Generator Gawl
Three scientists from the future race to undo a genetic mistake.
Generator Gawl is a 12-episode 1998 anime from Tatsunoko Production and JVC. It follows three future scientists who time-travel to 2007 to stop Professor Takuma Nekasa from unlocking a dangerous gene code. They arrive three months early and face opposition from scientist Ryuko Saito and her Generator assassins.
Quick Facts
- Production companies
- Tatsunoko Production, Victor Company of Japan (JVC, now JVCKenwood)
- Episodes
- 12
- Year
- 1998
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In 2007, Professor Takuma Nekasa uncovers a gene code that unlocks the human body's greatest mystery and exposes mankind to its greatest threat. Three young scientists from the future—Gawl, Koji, and Ryo—time travel to the past to undo this mistake. They intended to arrive one year before the calamity but instead land three months prior. They are opposed by Ryuko Saito, a scientist who prefers the future as it is, and her Generators, unearthly assassins posing as humans. Gawl must "generate" to fight on their terms.
Characters
Gawl Kudo (Japanese voice: Nobutoshi Canna; English voice: Vic Mignogna) is the hero and main character, a Generator with vast power. Though appearing dim-witted, he shows loyalty and protectiveness for his friends. Even out of Generator form, he displays superhuman feats of athletics, strength, and endurance, such as jumping several meters in the air and surviving a crushing blow from falling construction equipment. He is often lax and lazy, sleeping during classes and car rides, as his transformations and brawls are highly taxing and require large amounts of sleep. Koji Suzuki (Japanese voice: Shin-ichiro Miki; English voice: Jay Hickman) is the level-headed intellectual of the trio, rarely displaying emotion and laughing only once in the series. Ryo Tsutomu (Japanese voice: Kashiwakura; English voice: Matt Kelley) is the more sensitive but brilliant member, who headed Kubere's Project Achilles to create Gawl and feels intense guilt for his experiments. Masami Shippō (Japanese voice: Satsuki Yukino; English voice: Rozie Curtis) meets the trio early on and constantly fights with Gawl due to a poor first impression, though she has a romantic interest in him. Natsume Chigira (Japanese voice: Konami Yoshida; English voice: Monica Rial) is a shy pink-haired girl and Masami's best friend who tries to calm conflicts between Gawl and Masami. Ryuko Saito (Japanese voice: Yuriko Yamaguchi; English voice: Kaytha Coker) is the antagonist, a mysterious scientist and time-traveler who uses Dr. Tekuma Nekasa's desire to recover his past to bend him to her will, calling Generators to do her work. Takuma Nekasa (Japanese voice: Yoku Shioya; English voice: John Swasey) is the professor who uncovers the gene code. Kanae (Japanese voice: Hideyuki Hori; English voice: Jason Douglas) is a scientist and Ryuko Saito's assistant.
Generators
A Generator is a being with the ability to transform into a metalloid (metallic/organic) warrior with powers far beyond humans. Types include Gawl ("Razor?"), Cyclops, Manta, and others, each with abilities designed for weaponry or the Reconstruction. Generators have multiple "phases" indicating power output and development stage; Gawl is likely Phase 4, and Ryuko Saito is Phase 5. There are also "Control" levels: the First is hardwired; the Second and Third are semi-autonomous with preset commands, and Third-level generators can revert to human form; the Fourth level allows full physical control and reversion to human form but no vocal communication (Gawl's generated form can only grunt or yell); the Fifth level grants complete control, full communication, and immense power. Exogenerate (or "generate" in the American dub) is the ability to transform via a mental trigger activating the transformation gene. In later episodes, Koji and Ryo generate as Phase 1, less powerful than Gawl, because they activated their Include Cells as they are, unlike Gawl who was activated before birth. After a first generation, the body undergoes changes not explained in detail. The Core is the heart of a Generator, processing all power and life functions; it is crystalline and can only be destroyed by another Generator. When shattered, the Generator dies and turns into energy or dust. The core is often exposed on the chest but may be hidden (e.g., Sound has it within the body; Cyclops has it on the back).
More in Japanese Science Fiction Television Series
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced