From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gunparade March (ガンパレード・マーチ, Ganparēdo
Māchi
?) is a Japanese video game that was later turned into a 3
volume manga and a 12 episode anime.
The video game, Koukidou Gensou Gun Parade March (高機動幻想ガンパレード・マーチ
?), was released on September 28 of
2000, for the PlayStation video game console. It was developed
by Alfa System and
published by Sony Computer
Entertainment. Due to its creativity and attention to detail,
it won the prestigious Seiun Award in 2001.
The manga by Hiroyuki Sanadura was serialized in the magazine Dengeki Daioh. The
three volumes published by MediaWorks between 2001 and 2003
were translated by ADV Manga between 2004 and 2005.
The anime, Gunparade March: The New March (ガンパレード・マーチ 〜新たなる行軍歌〜, Ganparēdo
Māchi: Atanaru Kōgun Uta
?), which was produced by J.C.Staff was broadcast on
MBS from February 6, 2003
to April 23, 2003. It is licensed for distribution in the United States by Media Blasters as
simply "Gunparade March".
Alfa system have begun work on the related work, Gunparade Orchestra (ガンパレード・オーケストラ
?).
Plot
Overview
In 1945, World War II was abruptly ended when an alien race
appeared on Earth and began to slaughter the human population. This
alien force, known as the "Phantom Beasts" (or Genjyu in Japanese)
had effectively taken over more than half of the Earth. The year is
1999 – 54 years later, mankind is still fighting to survive against
the alien forces. Earth forces now use advanced mecha called
Humanoid Walking Tanks (HWTs) to combat the invaders, but
throughout the ordeal, far too many pilots have been killed in
action. To ensure the future of the human race, the Japanese
government enforced a student draft which recruited high school
students to become HWT pilots. Gunparade March follows the lives of
the 5121st Platoon, which consists mainly of drafted high school
students and their struggle to defeat the Phantom Beasts and at the
same time, lead a normal social life.
Major
Details
Despite being a mecha anime, Gunparade March mainly focuses on
the relationship between Hayami and Mai. However, there are several
technologies introduced
HWTs (Humanoid Walking
Tanks)
- AMTT-519M Shikon "The Spirit of Samurai" (Single Seater
Model): Appears to be the standard HWT. Its covered in a
tanish hue and has most humanoid qualities such as legs, arms,
hands, head, etc. The single seater model can utilize a variety of
weapons which includes automatic rifles, ballistics and melee
weapons such as swords (mainly used by Mibuya's unit). The arms can
also be used to carry a PBE and deliver it to the Genjyu Brains. It
appears to have a light coat of armor and can only sustain about
two to three Genjyu kamikaze attacks. It is speculated that this
model was the first (probably with a few slight upgrades) HWT
created by Shibamura Industries.
- AMTT-519MW Shikon "The Spirit of Knight" (Double-Seater
Model, "Tandem"): A double seater HWT. Unlike the single
model, its covered in a maroon hue. In addition to its ability to
using hand-operated weapons, it has two missile fins that can
converge to one missile launcher. Furthermore, its speed and
all-terrain capability is increased due to more advanced
hydraulics. The armor is also more effective than the single model.
It is piloted by Atsushi Hayami and Mai Shibamura.
Characters
HWT
Pilots
- Atsushi Hayami (速水 厚志, Hayami Atsushi
?), (Seiyū - Akira Ishida): One of the main
protagonists in the story and an HWT pilot. Hayami is probably one
of the most shy and naive characters in Gunparade March. His
personality renders him to be dubbed a "goof" among his fellow
colleagues and become somewhat an interest for several of the
female characters. When he meets Mai, he develops an interest for
her and gradually becomes infatuated with her. However, his
timidity prevents him from admitting his true feelings and
publicly, he considers her as a "good partner on the job". As an
HWT pilot, his attributes are quite balanced and this caused him to
be teamed with Mai for piloting the two-seater "Tandem" HWT.
However, Hayami tends to be nervous during battles and has the
habit of messing up. He also seems to be well aware of the concept
that the Genjyu feed upon Human's fear and hatred for them which
causes them to attack. This is shown when he elaborates a fairy
tale (it is speculated that a fairy tale can bring one's childhood
innocence back which eliminates most of one's hatred and fear)
aloud while carrying Mai to a safe area when they were stranded in
a forest full of Genjyu and the Genjyu were rendered motionless.
Later on, the whole platoon tried to pair Mai and Hayami up by
setting false tasks and trying to trap them into admitting each
others true feelings. It initially appeared to be successful until
Hayami's naive personality ended the operation in failure. During
the New Year's Eve of 2001, Hayami admitted love to Mai and still
pilots the Tandem with her.
- Mai Shibamura (芝村 舞, Shimabura Mai
?), (Seiyū - Akemi Okamura): Another main protagonist
in the story and an HWT pilot. Mai was a transfer pilot to the
5121st Platoon. She initially separated herself from everyone in
the division but formed a friendship with Nonomi and eventually,
the whole female crew of the platoon. She first saves Mibuya and
Hayami when they were in the effective range of the PBE.
Afterwards, she gained the gratitude of Hayami and a slight rivalry
with Mibuya. Her skills as an HWT pilot are at near perfection.
However, her teamwork is as relatively poor as her communication
skills. Later on, Mai reveals that is the daughter of the head of
Shibamura Industries. Despite that, she tries to lead a normal life
and care for Nonomi, thinking she is responsible for her condition.
When Hayami and Mai were stranded, she revealed why she came to
join the army despite her status as being the daughter of the head
of Shibamura. When she was in her old high school, she became
infatuated with an elite HWT pilot but never admitted her feelings
to him as he died fighting the Genjyu. Holding a grudge against the
Genjyu, she trained to be an elite pilot and was eventually
transferred to the 5121st platoon. After Hayami saves her, Mai
begins to be infatuated with him but again, she is too shy to admit
her true feelings to him.
Location
The game and anime take place in the Kyūshū province of Japan, where many (if not
all) sites are modeled after their real-life counterparts. For
example, the Kumamoto Castle, where one defensive
mission takes place (game only), is a famous landmark of Kyūshū.
Others, like 'Ajinoren', a local restaurant, and 'Shoukei'
Highschool, the protagonists' main base of operations, are both
actual locations.
Japanese
cast
External
links
Media
Blasters
MBS, TV Kanagawa
Tooniverse
Wikis
Quiz
Map
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