Common Sense Media Review
Bloody anime series is well-written but unrelentingly bleak.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
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Sword Gai
What's the Story?
In SWORD GAI, the Shoshidai is a secret organization in charge of tracking down cursed weapons before they can possess individuals with their evil and eventually consume them. If they aren't able to retrieve the weapon in time, they capture the possessed individuals and put them in sleep pods, only reviving them when their powers are needed for future retrieval missions. In addition to the members of the Shoshidai, the story follows Gai, an orphan boy whose mother was possessed by a sword while she was pregnant with him but hanged herself after giving birth. Gai is raised by a master sword maker who fuses the cursed sword with his arm, making Gai his ultimate creation. As Gai tries to fight the evil power of the sword that's now a part of his body, the Shoshidai begin their search for him.
Is It Any Good?
Dark, violent, and disturbing, this anime series infuses intense horror elements into its fantasy story and can be a little hard to watch at times. Characters are impaled, innocents are executed, and more than one character repeatedly chants "Kill, kill, kill," or "I need more blood." Those murderous refrains aside, Sword Gai is well-written, and the tragic origin stories of the various cursed weapons, told in flashbacks using a different animation style, are told with efficiency and emotion. However, the overall tone is so bleak, it's hard to connect with the characters in any way except feeling bad for their cursed existence. No one ever seems happy -- even when a foe is vanquished, it's never celebrated -- contributing to a sometimes grim viewing experience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about anime. What's fun about watching shows like Sword Gai? Why do you think it's gaining popularity in the United States?
This show has lots of bloody action scenes. Would the scenes carry the same impact without the gore? Does showing the blood make the action seem more real or more fake? Have you ever had to stop watching something because of the violence?
TV Details
- Premiere date : March 23, 2018
- Cast : Khoi Dao , Billy Kametz , Kayli Mills , Greg Chun
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Action
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 18, 2022
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