Speed Grapher takes a dive down the rabbit hole, revealing the darker aspects of human nature as it spins a tale of corruption and redemption.  This series made me think of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels.  The idea of Tokyo as a playground for the rich and powerful, a place where any desire can be satisfied for the right price, is reminiscent of Chandler's vision of Los Angeles, where anything goes behind closed doors.  In both the novels and the anime, the protagonist plumbs the seedy underbelly of a gilded town.  Not exactly noir, and with some strong sci-fi overtones, Speed Grapher has the gritty feel of exploring the darkness, facing it, and coming through the experience a better person.   

Ten years after a global financial collapse, the rift between rich and poor has become very, very wide.  While the less fortunate scrape by, the wealthy enjoy life to the point of decadence.  Underground pleasure clubs, namely the Roppongi Club, satisfy any kink or fetish, for a very exorbitant price.  The members list for the club reads like a who's who of Japanese society, with celebrities, politicians, and other influential leaders claiming membership.  Connections are exploited and contacts are made at the meetings, making the club far more important than just  a place for the rich to get their kicks.

Burned-out ex-war photographer Tatsumi Saiga has gone from photographing some of the most graphic and wrenching scenes of human violence to taking paparazzi photos.  It's a soulless existence, and he's lost sight of why he started taking pictures in the first place.  On an assignment to photograph the Japanese Prime Minister, Saiga stumbles across rumors about the Roppongi Club.  Fueled by curiosity and the hope of collecting dirt for a story, Saiga insinuates himself into the club.  There, he encounters a ritual involving a teenage girl, Kagura, referred to as "the Goddess," who initiates VIPs with a kiss that potentially awakens a latent ability within that person.  A mishap results in Saiga receiving the Goddess' kiss, which enables him create explosions when he takes a photo.  Saiga becomes inextricably involved with the club when the Goddess asks him to help her escape.  From that point on, he is determined to reveal the mysteries behind the club as well as both his and Kagura's strange abilities.

Speed Grapher shows an awful lot of kinky sex, but it's not about the sex.  While the scenes in the secret pleasure club are reminiscent of the Stanley Kubrick film Eyes Wide Shut, complete with golden lighting, masks, capes, and bizarre rituals, the series is more about facing one's demons and coming to terms with the darkness within oneself.  The 'gift' the Goddess bestows on certain individuals is the ability to become the very thing for which one has a fetish.  For example, if a man has a thing for rubber, his body gains the ability to move and stretch like rubber.  A woman who lives for diamonds finds that her body becomes crystalline and as nearly indestructible as her favorite rock.  The club encourages embracing one's fetish, and celebrating one's newfound ability.  Saiga, however, does not belong to the club, was never meant for the Goddess' kiss, and when he develops the ability to make an object explode just by taking its picture, he has to come to terms with the fact that he can never be satisfied unless he's behind a camera capturing that perfect moment, the perfect subject.  He found that satisfaction taking photos on the front lines, but after too many risks and an accident that resulted in life threatening injuries, he was sent home to scratch out a living without the exhilaration of edgy photography.  Faced with an ability that both horrifies and fascinates him, Saiga must learn to accept his own darkness and figure out how to use it to the benefit of Kagura, who wants nothing more than to be free of the club and its leader, Toji Suitengu.

The relationship between Saiga and Kagura is an interesting mix of level-headed insight and hero worship on Kagura's part and confusion on Saiga's.  His protectiveness over the mistreated, sheltered Kagura contains an element of the parental, but at the same time, there is the keen awareness that she is the lovely young woman that provided the perfect photographic subject he had always been seeking, but can never actually shoot.  While their relationship is nicely represented, there are a few moments that are like watching the animated version of a bad romance novel.  It's not fair to ruin the surprise, but there is a scene involving a half-dressed Saiga and Kagura, a helicopter, and a rope ladder that had me simultaneously snorting in a most unladylike fashion and shouting at the TV, "Are you kidding me?!"  It kind of ruined the atmosphere, and makes me laugh every time I think about it.  Other than that, their connection and mutual affection, on various levels, is delicately portrayed.

I really liked the artwork and character designs in this.  The Roppongi Club, with its dark, gold tones, shadows, and deep red and blue accents is the epitome of a kinky, decadent, BDSM dungeon.  Whips, chains, and pony races are all very much at home there.  Drawings of the dirty, poverty-stricken city contrast well with both the shining skyscrapers of the conglomerate corporations and the much more peaceful countryside.  Some of the character designs for those who had been kissed by the Goddess are creepy, all spindly legs and multiple-armed, while others are lovely, like the woman with the diamond fetish.  My favorite character design, though, is of one of the henchmen, Tsujido, a man who wears a small mask over his nose, which serves the dual purpose of muffling smells (his fetish is scent) and covering his lack of a nose.  He reminds me very much of Lee Marvin's silver nose mask-wearing character in Cat Ballou.  Made me smile every time I saw him.  Dead actors and old movies aside, the characters are unique and visually interesting, varying in shape, size, and age. 

Speed Grapher isn't for everyone.  It's dark, the fetish angle has the potential to make folks very uncomfortable, and it's violent.  The characters are multi-faceted and not always likable.  For me, the fact that the characters are human and flawed is particularly appealing.  The lines between good and evil are very fuzzy, and no one character is completely evil.  Everyone is tempted by greed or power or obsession.  I enjoy that kind of ambiguity in a series, and really dug Speed Grapher.  It has its flaws, sometimes the pacing is a little uneven, but it's still a series I'd buy.  It gives me way too many things to think about to be satisfied with renting it once and being done with it.

A Note: Speed Grapher is rated TV-MA for a reason.  It's violent, and there's all sorts of kinky bits, mostly implied, but unless you wish to try to explain pony races to the little ones...  Send the kids to bed before watching.

Details: Runtime 575 minutes, contains 24 episodes on 6 dvds.  Extras include art galleries, character cast auditions, character profiles, a three-part documentary of Kai Saito, Kagura's voice actress, outtakes, textless songs, trailers, and 6 twelve-page guidebooks.