Gatekeepers and 21/Battle Athletes and Victory?

what do you guys think of these two series? any replay value? i guess no boxsets are gonna come out no matter how long i wait. thank you very much.

[Chloe]

Gatekeepers I am afraid I can't help you with; haven't seen it. Battle Athletes/Victory was quite fun though. The OVA is short,perhaps a bit more coherent, and definitely has a better overall ending I feel. The TV series however, does go into much more detail(of course!) and adds some really good characters. if you like the sports genre, or like seeing characters find themselves over the course of a show, these could work very well for you. I definitely am looking forward to seeing them again, so I think there is replay value in them. YMMV as always, but I condsider them to be B to B+ shows overall.

[chloes_fork]

I thought Gate Keepers was a lot of fun. It had elements of humor, action, drama, romance, and just plain silliness, expertly balanced and wrapped in a slick glossy colorful package. I didn't care for Gate Keepers 21 as much. I'm usually all about the seriousness and drama, but I thought the much darker sequel veered too far from the tone of what I had enjoyed so well in the original. I guess on those occasions I do enjoy something relatively light, I don't appreciate it getting all angsted up on me.

[Magic_Knight]

I recommend all 3!

Gatekeepers is a really fun show. It has a great cast and the animation is SUPERB.

Battle Athletes Victory is also a great show, one of the first ones I bought as an anime fan actually. It's one heck of a ride from start to finish, with comedy and drama, a great cast and solid animation. Definately worth it.

Both shows have pretty good replay value I think.

Gatekeepers 21 is darker and has quite a different feel than the original, but it's good in it own way. It also has a lot of neat stuff that works as "bonus" like scenes for those who have seen the TV series. I recommend it.

[Njr Scrawl]

Never took to Gatekeepers somehow - for its original RRP. I'll have to again now its cheap.

Battle Athletes OVA is more serious, & has a better Kris & ending.

BAV has Ichino &amp; "Akari's House". The 3rd/final arc's ending is too goofy for me especially <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>bringing Tomoe Midoh back from the dead, which spoiled the poignancy of Akari's past</span>, though I'd buy &amp; watch it all again if released with each episode having its own opening, ending &amp; preview - and the last episode's OVA ending.

[Shsway]

I have no experience with Gatekeepers, but I found the Battle Athletes franchise surprisingly charming, fun and well-thought out, with a slightly generous touch of melodrama. The characters aren't exactly lovable, and you end up sympathizing with the antics of the entire cast.

I can't recommend the dub, as it doesn't sound quite right to me and takes a few too many liberties with the script, but the Japanese language version features such great, versatile actresses as Kawakami Tomoko, Natsuki Rio and Hisakawa Aya, in the TV series. There are a lot of reliable names in the supporting cast too.

The replay value is moderate, as I rate it.

thanks very much guys! i guess i will just have to go with both then. will Geneon release boxsets for both in the near future?

[tuffy]

[ QUOTE ]
TheCreation said:
will Geneon release boxsets for both in the near future?

[/ QUOTE ]
Nothing's been announced for Gatekeepers that I can remember. Battle Athletes/Victory have been out on DVD so long without a box that there's almost no chance they'll get one now.

[Innocent Bystander]

I'll add that BA/BAV has a great music score IMO.

[jecca-neko]

[ QUOTE ]
Wrath of the Njr said:
BAV has Ichino &amp; "Akari's House". The 3rd/final arc's ending is too goofy for me especially <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>bringing Tomoe Midoh back from the dead, which spoiled the poignancy of Akari's past</span>, though I'd buy &amp; watch it all again if released with each episode having its own opening, ending &amp; preview - and the last episode's OVA ending.

[/ QUOTE ]

I will admit BAV had some strange stuff at the end, but I don't see any inconsistency. BAV had weird stuff throughout the show.

Personally, I like BAV the most. But then again, I saw it before I saw the OVA so... *shrug*

[Magic_Knight]

[ QUOTE ]
jecca-neko said:
[ QUOTE ]
Wrath of the Njr said:
BAV has Ichino &amp; "Akari's House". The 3rd/final arc's ending is too goofy for me especially <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>bringing Tomoe Midoh back from the dead, which spoiled the poignancy of Akari's past</span>, though I'd buy &amp; watch it all again if released with each episode having its own opening, ending &amp; preview - and the last episode's OVA ending.

[/ QUOTE ]

I will admit BAV had some strange stuff at the end, but I don't see any inconsistency. BAV had weird stuff throughout the show.

Personally, I like BAV the most. But then again, I saw it before I saw the OVA so... *shrug*

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, BAV does <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>have some weird stuff in the end. The whole alien thing felt really akward, but I guess it does fit in with the whole space setting. These episodes where fun, though. Not a bad ending at all, but I was really put off by it all at first.</span> I like BAV more than the OVA as well, and I saw BAV first, too.

[Isuzu Inugami]

[ QUOTE ]
jecca-neko said:

I will admit BAV had some strange stuff at the end, but I don't see any inconsistency. BAV had weird stuff throughout the show.

Personally, I like BAV the most. But then again, I saw it before I saw the OVA so... *shrug*

[/ QUOTE ]

BAV is 18 episodes of awesomeness wrapped in 8 episodes of somewhat daffy comedy/fanservice (the first 3 or 4 eps were as lightweight as the last 4). The 8 episodes are enjoyable enough, but what comes in between is pure gold.

I don't remember being very taken with the OAVs, (after the TV series, they just didn't have the intensity) but I ought to watch them again sometime.

[pianocello]

BAV has one of the best love triangles ever. Enough said.

[geraldr]

Battle Athletes Victory is an excellent show. The OAVs aren't terrible, but they pale in comparison to the TV series. Gatekeepers is a very fun show, but it's too expensive, never goes anywhere, and never solves anything, so I can't recommend it. It also annoys me that they bothered to set it in 1969, yet they could have set it in any time since they don't bother to use the time period very well, if at all.

so do i need to watch battle athletes ova first to get to know the characters better? are the two stories connected? if not, should i just skip the ova? thanks very much. as for gatekeepers, i think i will wait for a while. who knows maybe there is a thinpak on the way.

[Damaramu]

Only seen Battle Athletes Victory, and most strongly recommend it. It blends fun, drama, great relationships with whacky sports, comedy and sci fi. It's an eclectic mix but worked for me in just about all the ways the scene demanded.
True the last 4 or so episodes are a bit of an abrupt shift from most of what the series was focussing on, but it's not completely out of place and was hinted at earlier on. It was kind of the reason for the setting, but it does throw the balance more heavily towards slapstick.
Although the DVD presentation is quite flawed as it was apparently first anime TV series released in R1, the content still makes these discs well worth checking out.

And despite it's age, we can still hope Geneon fixes this like they did with Trigun /images/graemlins/happy.gif , even if this title doesn't have the high profile of that show.

[chloes_fork]

[ QUOTE ]
TheCreation said:
as for gatekeepers, i think i will wait for a while.

[/ QUOTE ]
Hmph.

Battle Athletes Victory is a shoujo ai classic. Threesome! /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[Magic_Knight]

No, you do not need to watch the OVA first. The TV series is like an "alternate universe" setting. Different story, same characters.

[Shsway]

[ QUOTE ]
Magic Knight said:
No, you do not need to watch the OVA first. The TV series is like an "alternate universe" setting. Different story, same characters.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah. It was the one and only time, since I started collecting anime, that I made the conscious decision to go for the TV series before the original OVA. It does no harm at all; you'll get the most fun, well-developed part of the franchise first, and then you can get the OVAs as a sort of companion piece, if you wish.

[ QUOTE ]
Magic Knight said:
No, you do not need to watch the OVA first. The TV series is like an "alternate universe" setting. Different story, same characters.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree 100% - I actually think watching the OVA first is detrimental to your enjoyment of the TV series. Without getting into spoilers, one of the characters has a bit of a surprise twist in the OVAs that does not exist in the TV series, and if you watch the OVAs first, you can't help but to think about this and be expecting it in the TV series (which doesn't happen) and it will color your perceptions of this character.

Plus the TV series is better. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[something]

I have a question about Battle Athletes too... I really hate sports and all, but I can make an easy exception for something really non-traditional like Kaleido Star (female leads make it much much easier to stomach as well). Would any of you consider Battle Athletes something I might find similarly palatable?

Honestly, the main reason I want to see this is because the whole Akari House thing looks adorable, and because Azuma's little Battle Athlete comic strips I've read are hilarious... Yeah, not the most meaningful of reasons, but whatever =P It's also been recommended by one or two people who often share my taste in anime (and dislike or sports, though not as strongly).

Some of you know the kind of stuff I like, so would BA fit in? Granted, I thought that after all this time it might have a boxset, but perhaps it at LEAST has a Sig Series release or something... I very strongly avoid Geneon blind buys in general but it's so old that there HAS to be a way to get it dirt cheap somewhere...

given your love of Stellvia, I'd say Yes. Jason Carter, on Anime Jump, wrote a rather scathing review of Stellvia V. 1-2, generally equating it to a battle athletes rip-off. While it may have been a little harsh, there is a great deal of similarity between the two series.

Edit: fixed reviewer name and cleared up post a little.

[something]

[ QUOTE ]
Shibi said:
Mike Toole wrote a rather scathing review of Stellvia V. 1 when it came out

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm now convinced that I need to buy everything he dislikes because I'd probably love it all, if he disliked Stellvia that much /images/graemlins/stunned0.gif

[ QUOTE ]
generally equating it to a battle athletes rip-off, while it may have been a little harsh, there is a great deal of similarity between the two series.

[/ QUOTE ]

Now that you mention it, I think I've heard that before, which is probably why I still occasionally toy with the idea of checking this series out.... Hmm.

[ QUOTE ]
disarm said:
Granted, I thought that after all this time it might have a boxset, but perhaps it at LEAST has a Sig Series release or something... I very strongly avoid Geneon blind buys in general but it's so old that there HAS to be a way to get it dirt cheap somewhere...

[/ QUOTE ]

The discs are only $14.95 MSRP, which is cheaper than the Sig Series rereleases already, without the tacky cover stripe. Or you can often find the complete set on eBay for even less...

Sorry about that, the review on Anime Jump was attributed to Jason Carter. I need to remember to check next time before I post.

Here is a link if your interested in reading his comparison

Anime Jump Review (http://www.animejump.com/index.php?module=prodreviews&amp;func=showcontent&amp;id=5 82)

[something]

[ QUOTE ]
Gabriel said:
The discs are only $14.95 MSRP, which is cheaper than the Sig Series rereleases already, without the tacky cover stripe. Or you can often find the complete set on eBay for even less...

[/ QUOTE ]

$15 msrp is good~ Time to see what I can find on eBay too then... Thanks for the info.

[ QUOTE ]
disarm said:
[ QUOTE ]
Shibi said:
Mike Toole wrote a rather scathing review of Stellvia V. 1 when it came out

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm now convinced that I need to buy everything he dislikes because I'd probably love it all, if he disliked Stellvia that much /images/graemlins/stunned0.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Since I love Stellvia I would do the same thing, except that I have no idea who Mike Toole is, or what else he does not like.

[something]

[ QUOTE ]
Touma said:
Since I love Stellvia I would do the same thing, except that I have no idea who Mike Toole is, or what else he does not like.

[/ QUOTE ]

He's the AnimeJump guy, although Shibi just posted again and corrected himself since Toole didn't actually write the review.

[ QUOTE ]
disarm said:
[ QUOTE ]
Touma said:
Since I love Stellvia I would do the same thing, except that I have no idea who Mike Toole is, or what else he does not like.

[/ QUOTE ]

He's the AnimeJump guy, although Shibi just posted again and corrected himself since Toole didn't actually write the review.

[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks.
I guess that I will have to check out AnimeJump sometime.

I will also have to check out Battle Athletes Victory. I actually do have the first disk. I got it on sale so long ago that I don't remember where I bought it, but I just never got around to watching it. After reading this thread I am moving it to the top of my backlog pile.

[something]

[ QUOTE ]
Touma said:
I will also have to check out Battle Athletes Victory. I actually do have the first disk. I got it on sale so long ago that I don't remember where I bought it, but I just never got around to watching it. After reading this thread I am moving it to the top of my backlog pile.

[/ QUOTE ]

Let us know what you think. I do see now that the discs are indeed $15 msrp, but there's also 8 of them, and at Geneon discounts. I'm not ready to drop $70 (that's with a TRSI Geneon sale and GA discount on top of it and free shipping, at that!) on a Geneon blind buy. I'll hunt eBay a bit more, but I'm only seeing individual volumes that, after shipping, would cost me about the same.

Hmm.

[ QUOTE ]
disarm said:
Let us know what you think. I do see now that the discs are indeed $15 msrp, but there's also 8 of them, and at Geneon discounts. I'm not ready to drop $70 (that's with a TRSI Geneon sale and GA discount on top of it and free shipping, at that!) on a Geneon blind buy. I'll hunt eBay a bit more, but I'm only seeing individual volumes that, after shipping, would cost me about the same.

Hmm.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it has been mentioned earlier - but the first disc is rather silly and has Akari crying and whining almost as much as Stellvia's Shipon. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif Disc 2 is when it starts getting really good.

And yeah, nothing on the auction sites right now. Its not uncommon tho to see people selling all 11 discs (TV and OVA) as a set for cheap.

[something]

[ QUOTE ]
Gabriel said:
I think it has been mentioned earlier - but the first disc is rather silly and has Akari crying and whining almost as much as Stellvia's Shipon. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif Disc 2 is when it starts getting really good.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I've come to like crying girls in anime, just to spite all the people who constantly write off Stellvia, Alien Nine, etc just on account of the crying =P

[ QUOTE ]
disarm said:
I think I've come to like crying girls in anime, just to spite all the people who constantly write off Stellvia, Alien Nine, etc just on account of the crying =P

[/ QUOTE ]

Some people are crying-averse, so I thought I'd mention it. And there is a LOT of crying in the first arc. Heh, you will probably love it.

[Chloe]

Maybe it depends on which you saw first. I saw the OVA first and the TV series second. I prefer the OVA somewhat, but they really are different beasts. The one thing that really irked me in the TV series was not the final arc(though that was a reach), but the final fights for the Cosmo Beauty crown. <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'> AIR HOCKEY?!? </span> I mean really, that was just weak. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Well, I got motivated and watched the first Battle Athletes Victory disk. I liked it enough that I will have to get more.
This show is a comedy, so far, with just a very, very slight suggestion that there might be something more serious to come. But so far it is all fun with a healthy dose of fanservice, and enough cuteness to keep me interested.
The Akari House is cute, and funny. It is not used much, only one scene that I remember, but this might be something that is better in small doses.

So this show has a lot of comedy, a lot of cuteness, a fair amount of fanservice, and a lot of competition, which is mostly more comic than serious. The one thing that it does not have, so far, is a story. Fortunately that does not bother me. I like episodic shows. But I know that not everybody does.
Now that a lot of characters have been introduced and some relationships have been established, with just a hint of yuri, things might change in the next disk.

Other than the fact that there are a lot of girls, of various ages, running around I do not see any resemblance to Stellvia. But these girls have not made it to space yet.After four episodes they are still firmly on the ground.

So, I do definitely want to try at least one more volume of BAV. But I don't think that I am quite ready to comit to buying the whole series, unless Shawne offers a nice bundle for around $40. That is probably just wishful thinking, but he did have those nice Cardcaptor Sakura bundles about two years ago.

[Isuzu Inugami]

[ QUOTE ]
Touma said:

So, I do definitely want to try at least one more volume of BAV. But I don't think that I am quite ready to comit to buying the whole series

[/ QUOTE ]

The story hits, and hits hard in the next disc. And you will definitely want to see the third, as the second ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. However that completes the first story arc, and you can easily take a breather there if you're not sure if you want to carry on yet.