Synopsis:
Olivier is a priest who leaves his church and embarks on a quest to find the god of "G". No one knows who or where exactly the god of "G" is, but it is said that a curse will befall anyone who even utters the name Gestalt. Along the way a cute girl named Ohri is awarded to Olivier as a "gift". Olivier objects, but eventually accepts Ohri as his companion so that she won't be sold to slave traders. But there's more to Ohri than meets the eye because as it turns out, she's not an ordinary girl but an extremely powerful sorceress. Will Olivier find the god of "G" and the truth behind Ohri?

Review:
Gestalt is a two-episode OAV series which follows the adventures of Ohri and Olivier, a sorceress and a priest respectively. Ohri decides to accompany Olivier on his quest to find the god of "G", but things get complicated when the Vasaria Order asks a dark elf named Suzu to bring Olivier back to the church at all costs. Add the fact that they encounter some unexpected enemies and allies along the way and you get an RPG-esque storyline interspersed with a romantic relationship of sorts between Ohri and Olivier. Ohri powers up from Olivier's kisses, and although Olivier is always reluctant he ends up giving in to her all the same.

What I liked best about Gestalt was the humor. It's never really serious, and whenever things are on the verge of getting heavy an offhand remark or a silly facial expression from the protagonists and antagonists alike dissipate any somberness that might have been coming. Gestalt also puts emphasis on magic. Majority of the action scenes involve spellcasting duels between mages, plus we get to see Olivier use clerical magic like Dispel and Protect.

The art and animation are above average. Character designs are beautiful for both the male and female characters. There's just the right combination of color and detail in the scenes such that they look good enough even if they don't really blow you away. There's also some degree of fan service since all the girls wear form-fitting clothes with low-cut necklines. The English dubbing is okay, except for the fact that Suzu sounds like a chipmunk and the dialogues are somewhat overly westernized.

Perhaps the main flaw of Gestalt is the absence of a solid conclusion. I was interested enough to want to know how Ohri and Olivier's quest would turn out, but the brevity of the series makes it impossible to resolve everything that arises. Ohri and Olivier continue on with their journey, and we can only guess what answers they'll come across. Despite the open-endedness though, I enjoyed the short, pleasant trip that is Gestalt.

Miscellanies:
Gestalt is comprised of two half-hour episodes.

Screenshots:

Shopping - click on title to purchase:

AnimeNation Gestalt (DVD)
Rightstuf Gestalt (DVD)

[ Anime Series Index | Back to Main Menu ]