Guyver- the Bioboosted Armor: Days of Future Past

Reviewed By: Carla Land

ADV Films DVD

Review based on volume 1 (episodes 1-4)

Rating TV MA

What it’s (basically) all about: Sho is an average high school boy- he has a best friend, a crush, and growing pains. One day while hanging out by a lake with his best friend, Tetsuo, he finds a strange UFO shaped box. After accidentally pressing a button and getting consumed by the tentacle-like being inside, Sho’s life goes from normal to ultra-violent. Now he’s being chased by CHRONOS, a secret organization that is testing out bioboosted armor like the one he’s now attached to, and they will stop at nothing to get him and kill Tetsuo. With his new power and armor, Sho tries to defend his friend and school, all while trying to lead a normal life.

Nitty Gritty: The tagline says it all: Meet the new face of ultra-violence. There is a lot of fighting, a lot of mutilation, and a lot of blood splatter in every episode. There are even flying intestines at one point. That is the only reason why the rating on this show is so high. There is little foul language used (bastard, damn and hell are as bad as it gets.) There are also no inappropriate sexual situations. The closest thing is that Sho and Tetsuo force their way into Tetsuo’s sister’s room thinking she’s being attacked and find her in her underwear with a dresser drawer on the floor.

This is a remake of a show from the early 1990’s. The voice work is well done and the animation is pretty good, too. (It stars Christopher Patton as Sho, and he does a great job of screaming a lot.) Sho isn’t exactly thrilled to be attached to this armor, and the ordeal of being attached to the Guyver armor parallels the ordeal of puberty. As he slowly learns to use the armor, Sho matures, but he still feels awkward and gangly in it. There are a lot of plot details that can get confusing, and with three Guyver units out there it’s a safe bet that at some point another bioboosted person will show up to make things even more complicated for Sho. As Sho and Tetsuo learn what’s going on, it becomes clear to the viewer, too.

The disk starts with Anime Network, Anime Network on Demand, and Newtype USA promos. Special features include a manga/anime comparison for some scenes, clean opening and closing animation, commentary with Guyver fans Rod Peters and Jack Glauser (who are also ADV employees), and DVD credits. Previews include Jinki: Extended, Macross, Gantz, Samurai X, Get Backers and Area 88, most of which are okay for all audiences. (The exception is Gantz, which is clearly a mature rated show.) There is also a preview for volume two of Guyver, which plays at the end of episode four and can also be accessed form the menu.

Survey says: I wish I could say this belongs in teen or YA sections because most of the story is geared for that audience, but the violence does get worse as the show progresses.  By episode four you can tell things are clearly going to get bloodier for Sho, so this should be placed in adult collections.

Personal Ad: Don’t ask me why, but I really like this show, and I usually don’t go in for ultra-violece. It’s probably because of Chris Patton, who makes Sho a character that you can cheer for and sympathize with. The story is a good one, even if there will be some who can't get past the gory nature of the show.