Gravitation Vol: 1 Fateful First Encounter
Released By: MVM

Rating: 12

Running Time: 75 Mins

Audio: English and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0

Release Date: Out Now

Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Shuichi Shindou has had problems with his song writing, and Hiro tells him he must have an interest outside his band Bad Luck, as he sees he is getting stressed-out more and more lately, even going so far as to suggest he get a girlfriend to take his mind off things for a while. Shuichi, though wants Bad Luck to be one of the biggest bands in the music business, but he cannot do it on talent alone. Taking his lyrics out with him on the street one night strolling through the park thinking aloud, when his lyric sheet is taken by the wind. Running after it, he sees a blond haired older man in the distance who picks it up and starts reading it. After a few minutes he asks him if he has written it and if it is he has zero talent.

His ego deflated from this cruel act of critique, Shuichi is supposed to see the Director to see if his group can get signed up, but his lyrics have to be completed first, but he cannot get what the man in the park said to him that night out of his mind, and one day when he sees a guy in a car, he nearly gets himself run over, and he knows it is the man from the park who takes him back to his plush apartment, to let him get a shower and clean himself up while still giving him an unasked for dose of criticism again. They discuss what he said about his lyrics and he finds more out about the man, but not his name.

Finally finishing the lyrics and saving the band's skin in the nick of time, Shuichi waits with Hiro to start the meeting when he sees the man on TV, discovering he is called EiriYuki and is a successful romance novelist who is a huge name in Japan.

While Shuichi and the others are rehearsing ready for the big night where they are the support act for Ash, the main act who arrogantly want to rehearse without Bad Luck being there. Negotiations are being broken by the arrival of Mako, a mysterious woman who drags Shuichi into her car, and back to Yuki's flat. Shuichi at this point thinks she is Yuki's girlfriend, but when he finds out otherwise, he is shocked and angry at Yuki's deception.

Based on the extremely successful Yaoi manga created for a purely female audience and created by Maki Murakami, author of Gamerz Heaven, and directed by Bob Shirohata of Diamond Daydream and Let's Dance With Papa.

This series concentrates on lead singer and lyricist Shuichi Shindou who wants his band Bad Luck to do really well, but as usual other aspects of his life affect his decisions. Shuichi has an idol, singer Ryuichi who was with the band Nittle Grasper, one of his favorites, and has just managed to get signed by a record label. While one part of him wants to see his band get to the top in the music industry, the other part of him cannot help but get Yuki to come to terms with how good a musician he is and that his lyrics do not suck as much as Yuki thinks they do.

But in the meantime they both do a lot more than talking after Yuki kisses him in the elevator and notes that Shuichi wants more. A credit to the original manga, the anime version does a great job of making the story believable as much as the characters have been well drawn and exceptionally animated. The whole anime is lavish and topped with a great, rocking soundtrack viewers will enjoy. The episode titles, listed as tracks have been kept faithful to the manga, Shuichi has been made to look more feminine than in the manga and the viewers will see the difference and appreciate it looks better. Eiri Yuki has been left as he originally looked in the manga which is good, and there is an all round bunch of great secondary characters who make the anime the fun watch it is - Hiroshi Nakano, Sahano their Producer who is always stressed-out and suicidal, and representer of their band Tohma Seguchi. With Eiri and Shuichi it is a case of love at first sight.


Bonus Material: Art Gallery, Original Gravitation Trailer and Trailers for other anime titles.

Verdict: This is one sure fire hit. Gravitation rocks big style!