colin.gulgowski - 2016-01-11 15:43:59

It's upsettingly subpar. The iconic yaoi tropes all amalgamated into this one. 

littel.gerda - 2014-01-06 23:00:07

A long time ago, I started watching this show. Now, three years later, I can say that I have finished it. Unfortunately, I can't say that I was very thrilled by the output.

While I have to give them credit for trying to make a good story out of this, the plot tended to drift off course at times and when it did seem like it was on track, there would be random overly comedic bits that often broke up whatever serious tone the show had. There were many scenes that could've been very heartfelt between Shuichi and Yuki, but Shuichi's personality always got in the way. I also have to point out that the ending did not resolve the romance at all, and as such was a major disappointment.

Animation wise, there are moments when the show looks really good, usually during concert scenes, but there are also times where it falls flat on it's face. The movement looks very strange, especially when someone is walking or running, and it's very hard to keep track of characters when they all have the same face.

The music in the series was supposed to be a main focal point, but out off all the songs including the opening, ending, all background music, and the songs the bands themselves play, the only one I could find myself liking was "Rage Beat". Just hearing that song played within an episode brightened my mood during watching. Unfortunately, that was it. Neither the opening nor ending did anything for me, and were skipped every time. In the argument of sub vs dub, I have to say sub, and even then you're gonna listen to some painful audio. The dub has got to be one of the worst dubs I've ever heard, like to 10. Maybe not top 5, but top 10. The voices feel either too forced or too flat, or make it seem like the character is younger than they actually are, the biggest problem being Ryuichi, especially in the sub.

The characters in Gravitation, honestly, are the best part. While I couldn't bring myself to like Shuichi at all, as I found his hyper personality to be too much to handle, Eiri Yuki was a joy to have on screen for his sarcastic personality but also the depth of his character. When he needs to be, he can be very emotional, something I like to see from a guy who's main archetype is that he's and Ice Queen. Hiro was also fun, but he developed some issues at the end of the series that bugged me. Everyone else isn't worth mentioning, as they basically have one or two quirks and that's it. But Yuki alone is enough to make up for that.

The big question is did I enjoy what I was watching, and in the case or Gravitation, I can't say I liked it enough to recommend it to anyone. It's a tough sell with a limited market. There were times I felt that I was really enjoying the series, but other times I was having to force myself through it, and it's those moments that force me to score this show low.

I give Gravitation a score of 5.20 out of 10. There are some people out there that will love this show. Unfortunately I am not one of them. Give it a try only if you know you will like it.