Gasaraki: Complete Series Collection

This ambitious, handsome anime serial bids to raise the bar on the whole "mecha" genre, with megadoses of Shinto myth and the Gulf War (an Eastern take on it, anyway) added to the mix. A U.N. invasion of a desert dictatorship reveals the existence of a "TA" (tactical armor) squad, giant humanoid war machines inserted into the conflict by a multinational called Symbol (who, it turns out, also manipulates the White House). Japan responds by sending their own secretly-developed TA unit. Ace Japanese TA pilot Yushiro has a psychic/mystic mojo that binds him to Symbol's equally adept, genetically engineered rival operator, a girl named Miharu: centuries ago in feudal Nippon their previous incarnations also faced off ritualistically in similarly monstrous "Kugai" bio-organic battle armor as literal avatars of the gods. Serving up extremely tangled and literate intrigue, sometimes sober to the point of lugubriousness, Gasaraki touches on Japan's imperial destiny, philosophy, economic flux and global trade wars, Tom Clancy-esque weaponry fetishes, family relationships, soldierly honor, and a scenario in which a U.S. President edges towards a military first strike against a supposed ally. And, of course, we have big robos whaling on each other, although not as much as action fans might expect. Presented in a dual-language set, rated 13-up, extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette. Recommended. (C. Cassady)