Garzey's Wing

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Garzey's Wing


caption =
ja_name = ガーゼィの翼
ja_name_trans =
genre = Fantasy, Action, RomanceInfobox animanga/OVA
director = Yoshiyuki Tomino
writer = Yoshiyuki Tomino
studio = J.C. Staff, BMG Japan
licensor = flagicon|United States U.S. Manga Corps
licensor_other =
episodes = 3
episode_list =
released = 1996
runtime = 30 minutes/episode

nihongo|"Tales of Byston Well: Garzey's wing"|バイストン・ウェル物語 ガーゼィの翼|Baisuton Ueru Monogatari Garzey's Wing is a cult classic three episode anime OVA by acclaimed Japanese director Yoshiyuki Tomino. The film was a flop in mainstream anime culture at the time of its release, but remains as an example to all directors of how a project can have some good idea, yet fall apart in production.

Plot

It is clear that Garzey's Wing has a minimal plot at the best of times, so most ideas of the purpose must be extrapolated. The protagonist Chris is suddenly whisked away to a parallel world while his physical body remains in his home world. Chris' spiritual manifestation travels to a new world, where he is thrust into a rebellion. Chris is told to fight against slave owners and the King's army as the slaves of the Metomeus tribe, make their escape from the palace at Izumido. The Ashigaba army fights back with horses, bows, and dinosaur-like creatures called War beasts. The film centers around the slave's escape, the conflict between the King's army and the slaves, as well as Chris's struggle to make sense of his convoluted situation. His mind and body split into two parts. While one Chris is in Byston Well surrounded by 12th and 13th century foreigners and being chased by a real army, earth Chris must do Chi; spiritual unification, to strengthen his mind. He must stay alive in Byston Well in order to not only attend his high school class reunion pool party, but also to protect his very life.

Characters

Human

Christopher Senshu:"voiced by:" Rick Nagel (English dub):Chris is the popular main character in the film. The story in based around him and his adventures in Byston Well. He is depicted as a regular half Japanese, half Caucasian boy who is trying to get into college but has already failed the college entrance exams twice now. He can turn into Garzey's Wing when he or someone that he cares about is in grave danger. He is so easy-going.

Rumiko:"voiced by:" Suzy Prue (English dub):A close personal friend of Chris who helps him get through the rough times as he is fighting in Byston Well. Some viewers might be convinced that there is a romantic relationship between Chris and Rumiko, though it is never clearly stated in the dialog.

King Fungun:"voiced by:" Keith Howard (English dub):The ruthless king, who lives in a palace in the city of Izumido, which was built on the backs of the countless slaves he has. Aware of the great powers of the Baraju Tree, King Fungun, lets the slaves escape in hopes that they will lead him to the tree, where he then will be able to take it over from the Metomeus by force.

Zagizoa:"voiced by:" Greg Stuhr (English dub):General of the War beast army corp. Came back to assist the King after he caught wind of the attack while fighting the Savage Western Tribe.

Lord Gelgog Aji:General of the Ashigaba who dies when the Limestone cave collapses. He had a scruffy beard and shoulder length Brown hair.

Leelince:"voiced by:" Amanda Goodman (English dub):A female warrior among the slaves. She takes a position of semi-leadership in the escape. She is able make contact with a hooded figure who is a valuable fighter for the cause. She also exemplifies an attitude of jealously towards the relationship between Chris and Hassan-san. She is able to overcome her jealousy through a single shot of her shown in inversed colours in episode 3.

Hassan-san:"voiced by:" Victoria Shea (English dub):The priestess who is able to summon Chris to Bryston Well, using the eight Earthen-ware bells made from special blue clay. It is questioned how such a devious mind can hide in such innocent beauty. A more serious indictment comes from the general of the war beasts when he accuses Hassan-san of being a fake maiden. Weather or not this claims has any backing has the potential to tarnish an otherwise wholesome person's reputation.

Aishe and Tance:Aishe (pink hair), and Tance (green hair), are Hannan-san's children. While they claim the their hands just simply aren't enough to ring the eight bells, they are able to pull though in the end.

Lord Ketta Keras:Supreme Commander of the Metomeus.

Chifuchi:A Metomeus lieutenant.

Domon:A Metomeus lieutenant. Leader of he suicide squad.

Giant Tawrad:Leelince finds Giant Tawrad and he is able to come to the rescue of the Metomeus when all hope seems lost. He comes and goes in the later part of the film, fighting the War beasts because, like many other people, he is morally dissatisfied by the dictatorship in Byston Well. It is pointed out that he has distinctive facial features which are often associated with the Garode tribe in the North.

Ondel:Food gatherer leader for the Metomeus.

King Solon:Left money for the tribe somewhere, presumably near the Barju Tree. These is also a legend I'm afraid.

Kurino:Hassan's assistant. Covers the bells so they can bake, and provides firewood.

Sechuku:Hassan's guard.

Lord Tawazzan:He helps with the invention of the uses and has a bowl cut.

Chris' other friends:Chris' other friends show a true, genuine sense of friendship towards Chris. It is evident when they believe Chris and don't even question the possibility that Chris might be going crazy when he starts to feel sick and begins communicating with the Chris in Byston Well. Other then their undeniable trust and friendship towards Chris, they are always sexy.One that is specifically mentioned is Ms. Tarsier as she exits the swimming pool.

Fellarios

:The equivalent of fairies in the natural world. For some reason they are not trusted in Byston Well, which puts you under the impression that an event in the past may have resulted in a grudge between species. Another theory is that the Fellarios are not respected because of the appearance, or stature. The Fellarios are accused of being tricky and mischievous creatures in Kastunga Hill.

Falan Fa:"voiced by:" Roxanne Beck (English dub)The only Fellario depicted throughout the story, who guides Chris as he adapts to his new world. She is introduced when she gets tangled up in Chris's necklace as he is moving between the real world and Byston Well. She also provide sound advice to Chris and the others when faced with perilous situations. "Don't get killed" is one such example of her advanced logical thought process and profound understanding of her surroundings.

Grandma Moai :"voiced by:" Bobby Fung (English dub)Grandmother to the main Fellario. She does not appear in the anime. She lives on Kastunga Hill with Falan Fa.

Creatures

Daragau:These are the most feared of the War Beasts, because of the size, and vicious nature. They are about :30-35 feet tall, mainly brown and Grey, with a large orange spike on their head to use in battle.

Dragorol:Reptile-like creatures found in the Boundless Plains of Gabujuju.

Bandou-ran :Smaller pink creatures used by the War Beast Army Corps. to carry single soldiers into close combat situations. Their descriptions are similar to those of dinosaurs commonly known as Raptors.

Unknown

Yamato-takeru-nomikoto:A character that is mentioned numerous times throughout the movie, but never seen. Is also called yomato-takaro-mikoto or yamato-takara-nomik"a"to by some. The English voice actors have trouble with the pronunciation with this name in particular.

Narrator:While only having brief lines throughout the anime, His most notable role is in the introduction of Garzey's wing when Chris is taken away by the giant duck. The Narrator is controversially referred to as being a ghost when Chris breaks the fourth wall by asking him "WHAT THE WHO ARE YOU A DAMN GHOST!?" and the narrator/ghost replies with "Why do think this is the work of a ghost?" His true identity may forever remain a mystery to the viewers, but it is safe to assume that he might also be an eligible candidate in being the renowned and celebrated Yamato-takeru-nomikoto.

Symbolism

Necklaces, Radioactive bruises, hot noodles, Ryu-Kendo, The Shrine, Encyclopedias, The Great Baraju Tree of the North, iridescent duck.

Powers

Certain powers need to be used in order to save Byston Well.

Use the Power of...

The Universe

The Air

The Water

The Earth (X2)

Amitaba

Themes

Humanity at heart

The leader of the slaves, who is represented through a bearded old man, follows a strict belief that "humans are just human", which can also be understood as the moral of this tale in Byston Well. Chris is only human so he can only act as human through his human nature to protect human kind. Although it may seem to be a deep concept to grasp, the idea can easily understood after a thorough analysis of the anime.

Influences

The film has inspired a very small but dedicated following in pockets of Otaku.

Criticisms

Can Chris turn into Garzey's Wing by will?

It is generally known that Chris has little control of his powers as/using Garzey's Wing.

Is Garzey's Wing the wings that Chris grows, or Chris himself?

A discrepancy in what Garzey's Wing actually means in the film.

Guns

Since Chris can communicate through his mind to the other people in Byston Well and to himself in the real world, he decides to use some modern technology to fight his primitive adversaries. He has a long conversation with himself about how to make guns. First he needs to cast molds in order to make bolts. Then he needs a hollow tube to shoot bullets from. It seems so easy, but after drawing some intricate blueprints in the dirt with his friends, the idea is suddenly dropped.

Seven Bells

One shot during the first episode when the Metomeus are fighting in the Limestone cave show Chris as he gets onto his motorcycle. Upon further inspection, he is only wearing seven bells. End of first episode

The resolution of the picture is way different then the preluding ones.The final shot of the first Episode could have been done at a completely different time.

Gada

A substance used in the story as the slave's main form of defense against the War beasts. It is essentially gun powder. Chris once again finds out how to make some and from that point on, it is unsure whether he uses modern gun powder, or the original Gada.

Garzey's Wing as a weapon

Up until the third episode, Garzey's Wing is there to help Chris, but when he is faced with the final Daragau something strange occurs. The Wing's slide off Chris's feet, flap for a moment by themselves, and then shoot straight down into the Daragau, penetrating it in the back of the neck. No wound is formed, however the beasts teeth glow momentarily and then it is suddenly dead.

Trampoline

Chris decides that even though he is able to make inhuman leaps for most of the movie, that during the third episode he needs to use a defective/worn out drum to aid him. Chris is shocked when he finds out the they (Chifuchi/Domon) didn't know about it.

Post Film

When the credits finally roll it may be worth noting that Chris is never actually returned to his own world. In fact Chris is shown at the start of the upwards pan that finishes the movie. They are headed towards the Baraju Tree in the distance. Judging solely by the ending sequence, it would appear that Chris is no long trapped in Byston Well, he is merely staying there, somehow contented with leading a dangerous double life in two dimensions.

Quotes

Any line from the dialog can be called upon in everyday conversation. Some of the most memorable include:

"I am defeated... That woman!" Zagizoa

"Is the Metomeus tribe doing something?"Chris

"He thinks he can control a Dragorol at Gabujuju, what a laugh! Food is essential to the War beast Army Corps. Get going."General Undo N'gau

"I have bruises all over my body because I fought naked." Chris

"I don't have the confidence, but I just have no way to get back."Chris

"This sword is pretty sharp. Use it Chris!""Thank you for thinking of me"Leelince, Chris

"Oh my God, I felt like I was having a dream."Chris

"Then why don't we live together somewhere else." "If you had a Convenience store than I would live with you. But I know there are no vending machines here either."Falan, Chris

"My sword is unbelievably dull"Chris

"I'm afraid you are deluded by the light!"soldier

"I'm sorry I have no intention to help you rebuild your Kingdom."Chris

"Now they start a rebellion, how impudent!"General Undo N'gau

"The Metomeus tribe has already grown to more than a few thousand."Hassan

"Don't get killed." "You too."Falan, Tance

"Never die, you are the treasure of our tribe."Sechuku

Reception

The film was unsuccessful everywhere when it came out, and was a stain on the career of the otherwise very popular director Yoshiyuki Tomino. Anime fans cringed at the horrible dubbed audio, pacing, and flow. The animation in general was poor but was not the worst of its time. However, The music in the anime has been praised as being phenomenally powerful yet equally endearing. Notable pieces of music include the ending theme song "Wings Of My Heart" and the fight scene music between Chris and Rumiko. For those with a weird sense of humour, Garzey's Wing is easily the funniest anime made, ever. While sitting through may feel like a straining experience, exposing others to this masterpiece is very satisfying.

Media

Theme Songs

;WINGS OF MY HEART (Ending Theme):Performance: Magesty:Lyrics: Shiro Sagisu:Composer/Arranger: Shiro Sagisu

Staff

Yoshiyuki Tomino Writer, Director, script, creator, storyboard.

Shiro Sagisu Music

Kenichi Ohnuku Character Design

Kip Kaplan ADR Director

Reiko Matsuo Translation

John O'Donnell Executive producer

Stephanie Shalofsky Producer

Karel Havle Dubbing Coordinator

Christopher Sippel Dubbing Manager

Phil Bachoo Production Assistant

Related

There are many more successful works from the same director including:

Mobile Suit Gundam

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam

Raideen

Zanbot 3

Ideon

Aura Battler Dunbine also occurs in the fiction land of Byston Well (many centuries in the future), along with other science fiction novels.

Similar style
Wings of Honneamise, Orguss 02

Complete list of works under Filmography in the Yoshiyuki Tomino page.

References

* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/2007-09-20 Anime News Network ]
* [http://www.centralparkmedia.com/usmanga/usmanga.htm Official website ]
* [http://animeworld.com/reviews/garzeyswing.html review on animeworld]
* [http://www.ex.org/2.3/17-garzey.html EX (review and info)]
* [http://www.animeacademy.com/profile_tomino_yoshiyuki.php anime academy]