Episode 1: "Smiling Senshi"


In our first episode, we learn that there is a war ongoing between the Samurai, who weild swords, and the Senshi, who use guns. During one battle between the senshi and the Samurai, a samurai barely escapes being killed by the senshi. Right off the bat, the English dub is AWFUL. It's easy to give up on it in favor of the sub. This samura happens upon a woman who is bathing. he is saved by hiding underwater, then being obscured by this woman's rather large breasts; It didn't take long for that ecchi moment, did it?

After narrowly escaping death the samuriai goes off to play the macho hero, going right back into the battlefield. He assumes that his mammarily blessed savior is defenseless, so he warns her to leave the area, for her own safety. It turns out that she is also a Senshi, but definitly not a typical one. She has a peaceful philosophy for defeating her enemies and handling conflicts.

The two introdude themselves. He is Yajiro, which the female senshi quickly turns to "Yatchan." She is Rushuna. They both storm the stronghold to rescue a monk and get revenge on all the senshi who killed the samurai. This gang of senshi is led by Nago, a huge bruiser who loves money. 


When they see the monk tied up, Rushuna's abilities and training come into play. We've seen this regularly in anime: a hero who is unassuming, but shows amazing skills in a tough situation. Rushuna shows off amazing gunplay, including the "boob trick," where bullets fly out of her cleavage and get snapped up into her revolver. Now I can understand why Yajiro just stands there instead of helping to defeat the senshi.
After the battle with Nago and his goons, Yashiro and Rushuna decide to team up and journey together.

Episode 2: "Rushuna Under Attack"

We open on a village where a young king is visiting. Somewhere in the forest, Yajiro and Rushuna are atttacked. They learned that rushuna might be a wanted woman, worth 3,000 gold pieces. The person in the poster doesn't look like like Rushuna, save for the blonde hair. Still, people assume that it is rushuna, and they are attacked on their way to the village.

Rushuna scares of the attackers without killing them. Yajiro then splits with her to go find some anwers about the bounty later find them brutally murdered. Rushuna learns who the bounty is for, unfortunately. She is overpowered and badly beaten by the killler, but Rushuna gets to see who is under the mask. 

Yajiro's questions only lead to him learning about the young king, Furon. Meanwhile, the bad guys plot against Rushuna, because she knows too much to live. After this scene, it's time for ecchi! Rushuna's in pain, so what better to soothe her than a medicated bath. How do I get the feeling that there will be a bath scene in EVERY episode?

Rushuna's bath is interrupted by The Jester, another masked man who is working with the blonde, masked killer. He uses a similar weapon to his boss, and he causes quite a bit of damage before retreating.

Episode 3: "Enlightened Evil"

Rushuna is mad. She goes to the castle, shooting her way through all of the castle guards to get to the blonde killer and The Jester. The Jester encounters her, telling her all about the power of enlightened evil and the circunstances under which Furon became a young king. 

The Jester decides that Rushuna and the blonde killer deserve a one-on-one fight. The blonde killer's armor is so impregnible that no amount of bullets can crack it. Rushuna, with her unique philosophy, decides to talk to her opponent when her bullets fail. Her words are just as useless as her attempts to crack the armor, so Rushuna makes a final attempt to crack the armor. 

Episode 4: "The Town that Does Not Smile"

Yajiro and Rushuna walk into the titular town, looking to make money by performing tricks. The townsfolk aren't having any of it, except for a young girl who shows interest. The town does not smile or laugh because of a senshi who "protects" the town and blullies them. It doesn't take long for Rushuna and Yajiro to run afoul of this senshi and his gang. Rushuna's happy outlook on life only serves to anger the senshi even more. The senshi is so enrages that he wants to kill Rushuna. By the end of the episode, Rushuna learns of a new bounty, one that is undoubtedly for her this time. The question is, who placed this bounty, and for what reason?

Overall, I liked this show a lot more than I expected to. I expected it to be a weak excuse to have a big breasted character occasionally tease viewers with semi-nudity. Well, that's partially what this show is, but the show also manages to be entertaining. 


This is a PG show, which is kind of ridiculous to me. With all the violence, very few people actually die. What was most silly is that in episode 1 some of the samurai who are gunned down by the senshi get back up! It feels very much like GI Joe or The A-team to me. Why make it a largely bloodless anime, and yet have big boobs bouncing around and plenty of bathing scenes?

I can tell that I could get tired of this show after a dozen or so episodes, but for now I can appreciate what Grenadier has to offer.

Extras

Audio commentary-


The audio commentary for Grenadier is a real rarity, at least for me. I have never encountered japanese subtitled commentary for an anime, so points go to Grenadier. Usually, you just get audio commentary from the american voice cast of the show, and/or the crew.

Pre-broadcasting special-


This is a look into the creation of Grenadier anime, which is adapted from a manga. if you're as big a fan of what it takes to create an anime as you are of anime itself, then you should take time to watch this.

"In the meantime" theater

Consider this as an alternate angle to a scene, or a deleted scene.
There are also alternate opening and closing songs and a textless opening.


Trailers-


trailers for Ginrei, Mouse, Genshiken, and Eight Iczer One

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older