Baer    2006-07-17 14:28:52
Average 7.8
Animation 6
Sound 8
Story 9
Character 8
Value 8
Enjoyment 8
Im Zusammenhang mit “Speed Grapher“ kamen mir immer wieder die Worte “Sex, Crime & Violence“ zu Ohren. Manchmal fiel sogar die Bezeichnung “Film Noir“ oder “Mystery“. Was mich nun zu allererst dazu motivierte mir diese Serie anzuschauen war hauptsächlich um zu prüfen ob dies alles tatsächlich auch auf “Speed Grapher“ zutrifft. Vereinigt dieser Anime wirklich all diese vielfältigen und interessanten Elemente in sich oder hat sich GONZO hier mal wieder in punkto “Style über Substanz“ selbst überboten? Aber der Reihe nach: Speed Grapher beginnt wahrhaftig sehr verheißungsvoll und führt dem Zuschauer eine depressive, kalte Wirtschaftsutopie vor Augen, mit einer Gesellschaft die von Macht- und Habgier dominiert wird und in der materielle Gelüste über allen anderen Werten stehen, was jegliche menschliche Harmonie im Keim erstickt. Vor allem die ersten 2 Episoden schaffen es eine harte und verruchte Atmosphäre über die Serie zu legen die in Verbindung mit dem rauen, deprimierenden Unterton die Faszination des Zuschauers anzuregen weiß. Danach allerdings hat GONZO es versäumt entscheidend darauf aufzubauen und dank teilweise überzogener Darstellung der Korruption und Geldgier von so manchem Charakter und dem Verfallen in typische Klischees, verliert “Speed Grapher“ von Episode zu Episode rapide seine einzigartige Ausstrahlung. Vor allem der erotische Touch der in der Anfangsphase vor allem vom mysteriösen Untergrundclub ausging, ist plötzlich kaum mehr spürbar und es wird nur mehr versucht diesen mit billig eingefügten Sex- oder Fummelszenen zu erhalten, was selbstverständlich fehlschlägt. Wenn ich von Klischees spreche dann meine ich vor allem den Verfall der Serie ins standardmäßige Shounen-Milieu, inklusive “Feind des Tages-Episoden“ in denen bizarre Gestalten mit übermenschlichen Kräften jagt auf den Protagonisten machen um nach kurzem Gerangel kurz und schmerzlos von ihm ausgeschaltet werden. Diese gewisse Individualität von Speed Grapher aus den Anfangsepisoden wird damit leider schwer getrübt. Noch schwerwiegender wirkte sich aber die Tatsache aus, dass in dieser Phase weder Story noch Charaktere großartige Einsicht zulassen und mehr oder weniger auf der Stelle treten. Doch kurz bevor ich schon davor stand Speed Grapher als einen weiteren typischen GONZO-Anime abzustempeln, fängt sich so langsam aber sicher an etwas in diesem Anime zu regen. Urplötzlich besinnt sich die Serie darauf den Mystery-Faktor aufzubauen und fängt an immer mehr interessante Fragen aufzuhäufen die vor allem in Beziehung zu den Charakteren für Motivation sorgen die Serie mit Spannung weiter zu verfolgen. Auf einmal wird aus der oben angesprochenen lahmen Vorstellung eine Art “Detective-Story“ auf den Spuren von “Akte X“ und “Sin City“, die verschiedenste Elemente aus dem Mystery-, Sci-Fi-, und Gangsterfilm-Genre miteinander kombiniert und der Story dazu verhilft einen Pluspunkt nach dem anderen auf ihrer Seite zu verbuchen. Die düstere Atmosphäre, das bedrückende Ambiente, plötzlich alles wieder da und das noch besser als zuvor. Speed Grapher entwickelt sich zu einem packenden, gesellschaftskritischem Epos um Moral, zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen und dem Verlangen nach Freiheit und Individualismus in einer kranken von Gier und Korruption zerrütteten Gesellschaft. Saigas und Kaguras verzweifelter Kampf wird somit zu einer sehr einfühlsamen Geschichte die trotz der brutalen, finsteren Natur der Serie doch dazu in der Lage war mich innerlich aufzuwühlen. Im Endeffekt lässt sich sagen, dass mir Speed Grapher doch um einiges besser gefallen hat als ich es nach den ersten paar Episoden angenommen hatte. Hier und da lässt GONZO zwar mal wieder altbekannte Schwächen aufblitzen aber immerhin ist es dem Studio dieses Mal auf zufrieden stellender Basis gelungen eine in sich stimmige und recht innovative Geschichte zu erzählen die auch mit gut ausgearbeiteten Figuren aufwarten kann. Für all diejenigen die schon lange die Schnauze voll davon haben in ihren Animes ständig denselben altbackenen Trott zu Gesicht zu bekommen ist Speed Grapher sicher eine willkommen Abwechslung. Nicht gänzlich ohne Makel aber dennoch unterhaltsam.
::More from this review::

0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

red5thedragon (2006-04-20 19:28:16)   2006-04-04 16:33:35
Average 8.7
Animation 9
Sound 8
Story 10
Character 8
Value 8
Enjoyment 9
Graphics is very up-to-date, with no grainy animations. Sounds are up-to-date and numerous: from clothing to explosions. One thing I don't like about sound is the Japanese voice actors for American characters. It just didn't sound right hearing a fobbish accent from an American. Other than that, the opening theme song is a great 80s style. Both of the ending songs weren't as attractive.

Speed Grapher's story is one of the best stories I've seen or heard. Time is not wasted on introduction, most of it is spent on climatic and suspenseful scenes. The ending came with a big bang, quite literally. Story is intricate and serious as well. It has shown the corrupt underside of Japan, along with some sci-fi/fantasy action sequences.

The villainous characters were greatly developed. Their history and their reasons for their actions are explained well. For the "good" characters, it's not as focused. Saiga's history is explored, but his actions and mental development aren't as much. Karuga is vice versa. I just did not feel a great connection to the main characters.

Speed Grapher's strongest point is its story. A compelling and suspenseful story kept me eager to watch the next episode. Speed Grapher has a mature approach, and thus for mature audiences. There is no room for kiddy stuff here: there's a bunch of sick and twisted scenes not for the light hearted or stomach. Speed Grapher is awfully dark in atmosphere: it shows the dark underside of society. But if you can get past that, the story will knock you off. I enjoyed the story, but not the horrific, ugly stuff.


0 of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

Avalanche (2006-03-10 10:41:19)   2006-01-16 13:33:31
Average 7.8
Animation 6
Sound 10
Story 8
Character 9
Value 7
Enjoyment 7
A good anime series. Nowhere close to the really good ones like Kenshin or Bebop but good. The best part is that it has a simple story unlike some weird anime which go hyper into emotions/philosophy etc. Quite enjoyable as well.

This is normal anime. It doesn't break any new ground but pulls through gracefully throughout the series.

::More from this review::

0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

Joshua    2005-11-16 08:55:09
Average 8.0
Animation 8
Sound 7
Story 9
Character 8
Value 8
Enjoyment 8
Now I think Speed Grapher is a very mature anime and covers themes that you don't see brought up to often. In general it is about how people think that money can buy and do anything even do something like buy the freedom and life of another human being. Pleasure and desires are what are more important to some people and how society can put that over anything else even if that means losing their humanity. Trust in this series their are more than one way how they show and express this through their characters and story. My only grip would be that the music was better because I really don't care for it with the exception of a few melodies that play throughout the show. The overall concept is unique and innovative and you will remember the character simply because of their bizarre looks and abilites. I do think SG has a great story and despite it's not to great choice in music and what I believe to be bad character design for some that is what really shines through the story and the issues it covers and how it uses it's characters to do that is brilliant and I think that is how things should stay.
::More from this review::

0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

isokana    2005-11-13 14:19:37
Average 7.2
Animation 7
Sound 8
Story 7
Character 7
Value 7
Enjoyment 7
A series has to have balls if they use a Duran Duran's song as a opener. Speed Grapher spends 24 episodes proving that.

I could have settled for less. For the first few episodes the series' corrupted, lustful world was fascinating. But this-weeks-monster pattern looses its edge quickly even if the monsters in question are pretty imaginative. Perhaps it's because despite their varied forms they are always motivated by pleasure. Everyone seems to get some mighty high kicks of what they do.

The story follows the same pattern. First it felt a very good run-away story. Then I noticed there was no tension going on. Tennouzu group seemed so powerful that I felt if they really wanted to catch someone they would do it in no time. I know the series showed them trying hard but the image I got was completely opposite. The other side of the story with the power struggle in the corporate and political world could have been interesting but it was told too slowly to really grab my attention.

The characters offered the same greyness. Saiga is boring and the only thing he's good at is protecting Kagura. He explains his motives at some points but I was never convinced of them. Kagura isn't actually half that annoying as I thought at first. But she being a sheltered princess it's very hard to build her character appealing and it fails. I see no real development in her during the series even though I'd imagine that would be one of the main points of the story. Suitengu is the only one who is interesting. His motives are clouded, he is damn mysterious and acts weirdly. Enough to make me want to follow and know more about him. He was the only character who actually raised any emotion in me in the whole series. There's a lot of side-characters from interesting (Kagura's mother, nice daughter-mother relationship there) to pointless (Bob, comedic relief whose too cliched to be funny).

I don't if the rookie section of Gonzo made the animation, but it doesn't look good at all. Characters are stiff and emotionless, scenery isn't interesting and character designs are unappealing. I was always reminding myself that Kagura was supposed to be cute. Music is good following the mood of the series well. Especially the opener is a perfect fit for the series. I couldn't believe what I was hearing first but there's no other choice.

Speed Grapher has the potential of being an anime equivalent of Eyes Wide Shut with more action and enticing plot but falls victim of sluggish and repetetive storytelling. Boring main characters and bad animation don't help at all in keeping the viewer interested. Watch if you like the twisted side of humans a lot. I found it too colourless despite the themes handled.


1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

nauXolo    2005-11-06 17:36:11
Average 7.5
Animation 9
Sound 8
Story 6
Character 8
Value 6
Enjoyment 8
SPEED GRAPHER relies on a weird bioweapons/supernatural portrayal of idealistic beliefs. Full of references of crazy taboos, desires and societal flaws, SPEED GRAPHER is a dramatic account to show that hope exists despite corruption and sins.

A great cast of memorable and unique characters symbolic of all sorts of figures in societies. However, the story part is really hard to get into. The way everything just appeared out of nowhere seemed arbitrary, and when they mentioned some important story element I just went "Oh" i see. It kind of felt they just threw in various story elements in order to allow things to make sense.

If you can accept all the crazy things that happen and just accept that the story doesn't really amount to much, then you enjoy this. The interaction between the main male and female lead is what made me continue to watch this. The villain also was quite atypical and it was interesting to learn more about this guy. (Suitengu).
::More from this review::

0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

Pepelu    2005-11-04 23:46:51
Average 9.2
Animation 8
Sound 8
Story 10
Character 10
Value 9
Enjoyment 10
Probably the best anime I've watched this year. Exciting story of a photographer, a young girl trapped by a corrupt corporation, and the man who runs an underground club/brothel whose guests include Japan's political and business leaders. The story deals with corruption, power, happiness, and freedom. Plenty of entertainment along the way as the plot unfolds. Sometimes they'd show what was going on inside the club, but it's part of the story not for ecchi purposes.
::More from this review::

0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

Eve    2005-10-20 22:34:39
Average 7.3
Animation 7
Sound 9
Story 7
Character 6
Value 7
Enjoyment 8
Speed Grapher is one of those shows that start well but then begins to fizzle. At first, this series seemed really refreshing. It’s different because the show’s central themes are ones that aren’t often seen in anime. This show delves into the dark underbelly of society and shows how easily sex power and politics can corrupt. The scenes are explicitly graphic and the subject matter is undoubtedly for a more mature audience, but the show makes no apologies for being so raw. Sadly, after awhile the story begins to stall, the same themes are rehashed over and over again and the show loses its edge. I can accept that some powerful and/or political figures are corrupt and soulless but when all of them are portrayed that way, the story loses some of its credibility.
::More from this review::

0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

James Lu    2005-10-13 13:50:47
Average 8.8
Animation 10
Sound 10
Story 8
Character 8
Value 8
Enjoyment 9
What can I say?

The concept of Speed Grapher was very interesting the first time I watched it, and looked like it was a strong foundation for a very good story.

The story is good, but after continuing, it got stale, as ideas first introduced in the series got rehashed time and time again.

Another little wrinkle was the villians used in the story. Though all villians were very well fleshed out in terms of background, ideas, and desires, i felt that half of them needed a makeover. Why? Because those villians were based on very childish concepts, and in a way, ruined the mood of the series. That being said, SG is NOT for children. (I think that sadistic gentleman's club and the oft times lecherous implications shows that)

That being said, SG was still a good series.

Well animated, and the soundtrack was very fitting.

Duran Duran's "Girls on Film" could not have been any better as an opening.


0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

Fyrefox    2005-10-13 09:26:20
Average 7.2
Animation 8
Sound 7
Story 7
Character 6
Value 8
Enjoyment 7
This anime is unique, in the sense that it's different. The setting, theme and story are one of a kind.

I was quite impressed by the special 'powers' of the villians in the show, it was animated with quite a bizzare twist, not to mention the music which enhanced the experience. Personally, the concept of it is one of the best i've ever seen.

The characters in the show each have a memorable and identifiable part of them. But one complain is the lack of character development, the characters seem to say the same things over and over again, and before you know it, the story advances. I don't see why Kagura and Saiga could actually fall in love, I guess that the romance part failed miserably, but it served to provide a satisfactory ending to the show.

One thing that reflected the somewhat dark theme of the show was the constant use of gloomy scenes. It really added to the atmosphere.

The OP was good, while the ED's were ok. This anime is worth a re-watch definitely!

The english voice acting was somewhat awkward in some scenes too.


0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

Drauer    2005-10-11 18:52:49
Average 8.5
Animation 7
Sound 9
Story 8
Character 9
Value 9
Enjoyment 9
No pointless school girl-show-plots. No annoying cast of cliched schoolkids. Not full of lame rehashed ecchi jokes. God, Good, Good.

When I began watching this show, I was at a crossroads. I was getting tired of seeing all the same boring childish teenage love comedy. I had been looking for something new, crazy and different and I found Speed Grapher.

A very lucky find indeed.
::More from this review::

1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

neo_shinobi (2005-10-13 00:15:43)   2005-08-27 16:11:45
Average 9.7
Animation 8
Sound 10
Story 10
Character 10
Value 10
Enjoyment 10
Very good mature drama.

Storyline has quite a bit of depth, and it's very good. Having your deepest desires come true through a "goddess" isn't new, but Speed Grapher has warped that into an interesting anime.

Characters are well made and are very well developed. Especially Kagura "the main femal character". Although naive and sheltered from the outside world, her developmet as a person in search for freedom is original. Having everything yet having nothing is a very complex theme in Speed Grapher, and is shown in detail within each main character.

Music is also exceptional (both beginning, during the anime, and the end). Value and enjoyment depends are your taste, but i enjoy it a lot. The beginning theme from Duran Duran is great, and the ending theme is also decent.

Animation isn't the best, as it is simple at times. The animation is clear though, and chracters and setting are clearly defined.

I enjoyed this anime very much because of it's theme, and it's display of how money and freedom are "seperate and as one".

Read more for a complete review
::More from this review::

0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

jacob_negron    2005-08-17 04:57:33
Average 9.3
Animation 8
Sound 9
Story 10
Character 9
Value 10
Enjoyment 10
I loved this anime. it was truly great in almost all respects, especially with the original storyline and cool superpowers. I also liked the whole sexual element, as it clearly marked the bad guys as evil perverts and the "perverts," like Saiga's gay friend Bob, as normal people.
::More from this review::

0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

Kaana :3    2005-06-27 15:42:51
Average 9.5
Animation 7
Sound 10
Story 10
Character 10
Value 10
Enjoyment 10
Say hello to originality!!
It's been a long time since an original anime was produced!! Lately it's all school life crap, triangle love stories and stuff we've seen over and over again.

This one is special! Ok, so why do I enjoy it so much?
Even though the animation isn't pretty, the story and characters cover it up.
The story is unique, we havn't seen an elder man running with a teenager girl, who happens to be a mutant and changes his DNA and many other people by sexual contact during some secret club meetings.
The characters development is nice, not too slow not too fast.
The sound is cool!

Just one of those anime that are interesting to watch for being a story, and not another anime.


0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

suckuto    2005-05-30 02:57:12
Average 9.7
Animation 9
Sound 9
Story 10
Character 10
Value 10
Enjoyment 10
The animation fits the story well.

Characters are unconventional and complex, with presumably further development in store.

The story is unusual and is developing nicely. This is an adult anime, in the sense that it requires some maturity to appreciate.

If you are bored or confused by Speed Grapher, I suggest you go watch Naruto instead.

In answer to a question posed in an earlier review, my guess is that the title is either a conscious play on, (or a Japanese mangling of) "Speed Graphic", the name of the Graflex 4x5 press camera
used in the 20s and 30s (you can see them in the old movies from that era).



0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No

User Review
Next Jump to page   of 2  



Anime and Manga database (AnimeNfo.com)
© 2001-2006 Kevin Lamothe (supers) | Terms and Conditions
Hosted by Swift Communications


banner


Site design by ecxol.net:
ecxol