Speed Grapher (スピードグラファー Supīdo Gurafā?) is a 2005 anime series created by Gonzo. The series ran for 24 episodes from April to October 2005 on TV Asahi. In 2006.
(Source - Wiki)

List of Characters



Plot Summary: Ten years after the Bubble War, the dichotomy between the rich and the poor in the world becomes more prominent and Japan is no exception. The rich seeks to satisfy their desires and derive pleasure for themselves, and Tokyo has materialise into such a city as a result. Saiga, once a war photographer, works for Hibara Ginza in the capitalist state of Tokyo. He infiltrates into Roppongi Club, a secretive base located in the red district area of the city, to collect information about them. However, he was caught in the process and brought forward to a girl called Kagura who was in the midst of a ritual. His contact with Kagura awakens his special ability: the power to make things explode once photographed. In order to unravel the mystery behind the Roppongi Club and Kagura, Saiga begins his solitary battle.

Genres: drama, mystery, psychological, romance, supernatural
Themes: corruption, crime, crime organizations, photography, superhumans, superpowers
Episodes: 24
Age Rating: Mature
(Source - ANN)

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Aherm, yes, well, this is obviously a thread dedicated to Speed Grapher. Has anyone else seen it? I have said this a million times in like the past 2 days, but Suitengu's power is just cool If you haven't watched it yet, when you get to ep 11 you shall see for yourself. I kind of don't like that his look is so darn generic though.. basically, he looks exactly like the one-winged angel.

I think Saiga's ability is pretty cool too. I like the fight bewteen and the Doctor. And you just gotta love his green eyes

One last thought, they changed the OP visuals (but not the song). I am not sure which one I like more yet. I think I like the new one more, but the old one was cool how they showed like a 2 second clip from the ep you are about to watch and the last frame is better IMO.

Edit: gah, I mispelled Speed XD I always do that! Gomen, can a mod fix that since the spelling will blind everyone? Thanks

Suitengu does remind me too much of Sephiroth, and I think, if my sources are correct, Suitengu's voice actor actually plays Sephiroth in FFVII: AC.

The fight between Saiga and the Doctor was a little disturbing. Well, perhaps I should just say that the Doctor is disturbing.

I like the new OP footage more than the first one.

So many things they have yet to answer, and with the recent turn of events, I'm actually slightly anxious to see what will happen, and whether Kagura will last through all of it.

Really now? That is a bit much. When I saw his outfit half torn off and was standing behind the flames, the first thing that went through my mind was: Nibelheim. Then, when he made the wings I I just couldn't help but think Sephiroth Give him a black trench coat, a 7ft long sword and Mako green contacts and he is Sephiroth. Unfortunately, I hate their blood graphics... The color is far too light and just looks so flat.

Yes, I found a few things confusing... or maybe because they are unanswered? Like, Suitengu obviously has the same mark on his hand... He said it was a gift or whatever, also he said he had died once... I am not too sure what all that means, but hopefully they can clear it up in future eps.

I agree. The injuries look all right, but the blood really throws things off. They need darker colors.


[spoiler]Like how the lab, for some reason, had to keep Kagura from her first menstruation, which I assume may be linked to the "goddess" ability.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Perhaps he's like a Frankenstein's monster, but died and pieced together afterwards, including the left hand of Shinsen's love.[/spoiler]
I'm beginning to think that you and I are the only ones here who watch Speed Grapher.

Hehe, I assumed the same. It was kind of how the old guys would play with the fluids and touch her and all >_<;;

That is also what I assumed. That would explain all the wounds that open up when he uses his power.

Random, but I wonder why that guy keeps that nose piece on. It may just be for the look, but who knows, maybe he can smell even better with it off

Also, Rubberbandman died fairly early. he wasn't a very important character, but I kind of wish he lived... unless some how he survived Saiga's attack.

btw, am I the only one who thinks Saiga is a lil attractive? He is the best looking guy in the show :3 Though, this show isn't especially well drawn anyway XP

And yes, I believe we are the only ones who watch SG Though, I did get my friend to DL some eps. But unfortunately she isn't a member here, nor does she watch too much anime. She is the one who got me into Visual Kei

Those parts are quite creepy. I wonder if Kagura knows that it's not exactly . . . right. Especially since she seems so sheltered and all.


But the wounds just look like deep cuts, not pieces sewn together or anything. Oh, well, I'm sure that will be explained. But I am pretty confident that the marked hand was taken from Shinsen's fiancé.


I think it's because his sense of smell is too sensitive, and therefore, he needs to protect his nose most of the time to keep all the other scents from damaging it. Who knows.


Best looking guy in the show? You're somehow selectively forgetting Suitengu?


That's all right. Two people are enough to carry on a discussion.

lol, that is a good point. She is kind of used to abuse and stuff so I am not sure if she would find such things strange...

Yes... did you notice that he said something like 'No, I am an original.'? I wonder what he meant by that. That was the response to Shinsen after she said that he was just a replacement.


lol, Indeed. I prefer Sephiroth over him anyways. I just love green eyes

All's fair in Love and War. I thought it was kind of childish and b*tchy of Ginza to trick Kagura and sell her out like that. I wonder what Saiga will do when/if he finds out. I am not too fond of her character anyways. She is so darn possessive of Saiga... I mean if he wants to do things with a highschool student while running away from Euphoria, Suitengu and his crew then I don't see what is wrong with that

That would be even creepier.


He did mention something about Shinsen's lover creating her body. Perhaps he also created him? In that sense, then maybe the hand isn't the lover's after all, but just a replica.


Other than the fact that she's good at kicking butt, I don't like anything about her.


Saiga has too much honor to become a pedophile, therefore, no matter what his feelings may be(come), he will try his best to avoid such a situation.

what genre does speed grapher fall into, i've heard some weird stories from my friends who watch it.

The genre that it falls into? Not sure. Thriller? Help me, Slash.

What sort of weird stories?

@Quis: yes, I know Saiga isn't like that I was just playing :3 btw, I like that thought on Suitengu's hand. It makes pretty good sense and could very well be plausible

The New Tattoo guy kind of is interesting.. his power at least.

@Mongoose: It is erm... Action/Ecchi? It has some near nudity and some asses and such and a good deal of sexual content but doesn't really show much. It has people with freaky powers, but what anime doesn't It isn't that great in the beginning, but it gets better as Saiga gains his power etc. I would say it is wortha look.

haha what a strange anime. is there any pairings at all? action/ecchi without romance is like..girls bravo season 2 all over again haha.

I never did like spiders, so he is creepy, too. Heck, the whole anime is creepy in a sense.


I think for an action/ecchi anime like this one, the plot moves rather fast.


There is the pairing of Ginza/Saiga, but I am inclined to believe that their relationship is primarily physical, whereas there seems to be something a lot concrete going on with the potential of Kagura/Saiga. There's also the Suitengu/Shinsen bit, but that's not going to happen, what with the recent turn of events.

Yes, the whole anime is pretty creepy in general...

Yes, SaigaxGinza is pretty much just physical :3 too bad Kagura is a minor, they would make a good couple I guess... I thought it moved pretty fast too. In the beginning it didn't have too much substance, but once it got to around episode 8 it had all these events that triggered one another.

[spoiler] but in ep.12 wasn't it implied that Suitengu was going to marry Kagura or am I confused on something? Maybe I should watch that scene again...[/spoiler]

I also support Kagura/Saiga, even if there is that age gap.


I thought it moved pretty quickly for your average anime in the first episode. I am grateful that they did not drag out the part where Saiga finds out about the secret society. He could've taken ages gathering clues.


[spoiler]Yes, that is more than implied, I believe. But just because he's going to marry her doesn't mean he actually will. [/spoiler]

haha i picked up this anime too after reading about you two talk about it. so i blame slash and quistis for getting me hooked onto ANOTHER anime >.< haha. lets see, speed grapher is actually a pretty original anime and im pretty hooked on it. at first it really scared me, esp the part where that dancer breaks that girl's arm. omg. that totally freaked me out

prediction of the future:

[spoiler] saiga will soon realize that killing people with his camera wasn't his real wish, and his real wish is just to take photos. hrm.. after some intense fighting with suitenga saiga will rescue kagura and they will kiss one more time, and she will grant him his real wish.[/spoiler]

Interesting prediction :3 and looking forward to tomorrow, eh? I am glad Connie and I had a hand in converting at least one person XD

I am not really getting the spoiler tags since we are the only ones who view it and no one else has shown any interest yet

Awww, but a series without Saiga's super powers.. I mean how would they continue unless it is a 26 ep series... which it could be at this pace.

hrmm..is it really 26? i figured after saiga saves kagura the series will end, which they could squeeze into one episode. but the more the better for us :] i found it really strange how saiga slept though ginza raping him haha. he must've been really wacked out.

Indeed, I thought that was... disturbing... and strange... I mean, even if he did get erect while sleeping... you think he would have subconscious moans and stuff.

I am not sure of how many eps XP 26 just seems to be the usual... It is an ongoing series so I guess we will have to wait and see

hey slash do you know what day speed grapher airs in japan?

^Ano... Well, no, but Shinsen Subs has them coming out every Sunday no?

ah ok i wouldn't know lol i just downloaded them all at once and watched them on the same day, so my knoweldge of release dates is zero. i wonder whats gonna happen!! we haven't seen saiga for awhile, hes been stone cold for like 2 episodes now. i wish there were less kagura and her mom, and more saiga blowing up things lol.

Ohh, it's every Sunday. I never noticed. *is dense*


Why, you're welcome.


That makes sense, I suppose. I'm actually hoping that there won't be a happy ending, because I'm cruel like that.


I'm glad as well.

Rejoice, Quis! Goldfish-kun has also starting DLing subs ^^ another convertee...

I also converted K Aily :3 and she said 13 is out already if anyone is still awake to read this XP

Ohh, excellent. Let's start a cult spread the word about this wonderful anime.

ahha im down with that. afterall, deep inside all of us, we all want to kill people with cameras :]
[edit]
ahhh episode 13 is out!!!
[edit2]
ahh after episode 13 i really like saigaXginza haha. even if she is aggressive :]

You saw it already!? It's still going to take me 5 hours to download!

i PMed you a direct download site.

Quis changed her looks? Wow, I have been gone. that is like once in a lifetime. jk.

Thanks, mongooseboi (may I call you boi?).

Just watched episode 13. I really hate Ginza now. Sure, she cares about Saiga and all, but she's too possessive and way too abusive. No wonder Saiga denies their "relationship".

Spider Tattoo Man is really freaky.

As well, as Kagura gone mute due to trauma or something?

I really like the artwork they used in the new ending.

gah gah gah~! >_< Hold on, I shall be back after I watch it tonight guys ;__; and Cafe and I started a cult =D *points to sig XD*

Aherm, new ending? I wanna see, also I see Ginza has something to do with this ep I shall watch late at night probably (damn parental censorship)

sure whatever makes you happy

aw man i thought ginza showed her soft side for a moment when she was like, lets be together again, ill try my best too.

very >.< what was his profession? touching women?? i didn't get that part >.<

i think shes under that little spell when she becomes the goddess because suitenga whispered those words into her ear.

He was an estheticist... if that is a real career XD I think he would evaluate your beauty by fondling you then make you pay him a boat load of yen

Also, yeah... I really don't like Ginza Even if you knew he could heal instantanuously, you don't shoot the poor guy

Mongoose's theory of the spell may be it, or he could have told her something that could cuase her to go mute from trauma @.@ We will have to wait till next Sunday to find out.. or longer. Hehe, what was with the Aztecan pyramid thing? The rest of the hall didn't look very Aztec to me =/

Why are there no long term villains besides Suitengu and... Nose Guy etc? I mean, I thought Rubberbandman would have been a pretty cool foe. It would be cool if Nose Guy had the virus too and kissed Kagura... I wonder what his power would be. A fight with him and Saiga would be cool.

...Personally, I didn't bother watching either ED all the way through. I didn't like the music, and from what I have seen, I didn't like the pictures as well. I don't see why they decided to change the OP in 12... then the ED in 13. Why not simultaneously...

^ the music in speed grapher isn't that great. OP and ED were both decent.

I like Girls On Film (is a lil addicted to Duran Duran now...)

I would have to agree. The overall music isn't great. There hasn't really been any sad parts, but if there are I am looking forward to see what kind of music they use... half the time I started tearing up in Chobits and GetBackers was because the music.

I must agree that one thing I definitely do not like about Speed Grapher is the music (other than the opening). Half the time, I don't even hear it. I don't even remember hearing it, which proves that it's not memorable at all.

gg, i think ill study that field of..*cough* medicine *cough*

^You say that now, but what happens when Joan Rivers comes to see you? Do you really want evaluate that 'beauty'?

^thanks slash for runing my future profession

I haven't posted here and I felt the latest ep deserved to be talked about. Wow, Suitenguu just got more interesting. I actually felt kind of bad for him after seeing his past childhood. Wow, after all that talk in the early episodes, he actually kind of hates people who will do anything for money. He seeemed like he was a money mongering person, but I suppose he just wanted the power. He says final battle at the end of the ep ._. Woo, something big should happen in the next ep or two.

Didn't I ask you to watch it a long time ago? And you only watched it just recently? For shame, Slash. Tsk, tsk.

I'm curious to see whether Saiga and Suitengu will find out about each other regarding that incident, what with the music box melody and all. Concerning the music box thing, I thought that link (the music box) was a little cliché and reminds me of that one episode in Cowboy Bebop.

Ahh, remember the episode of BeBop with teh music box as well (Jupiter Jazz Pts 1&2). And no, I watched it the day after you told me to, but I have been lazy and didn't post about it till now

I liek Suitenguu now a little bit more now though. he actually seems to have motives other than the power/money crazed freak he started out as They didn't even show Saiga the whole ep. I forget where he was headed actually. I can only recall that stupid fish episode that had absolutely no substance to it u_u

Good boy.


Yes, it seems both of our initial impressions of Suitengu has changed with that episode. Quite sad, really, his story. I hated that fish episode. Total filler, really. Maybe they just liked the idea of her ability and stuck it in there.

I have also forgotten where Saiga is going.

Well~

I have justed watched the series finale, and I have to say, I actually had lower expectations than what did happen Not that the ending was especially great. I liked how the ending was kind of sappy, but not as happy as it could be. I didn't hate Ginza as much at the end of the series as I did before. Suitengu is still a crazy SOB, but his past was pretty sad. It was sad and strange how he killed his sister with a drop of his blood O.o

Err... what happened to Shinsen again? She didn't die did she? They just... didn't show her since like episode 17 or so... ever.

The Prime Minister of Japan's power was so stupid. It was like a poorly drawn, mutated form of Gluttony's power. The show in general is kind of poorly drawn though. The sound guy was kind of oddly drawn too. I didn't like his character design much, and the whole speakers on the body has been done so many times. What happened to all their good power ideas like the TatooMan?

Speaking of powers, I guess that answered our question of why Tsujidou always has the nose-bit on... His power was kind of cool I guess, and I was actually sad when it looked like he died when Ginza shot him.

The fight wasn't as dramatic and the whole Sephiroth saving Saiga thing at the end wasn't exactly what I wanted. I wanted them to kill each other, darnit! Nonetheless, the ending was still pretty good. GinzaxDoctor Dude, haha, that was a pretty strange pairing that they made at the end. I don't know why they did that. It seemed highly unprobable and very random.

Oh well, I had many frustrations over waiting for new subs each week, but now it is over. It was a fairly good show with some freaky, eccentric ,disgusting characters and many strange sexual allusions, and that is why we loved it. isn't it?

*covers eyes* must . . . not . . . look!

I actually have been keeping up with this and I downloaded the last episodes, all ready to be watched tomorrow morning. I am actually quite surprised it is to end so quickly, but I guess that was inevitable when Kagura found out she's walking dead. Guess I'll read over these last posts more cafefully after I'm done.

Edit:


I did have lower expectations as well. As anti-climactic as the final fight actually was, it could have been worse. I think I liked Suitengu in the end. He had the intentions, but just went about them in the wrong way/s (obviously). Yeah, I didn't quite get that whole sister dying thing. Was that an accident, or could he just not stand to see her like that?



Yeah, she died in Kagura's arms.


They had enough cool powers to make up for the bad ones, but really, they could have had really interesting matchups with a bit more creativity. Like the whole fire vs water type of idea.

That wasn't necessarily an official pairing, but hey, she's got to be with someone or she'd just be complaining the whole time.



Don't kid yourself, you know you just liked the drag queen dancers. I think overall it was a really interesting story, and the strange, disgusting and sexual things do give it that original atmosphere and paint the corrupted society picture. Would have rather they been able to do the same thing without it, though.

You may say it's stupid that Saiga was saved in the end so as to have the fairly happy ending with Kagura, but give the guy a break. He became blind and has to live with the horribly funny irony of being able to take pictures he can't see.

I was also not expecting too much for the ending. Still a somewhat satisfactory ending though. I like how Ginza ended up. That sort of role seemed to suit her as well.


In case you didn't see, [spoiler]Suitengu killed her while Kagura was talking to her, I believe. That has got to be pretty traumatic.[/spoiler]

It's only a matter of time before someone comes up with a stupid power and thinks that it's a good one. It's all relative.


I like that pairing. It's random, but it works. And I did expect either Saiga or Suitengu to die at the end.


I think he killed her intentionally. He's killed many others before, and killing his sister to put her out of her misery probably sounds even more merciful (to Suitengu) than his usual reasons for killing. I also agree that the final battle could have been much worse.


How is that not an official pairing if it appeared in the anime?


Same here.


I found that irony quite beautiful. And it's hilarious how a blind photographer still takes better pictures than that wannbe-cameraman kid.

They didn't show anything definitive! They just happened to be working together. That's all. It's not like they 'd be living together... or doing things... well probably not... I mean I guess they could, but it's not like they're a full blown official couple.... Well maybe they are, but it probably doesn't mean much and it's really shallow! They hardly know each other!




Funny, beautiful, whatever. It's all relative. Yes that is quite hilarious. Although, he technically needs a good bit of help setting pictures up.