Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor (2005)

splight Jan 2, 2010

9.5

I just finished watching all the episodes, and I must say that it far surpassed my expectations.  I saw the old movies that were live action when I was a child, and when I found this anime, I had to check it out.  This anime is definitely meant for an older audience(16/17+) because of the violence, swearing, and gore found in this anime.The storyline was not lacking, everything played into something more.  The characters stayed true to their actions.  Meaning there were no characters changing their personality to fit the story.  There is something for everyone, from blood and gore, to action, drama, suspense, mystery, and a small play on romance.  One of the bigest issues I have normally is when the characters dont have any substance to them, and when the plot seems like it is forced.  When watching this series, the plot flows very well, and the characters are very well rounded, thought out, and have distict personality traits about them.While this is a sci-fi anime, it is definitely one I would recomend, even for those who are not normally interested.  Yes, the animation is not something you would see in a major motion picture, but it has much detail to it, and the quality is every good.  There is a distict style of animation for this series as apposed to copying from another.  While it is anime, it is unique in its own way and makes for great entertainment.  You will find yourself drawn into the characters and the story in no time.  The 26 episodes seem to just fly by.

JadedDragos Jun 17, 2018

9.5

If you like mutations, bio armor, and epic fights then this one is a good watch for all of that. Story starts out a little slow then picks up mid way and then drops ya with a there should be more coming, but since this was done in 2005 and I havent seen any ones after, they may not be making another any time soon. Animation wise on this one is pretty good, nice details in the mutations and what not, loving the expressions on everyone's face when it gets to the "What the?!?" part of the battles. =-) Character development was pretty good as well, got good backgrounds on the main players and the situations going on and leading up to the end. All in all I would recommend this one to at least watch once all the way through, who knows you may like it more to watch it through again.

GarryTheThief Apr 10, 2013

8

As teenage student Sho gets infested by a mysterious alien artifact that has the ability to bring forth an immensly powerful suit of armor for him to wear, he must fight for his friends and family against a ruthless secret organization hellbent on retrieving the armor to use it for their own twisted schemes. Is this show just a bland action-series or does it have that extra spice to make it special?This 2005 version of Guyver is actually a re-boot of the 1989 series of the same name, which is in turn based on the manga of the same name. The old show was of typical underground 80's fare, filled to the brim with excessive violence and a dark, brooding style. This new version claims in its advertising to be "the new face of ultra-violence", which is a bit misleading in my opinion, seeing as this version, in fact, doesn't even come close to the original in terms of blood and gore. So if you were ticked off by the tagline and expecting only blood and guts with no plot, please let me inform you that this is not the case. This new show is focused much more on the drama and the characters than any previous installment.The story goes a little something like this: Sho Fukamachi, and ordinary teenage kid who lives with his dad happens to stumble upon a piece of alien technology called the "Guyver" which can bestow its owner with a mighty suit of armor riddled with freaky weapons and powers. He soon finds out that there are others who want to gain control of the suit and so he and his friend Tetsuro are swept into a sea of plots and conspiracies, trying to stay alive while also working to figure out the secret of a mysterious organization that goes by the name of Cronos and its connection with the terryfing monsters that are trying to chase them down. It's nothing terribly original from the off-set, but it quickly involves you in many interesting story-threads that will keep you hooked until the very end. The main characters are memorable, the villains are excellent and many unexpected twists and turns will ensue before the show has run its course. It's great stuff for any SciFi-buff to be sure, but what I like the most about is probably that it dares to take some unconventional turns with the story and doesn't just stick to the old, tired clichés. It may look like just another alien actionfest to begin with, but trust me when I say its much more than that.While the animation isn't amazing, its certainly above avarage. The colors are very clear and the backgrounds have a sketchy, watercolour feel to them which some people might see as a problem but which I personally enjoy. What really steals the show however, are the outrageous designs of the monsters and suits. They look like some kind of Kaiju-pokemon-robot hybrids and are an absolute delight to watch. The inner kid inside you will scream with joy as these things battle it out on the screen, and that's a fact. The music is very nice and has all the different tones for a great soundtrack. The more somber themes are probably the better ones, with one particular theme you hear when Sho's around the house with his father being my favourite. All in all, a solid production to be sure.The main gripe I have with this show is that it, like so many others shows, only covers part of the manga which it's based on, leaving us with an ending that feels extremely rushed and not at all what you'd expect after sitting through the whole thing. Other than that, it's a solid and enjoyable series that any fan of SciFi and action should take a look at. It's a bio-boosting banzai!