Get Backers

TV (49 eps)
2002 - 2003
Fall 2002
3.707 out of 5 from 9,696 votes
Rank #3,089

Ban Midou and Ginji Amano are the Get Backers. With a 99 percent success rate in returning lost or stolen property to its original owners, they will do anything for the right price. Midou and Ginji often get hired for seemingly ordinary jobs that turn out to be more difficult than they appear; and whether it’s finding a doll for a girl, retrieving a stolen rare violin or getting mixed up with the mob, they have many adventures with plenty of petty squabbles along the way!

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Reviews

Rbastid
9

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.

ThatAnimeSnob
3

This was so boring I yawned three times while typing this text. Get Backers is the linear tale of two cardboards with superpowers who find lost or stolen items / people for money… usually scraps. And it is also about generic battles with other cardboards with superpowers while making lame jokes in between… for 49 episodes. And if you think this is enough to keep you interested, then your bar is really, really low.The thing with shounen shows is that there are interested as long as there is something going on in the show that is worth looking forward to. In this case the core premise is revealed already from the pilot episode, and so is the extend of the main duo’s powers. There is nothing else to keep you interested. The missions are short and almost always stand alone and the superpowers don’t evolve or change or need further strategy that the first simplistic time you stare at them. One makes electricity, the other makes illusions, then they yell “sneiko baito”; that’s it, nothing beyond that.To be honest, the anime is not 49 episodes with just two dudes looking for something / someone. It is also about their daily lives in their store and a secret organization out to get them. The thing is, both these elements don’t mean much in the long run. The sinister plan of the other superpower dudes in the show is not going further that becoming the strongest and ruling the world. And their daily lives are just boring silly events with platonic relationships and goofing around aimlessly. Nothing to keep you interested for long.This is what made Naruto so interesting in its early stages you know. It had a huge number of characters, each with a superpower and not entirely identified by it. The world was a big place full of different organizations, different goals, different secrets and different demeanors. It was practically a huge collection of shounen stereotypes and stories, all in one, making it harder to get bored right away. It also got lame when it ceased being all that and, just like Get Backers, ended up being a bunch of cardboards with superpowers having generic battles with other cardboards with superpowers while making lame jokes in between… for 500 episodes.Anyways, Get Backers went under a lot faster than that, as the fillers and the boring stories and the un-evolving characters made their presence quite soon. To be honest, there is a part where the story gets good and it’s when the duo storms the headquarters of the secret organization. Lots of intense fighting and machoness there, almost non-stop. The thing is, the whole deal ended up being a bunch of villains standing in a line and patiently waiting for the heroes to come pick them out one by one in their own turf, while the last boss was some sort of computer of mass destruction. Nothing really wowing here but the constant battles were worthwhile. Yet, that was actually the ending of the first half of the series. The second half returned to the lame stand alone adventures of finding something / someone, which after such an epic struggle now felt not just boring but unbearable. Don’t you just hate it when the heroes save the world and just return back to their cranny little business like nothing much happened? One would expect for the second half to end in a similar or even more epic way but naaaah, it was tad boring and even open ended. A completely disappointing conclusion for anyone having the patience to follow the show all the way to the end and expecting a redeeming finale. Visuals and soundtracks aren’t helping either as they are both quite low-budgeted and average, becoming forgettable right away as well. The characters all have generic looks besides generic personalities and simplistic powers, the animation and the battles are stingy on motion and vividness, the dialogues are retarded shounen “I describe anything I do in the middle of the battle”, the music score is passable pop songs and generally everything screams mediocrity… in a very generic tone. The only things I remember after all these years I originally watched it was the overused scream of “sneiko baito” and some tower full of Naruto look-alikes. Not the best thing to say about any show that aims to be more than boring and forgettable. I do not recommend it and propose One Piece or even Fairy Tail as better alternatives. Not Naruto; it also GetBackered after the fillers kicked in.And now for some excused scorings. ART SECTION: 5/10 Analysis: General Artwork 1/2, Character Figures 1/2, Backgrounds 1/2, Animation 1/2, Visual Effects 1/2 SOUND SECTION: 4/10 Analysis: Voice Acting 1/3, Music Themes 1/4, Sound Effects 2/3 STORY SECTION: 2/10 Analysis: Premise 1/2, Pacing 0/2, Complexity 0/2, Plausibility 0/2, Conclusion 1/2 CHARACTER SECTION: 4/10 Analysis: Presence 1/2, Personality 1/2, Backdrop 1/2, Development 0/2, Catharsis 1/2 VALUE SECTION: 1/10 Analysis: Historical Value 0/3, Rewatchability 0/3, Memorability 1/4 ENJOYMENT SECTION: 1/10 Analysis: Art 0/1, Sound 0/2, Story 1/3, Characters 1/4 VERDICT: 3/10

casandra29
6.5

This anime is obviously pretty old and so you have to make consessions regarding the animation, music and other factors. That being said it is a fairly good anime. After episode 11. The introductions of all of the main characters and who they are is too drawn out but after you get through that, it gets pretty good for a while then you have to fast forward again before you get to decent parts yet again. The story is interesting enough if they just cut large chunks out of it, though in the beginning it feels disjointed and it goes on like that for far too long. The beginning is many small stories that introduce the characters to you and their jobs. After that the main story begins, but I feel that the story was written for a younger crowd. That being said, if you like comedy, combined with supernatural and action elements, then the story could definately grow on you so long as you don't expect it to have too much depth. To me I felt like the story had potential that it didn't quite live up to. Things like rationality and how the characters come to their conclusions about a job or where something is, doesn't always add up. They attempt to explain some attacks and conclusions sometimes that really make little sense. The tone of the story changes back and forth almost giving me whiplash at times. However, I can still say that it was entertaining enough when the main jobs happen to keep me going until it's completion.  After episode 25 I think it's worth noting that it devolves into dumb independent small jobs that have no relevance but at least the show finishes decently. I would be lying if I didn't admit to looking on wikipedia for when they would actually start moving into more plot heavy parts so I  could skip over 10 episodes again. I am not into pure comedy that is going absolutely nowhere as far as the plot is concerned. If you are the type to find entertainment in comedy alone with no context then im sure you would have no issue with all the episodes in between but I couldn't handle it. The animation is actually not bad. However, you obviously should not expect it to stand up to newer titles. If you do keep in mind the age though, you will see that it was done decently.  The sound is average as far as affects and voice acting is concerned. I did not care for the opening and ending songs. However, as I have said before this anime is dated and so the songs are as well. Their quality is not bad, it's just personal preference that makes the opening and ending songs not to my liking.  The characters were the biggest issue I had with the series though they are usually what I judge most harshly in all anime and manga. The main characters are almost to a T cliche in a very over done way. In addition most of them lack depth even with the large amount of time they spent introducing them and letting the viewer get to know them... there just isn't much to them at all. Another issue I have is that the characters are forced to say the same thing when they attack people which is very cliche and annoying. Almost insulting to the watcher like they expect we cannot remember what the attack was unless they repeat themselves each time they do it. The antagonists abilities and reasoning are shallow and stale. In fact some have little in the way of comprehensible reasons to attempt the things that they do. However, even with all these bad things about the show the main characters can still end up growing on you as the show moves on. Especially the 2 guys from the Get Backers recovery service. Overall, I would say that this show is possible to enjoy if you give it a chance and don't give up when it goes down hill after episode 25 again. However, I would think that it is a one that many people stall out on and drop after they see the first few episodes really going nowhere and how cliche the show is. Still it has it's high points during some parts if you manage to get past the bad things about it.

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