ferne46 - 2014-01-30 10:19:50

Sentai on the outside, magical girl on the inside. Throw in some light social commentary and you have Gatchaman: Crowds.

What's probably the biggest reason this show gets average ratings overall is because it was marketed toward Sentai fans, and this simply isn't a show for people looking for Sentai action.

Gatchaman: Crowds is a show with an extremely upbeat, strong female lead whose whose attitude belies stunning amounts of wit and common sense, but anyone who's not a fan of this type of character wont find any value here.

This is why i think magical girl fans would have really enjoyed this show. The lead, Hajime, is constantly questioning the customs and actions of the Gatchamen because when you apply common sense none of their customs really make any sense outside of a Sentai setting.

If you like shoujo main characters, but not the sappyness, or melodrama that comes with them, then gatchaman crowds will be tons of fun for you. otherwise this show's probably not really for you.

deon19 - 2014-01-11 04:20:15

Story: An alien police force set to protect earth gets a new member, Hajime. She is more outgoing and changes the personality of the Gatchaman. A villain then appears and chaos ensues. Really interesting story, with a really cool take on a future version of facebook.

7/10

Animation: Normally I don't like 3d animation, but this did a good job transitioning between 3d and normal. Really colorful and unique.

8/10

Sound: The opening is one of my fav from the 2013 summer season.

8/10

Characters: Has a good variety of characters. From a cowardly panda to a crazy pinked haired villain. This show however is all about the main character Hajime. Normally I hate characters like her but, I couldn't help but love Hajime.

8/10

Enjoyment: This is the anime you watch when you don't know what you want to watch. Fun from beginning to end. 8/10

Overall: 8/10

dgoyette - 2013-12-20 01:45:07

I actually do not want to touch this trainwreck of a ballsack of a show. All my high anticipation to it, the hype over the superhero genre that will fill my Tiger and Bunny void, nice and quirky costume designs, the possibility of another balls-off-the-walls action show...POOF! Gone. Nadah. Niche.

Listen, if you are borrowing a name from a famous superhero anime franchise, at least make use of the heroes and not make them look like mascots who only do sideshows. I liked Gatchaman as a child althought its not my utter favorite since it was an enjoyable show despite the simple plot and generic characters. Now, how can you f--- up a simple concept of good versus evil and implement this bullcrap of concept that you just pulled out of your asses and say "oh but this a socially relevant topic!" out of context? First and foremost the actual premise is really really simple to begin with; The earth (or just that small city, whatever) is being threatened by unknown creatures called the "MESS". Enter these awesome costumes superheroes called Gatchaman to the rescue. Then one fine day, Hajime, a girl with a serious case of ADHD, is chosen (for some special reason) to be part of the Gatchaman squad. She suddenly barged into one of the missions as a complete badass newbie and then the story finally begins.

And then what happens? This "certain" character was introduced and it paved way for one of the biggest clusterf--- in the history of anime. Rui, the crossdressing social media mogul, deviced GALAX, a social media app that can make people's lives easy. But when the MESS tries to go overboard he took the app to a whole new level and so the titular CROWDS system was born. These abominations, that look like one the things Salvador Dali would create if he were given a shot at making a graphic novel adaptation of any Clive Barker book, really serves it purpose. In fact, these things serves it purpose well that Rui made a deal with Hajime to tell the Gatchaman to retire from their work of defeating the MESS (or any disaster response) and leave all the work for himself. Of course Hajime wont let Rui get all the glory so in one event where a tunnel collpsed, she did the unthinkable and transformed into her gatchaman form in public view while the rescue operation is ongoing. This caused a huge media frenzy and sparked the gatchaman fever across town the same hype that the social media app "GALAX" was getting.

No longer makes sense, right? Oh wait there's more! There is actually an antagonist in this show! What's a superhero anime without one, right?! Yeah...but he is probably the most pretentious piece of crap of a villain I have ever encountered since Kayaba of SAO. He is Berg-Katze, yes, if you watched Gatchaman, same name...only looks stupider. He just pranced around town and harrasing random citizens and proves his superiority to the gatchaman team by beating the crap out of one of them, and just one. Yeah, so intimidating, yo! He then got bored and hijacked the server of GALAX by imitating the form of Rui, and then all hell broke loose. Well, not really hell, more like Black Friday mall hopping to say the least. Chaos ensues, government panicked, traffic jams, and the local preschool got terrorized by the giant eyeball teletubbies...so chaotic, wow. And then the gatcha team unites (finally) to go save the day...or the traffic jam...or nothing much, really.

You see, the only real time we get to see the gatchaman team worked together, and I mean, really, was at the last few episodes. And we only see one of them, O.D. specifically, transform during the last episode just for the sake of the already stupid plot progression. And We barely get to even see the full potential of ANY of them, even Katze himself, who just resorts to stabbing people with a stuff just to show how violent he can get. The GALAX/CROWDS hijack is the STUPIDEST CLIMAX I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED IN MODERN ANIME! Holy hell! The crowds can be a threat, true, but we can barely feel it since its obvious that not everyone has the app, let alone a smartphone. And not everyone is dumb enough to particiapate in that dumb event done by katze since not everyone seems to watch tv or look at their phones all the time. And why suddenly involve the prime minister? Why are animes such a d--- to prime ministers?! Why is a panicking prime minister suppose to imply actual chaos?! And guess how it end? They killed Katze? Nope. They destroyed the core of GALAX? far from it. They nuked japan...or that small city full of hip smartphone users? How I wished. How did it end? Simple, Rui regained control over the CROWDS by issuing a event that each CROWDS much compete to win a sort of prize. WOW. BRAVO. You saved the day from an actual chaos that is not suppose to happen if only you are not stupid enough to get a backup copy of your very own AI program for fail-safe purposes in case a hacking attempt occur you dimwit faggot!

Oh wait, this story is about the gatcha team, right? They should have a story at least, right? BOO HOO, guess what, THEY ARE SIDELINED! For 12 episodes the only gatcha member that truly shine was no other than Hajime herself, and it shows in a certain reacp scene where everyone thanked her for being part of them and changing their views in life. That's nice, if only we give a damn about any of you in the first place. We barely even have a breather in the entire season without seeing her ditzy antics. Its cute and lovable at first, but then it just went annoying if 80% of the screentime is just her having ADHD attacks. Its like she and Rui are the only two people who ACTUALLY mattered in this show. And heck, Hajime does not even need powers to befriend Rui and save the day. In fact, screw the gatchaman! lets just nuke the communication towers to cut off all mobile signals and call it a day! DAMN YOU ALL!

I no longer care anymore, not the animation, not the artstyle, not the music, not even the groovy OP. It will just reflect on the numbers on the review panel. I don't want to discuss it anymore. Screw it.

To wrap it up:

Next time, if you want to make an anime without any sense on it, dont make us fall for all the gimmicks like superheroes or traps. Seriously, you wasted my precious time supposedly spent of watching something else.

tschuppe - 2013-11-23 02:21:27

My first pick at the Summer Anime season of 2013: "Gatchaman Crowds". Overlooked by many people in the community, I thought I'd give it a go. And I can safely say that the show did not disappoint ... kinda. That second season better be marvelous.

julian.jaskolski - 2013-09-29 04:12:23

The story originally starts with the introduction of power rangers like hero fighting an evil Rubik's cube called "Mess". It also introduces a brand new Gatchaman who becomes the primary character in the story. However, forget about things like the Mess and such as it hardly matters at all. In fact, what the story is really about changes all the time and leaves a lot of things unresolved at the end. Maybe "Mess" was like a sign from the creators on what the story would be.

The cast really has two characters that receive a great deal of focus. Hajime is a super genki girl who seems like she is on a constant supply of red bull. She seems as innocent as she is hyper. She is pretty much a epitome of a good person. Rui is the creator of a system called GALAX a social networking type application which alerts the users of people who need help. He also has control of a special group when GALAX can't handle the situation called the Crowds.

Rui gets most of the real development in the show. Although a lot of it is dictated by the plot. Also, admittedly he is slightly more interesting due to cross dressing. The rest of the cast gets zero or very shallow development. A lot of them have back stories that are never fleshed out. This includes the primary antagonist, Katze.

The animation is rather good and is one of the strong points. The art style is similar to Mawaru Penguindrum and mixes a lot of seemingly "well produced sketch" elements with some more pastel type art work.

The sound is good. The music tracks that play in the show (especially the Gatchaman theme) is especially catchy, and it has one of the strongest OP/ED combos of the season.

Despite what is a good base for a nice anime and a nice level of technical achievement the characters and story are sold short. The show leaves too many unanswered questions and is overall an unsatisfying experience.

mozelle.schneider - 2013-09-28 14:46:44

Gatchaman Crowds is the fifth installment in the Gatchaman series. This series follows the newly enrolled perpetually happy Gatchaman Hajime, as she and Earth's G-Team must face the threat of an alien hellbent on destroying Earth.

Story:

Gatchaman's story and plot is incredibly unique and sucks you in. The story is set in 2015 Japan where a social media app called GALAX prompts users to help others, prevent catastrophes, and ultimately to "update the world". As the plot unfolds viewers begin to relate to the reality of modern technology and social media. Can everyone be a hero? How far will you go to update the world? Who will you deny as you try to seek your goals? These questions are the plot's pressing matters and sends the characters into turmoil.

Animation:

Certainly one of the more beautifully animated series of the summer. Gatchaman Crowds is full of bright colors, pleasant details, and bright light. The Gatchaman suits are rendered in 3DCG which makes them stand out and seem otherworldly and brilliant. The character models seem like an homage to the 80's with a more updated look.

Sound:

Gatchaman Crowds has one of the best soundtracks of the summer. Every time you hear the token outcry "GATCHAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN" that super catchy song follows. The soundtrack has a mix of rock, electronic, and hyped instrumentals.

Character:

The main cast of characters of Gatchaman Crowds centers around the G-Team and the creators of GALAX. The main protagonist Hajime is best defined as blindly energetic. It doesn't seem like this girl's happiness can be shattered in the slightest. At first she comes off annoying and frankly haphazardly content with life. She doesn't really play by the rules and restrictions of the Gatchaman. However, as the series unfolds the viewer and the characters around her begin to realize that her personality is just what the G-Team and Earth needed. A fresh of breathe air to sweep the world clean. Other allies include the by-the-book Sugane, calm, cool, and collected Joe, the flamboyant and mysteriously powerful O.D., silent and shy Utsutsu, the misunderstood yet charming leader of the G-Team Paiman, and the prophetic and otherworldly J.J.

Rui is the creator of GALAX. He has good intentions to update the world and make it a better place. However, he is used by the main antagonist and is sent into despair. Rui is the stereotypical fallen hero, who gets back up at the very end to help save the world. There's nothing too exciting about this character, but he still has redeeming factors.

The main antagonist is the demonic alien Berg Katze. This character single-handedly makes the series so intriguing to watch. Katze has the personality of Hajime multiplied by a hundred, spiced with chaos and madness. His back story is woven nicely with Paiman and O.D. and his objective is to have humans implode and destroy their own planet. He is incredibly powerful, elusive, and has a lot of tricks up the sleeve. He is incredibly formidable and unpredictable, which makes for a great antagonist.

Enjoyment:

Viewers will have a lot of fun with this series. It's upbeat, smart, interesting, and refreshing.

Overall:

Gatchaman Crowds gets a 9/10 in my book. It may not achieve perfection, but it comes quite close to the mark. It has wonderful characters, bright and colorful animation, upbeat tunes, and a story/plot that kept me begging for more.

trent.waelchi - 2013-09-27 22:46:02

This a fantastic show that everyone should watch. The character development is fantastic and there was an interesting but clear message depicted that subverted the genre of the show. Surprisingly, despite being a hero show, there isn't that much fighting, but when there is, it is animated well in CGI and the music gives a sense of exhilaration especially the first song on the soundtrack, "Gotchaman~ In the name of Love".

I loved all the main characters especially Hajime. While Hajime seems like just an overly-optimistic protagonist, she shows her true talents as the story goes on showing that she is more than meets the main. Rui is where the primary focus is on though he isn't the protagonist. He is the creator of the social networking service GALAX in the show. His ideals are basically the message of the show that humanity can strive past adversity if in unity towards an universal goal. The social networking is basic a tool that can be used for good and evil. Rui believes that through selecting certain people he can update the world towards his ideals using GALAX but the villian, Berz-Katze, steals it away from him causing destruction. Rui learns that it is not through elitism but giving everyone a slice of the pie of power. This leads to the Gatchaman not being needed and the realization of Rui's goals. Berz-Katze is also a great villian with his pure evilness yet a strong rationale for his evil and being so powerful a threat that it calls all the gatchaman together to stop him.

wziemann - 2013-08-26 16:33:09

I enjoyed this anime.The protagonist is unexpected. Usually in these type shows, the protagonist is pushed into a new world sacred,bewilder, and questioning everything about they're newly discovered responsibility.But she goes along with everything. She excited to be a gatchaman, she not sacred of the responsibility she embraces it. She never asks for a explanation about the aliens, gatchaman, powers, why they fight for earth or, how did they get there.The other characters tell her but she doesn't ask.She always very energetic , happy, and saying how cute everything is.I really like they story so far and I love to see to protagonists get serious and fight with all she's got.I also really like the music in this shows.Spectacular beats are was play throughout the show, make it even more fun to watch .

dax44 - 2013-07-31 18:48:10

Right. Gatchaman Crowds.

The idea behind Gatchaman Crowds, I wouldn't hold to be completely unique or anything outstanding. The idea of a group of heroes (called Gatchaman, you'd expect it to be 'men' since it's plural, eh?) who's bottom line purpose is to save the Earth from harmful aliens. A fairly cliché idea, with a nice mix of comedy and laughter.

In addition, I've felt that Gatchman touches on several interesting and thought provoking issues, such as potential spoiler alert, amongst youth a popular new system called Galax has risen which supposedly provides assistance in any situation, helping in the benefit of humanity by being of assistance to one another (helping others). However, complete reliance on this service is too disputed,

If your battery runs out, or if you don't have a signal, that's it. You can't just blindly follow the internet

As for artwork, graphics, character and overall animation; it is of high quality and certainly not tacky. I'm you will not be [very] disappointed by theier outfits (:

Hope this helps :D

Note, this review has been written 3 episodes in.

shakira02 - 2013-07-22 09:24:45

Well, imho, the anime would have been a carefully crafted piece of visual had it not been for the annoying voice of Hajime =.= I think the production team has chosen the wrong seiyuu for the lead girl. Such a shame as I find the art here very captivating and eye-catching. The soundtrack is also very typically "heroic" and I don't have the problem with that.