Anime REVIEW: Gatchaman Crowds insight

When Tatsunoko Production announced back in 2013 that legendary anime series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman would be receiving a revitalisation, I don't think anyone quite expected the end result. Instead of a nostalgia-fueled series about bird-motifed heroes, Gatchaman Crowds was a very different kind of superhero story - vivid, insightful and with a very clear message. It wasn't without its faults (the main one being a terrible final episode only rectified by a "director's cut" version), but it quickly gained a firm fan following and arguably broke out of it's namesake's shadow. 2015 saw the series make it's grand return under the title of Gatchaman Crowds insight, bringing with it once again it's unique blend of aliens, superheroes and incredibly relevant political and social commentary.

First Impressions: Gatchaman Crowds insight

When the legendary Gatchaman franchise made its grand return to screens in 2013, it wasn’t exactly in the way people expected. Though it most certainly retained the spirit of the original, Gatchaman Crowds was almost an entirely different beast – doing away with the “Science Ninja Team” monicker and recreating it into a superhero show with some interesting commentary on social media and a rather polarising lead character. The show also suffered from an incredibly underwhelming, which was later rectified with an OVA ‘director’s cut’ episode which drastically improved things. Crowds also proved to be a successful reboot for the franchise, with Tatsunoko Production bringing it back for a second season under the new name of Gatchaman Crowds insight.

Bird on!