Elemental Gelade

I was initially draw to Elemental Gelade because of its style – the character designs, especially that of the main character Cou, look like they came right out of a game by Square-Enix, and Cisque is a mirror image of Viese from Atelier Iris 2, large hat and all. The visual quality of Gelade is top-notch; on-scale or chibi, every line in every frame seems perfectly controlled and ultra-clean, and the coloring is similarly flawless.

Ren, an Edel Raid, a creature capable of changing into a weapon when combined with a human partner known as a Pleasure, initially seems like a stereotypical cold, aloof, and quiet anime character in the spirit of Rei Ayanami from Evangelion. However, she quickly changes into a more dynamic, warm, and enjoyable character, albeit one that still has a bit of angst about her roll.

There’s a great deal of subtle humor throughout Elemental Gelade; at one point, a three-way battle on an airship occurs between the members of Arc Aile, pirates, and ninjas (assassins in the subtitles). More than a few jokes revolved around Kuea’s appetite, Ren’s narcolepsy, and Cisque’s equipment failures.

The music reminds me of the soundtrack from My HiME from top to bottom; top-notch, featuring modern chants for dramatic moments, mock-Irish fiddling for the eyecatch and at other moments, and other energetic tunes. This should come as no surprise, as they were both come from the always-talented Yuki Kajiura.