Gravitation

This interesting anime series centers on the unlikely and often volatile relationship between the extroverted young singer-songwriter Shuichi and the somewhat mysterious older novelist Yuki. The pair meet cute—a lyric sheet blows out of Shuichi's hand and is retrieved by Yuki, who reviews it and proclaims the writing to be terrible—but the unexpected encounter helps to break Shuichi's writer's block, leading him to create better music. The bond between the two men grows in fits and spurts, with Shuichi as the more aggressive pursuer and Yuki as the often exasperating prey. While their common ground isn't always obvious, the friction and unexpected plot twists (particularly the slow discovery of Yuki's somewhat unsavory past) keep the episodes flowing nicely in this groundbreaking gay romance series. The two main characters transcend stereotypes: Yuki is a truly fascinating example of enigmatic emotion, while Shuichi often displays heartbreaking, raw feelings. Compiling all 13 episodes originally aired in 2000–01 on a four-disc, dual-language set, rated 16-up, DVD extras include two OVA episodes and art galleries. Recommended. (P. Hall)