Reviews

DVD of the Month - July 2006

Speed Grapher

Volume 1

Among all the ways to describe Speed Grapher, the word normal never comes up. In the show’s scarred world, normalcy is a distant and melancholy dream. No, to express the essence of Speed Grapher, you start with words like twisted and depraved and go from there. And that’s the appeal—the show is a plunge into the darkest, foulest depths of human greed, lust and obsession. You don’t watch Speed Grapher; you experience it.

Indeed, the show is commendably bold in its unwillingness to shy away from absolutely anything. It is honest, up front, and it certainly pulls no punches. For example, the first scene depicts Saiga Tatsumi in his days as a war photographer. As he snaps pics of an enemy soldier dying a graphic death, he becomes aroused, drawing disgusted comments from the soldiers accompanying him. It’s a disquieting scene at best—and even more disquieting is the fact that Saiga Tatsumi is ostensibly the hero and moral center of the story, one of the few men who can’t be bought.

Saiga’s death fetish is just the beginning of his long list of abnormal traits, yet he truly is the least disturbed character in the series. And since Saiga filters everything through his camera, he gives the viewer enough distance to digest and understand Speed Grapher’s parade of depravities without becoming overwhelmed. The show takes morbid joy in showcasing its freaks, from the businesswoman with a fetish for gunplay to the piano instructor who collects the arms of young girls, but through Saiga’s eyes, it becomes more palatable.

The source of all this horror is the Roppongi Club, an underground den for the rich and powerful to indulge their worst and most base urges with complete impunity and anonymity. Saiga infiltrates the club while on the trail of a series of grisly murders, and there he discovers obscenity after obscenity before meeting the club’s “goddess,” a beautiful girl they claim has the ability to grant any person’s deepest, darkest desire.

Saiga becomes obsessed with uncovering the mysteries behind the club and its power over the girl, who is an innocent and frightened teenager underneath the costume and several layers of hypnosis. To her, he represents freedom, and their attempts to see each other again are the driving force behind Speed Grapher, woven in between scenes full of perversion and dementia.

Speed Grapher takes the concept of “guilty pleasure” and brings it to a new level. Some fans might shy away from owning a series that showcases the lowest forms of humanity, but if you can stomach its worst moments (and even enjoy them), Speed Grapher makes a great addition to that “other” DVD collection, the one you only show to the kind of friends who are willing to share a glimpse into the dark depths of human depravity.

—Dominic Nguyen

License to Rock

The Duran Duran song used as Speed Grapher’s Japanese opening is older than many Newtype USA readers (and some of its writers). But it’s not the only Western rock song that’s made its way into anime recently—the Ergo Proxy ending theme is Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android,” while the Death Note movie features the Red Hot Chili Peppers.