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Speed Grapher (スピードグラファー, Sūpido Gurafā) is a 2005 anime series, created by GONZO Digimation. The series ran for 24 episodes from April to October 2005. The series was licensed for release in North America by FUNimation Entertainment in 2006 and has been showing on IFC since March 7, 2008.
It starts when the cynical and jaded Intrepid Reporter Tatsumi Saiga is sent to investigate a fetish club for the richest in Japan, whose "goddess" is a teenager named Kagura. She's an odd, waifish young girl with the power to give people super-powers coming from their desires, obsessions and fetishes; when she kisses Saiga during their first encounter, she grants him the power to destroy anything he takes a photo of, related to the sexual pleasure he gets from photographing something really interesting.
His curiosity piqued, Saiga decides to learn more about Kagura and her powers, then vows to free her from the Roppongi Club and the Tennouzu corrupt group (whose head is Kagura's ruthless mother, Shinzen) that cruelly uses the girl for their own purposes...
This series contains examples of:
- All Men Are Perverts: A part of the premise, since the series deconstructs sexual liberation among other things.
- Amazing Freaking Grace: Sung by someone who is very obviously not Kagura, in episode 5.
- In the dubbed version, Monica Rial sang it, while in the subbed version, another singer sang it.
- Anti Villain: Chouji Suitengu is a HUGE bastard, but he genuinely cares for his henchmen and shows a softer spot for children since he lost his much younger sister, Yui, very tragically.
- Attempted Rape: Dr. Nishiya, on Kagura
- Big Eater: Kamiya is one of the most grotesque version of the trope.
- Blessed With Suck: Saiga's superpower make everything he photographs explode, keeping him from following his passion for photography. And in the end, it renders him blind.
- Bloody Murder: Suitengu's power is this
- Bodyguard Crush: Saiga, towards Kagura
- Boobs Of Steel: Ginza is a Biker Babe and an excellent shot. She's also VERY well stacked.
- Break The Cutie: Poor Kagura
- It can be said, to a degree, a full-blown Break The Cutie is what made Shinzen the person she is.
- Catch Phrase: Ginza's "Self defense!"
- Child Soldiers: Suitengu started as one of these
- Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends: Ginza and Dr. Ryougoku
- Complete Monster: All euphorics who appear as minor villains. Strange since major antagonists, including the Big Bad himself, actually come off more sympathetic.
- Crapsack World: Literally everyone in the series with any power or fame belongs to the secretive Roppongi Club. Almost everyone in the series is bought off or blackmailed by the Club.
- Crowning Moment Of Funny: "Yes, I'll be needing you to get me another car immediately... preferably one that can't be BLOWN UP BY A FUCKING CAMERA!"
- Dark Action Girl: Ginza.
- Dead Little Sister: Poor Yui.
- Deconstruction: Heavy deconstruction of the ideas of sexual freedom and fetishism, among other themes.
- Depraved Dentist: With drills as his power, even.
- The Dragon: Tsujido, to Suitengu. Suitengu himself, to Shinzen.
- Ending Theme: The softly incredible (1st) ending theme evokes lounging in bed with your lover on a Sunday morning.
- Even The Guys Want Him: Saiga.
- Evil Matriarch: Shinzen
- Evolving Credits
- Fan Disservice: Considering the source, this is to be expected...
- Femme Fatale: Ginza
- Femme Fatalons: Madame Kouganei in her diamond form.
- Fetish Fuel: This is the series where your fetishes give you superpowers. And it's not hentai.
- Genetic Engineering Is The New Nuke: No doubts.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Saiga to Kagura in episode 3
- Go Out With A Smile: Rather madly played around with Ekoda. Also, Shinzen.
- Heroic Sociopath: Ginza. "SELF DEFENSE!" BANG! She gets better.
- Honor Before Reason: Saiga is willing to do anything to free Kagura, despite clearly knowing it'll bring him nothing but Hell.
- Jerk With A Heart Of Gold: Saiga
- I Have The High Ground: Saiga, in the OP
- Intrepid Reporter: Saiga, just Saiga
- I Owe You My Life: Tsujido, Makado and Niihari were rescued from slavery and torture by Suitengu. Also, Saiga owes his life to Kagura and her kiss.
- Ill Girl: Kagura, who has a brain tumor and isn't expected to live for long. She lives, in the end.
- Improbable Weapon User: A normal photographic camera becomes lethal once Saiga takes a hold of it.
- It Got Worse: It did.
- Karma Houdini: Ginza. The fact that she betrayed Kagura back to her mother and Suitengu then threw Saiga in jail after a friendly rape is never mentioned or acted on afterwords.
- Arguably, Kagura's Evil Matriarch mother, who though she was killed in the end by Suitengu, is generally fondly remembered by her daughter, though this could be all a part of Kagura's Woobieness.
- Kiss Of Death: If Kagura kisses you and you don't have the Euphoria virus, you're as good as dead.
- Made Of Diamond: A literal example is Madame Kouganei from episodes 5-6.
- Magnificent Bastard: Suitengu
- May Contain Evil: Suitengu used the Tennuozu megacorp to distribute products that contained a chemical that would lower people's inhibitions, making them more violent
- May December Romance: Kagura is 15, Saiga is at least 10 years older.
- Money To Burn: Suitengu smokes cigarettes wrapped in 10,000 Yen bills.
- Moral Event Horizon: Shinzen's treatment of Kagura puts her WAY beyond this point. Other Euphorics also cross this line.
- Murder The Hypotenuse: Ginza admits she'd love to kill Kagura. She doesn't go through it.
- Mysterious Waif: Kagura
- Nightmare Fuel Unleaded: LOTS of it An example? Anyone afraid of going to the dentist should probably avoid watching episode 8.
- Not Allowed To Grow Up: Kagura, who's injected with a strange substance that stunts her growth in a regular basis.
- One Winged Angel: Suitengu, in the end.
- Pet Homosexual: Bob, Saiga's friend and neighbor.
- Pet The Dog: Believe it or not, Shinzen can be very kind and sweet to her mentor Goutokuji...
- Suitengu's pardoning of play money girl's father is another example. Killing the guy when he offers to sell his own daughter is an arguable example.
- Playing Against Type: Hiro Yuki aka Omi Tsukiyono plays Tsujido. Now, think of that for a second.
- Punch Clock Villain: Tsujido, Makado and Niihari. They're not evil per se, just owe their lives and freedom to Suitengu.
- Psycho For Hire: Suitengu and several of the Euphoria.
- Raised By Wolves: Kagura
- Rape Is Ok When It Is Female On Male: Ginza, on an unconscious Saiga.
- This troper would disagree; it was portrayed as incredibly screwed up. However, considering the Crapsack World they live in, it was one of the less screwed up sexual actions shown, so — maybe.
- Real Song Theme Tune: Sing with us, tropers: Girls on Film ~
- Replacement Goldfish: Suitengu sees Kagura as a replacement for his Dead Little Sister, Yui. Saiga lampshades the trope when he directly asks this question in the Grand Finale.
- Screw The Rules I Have Money: And HOW!
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: Saiga always says "It's not like that!" he's asked if he loves Kagura.
- Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace: Kagura tries that when Shinzen is about to marry Suitengu. To say it doesn't work... it's an understatement.
- Split Personality: Poor Kagura seems to have no recollection of her acts as the "Divine Goddess", except in her nightmares.
- Stalker With A Crush: Ginza
- Stuff Blowing Up: Basically, Saiga's power
- Tears Of Blood: Saiga, during his last fight with Suitengu.
- Also, the victims of some euphoriac I'm not sure how to spell his name.
- Those would be the victims of Seiji Ochiai and his sound manipulation power.
- Terrible Trio: Tsujido, Makabe and Niihari fit the personality and physical requirements for a Team Rocket. And they would be a full-fledged TR, were this series a comedy... but since it's NOT, they're competent and a genuine threat to Saiga and Kagura for most of the series.
- The Virus: The Euphoria virus
- This Is A Drill: Dr. Mizunokuchi of episode 8. EEEEEEEEEWWWWWW.
- Toshiyuki Morikawa: Suitengu
- Transformation Trauma: Saiga, Suitengu and Tsujido are the only ones that do NOT go bonkers when they use their powers.
- White Haired Pretty Boy: Chouji Suitengu
- The Woobie: Kagura
- Woman Scorned: The true reason (aside of jealousy) why Shinzen is so cruel to Kagura is because she has believed for at least 15 years that her husband and Kagura's father, Dr. Kazuki Odawara, abandoned her right after their marriage, when she was still pregnant with Kagura. It turns out she was wrong. The guy was dead.
- Xanatos Gambit: Suitengu plays the Tennouzou corporation for his own ends.
- Your Days Are Numbered: Saiga only has six months to help Kagura before she dies of her illness. And even less, with everyone chasing after them.
- Zettai Ryouiki: As a part of Kagura's school uniform AND her Divine Goddess outfit.
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