GA-REI ZERO

“The Tragic Prequel That Captivates Anime Fans”

Ga-Rei Zero is one of those anime that unfortunately goes under the radar of most people, and I include myself. It was by mere chance that I happened to watch this series, and it ended up being one of my favorite anime among the many I've ever watched. Without further ado, let's start with this review.

Ga-Rei Zero tells the story of Kagura, a 7-year-old girl who loses her mother. After the loss, she is adopted by the Isayama family. She meets Yomi, also adopted by the Isayama family, who turns out to be the best older sister she could ever imagine. They grow up together and become inseparable. Since they both come from exorcist families, they join the SDCD, which protects citizens from unseen beings. But life's injustices led them down different paths they may never return from. It is here that the major dilemma and central theme of the series finally fall upon the two: "Would you kill someone you love because of love?"

An anime that simply leaves you with a great taste in your mouth. Let's start because the story begins at the end without giving you a spoiler of what really matters—certainly something that I consider a red flag, maybe even dangerous when building a story—but it turned out very well. I quite liked how the story was created based on this circular narrative. The first episode of Ga-Rei is one you keep in mind for the rest of the series. It makes a rather ingenious plot twist that we have already seen in other anime, but that still works. I will not go into details to not ruin the surprise for those who like to approach this series.

I will have to talk a little about the finale, though. Because, in my humble opinion, it is a perfect ending, I know that most of you will be annoyed by the fact that it is an ending that you can see coming since the middle of the series. Still, even so, I have to admit that although I expected it, I found it quite exciting because of how well the relationship between Yomi and Kagura is carried out, reaching its ultimate consequences in that beautiful scene of the final episode. The directors of this prequel knew how to handle to the maximum that the course of things was already said to exploit how tragic it would be to its viewers. I can say that the final episodes of the series are ones that I still remember quite well, despite having seen them a long time ago. It's an anime that makes me heartbroken every time the inevitable end approaches.

Another point is that this anime is only the prequel to the manga. So if you are thinking of finding out what happened to the characters after these 12 chapters, you can read the manga and be pleasantly surprised because the end of the anime is not the end of the story for those who want to continue it. But to be honest, the manga didn't capture me as much as this prequel.

What makes this anime outstanding are its two main characters, Yomi and Kagura. These two characters carry all the development of the series, and it is exploited in a mind-blowing way. Evolution is naturally observed in both. Each one is accompanied by reasons that the events of the series will cause in them. It also adds that it focuses a lot on the relationship of both with their respective parents. Yomi carries the burden of belonging to a family of exorcists who, with the exception of her father, does not accept her for the fact of not having a blood connection by being adopted.

Kagura, on the other hand, has a father who is too strict with her and who forces her to train from a young age to be able to inherit the sacred beast of the family, "Ga-Rei," that gives the title to the anime. So we have two girls who have on their backs the enormous responsibility of one day becoming the leaders of their corresponding families.

Both show an enviable evolution; Kagura becomes more and more mature. She starts as a shy and melancholic girl due to the loss of her mother, but thanks to Yomi's help, she becomes a cheerful girl who dedicates her days to be stronger because of her father's wish. A traumatic event will happen to her throughout the series to realize her great weakness; this resource will be exploited on several occasions until the tremendous final climax.

On the other hand, Yomi is a girl who will start out being positive in every aspect despite her turbulent past. Above all things places Kagura, whom she considers her sister, first, despite no blood connection. However, she will also have a remarkable evolution; various events will end up showing all those desires for revenge and hatred that she keeps inside her and that these events caused. In other words, as great protagonists, we have two imperfect girls. They are not the typical heroines of action stories, but they are two very human characters, which show a range of emotions that make us identify with them. They always try to overcome adversity and are strong and enthusiastic. That dark side in their hearts makes them realistic, but they also suffer.

Each of the characters has an excellent way of being carried out, giving a clear explanation of how they arrived at their final situation. The development, the reason, and the feelings that explain why they do what they do make them look more human to each one of them, something that I personally find very charming and essential since I have seen many anime that do not make much sense psychologically speaking that at the end certain characters end up with a particular behavior.

For a 2008 animation, it is pretty good. The backgrounds, the fighting movements, and especially the character designs are very well done. And in the fights, the level of blood is quite realistic (i.e., the characters will not be involved in a bloodbath and still standing), so maintaining some realism at this point is something delicious to take into account.

About the music, what can I say if it has themes of the musical legend Yousei Teikoku? Simply the voices of the various singers who participated in the OST make you get into the scenes' atmosphere very well. And the opening of the series "Paradise Lost" is a gem performed by Minori Chihara.

I think I've already said a big part of why I love Ga-Rei Zero so much, and I can only recommend it to those who haven't seen it yet. It is an excellent anime, with outstanding action sequences and very epic scenes, and with strong dramatic content once you get past the halfway point.