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Ga Rei Zero
Anime Review by Brian Cirulnick
I was expecting yet another "cute girls fight demons" dull-as-dirt, stupid anime, and I've seen it all before. Was I ever in for a shock when all the protagonists are killed at the end of the first episode. Ok, major spoiler there, but I want to emphasize just how original, different, dark, and stupefyingly awesome Ga Rei Zero is.
It's awesome in a way I never imagined. I mean, oh yeah, girls are fighting demons with swords while wearing short skirts. But that's just the sideline to the real action, which turns out to be inner family politics, greed, lust for power, and the green-eyed monster of envy. And when it all starts to fall apart, this anime walks into dark places where most TV, movies or even novels dare to tread. It's got the finest script for a TV series I've seen in a long time, and at a nice short run of 13 episodes, the pacing is so tight that it just doesn't let up.
 We aren't even treated to a normal opening and closing title until episode 4, instead, we're thrown immediately into a confusing mess of action where the protagonists are dealing with a demonic attack, successfully defeat the baddie, and then are all killed *by one of their own*.
We then jump back a few years, and meet the two major characters of the story, "sisters" Yomi and Kagura, who are members of families that fight demons and have for generations, aided by a special and secret government agency. We also get to meet their cadre of companions who assist and support them and learn about the families and their internal politics.
We grow with them all, and learn to love them, which just makes everything more painful as we lead up to the incidents that turn everything upside down and send sister after sister into a final showdown while everyone around them dies.
Trust us. This is good stuff. Damn good. Really damn good.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, June 2011
Below: Scenes from Ga Rei Zero.
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