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Gungrave - Blog Posts
I’d be happy to elaborate! Aside from Brandon, deadmen (guys who get necrolyzed) appear to retain their memories for the most part though it’s never stated whether it’s because they were still alive during the process or not. For the most part they look human, sure, but if their mental state starts to deteriorate they can…mutate.
As long as you have a strong mental fortitude you can pass yourself off as human. You also might can some weird abilities like being able to turn your limbs into weapons or something. I can definitely see you pulling off a ‘knives for legs’ look. Oh, here’s a picture of the bros!
Before and after the betrayal! Reminds me of you and Jimmy… Brandon is even missing an eye (because that’s where Harry shot him)!
Y’know Curly, you kind of remind me of a character from one of my favorite video games. His name is Brandon Heat and he also has a best friend named Harry MacDowell. The two had known each other since they were kids, both orphans. When they get older shit goes down and the two decide to join the mafia after they both suffer the loss of their other friends. Harry wants to reach the top of the organization (climb the ladder) while Brandon is just happy that he can still remain by Harry’s side. But the longer Brandon remains in the organization, the more he has to make sacrifices. His hands become bloodier and he slowly numbs his emotions so he isn’t constantly wracked with guilt. He even denies himself from having a potentially happier life with the woman he loves because Brandon still feels responsible cares about Harry. Long story short, Brandon is forced to point his gun at his remaining friend from his life before the mafia. But he can’t bring himself to kill Harry. How could he, after everything they’ve been through? Unfortunately for him, Harry’s time in the mafia made him colder, more paranoid. Harry doesn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. In the end, Harry cares more about his ascension to power instead of the bond he had with Brandon.
Don’t worry though, Brandon comes back! Through a process called ‘necrolyzation’ he returns from the dead as an undead killing machine to take revenge on Harry! Hooray!
Whew! Sorry for yapping for so long, I am very passionate about this game if you couldn’t tell. I didn’t even get into the other aspects of story. But I do want to ask you a question Curly. If you had the option to undergo the process of necrolyzation right now, would you? You’d be stronger, more resilient. The process is even more effective if the person is still alive, you might be able to regenerate your limbs! Would you be willing to give up what little humanity you have left to save your crew? Would you be willing to become a monster to save everyone?
(WARNING!: Possible side effects of necrolyzation include severe memory loss, blood replacement every two months, and the need to dress like an edgy anime character.)
…I was nodding along, thinking I could see the resemblance, until we got to the “undead killing machine” part. I’m not quite there. Hah. That’s an unfortunate story…
No need to apologize. Uh… I don’t think I understand the process enough to make that decision. When you say I’d lose my humanity, would that mean becoming a mindless killing machine? Or would I still control myself and the change would be purely physical? If it’s just physical I certainly wouldn’t mind. Gotta be better than this, yeah? Even with the blood replacement and memory loss… As long as I remember enough to stay myself and protect the crew, I don’t… I’d power through.
Grave looks too funny 😭 (Made this in October a while back but saw someone post a Jyuji one lol)
Not a thought behind those eyes <3
Brandon is literally such a cutie 😢
despite everything...
it's still you
I mean, if you think about all the other names Nightow came up with, it becomes no less ridiculous but just kinda…normal.
Writing fanfic sounds fun and may be a good way to test and develop my creative writing skills, but if I do there will come a time where I have to make the name Rocketbilly Redcadillac sound serious and I am NOT ready for that
Happy Holidays Gungrave fans!
Have a Bunji!
I drew this one to parallel Juji!
Beyond The Grave Moodboard
With some vampire goth stuff and guns, coffins themes
I begin to watch the series and I love it, Beyond/Brandon is so cuntyy
Gungrave spoiler!! (I guess)
If your seeing this, this is your sign to PLAY GUNGRAVE SET UP A PS2 EMULATOR PLAY THE GAME. It's like yakuza but with guns IT'S PEAK!!!!!
And if you have played it is Overdose worth playing? Genuinely curious
I know what I've said, Grave. My fear is about whatever is happening inside me. But… I'm not afraid anymore. I'm not a monster. I can control this. Maybe… I can even learn how to use it.
You have to trust me.
I love how messy this looks. Very loose!
I feel art block creeping up my back aaa
Basically graveyard
Finally got these fuckers done yeah!!! It’s been a while since I put any effort into really drawing, especially for characters that I love. Because of Nightow’s character designs already being so shaped for me I decided to simplify their designs even more. This is also the first time I experimented with line weight and I only screwed up a few times :)
Here are the original sketches for funsies!
(I tried to simplify the designs as much as possible. I started drawing Bunji but I haven’t finished yet.)
Right? I think the funniest thing about the anime is the implication that Dr. T is the reason why Grave looks like that and it’s so funny. Why did he make him dress like a goth cowboy?
Love how everybody in the Gungrave anime still refers to Grave as Brandon. It’s like everybody heard Doctor Tokioka’s idea for “Beyond the Grave” and were like that’s stupid we’re not calling him that. Harry and the other upper echelon of Millenion still call him Brandon Heat, call that deadnaming or something.
Gungrave G.O.R.E - Studio Iggymob (2022)
Surprise, surprise! It comes down to you and me, Grave. As it should be, right? No one else was gonna prove worthy. We both knew that. Just a few roadblocks to soften you up for the real showdown.
"don't worry about it" ok but I will
Love how everybody in the Gungrave anime still refers to Grave as Brandon. It’s like everybody heard Doctor Tokioka’s idea for “Beyond the Grave” and were like that’s stupid we’re not calling him that. Harry and the other upper echelon of Millenion still call him Brandon Heat, call that deadnaming or something.
Bartendin’ Blues
Sypnosis || In which Mika finds Bunji after the events of G.O.R.E
WC || 868
Contents || bartender/drinksmith!Bunji, Mika is in her 30’s (relatively), pure fluff and sprinkles of angst, Bunji in his old man feelings, decent ending, somewhat rushed.
Note || I keep thinking about… what IF Bunji worked as a bartender? Would be so neat. Especially also along with the idea that Mika and Bunji could possibly actually have a positive interaction for ONCE. They very rarely interact in canon, but this little writing of mine is just an idea of that happening.
The sea of bastards was not something new to him.
Chain of command my ass.
There sure was hell ain’t no kings, and there was no god cept’ man. He looked down at the bottom of the bottle long enough to understand something close or other, he killed his deposition, and now he’d naturally assume it was genetically defined within all men amongst the bottoms of the earth. However Bunji left that life behind a long time ago, but his reputation stained him, like a target upon his back. It was lucky in nature that he was left alone to his vices, vying for a more less dramatic life.
Right now, that was far down his list of worries however.
Mind over matter he’d tell himself.
Yet this ain’t one of his usual bastard patrons, this was a lady. Someone he seldom had the grievance of meeting once or twice, hell he remembers saving her too.
“Anythin’ to your fancy little lady?” He spoke, casting her a knowing look as he walked over to her spot of location within the bar. The silver-headed woman tensed up, sensing she was a focus of attention within the bartender’s eyes. She wasn’t sure exactly what to say, or what to do for that matter, getting here was the easy part — trying to strike up a conversation with the man that saved her from that exploding airship on top of the building so many years ago wasn’t.
Red flickered upon in the vision of the two, a quiet reminder that he was under the control of a greedy asshole who was trying to ensure the spread of SEED. The very subject of the matter that coursed through the veins of the young lady.
The very bullet that he shot her with.
She held her nimble and fragile hands together, fiddling with her fingers in order to stead her ever-growing anxiety. The wolfish man stood there with a patience he never could’ve had when he was younger, awaiting her words. Finally, she had spoken, so tenderly, “Just something regular, nothing too strong. I am sure you have better knowledge on drinks then I do Mr. Kugashira.” As if it were, it felt like yesterday he remembered crossing paths with her for the very first time. When she was twelve years old, a target was on her back for merely being the daughter of Big Daddy, a well-respected man who maintained the age-old Millenion and left it with a great legacy. Only back then, Bra- Beyond The Grave had risen to ensure every single last one of the members of Millenion would be sent to their own graves.
His calloused hands moved upon instinct, without hesitation to gather up the ingredients upon hearing her request. Bunji wanted to speak, but his vocal cords were more or less worse for wear, yet he made the effort to do so anyway. “Mika,” He began, his chest rumbling in a low chuckle, “Ain’t that your name?” His voice was gravelly, yet so warm. It reminded Mika of a fondness a father would have for his children, but she shook off the memory and nodded with a quiet hum.
Bunji set down the mixer, bringing up his hand to adjust the collar right atop his tie. “Well I suppose I can’t just assume yer’ only here to reminisce aren’t you?” Quiet laughter shook his shoulders, trembling may they be. He resumed his ministrations, not caring if Mika had answered him or not.
It was then he had set her drink down in front of her crossed arms, had she mustered the courage to respond, “SEED has resurfaced, and we need more hands. It’s becoming difficult to obtain.”
“So you want me to join your little resistance group?” He shot back, toying with bar tools that he had in hand. Mika went quiet, and that confirmed everything he had suspected. Bunji’s shoulders faltered, in a way displaying his exhaustion, but he could never truly feel anything of the sort. A deadman has no need for pain or the physical toll a nasty situation would take on a person. “Your father would be pretty impressed y’know.”
Mika’s eyes shot up, wide with surprise at the sincerity in the former hitman’s words. He was glad he constantly wore his sunglasses, his eyes would be telling a completely different story to the young lady.
A sigh escaped her lips, her head somewhat hanging low, the eventful memories all coming back of her mother telling Mika all about Big Daddy. How powerful and what a proud man he was, “Pretty sure he wouldn’t be proud of me at all.”
Bunji cracked his neck, leaning forward and crossing his arms as he got a closer look at Mika, “Now why in the hell would’ja say that?” He raised his eyebrow, truly showing his confusion. Bunji had meant it when he said her father would be proud of her, but why would she downplay her own efforts in life? Especially if she was working so hard to prevent the disaster of SEED from destroying the lives of civilians and people alike.
In his book, that would be nothing short of someone who truly was human.
Someone asks what picture is in your locket and you open it to reveal this.
Average Bunji fan behaviour 🙃
(I stole the original drawing from Gungrave Archives, namely this page:
)
Also an extra pic from when I was volunteering at a conference:
(look at my tech support dawg we're going to accidentally make the whole audio system combust)
Sketch dump
My Avatar
Oops, I forgot to post it! Here’s the drawing I did:
emoji...만들고 싶다...
일단 나 혼자 쓸려고 그리는중
This came randomly
Very epic actually. Love dragon versions of things I like.
Had a dream recently in a rpg concept where grave could heal others with a use of cat ears and paw gloves. He also could turn into a dragon. How epic is that
Do you ever think about how Brandon Heat felt about people trying to get closer to him? Starting with Widge and Gary who helped him become more familiar with being a new member of Millenion and sort of becoming his mentor figures which would then be filled by Big Daddy. Do you think that when Harry introduced him to Lee and Bob that he felt an ache in his heart as he witnessed them joking and talking with another because it reminded him of the gang he used to have a similar bond with? Do you think Brandon eventually started to push away Maria and even newcomers like Bunji who so desperately wanted to have a relationship with him because he didn’t want to go through that loss again? Because he couldn’t bear to lose anyone like he lost his old friends?
And since Overdose is implied to be a direct follow up to the Gungrave anime do you think Beyond the Grave feels a sense of deja vu when he sees how Juji, RB, Spike and Mika interact with each other? Does Grave have vague memories of him and the others Jolice, Nathan and Harry, how could he forget Harry would tease Kenny constantly as well as give each other shit just to mess with one another? Does he remember those days where he didn’t feel the need to constantly hide his true emotions from his closest friends? Did he remember the numerous arguments that Nathan and Kenny would have that made Harry and him separate them to prevent a brawl as Jolice laughed at their antics? Do you think that, for just a day, Beyond the Grave felt he still had a reason to continue his existence besides a promise he made to a woman he didn’t allow himself to love? That for the first time in what felt like an eternity whatever left of Brandon Heat experienced that connection to others that he used to have? That maybe Grave wouldn’t have to fight alone anymore now that he had others to watch his back?
Much to think about.
Ideas that I want to discuss on this blog
This isn’t in any order or anything this is just a bunch of thoughts I’ve wanted to talk about regarding this lovely series.
Trigun/Gungrave narrative & themes comparison: On a scale of "love and peace" to "kick their ass"
Brandon Heat is a combination of both Vash and Wolfwood
Is Bunji Kugashira similar to Nicholas D. Wolfwood in certain aspects besides appearance?
Vash & Knives vs. Brandon & Harry: Expectations of trust/loyalty
Bunji Kugashira's hangups about brothers (first Juji then Brandon?)
What's the history between the Kugashira brothers?
How canon is the Gungrave anime to the first Gungrave video game? Was Overdose supposed to bridge the two (appearance of Sherry???)
Why isn't there more Gungrave/Trigun crossover content?
Tsuneo Imahori is so good at music dude: How the Gungrave soundtracks create another layer of atmosphere & emotion
What the fuck was up with Gungrave VR & Gungrave G.O.R.E.?
How and why is Rocketbilly Redcadillac?
I want to see more hijinks with Juji and RB, they are sooooo
Why is Juji not in G.O.R.E.? (Sad but probably not canon idea that he was eventually overcome by the SEED in him)
What it's like to be a deadman aka why don't we let the Gungrave cast experience body horror too
Madhouse wanted the Gungrave anime to be a spiritual successor of the 1998 Trigun anime
Will there ever be another entry in the franchise after G.O.R.E.?
Trigun and Gungrave say aliens are real folks (maybe canon maybe not)
Beyond the Grave & Vincent Valentine: Two ultra sad goth bois that just want to take a nap in their coffins
Feel free to make your own post for any of these ideas or something. As I said before my activity on this blog is going to be pretty inconsistent so don’t expect anything from me anytime soon. Then again just last night I started writing a short little Juji story but I don’t know when I’m gonna finish it. I also plan to do fanart but motivation to draw has honestly become more evasive than wanting to write. If you have any questions or suggestions I’d love to read them in the comments or tags at least. See you guys later!
so now that everyone has caught up on the various trigun canons, i humbly suggest obsessing over yasuhiro nightow’s other work – starting with this ancient anime: gungrave.
links:
gungrave tag on ao3
watch gungrave on crunchyroll
watch gungrave on hulu
