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 Guy Who Sleeps All Day, 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 last volume Van and Wendy also picked up a young boy named Joshua who is the younger brother of Ray; another of the Claw's enemies.

In the second volume of the show the episodic adventures of our heroes continued with a murderous town populated by clones and an island paradise under the guidance of the Claw. The biggest impact the previews disc had on this series though was the introduction of Ray's character. He's a hard-edged drifter with a chip on his shoulder that won't let anything or anyone stand in the way of his goals. Ironically he and Van share the same desire though how they go about it puts them at odds.

It's time once again to head back to Endless Illusion with the third volume and right at the start the same formula kicks into gear. While it was a slower paced story than most of the other ones to date the first episode was very interesting because it shed some light on Carmen99's character. She's the enigmatic and buxom lady who shows up at the right time and appears to be very opportunistic. As we get to see a glimpse at her past her character gets fleshed out and it would seem that even in a rustic little setting like her home town the Claw has agents.

The group's next destination is a town where half of it is apparently under water. Excavation is constantly underway to pick up the pieces of the Atlantis-like section of the village though pirates constantly meddle with the work. One of the guards hears Van and Joshua talking about Dann and instantly they are pegged for armor pilots and hired to help protect the crew during an expedition. The pay is big and it will also net them passage to the place where they agreed to meet up with Carmen99 in the last episode so they agree. As predicted the pirates arrive and a big mecha battle ensues.

At the end of the second episode though there is surprisingly a twist that breaks the singularity of the episode structure. When the adventurers get to Zonnet Wendy sees her missing brother on the other side of the tracks. In the third episode we see that their reunion doesn't exactly go as she had planned. More of the mystery to this point is revealed and some of Dann's armor brethren come to light. The Claw's agents are right on the heels of Van and company so as you'd imagine there are plenty of fight scenes.

The third volume here was definitely stronger than the second. There was a great deal of continuity and several plotlines that tied these episodes into previous ones. Learning what we learn about Wendy's brother really puts an interesting twist on her character and quest and seeing pieces of Carmen's past fleshes her out as well. My interest in the show has definitely been piqued again and as a viewer I'm looking forward to the fourth volume. This still isn't a must have series but it's good enough to warrant a recommendation and better than much of what's on the market today.

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.

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 trend for Gun Sword continues with a decent round of bonus content. This time around there are some more previews, CD commercials and another art gallery. Two more episodes of "Gun X Sword-San" are included so fans of whacky CGI and senseless violence will be pleased.

After seeing the second volume of Gun Sword I started to worry about the future of the series. The episodic structure and the lack of development was really starting to take its toll and the sporadic pacing wasn't helping matters. This latest volume changes most of that with a multi-episode story and quite a bit of development for Wendy and Carmen. The series is definitely worth a recommendation at this point but it's not a really high one. If you're looking for a quirky action show with some eye candy and a lot of mystery then you'll definitely be pleased.

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