Set in the seedy underbelly of Japan's cultural and societal elite, Speed Grapher is a program that grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go. I first caught a glimpse of this series during 2007's Anime Boston convention and it certainly peaked my interest. FUNimation released the show during the months that followed and recently it has been inducted into the ranks of the Viridian Collection line. It's safe to say that if you missed it the first time around then the reissue's affordability makes it a no-brainer if you ever had an interest.

Produced by GONZO and directed by Kunihisa Sugishima Speed Grapher ended up with 24 episodes by the time it wrapped up in 2005. With a photographer at the helm the series feels a little like Area 88 or Flag but it has significantly darker tones than you'd expect.

The show follows the exploits of a photo journalist named Saiga who has a strange sexual fetish revolving around taking pictures. In the series he's introduced to us on the battlefield of some war getting an erection while photographing someone being killed. This strange desire has led him beneath the streets of Japan where he meets a "goddess" who gives him powers known as Euphoria. As it turns out the goddess is little more than a young girl named Kagura who is unwittingly involved in the bizarre happenings of the cultural elite. At any rate with the mystical Euphoria, Saiga's right eye and camera have become powerful and deadly.

As we saw in the previous volume Saiga and Kagura are on the run from the Tennouzu group who wants its goddess back at all costs. Last time around we saw some Euphorics sent after them and all kinds of hell broke loose. After being sniffed out by someone with amazing olfactory senses Saiga had to go toe to toe with a demented lady who could turn her body into diamond. This turned out to be no small task due to her transparency and his inability to focus his camera on her. There proved to be no rest for the wicked as a really messed up dentist hit the trail of Saiga and Kagura as well.

The third volume picks up essentially where the second left off and we see our main duo still on the run from Tennouzu. They are still being sniffed out by Tsujido, the Euphoria with the fantastic sense of smell, but also find themselves tracked down by Ginza, the demented cop who has a thing for Saiga. Their only refuge is a hot spring where Kagura's mother has some history and it plays out nicely to flesh out the character of Shinsen. This doesn't last for long though and eventually Saiga and Kagura have to move on as you'd expect.

Their next stop is a research facility as they attempt to discover Kagura's true nature. Unfortunately the sinister Suitengu knows exactly where they are going and beats them to the punch. Once there Saiga and Suitengu battle but it's rather one sided as Suitengu's power to control blood trumps Saiga's ability to take explosive pictures. When the dust settles Saiga is left hurting and Kagura has gone into hiding. Dazed somewhat and in the company of Ginza, Saiga tells her where Kagura is so that she may save her; after all she is a cop. Unfortunately Ginza's priorities lie elsewhere and as the volume unfolds we see her true nature.

Without giving much more away, the third volume of Speed Grapher is full of betrayals and power struggles. It feels like a tug of war game between good and evil but the ironic part is that the pacing turns out to be slow. There's a lot that happens in this installment but the story isn't developed quite as well as it was in the previous two. These episodes still turned out to be interesting but they didn't feel as finely crafted as what came before it. Hopefully it's all simply necessary plot exposition and soon enough we'll see the fruits of this labor.

Speed Grapher was originally released a few years ago and as such the program benefits from the recent production. The designs; though sickening in some cases, are beautiful and the animation matches what you'd expect from a series by GONZO. The 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer offers an eerie glimpse at the seedy world that Saiga lives in but it's not entirely without flaw. While the colors and contrast stay on cue for the most part many scenes are blanketed by noise. It's difficult to tell whether or not this was a byproduct of FUNimation's transfer or if it was placed there purposely for the grit that this show loves so much. Either way it's a tad distracting but thankfully it's the only smudge on this otherwise solid looking series.

Like you'd expect from a series of this caliber Speed Grapher comes with a 2.0 track for each language (Japanese and English) with a 5.1 being reserved solely for the English speaking crowd. The dubbing for both tracks stands out as perfect and I'd definitely say that both drag you in and keep you on the edge of your seat. Lines are performed with precise emotions and the flare for the dramatic isn't lost in translation. The 2.0 tracks are acceptable enough for what they are but the 5.1 helps once the action picks up as it creates a better sense of immersion. Even so this is a somewhat quiet program and the channels aren't used to their fullest capacity.

Like the other volumes of Speed Grapher this one contains an art gallery, character profiles, clean animations, trailers, and some video for cast auditions.

If you missed it the first time around FUNimation's re-release of Speed Grapher is definitely worth picking up. This provocative series certainly doesn't pull any punches and this volume offers some decent action to sate the palette. We get some interesting glimpses into other characters this time around but the main story doesn't exactly flourish in the process. These episodes kind of drag at points compared to what came before them but that certainly doesn't mean they aren't interesting. This is still an enjoyable series but this volume just doesn't feel as revolutionary.

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