Gun x Sword - My True Introduction to Anime

Before browsing the anime category on Netflix, I'd never really gotten the whole 'anime craze'. I mean, I've been subjected to some - albeit minor - anime influence: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Xenosaga, Voltron. A friend of mine attempted to introduce me to Slayers a few years ago - a series I completely lost interest in halfway through the movie. At one point, anime just looked like a bunch of cartoons with mechs, heavenly-busted women and emo dudes running around doing...anime stuff.

I know that comment probably sounds pretty ignorant, but I'm being honest here.

To expand my horizons and educate myself on the finer things in life, I took inventory of Netflix one day and decided to just dive into a series and see if I could get past my hang ups.

I am so glad I started with Gun x Sword.

This series is quirky - as I'm quickly noticing a good portion of anime series are - but just serious and dark enough to keep my attention. The series is comprised of 26 episodes, each running a little over 20 minutes long. And when it was all over, I scoured the internet to make sure there weren't more seasons or episodes that Netflix was hiding from me. I enjoyed it that much.

The series begins with the main protagonist, Van, saving a small town from bandits while on the hunt for the man with the golden claw - a nefarious villain who killed Van's wife. Wendy, a young girl living in the town Van saves, decides to follow Van on his journey as she's searching for her missing brother. Their travels take them across the Planet of Endless Illusion, through seedy towns and sprawling cities. All the while they run into other characters who develop their own reasons for joining Van and Wendy on their quest.

What I love most about this series is its commitment to character development, from Van's mysterious background slowly unfolding through each episode - along with his hatred for the man who killed his wife, to Wendy's somewhat naive and needy nature maturing into the strong and tested core of the woman she eventually becomes. Although each episode feels incredibly short, there is just enough story material and development in each that when the ending theme song rolls around, I feel as if I've read another chapter of a book I just don't want to put down.

Despite certain episodes being what I would consider over-the-top quirky - a group of baddies who fight with their mustaches?! - the antics never felt as if they pulled attention away from the core conflict - Van's search for vengeance and Wendy's search for her brother. Yes, there are busty vixens, and some innuendo sprinkled throughout, but it never felt overkill or as if it drew focus away from the story. The series contains enough twists and turns to stay original and compelling, and even though I've never been a fan of mechs, this series kept me glued to the screen, especially during the epic battles between the Armors. Two other great things this series had going for it was the animation - I am highly picky, and the great music which only enhanced the grand adventure that is Gun x Sword.

If I had a rating scale for anime - which I may employ at some point down the line - I'd give Gun x Sword five stars. It made me appreciate anime for what it can be - compelling and memorable. I was left thinking about this series long after the final credits rolled across my television screen.

April Update

I have a plethora of blog posts I want to do in the next few weeks, but for today I'll just give you all a brief synopsis of what I'll be up to in the next month or so.

The biggest project I am working on right now is, of course, the end of my Black Earth novel series. As many of you who follow my blog know, the third book in the series - Black Earth: Dark Masquerade - is already in the hands of my editor. I am also currently in the middle of penning the fourth - and final volume - in the series, and I would say I'm about a third of the way through it so far. In fact, even though the deadline for me to hand it off to my editor is May 15th, I'm going to shoot for May 1st. This will give me all of April to finish things up.

As I start to wrap the series up and hand things off to my editor, I am going to start diving into the cover design for the last two books in the series. I'll be posting exclusive sneak peeks at the cover designs, and the process that goes behind each, over  the next couple months.

While everyone waits for those two novels to come down the pipeline, there are many ways for you to keep busy.

One is to check out the blog posts I did showcasing exclusive draft work from Black Earth: Dark Masquerade. The links to those posts are listed here:

Excerpt #1: Hortus Tenebris - The Dark Garden
Excerpt #2: The President's Dark Advisor
Excerpt #3: The Westgate Plaza Mall
Excerpt #4: Pearl's Sorrow 
Excerpt #5: The Black Cathedral

(I even included an exclusive one in last month's email newsletter.)

For those who are interested in a peek at the draft work for the final book in the series - Black Earth: Bridge to Eternity - I am not going to post any draft work from it until shortly before the book's release, and that's only if I decide to post any draft work in regards to it. There is so much going on in the final book in the series, I may very well end up spoiling many a fine story line if I post anything from it, especially if Dark Masquerade hasn't even been released yet.

Starting this Wednesday, and continuing each Wednesday thereafter until they are all posted, I'm going to post some flash fiction which takes place shortly before my Black Earth series. I posted these pieces a long time ago on my website and pulled them down shortly after due to a website overhaul. Each one revolves around a specific character from the Black Earth series.

Aside from writing, I have a variety of other blog posts I'll be putting together in the near future. I've found myself taking more of an interest in certain anime series lately, and I'll be posting some reviews on series' that I find interesting, when I have time to watch them and write out reviews for them. It won't be a regular occurrence on my blog, but I'll do it when the opportunity arises. The first anime review I'll be doing is on the Gun x Sword series which I just finished. That should be up later this week or early next. (But I will say it was one of the best animated series I have seen in a long time.)

On top of all that, over the next couple weeks I'll be posting a few more glimpses into the trip to California I took week before last. More importantly, I'll be showcasing some of the old books I picked up while I was out there. (Seen in the picture at the top of this post.)

Good stuff! Just wanted to keep everyone updated. Have a great Monday!