Overview

So, I'm going to change things up a little bit today, and break with my habit of waiting until a series is done to review it. That's because today I want to take a look at Golgo 13, and if I wait for the series to wrap I'm not going to be reviewing it for at least another year – it's a 50 episode series! I figure that just about everybody's heard of Golgo 13 at least once. The manga series has been running for so long – it started in 1969, folks – that it's become one of the cornerstones of manga. The TV series that started for Spring 2008 is the first time it's been to the small screen, but Golgo has books, manga, OVA's, movies – animated and live action – and video games too. He's been called the Japanese James Bond, and I'd sure like to see them get together sometime for a mission.

Review

Unlike most anime, Golgo 13 is strictly episodic in nature. Each episode chronicles one impossible job. The creators knew what they were working with here, folks – Duke Togo is such a well known and iconic character that they didn't bother doing any setup. From the very first episode, things run along at standard pace. Duke himself is effectively a soulless automaton – just as he is in the manga, mind you, so most of the series' plotwork and characterization is done through the eyes of the people that hire Golgo 13 to do the deed – but sure as hell not dirt cheap. There's been a couple reoccurring characters – Duke's preferred gunsmith, for instance, has shown up to help him in several episodes, and the CIA's leadership has appeared repeatedly too. Beyond that, each episode's cast is new and different, from mob bosses to sports stars to ace photographers that think they can show Golgo what shooting is really about.

And the man himself? Well, like I said, Duke is the sort of quiet man that you step carefully around when you happen to see them on the street. He really does share a lot in common with James Bond's darker traits, and none of the veneer of civility that 007 has. He doesn't speak often and gets straight to the point when he does. He does have a few specific personality quirks – fear for the fool that dares to walk up behind him, for instance – but everything about Golgo 13 screams self-control and death-in-waiting. Got a job? The price is 3 million US. Just don't try to cross him... you won't live to regret it.

Stylistically, the art direction of Golgo 13 has lent itself to the harder edged animation of the late 80's and early 90's. Lines are heavy and black, the animation is a bit gritty and rough – I love it. Don't get me wrong folks, the animation has been excellent so far, but it's as much because they're doing this with modern techniques and achieving a beautifully retro look as it is because it's damn good animation. Character design is fairly realistic, straying from the anime norm a bit, but again, that's consistent with the source material. I should mention that Golgo 13 is one of those series that's definitely meant for adults – it takes Duke less than half the first episode to find himself a girl and leave her wanting more, to say nothing of the fact that he IS an assassin, and that he is facing down a healthy number of mob goons and worse. I say again, folks... he's been called the Japanese James Bond. If that doesn't paint you a picture, nothing will.

The op theme by Naifu, Take the Wave, is a rather awesome little rock themed number that does a nice job of giving us a little insight to the man that sure as hell doesn't give anything away himself. The ending theme is rather mild compared to what I'd been expecting, not bad, just not the sort of theme I would have approved of had I been in charge. As far as the backgrounds in the series itself, the music has been pretty minimal thus far. I've been happy with it – it hasn't ruled any scenes, and it helps keep the action at a nicely frantic place too. I don't really have much to say about the voice actors, honestly – like I said, this is an episodic series, so it's hard to pin down any stand outs. Hiroshi Tachi as Duke Togo has been a damned nice monotone, even pulling off the whole very-pissed-off-while-still-ice-cold voice trick with ease.

Overall

I'd been looking forward to this series since hearing about it, and hey, I haven't been disappointed. On the other hand, I also knew what to expect going into it. If you've never heard of Golgo 13, or if you don't like spy novels and the like, then you're probably not going to get much out of this series. Let's face it folks, the creators knew exactly what they were working with, and I don't think that they wanted to risk pissing off the folks that have been fans of the series for forty years by doing anything new here. Golgo 13 is a great, solid action series, but don't go to it expecting to see a lot of character development or catch-up sessions for those that have never seen the series before. This is a series all about one guy that can pull off the impossible every damn time.

I've seen reviewers complain that the creators must not know much about guns, and long range shooting, that Golgo always aims straight at his target rather than allowing for things like wind, or the coriolis effect. I counter: they're missing the point. The whole mystique of Golgo 13 is that he's just that damn good. He CAN make those shots – and he can do it with one shot. He's the legendary super class a sniper that's only missed once. Whatever you do, don't stand at his back...