'Gleipnir' Is a Weird Anime Featuring a Fighting Mascot

I feel that if Gleipnir was made and released in the 2000’s, it would have been a legacy anime.  The 2000’s was a period in which the anime market was just starting to boom internationally and wasn’t close to being as crowded as it is nowadays – options back then were fairly minimal.  It’s a big reason why many anime titles that came out at that time are, if not generally venerated, at least quite widely known.

On top of that, a sizable number (probably even a majority) of the anime community right now were teenagers in the 2000’s.  And in the 2000’s, the romanticization of “edgy” and “angsty” things was the rave among teens, epitomized by the widespread popularity of emo culture and the Twilight books (to be fair, these are the extreme manifestations of the 2000’s teenage sentiment I’m describing).

Considering these, I feel that Gleipnir has the “edgy” and “angsty” themes that typical 2000’s teenagers would have been fascinated with.  And as adults now, they would have fond memories of it as it had been emblematic of their teenage era’s tastes.

Gleipnir follows Shuichi Kagaya, a mild-mannered high school senior who can transform into a revolver-wielding dog mascot monster with a zipper running down his back.  He has no idea how he gained such weird form, but he’s determined to keep his powers a secret.  One night, he saves a girl from a burning warehouse.  However, he briefly succumbs to the primal urges caused by his monster form, and this leads him to commit a blunder that allows the girl to easily deduce his identity.  The girl, Claire Aoki, turns out being his junior in school, and the next morning, she confronts and blackmails him into helping her search for her older sister, who also can transform into a monster.

Apparently, several people all over town have recently gain the ability to turn into monsters.  And this phenomenon is somehow connected to the numerous golden coins scattered across town and the nearby forest, and a young man hanging out in an empty lot that contains a mysterious vending machine.  As Shuichi and Claire try to search for the answers to their many questions, they get to encounter other Gatherers – individuals who can turn into monsters and who are looking for more coins – most of which they are forced to battle.  In the process, they discover that while Shuichi is in his dog-mascot-monster form, he’s hallow inside like an actual mascot costume.  Thus, the more aggressive and ruthless Claire can enter him through his zipper opening to take control of his body when they have to fight an enemy.

If nothing else, Gleipnir is overtly sexual in a weird way.  Although it’s not really that graphic by anime standards (especially if that standard of graphicness is Why the Hell Are You Here, Teacher!?, or worse, Interspecies Reviewers), it does put its characters into a couple of spicy to lusty situations.  Claire, particularly, is wearing just underwear or swimsuit during half her screen time (for just like in a normal mascot costume, it’s also pretty hot inside Shuichi’s mascot form).  Moreover, its sexual metaphors aren’t exactly subtle – especially whenever Shuichi and Claire have to “combine.”

Heck, their initial dynamic is even hilariously BDSM-esque.  While they eventually become equals that genuinely care for each other, they start out with Claire being like an abusive dominatrix to the submissive Shuichi.

I started watching this anime because, considering such premise, it really came off as something unconventional and, well, edgy.  In fact, it gets fascinatingly dark in some parts.  However, in the middle of the season, the plot begins to feel more conventional; a couple of shonen narrative tropes pop out.  Fortunately, in the closing episodes – in which the secrets of Shuichi’s past start getting revealed – it becomes as interesting as its opening episodes again.  In other words, I found the opening and closing episodes gripping, but the middle episodes pedestrian.

It’s visually exhilarating,  too (and I’m not referring to the fan service here), although this aspect is not immediately evident.  It is once the monster mascot starts getting into brawls that you get to really appreciate its animation, as you notice the intricate nuances in the physics and details of the motions.  If you are curious to see how a mascot sakuga fight looks like, Gleipnir has you covered.

To sum it up, I mostly enjoyed Gleipnir.  It’s not exactly innovative and incredible, but it has its moments.  And though I can’t guarantee now that I’ll still watch season 2, there’s a decent chance that I will.