Gilgamesh Vol. 1: Orphans of the Apocalypse
After the discovery of Gilgamesh's tomb, a once unknown cave comes into view. It was given the name Delphys, and upon it the Heaven's Gate research compound was built. Terumichi Madoka discovered Delphys, and he learned that the ignorance of mankind's obsession with it would destroy the universe. For unspecified reasons, Terumichi descends into the deepest parts of Delphys, causing the explosion known as Twin X.
Years have passed since the sheltering sky became a normality in human existence. The once blue haven is now a mirage-like mirror, under which walk two lonely children in search of happiness. Tatsuya and Kiyoko Madoka are being pursued by two factions who believe that the children are capable of great power. Many questions arise, yet no answers can be determined.
I enjoyed this volume of Gilgamesh, but am reluctant to give it too much praise. It is an intriguing story with nice animation. The back and forth commentary of the characters is enough to satisfy many mystery fans. My biggest problem with this volume was the fight scenes. They were okay, but they were fairly short, and some were mostly heard from another point of view. Of course, it is the story that is the focus, not the fights themselves. It moved as swiftly as the animation.
Although the animation is a bit different than what I'm used to, it is still beautiful. It captures the intensity of the characters and their situations in a way that is believable to the audience. Additionally, the voice acting was not lacking in substance. I viewed this both in English and Japanese, and neither cast let me down.
The extras on this disc were no more than nice, with character and production sketches, clean opening/closing animation and a few previews, including one for volume two. Although these are the essentials on most DVDs, it’s nice to see a little more every once in a while. For that, they include a small tattoo, which is different. I’m looking forward to seeing the next volume, but I may need to wait a while for that. I’m in no hurry.