Anime Review: Gatekeepers

Review Gatekeepers Written by Warpshadow Rating Good

Sometimes an anime show comes along that despite it's lack of originality can be quite fun. Gatekeepers is one of those shows. Adventure shows used to be less complicated and Gatekeepers tries to recapture that spirit, at least partially through setting the show a few decades in the past.

It is the year 1969 and Japan is under attack from a strange menace called the invaders. An international organization called Aegis is tasked with dealing with this threat. Aegis has a secret weapon called the gatekeepers, teenagers with the special powers that they summon through gates. Shun Ukiya is just a normal high school student living with his mother and sister. One day the invaders and Aegis (with Shun's childhood friend Ruriko) are fighting in his neighborhood. When things look their bleakest Shun suprisingly uses a gate power of his own to defeat the invader. Realizing his abilities Aegis asks him to join their organization complete with secret base under the school and a ever grow team of gatekeepers, most of which are cute young girls.

Gatekeepers is a hit or miss show that largely depends how much of a formulaic show the viewer can put up with. If you are familiar with anime you can usually see the plot coming from a mile away with this show. If you can stand it Gatekeepers is a good show, even if it falls into the guilty pleasure category. The quality digital animation, as done by Gonzo studios who are very good at this sort of thing, is a definite plus.