First of all, I would just like to make it clear that Gravitation is not hentai. It is a shonen-ai with numerous male-to-male kissing scenes, implied sex, and even implied rape. Though the anime feature is not as graphically titillating as its manga counterpart, I am putting Gravitation in Hentai Neko instead of submitting it to Otaku Fridge for the simple reason that I am looking back at my motivation for building Hentai Neko in the first place. Please visit my Roar, An Introduction; focus specifically on the paragraph “For the Queers of Society” for the exact details.
Aired on October 4, 2000 to January 1, 2001 on WOWOW, Gravitation is a beautifully crafted romantic story that seems like a mix of Ayashi no Ceres and FAKE. In Ayashi no Ceres you have an idiot girl who falls in love with a hardened man. Hardened man can’t get his hands off idiot girl. Things should probably be sailing smoothly, except idiot girl could have fared better had she chosen the one who cares for her more. Now change all the “her” and the “she” to “him” and “he” and you’ve got Gravitation. This is only in the beginning, though, because several twists happen during the course of many episodes, which paved the way for deeper friendship and understanding that goes beyond romantic inclinations.
Gravitation is basically about show business, with Bad Luck, an all-boy JPOP band in the spotlight. Like all stories surrounding showbiz, you get a blow-by-blow account of all the lurid details that corrupt people who have started out just wanting to entertain. On top of it are sex scandals, malicious competition, tales of greed and what have you. Our two main characters, Yuki Eiri, the golden-eyed cynical romance novelist, and Shuuichi Shindou, Bad Luck’s pink-haired playful vocalist, find each other in the midst of the storm and all its glittering glory. Loud and child-like Shuuichi is a breath of fresh air in unsentimental Yuki’s life. Despite all the tragedies that get thrown their way, Shuuichi holds on to the belief that he needed Yuki and vice-versa. In short, Shuuichi is a clingy doormat whose simple joys in life are the little things that don’t really matter to many people. Not a bad thing entirely, because the stark difference between the two, including the way the overcome their emotional baggage, is what makes Gravitation such an interesting watch.
Other characters to watch out for are Hiro, the guitarist, Ryuuichi, the legendary singing idol, Tatsuha, Yuki’s incorrigible younger brother, and K, the gun-toting blonde manager. The general theme of Gravitation isn’t really heavy drama, since both Shuuichi and Ryuuichi are so clumsy—bordering on annoying, I might add—you wouldn’t really have time to cry. It is also amusing to note how Ryuuichi and Shuuichi redefine friendly competition to an unbelievable degree. Listen to their sound, as these two work better in the presence of the other. The background music aren’t bad either, especially as Shuuichi’s piano theme matches the different moods perfectly. Seiyuu performance? It was certainly done right. They even have English voice-overs coupled with Japanese subtitles for the American supporting characters.
With the added visual element, no matter how cheesy you may think JPOP is, you might find yourself hooked after some time. Truly, this is one anime that never lacks such mouth-watering bishounens and pleasantly simple music. A definite recommendation to shonen-ai lovers!
Individual Rating: Art/Animation: 9 Story/Plot: 9 Characters: 8 Sounds: 9 Ecchi Level: 2
