Packed with a lot of slick action and a unique sense of style Gun Sword has proven itself to be an interesting series. Produced by AIC (Bubblegum Crisis and Tenchi Muyo!) the show came out last year in Japan and ran for 26 episodes. The series features a blend of action, comedy and drama to weave its tale and craft the bizarre world known as Endless Illusion. It's one of those planets that could only really exist in anime. Towns are scattered across its surface and each is unique in its own right, though the overbearing tone is that of a Western. If you think about the atmosphere as a Trigun meets Kino's Journey thing you're on the right track.

Another part that reminds me about both of those series is the fact that the main character Van is roaming the countryside. Just like Vash the Stampede (with some design resembling Spike Spiegel), his name precedes him though there are several variations on it. Sometimes he's called Van of the Dawn, Van the Crybaby, or Pretty Van from the Garbage Dump. He tends to change it depending on the situation and what mood strikes him that day though every once in a while someone turns up looking for him and uses a new moniker. Van's mysterious nature is compounded even more so by the fact that he owns a mecha suit of armor named Dann and has the ability to heal himself it would seem.

As Van travels the world he's accompanied by a young girl named Wendy who is out searching for her missing brother. The two personalities are polar opposites but through fate, and some determination on Wendy's part, they seem to get along well. Two heads are better than one, since both of them are out on a quest, though Van is looking for a mysterious man known only as The Claw.

In the first volume of the show we were introduced to all of these characters and the world of Endless Illusion. From a town overrun by outlaws to the reunion of a Voltron-like squad of Armor riders the introductory episodes laid out most of the ground work. We also found out that Van isn't the only man with a score to settle with this clawed individual. He seems to leave unspeakable atrocities in his wake and multiple warriors are out to seek vengeance. That little tidbit is proven once again in the second volume of the show.

Things start out with an interesting tale about an underground town populated by twins. Van and Wendy wandered there while passing through a canyon though it would seem that Carmen99 made it there first. She arranged a deal with the warring sets of twins to pick bodyguards to help bring a decision regarding the victor to a head. As you'd imagine Van gets dragged into the mess but we also get a glimpse at another Claw hunter called Ray. His reasons for seeking revenge mirror Van's, though his methods are entirely different. While Van occasionally tries to help people and usually doesn't make fuss, Ray isn't ashamed to kill anyone who stands in his way. This episode got kind of silly towards the end but being introduced to Ray's character was kind of cool.

The second episode on this disc involves Van and Wendy passing through a vacation resort town. On the way they are harassed by a pair of lovebirds whose irritating prattle went beyond amusing and frequently gave me the urge to fast forward. Still, scenes like a parody from Pulp Fiction and watching Van get frustrated over not being able to have a hot dog were fairly amusing. The episode does turn out to be kind of pointless in the end though.

On the slower side of things the third episode threw Van and Wendy onto an island paradise only to be wined and dined by a mysterious man. As he smooth talks his way into their heads it becomes clear before long that something more sinister is afoot. This guy turns out to be a friend of the Claw and was trying to do his best to force our heroes to give up their quest and leave Claw alone. Of course we know they can't do that so in the next episode their adventure continues. Ray turns up again as he and Van fight together in order to save a village.

The second volume of Gun Sword didn't have quite the same impact on me as the first one did. The four episodes here were decent in their own right though the second and third ones were the weaker of the set. The pacing in this volume is wildly unbalanced and the way the "big picture" story is told only trickles through in droplets. In the end I'd say that this volume left me wanting more rather than it satisfied my craving. We'll see how things turn out in the next installment to see if things get better.

Gun Sword is so fresh from Japan it's not even funny. Geneon certainly wasted no time in getting this one across the ocean, and we're talking not even a year. The transfer for this DVD is beautiful with a 16:9 widescreen presentation and very few flaws overall. There were some bits of aliasing to be noticed and a few splotches of grain here and there, though they were minor at best. This is a sharp looking show with a great sense of style and some very fluid animation. The characters absolutely pop from the screen thanks to their movements and wild color palettes.

Loud and clear is the best way to describe the audio experience for Gun Sword. With three distinctive tracks available on the disc, each offers phenomenal quality. Granted the 2.0 Japanese track isn't the most impressive, but the 5.1 DTS Japanese and 5.1 Dolby Digital English selections really rock. The rear speakers kick in at all the right moments and the soundstage is properly balanced between action, music and dialogue. If you're an otaku with a nice home theater you'll want to turn this sucker up. Some of the episodes here are more subdued thanks to their slower natures but even then the audio quality is impressive.

The first volume of Gun Sword presented some unique bonus content and I'm happy to report that the second disc follows suit. Though there is standard stuff like previews and an art gallery here more originally material such as CD commercials and trailers for the show are available. The cream of the crop though is the inclusion of two more episodes of "Gun X Sword-San". These are cute short little episodes featuring 3-D cel-shaded characters cracking jokes and physically abusing each other. Watching Wendy whack Kameo's head off with her pistol is priceless but seeing Carmen99 attempt to "bust out" is even funnier.

I really enjoyed the first volume of Gun Sword though I'm never sold on a series until I get to see more of it. To beat around the bush the second volume for the show was definitely a step back. The first and last episodes presented interesting plots and ideas but the middle two felt like complete wastes of time. The pacing feels erratic because of this and the scenes involve Dann felt out of place and forced. We'll see if the third volume rights these wrongs but until then this one is coming up as a rental.

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