To be honest I first purchased this series because of the cost on Ebay and Amazon, i'm not sure if I paid more than $3 for each DVD and $5 for the disc 1 and 6 boxes. As I waited to reach the show in my queue I kind of dreaded it, looking at some of the pictures I thought it might be one of those cheap kids network shows that really doesn't entertain, where each episode is a copy of the last, and damn was I wrong.
Story - 9/10
From my experiences in Anime so far, Get Backers has an original sub-plot that follows all episodes, the two main characters, Ban and Ginji, are exactly what the the title of the show says they are, get gackers, they recover items, and at times intangible things, that have been stolen. Though the story often pulls away into a different focus, this is always the reason why they do what they're doing, be it fighting, helping someone from danger or in many cases getting themselves out of trouble.
One of my favorite parts of the show is how they break down the episodes. Some are single stand alone shows that can be enjoyably watched time and time again, (but the whole show basically is,) others are two part episodes or even larger 6+ episode story arcs.
Each character also gets an episode, or maybe a few characters in an episode, where we learn of their background and their connection to our two main heroes. There is also a very extensive story about Ginji's origin, where he grew up, how he changed the place for the better and how members of his former gang are trying to protect what he helped make, as others try to destroy it. This story alone would have made two great OVA movies if they really wanted to milk the series.
And although they did end the show with some major stories lacking a conclusion, an unfortunate reality of many anime that get canceled on a moments notice, they gave you enough to enjoy the series.
Animation - 9/10
I loved the different animation styles used in this series. From backdrops that are drawn with great detail to help us feel what an area is really like, to the minor characters with their special battle techniques, you can see the artist really took pride in their work. Over the course of the series there are well over 30 great and unique characters who all look amazing.
But the greatest pieces of animation are the many sides of our two main heroes. Both characters have three distinct forms we see throughout the series, they are looks that help convey their feelings, not just a change of animator like we see in some other shows. First is their normal for, which we're more than likely to see them in. Second would be what I guess you would call their Chibi form, Ban's when he is angry and slapping around Ginji, and Ginji's form when he is either really scared or really happy. And a third random form that shows up once and a while, to fill out scenes where not much is happening. Ginji's chibi form can be the best thing in anime for people or possibly annoying to others, but i'm in the former, finding it hilarious and something to look forward to in shows.
Sound - 8/10
The Voice overs on this show was done very very well. With the large amount of characters they made sure not to have any voices sounds the same. There also aren't any of those annoying voices that just have you ignoring the story and instead wishing for some typical anime monster to pop out of nowhere and kill them.
The music, though from what i remember used sparingly, was nicely done, as was the sound design in the many different areas of the Limitless Fortress.
Characters - 9/10
It was easy to love the characters in Get Backers, even at times when you were suppose to hate them. The secondary characters were all developed to a high degree, with each having at least an episode or two to introduce you to them and their backstory before they became a full fledge member of the recovery group. On the other hand the two main characters, Ban and Ginji, were very strongly developed, but there were a few points to their backstory that seemed to be missing.
As for the uniqueness to each character, I can only attest to the anime I have watched, and some of the characters, such as Dr. Jackal, do seem to be a typical character design we see in many anime, their personalities and stories do set them apart from being just carbon copies, and that is saying a lot as the show has upwards of 30+ unique characters with appearances in multiple, if not a majority of, episodes.
Overall - 9/10
Overall I couldn't be happier that I purchased that first Get Backers DVD Box 1 over a year ago, even if I had paid full price I would have been completely satisfied (something I can't say for many a DVD I set I purchased at full or close to full price.) With great comedy, tons of action and real heart to the stories it fits right up there with the greats like GTO and Trigun. Although I said I dreaded it being a kiddy show and was proven wrong, thats not to say it isn't a great show for a younger audience too.