Gyo

GASHUUUUUUUUUUUNK!!! The sharks didn’t make any GASHUUUUNK sounds so I had to add my own in my mind. Other than that, I don’t have any major complaints about this hour-long OVA. Despite all the changes from the manga, Ufo Table managed to make an entertaining adaption. It was utterly disgusting and unintentionally hilarious because, let’s be serious, farts are almost always funny… And, after taking so many screencaps (most of which I scrapped due to poor quality) I almost felt myself getting nauseous! I think Junji Ito would appreciate that.

「 Gyo 」

There was a lot of concern beforehand concerning the role reversals between Kaori and Tadashi, but in the end, it didn’t change the main story too much. I quite liked how they pretty much split all of Kaori’s bad qualities into her two friends, Aki & Erika, because it actually made her likable. Of course, now she’s basically Tadashi but girl-version, while Tadashi’s character in the OVA isn’t developed at all, but at least we still get the same mad-scientist uncle (whose performance I particularly liked, even if it was a little cartoon-ish) and we still see the flaws of Kaori/humanity through the OVA-only characters.

A major problem with this though is that some people may not be entirely convinced of the relationship between Kaori & Tadashi – it’s almost superficial, too perfect; opposite of that is the very dysfunctional and insecure relationship between Tadashi & Kaori of the manga, which is a major highlight of the manga. Despite Kaori being a complete bitch (please excuse my misogynistic language), Tadashi still goes out of his way to try and save her. BUT, don’t let that undermine what OVA!Kaori did. I would applaud anyone who would go through this for someone, no matter the relationship.

I will admit, however, that Kaori’s ending line was very much less moving than Tadashi’s. Kaori’s “I’m used to it,” doesn’t come close to the emotional impact that Tadashi’s, “You finally got rid of the smell” had. I mean, really, you’re used to it? Is your nose broken? Their lines could also be reflections of their devotion to the relationship – Tadashi stayed with Kaori until the very end, despite their broken relationship; Kaori got “used to it.”

This adaption is very action-packed, so those who haven’t read any of Junji Ito’s works and enjoys thrillers will probably appreciate this. There are fish attacks from every direction, slamming into cars and people head-first; quite like the pacing of this OVA, as opposed to the manga’s gradual but suspenseful build-up to an almost hopeless demise of humankind, with only a small, microscopic hope left in the world. In the OVA, the human race is pretty much screwed over.

Random scenes I thought were pretty funny:

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"Eeew what is that smell-- AAW, Kaori, NOT COOL...!"

Not the scene, but the choice in decor.... LOL what

:o

IT'S NOT GAY IF IT'S A THREE-WAY

Random scenes I thought were cool to look at:

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Possibly the most nauseating scene of the whole OVA

I’m not going to diss this just because there was no GASHUUUUUNK, even if there are some major add-ons. Overall, it was very fun to watch. Granted, it’s very much like a standard horror movie, especially given the extra characters (a line-up of characters who die, the prettiest/most wholesome female character miraculously survives until the end, AND a shower scene!) and the ending, but just the grotesque weirdness that is Junji Ito makes it worthwhile. Also, I really enjoy watching horror films – they’re all entertaining, even the crappy ones. Not to say that Gyo is crappy, but to get the full Junji Ito experience you have the read the manga. The way he inks, in combination of the black & white, really adds to the atmosphere (unlike Gyo’s CG-2D mix, which makes it seem a little less drippy in grossness).

protruding chin bros

Pros: hilarious, disgusting, dramatic BGM, strong visuals, farts
Cons: major changes to characters & relationships, cliched horror flick

Rating: 7/10

Verdict: Entertaining, disgusting, and hilarious; but, its Ito-essence is lost as it is adapted into a standard horror movie.

/ 7 Commentsleave a comment /

• YiYi says:

  February 23, 2012

  Never knew Gyo got animated. Junji Ito is one of my favorite mangaka, and I think I've read all of his works. I've sometimes wondered how they would be animated. (I think Tomie was made into live-action, but I was too scared to watch it.) Gyo OVA looks great–disturbing– even if it seems like some developments suffered a bit due to length.

  btw. There is some problem with your comment login thing… And it says my name is too short. :(
  My recent post Shinryaku!? Ika Musume Review (Second Season)

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• YiYi says:

  February 23, 2012

  Never knew Gyo got animated. Junji Ito is one of my favorite mangaka, and I think I've read all of his works. I've sometimes wondered how they would be animated. (I think Tomie was made into live-action, but I was too scared to watch it.) Gyo OVA looks great–disturbing– even if it seems like some developments suffered a bit due to length.

  btw. There is some problem with your comment login thing… And it says my name is too short. :(
  My recent post Shinryaku!? Ika Musume Review (Second Season)

  Reply
  • Vivi says:

    February 23, 2012

    Gyo's probably the easiest one to animate, especially with CG to cheat their way through ._. Tomie isn't that… uhh… scary… actually it's kind of scary LOL aaaaah

    I'll be sure to look into it right away! I've contacted the boss (Bass) about it since he's the technical expert.

    Reply
• Mira says:

  February 24, 2012

  Sometimes I get the feeling I was the only one who completely loathed this. The problem here is that maybe if the anime actually focused on telling a story the OVA may not have completely lost the charm of the original work. Pretty decent for anyone who isn't looking for a more faithful adaptation but man, I really hope Ito finds a competent staff. Seriously, at this point I can only see Madhouse successfully pulling this off.

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  • Vivi says:

    February 24, 2012

    I read your review, it made me rethink a lot haha. If I had to rewatch this OVA again and give a more in-depth review, it'll probably get a lower score, but I would be lying if I didn't enjoy watching it! We'll probably have to wait until more feedback come out.

    Madhouse's definitely the #1 choice now. I think Shaft would make a really interesting adaption if you're willing to gamble, even though it'd probably lose some of its scare factor…

    Reply
• C.C says:

  February 26, 2012

  wow, you might be the only blog Ive read that didnt hate this OVA.
  I havent read the manga, so I personally couldnt tell the differences between the two, but ALOT of people really really disliked this OVA!

  Reply
• Fiona Brendon says:

  March 13, 2012

  This is the first time I read about this episode. I think I've to read it from the beginning to realize what's really going on in Gyo manga. Thanks for your brilliant post; it's inspired me to do so.

  Reply