Gankutsuou

Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gankutsuou

Genres: adventure, drama, mystery, romance, science fiction, thriller
Art style: Unique
Rating: 4.5 out of 5









While "Gankutsuou" hasn't gotten nearly as much press as GONZO's "Seven Samurai" adaptation, i think it's the better anime. By setting the story in a sci-fi universe and seeing the events unfold from Albert's POV, we get a fascinating new spin on the old Dumas classic.

In addition to having giant robots stand in during duels, and space travel instead of sea voyages, director Mahiro Maeda ("The Animatrix") combines CGI effects with cel-animation to create a very unique style.

Instead of traditional coloring, beautifully ornate, textured patterns are used to fill in clothes, hair, and other objects. The myriad patterns often stay static as the characters move, creating eye-catching effects and the overly 3-D CG effects add more discordant visual notes.




I don't think that the series is widely appreciated, where it's innovative and interesting, and beneath all the fancy visuals is a very good story that's told very well.

Plot Summary
"Gankutsuou is an anime based off a loose adaptation of the novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. It tells the story of Albert Morcerf, a young aristocrat who happens to befriend a wealthy nobleman, known as The Count of Monte Cristo, through a series of bizarre events. Fascinated by the Count's charm, Albert invites him to meet his friends and family, all of whom happen to be part of the upper class society of Paris, France. Unfortunately, little does Albert realize that the Count has ulterior motives in mind." I feel no need to rewrite the summary so here's the wikipedia/everyanimesites version.

Visuals
Gankutsuou takes a unique aproach by combining Photoshop textures and cgi backgrounds to create something that's, well, unique. Does that mean that it looks good? Meh. At times it can feel like it's on the cusp of making something beautiful but a lot of the time it just doesn't reach it's goal. Sometimes, it's just downright annoying and feels lazy as shown in a couple of scenes where the textures of the buildings is an actual picture of a real building with real people and cars being reflected in the windows. Not to mention how absolutely flat everything feels and how out of place all the cg work looks. All in all, in terms of visuals, there are a few hits but a lot more misses for me which makes the visuals in this forgettable. I did like some of the character designs. Haydee is an example of a well designed character as is the Count. They also did this thing where the characters would have the plain black outline but had lines of different colors. Not so much so that they were distracting but just enough so you wouldn't really notice unless you were paying attention to it. Overall you'll either hate or love the visuals in this anime and I'd still sugest you glance at them just to see what's up since they are interesting at times.

Sound
What can I say about the music? A lot of it is classical pieces and they get used very well. In fact, half the time, they were the only reason why I'd get sucked into the drama of the story. I didn't much care for the beginning and ending credits but they weren't bad. Just not good.
The voice acting was great on both dubs. I didn't feel like any of the voices were out of place and I especially loved the Counts voice for the english dub played by Jamieson Price.

Characters
Now this anime has a pretty large cast of characters so I'll just boil it down to a few that I felt were the main focus of the story.

The Count
A mysterious, charming, nobleman that's on a secret quest for revenge on the three people who betrayed him twenty-five years ago by framing him for a crime he didn't commit for personal gain. While imprisoned, he came across a demon, Gankutsuou, that he makes a deal with. In exchange for the power and means to exact his revenge the demon posseses him and will eventually take over completely. This is shown throughout the series in an odd, but cool, side-effect that makes his body crystalline in appearance, revealing his bones and internal organs.

Albert Morcerf
The main protaginist. A naive, yet pure, fifteen year old boy that is "befriended" by the count, by that I mean used, while on a trip the lunar city Luna with his friend Franz. His father is a famous general, is one of the three that wronged the Count, and is also married to the past love interest of the Count. Not really much else to say about him since he's the typical main character type just that his parents have a past.

Baron Franz d'Epinay
Albert's best friend since childhood and the more mature and adult of the two. We never really learn of his family and really has no other ties to the story except for being the best friend Again, nothing much to say about this guy since he's the typical best friend type.

Story
I've never read or watched any of the versions of the Count of Monte Cristo before this version so I went into it not exactly knowing what to expect. What I got was a weird sci-fi adventure drama that rarely pulled me in. I'm not going to lie, one of the main reasons for that is because it's clear that the main character of the story is supposed to be the Count but the anime wants the main character to be Albert. Why? Why make this uninteresting kid the main character? The Count is an infinitely more interesting character that should have been the main focus. Instead we get the typical naive teenage boy that's the main character of every fucking anime ever. He wasn't even the main character in the original story either, he was a goddamn side character. Guess who was the main character of the original? THE COUNT, which makes a shit ton more sense. MOVING ON! The show starts out with Albert and Franz visiting the lunar city of Luna, clever name there, during a carnival. There they meet the Count. Almost right away Albert takes to the Count on account of the Count being a cool, suave motherfucker and Albert being a bored young man that longs for an adventure. Franz on the other hand, takes an almost immediate disliking to the Count because he senses something darker in him. He warns Albert of this but of course he doesn't listen to him. This also upsets Albert so he goes running off by himself and runs into a "girl" named Peppo (que Admiral Ackbar) that seduces him only to lead him to a gang she's a part of. This gang then demands 50 million whatever the fuck the currency is from Franz in order to get Albert back unharmed. He can't do this however since it's the dead of the night and all the banks are closed. Having nowhere else to go he turns to the Count for help. The Count promptly springs into action and saves our hero Albert. During the rescue there's a scene where the Count confronts the leader of the gang by himself. This leads to the leader throwing a knife into the Counts heart. Which doesnt' do diddly squat since the Count is so damn suave and charming........oh alright, it's because of he has a demon inside him called Gankutsuou (which I've just been pasting through out this whole review since HOLY FUCK IS IT HARD TO REMEMBER HOW TO SPELL) so he can't be killed. We find out later that this is just a pointless scene since the Count hired the bandits to kidnap Albert in the first place so there was absolutely no logical reason for that scene to exist at all. Especially since the whole gang show up later in the story perfectly alive and well. Lovely. After saving Albert the Count begins using him as a springboard to get in with the Aristrocats of Paris so he can enact his revenge....sorry, AristroCRATS. Goddamnit Disney. I can't really go into the rest of the story without taking a novel to do so because of how expansive it is. There's a lot going on in this story and even though Albert is the main focus of this adaptation there's still tons of characters each with their own goals and motives. What I'll do instead is list off what I do and don't like about it.

We'll start off with what I don't like. The first and foremost thing I don't like is something I've already mentioned. Albert is the main focus of the story. He's just not very interesting to me. It should have been the Count.
The next thing I have a problem with is Gankutsuou itself. It just feels tacked on and is never really explained. Like, why does it even need to be in the story? What was the point of it? It doesn't really add anything and it just leaves a big question mark at the end of the series.
Big spoiler here, Franz is killed by the Count in a duel. Now, I don't have a problem with Franz dieing. I'm all for tragedy in my stories. It's just that Albert never confronts the Count about it. He cries about it and all that but he never once brings it up to the Count. All he does after is try to stop the Count by being his friend. I mean seriously? I like the message against hate they're trying to get across but show some emotion towards the man that killed YOUR BEST FRIEND SINCE CHILDHOOD.

Some of the characters just felt like they needed more character and development which led to them feeling kind of bland.

What did I like?

The best part of the series was watching the Count set his plans into motion and just watching them unfold. He went after each of his targets in a way unique to them. He takes away the fortune of the banker Jullian Danglars, reveals the past crimes of the judge Gérard de Villefort, eventually driving him insane, and bringing to light the falsified military achievements of the general Fernand de Morcerf. There's much much much more to it than that but as I said, it'd just be too much to put into this review.



Visuals - 1.5/5
Sound - 4/5
Characters - 3/5
Story - 3/5

Overall - 2/5
I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone but I wouldn't stop you from watching it. I also understand that I'm in the minority with this one.

: Gankutsuou is the anime adaptation of the classic French novel “The Count De Monte Cristo”, but instead of being set in….old-a** Paris is actually the very distant future. With aliens. And robots. And a strange demon-thingy named Gankutsuo that never really gets explained in the show. All right, I gotta say, I was pretty torn about this show, because overall I felt like I really loved it, but there was something stopping me from really appreciating it. Maybe it’s because I’m so used to the movie adaptation that I had certain expectations that weren’t fulfilled. Like: THE ENDING. I honestly don’t give a flying f*** about Albert. For spoilers sake I won't get into it but let's just end that with the count is sexy.

Story: Well-told, very fluid and seemed almost like it was performed on stage. Which was very different from your average omg lets have lots of 10 year old-looking girls with jiggly boobs moemoemoemoemoe anime. A

Art: Um. What. Yeah exactly. It hurts my eyes… For some reason I would have preferred them to not have done the wallpaper art with all the CGI. B+

Characters: Count de f****** sexy Cristo. Nuff said. A

This is not just an animation. This is a playful, indulging, and tasteful motion-painting embedded with scores of tantalizing rage. It is a real feast for the eyes as the eyes, reluctant to look away, struggle to capture the layers of intense beauty. A beauty that cannot be put into words pours like a weaping waterfall out of this canvas. As the eyes struggle to aprehend the melodious madness laid out on the screen, the ears are treated to colorful threads of notes woven by the reviting composer.
A manifestation of resentment and a new breed of scorn is born. Vengeance is the sworn path that Gankutsuou will uphold. The youth, the innocence, and the vigil Albert Morcef's pages unfold in this dark tale. A tool to facilitate godliness is exploited and used towards Albert's own demise. A tool so elegantly and eloquently depicted is the centerpiece of the spiralling events cast in this series. His innocence, exploited but priceless, sets the opera to close at an ingenious end. The means to this one possible ending and the collapse of innocence must be witnessed by our fellow readers. I hope you enjoy this gemstone as much as I did. Arigato~

I only post reviews for shows I have watched completely to the last episode and I will never recommend an anime to every person because frankly, what I like may not be the same for another person. With that said, people who might enjoy this anime are those who like abstract art (which wouldn't be many)

Plot: The plot can be a little confusing and at times I do feel skeptical about how and why the count needs Albert to fulfill his revenge. The main reason why the plot is often confusing is because the anime is based on a novel, but the anime starts in the middle of the novel's plot (according to Wikipedia). Regardless, the plot is simply a revenge story with a naive boy becoming involved. I personally don't find the story line interesting or original because stories about revenge with a demon involved has been said and done in anime for so very long.

Character Development: I had a hard time with this one and one can argue that there was little to no character development. The count, Edmund Dantes, wants revenge and his personality doesn't really change much until Albert finally asserts himself in the very end. As for Albert, he doesn't really change at all and remains so utterly naive and ignorant, it's somewhat sickening. In fact, I felt so very sorry for Franz for having a friend like Albert.

Artwork: Love it, hate it, too much of it. Those are the general impressions people get when they see this art in this anime. To put it simply, layered designs are rendered into 3D art to form the texture of clothes, background scenery, buildings, etc. I personally find myself somewhere in the middle of liking it and being confused by it because the abstracted patterns can be distracting when you're trying to get a sense of what's going on in a scene.

Music: The opening gives us a glimpse of the count's personality before the beginning of the series and ending song was ok, but I'm not a fan. In scene music was mostly classical music, which I am not a huge fan of.

Originality: The art is undoubtedly original, but the same can't be said for the plot or the character development.

Score: 2.5/5

This is the best anime I have ever seen. I feel that Cowboy Bebop was the best anime of the last decade, it held the #1 spot on my list of all-time favorites for several years, but Gankutsuou has since toppled it for me by a landslide, even forcing the delights of Hayao Miyazaki's sparkling workshop down to the middle of my list. There is no precedent for Gankutsuou in anime when it comes to the visuals. Elegant drawing styles like Rozen Maiden, Le Portrait of Petite Cosette, Revolutionary Girl Utena, or even the daring Paradise Kiss are all left in the dust when compared with this. The use of color and combination of different mediums comes together in a really exciting, surprising and intense symphony, its the Baz Luhrmann film of animation. While many animes that can boast of such physical beauty become just eye candy, and we are left in exchange with no real plot or an incoherent one, that is not the case with The Count of Monte Cristo. It has a strong sense of mood permeating throughout it that can be very "addictive" as one reviewer said. It is sensuous and hypnotic like a vampire's voice calling to you. The characters are more reminiscent of older animes, they are all human and realistic with serious personalities, this is no shounen, the personalities are the classic tortured young men thrown into adult situations you're more likely to find in Mecha-based anime, (the higher end of the spectrum like Evangelion) except the adventure has more substance than that type of story. It is introspective. The plot unfolds at a concise pace with lots of imaginative innovations on the source material. Its well-rounded in every way.

Gankutsuou is the anime adaptation of the novel "the count of monte cristo" by Alexander Dumas (i think thats how you spell his name)

plot 5/5
lets start off with the premise, those of you who've read TCOMC know what it's about, sort of. Instead of following the Count, it actually follows Albert. Anyway, it follows Albert De Morcerf, who forms a friendship with the mysterious count of monte cristo, a man whom has mysterious past connections with his father. So I don't give away spoilers, I'll just stop here.

Music
The music is performed by Jean-jacques Burnel and kasamatsu kouji, it all helps to set the mood for the scenes, whether they be light singing set to a charming stroll through paris or the furious beat of kaisho as the counts ulterior motives move forward and his true animosity is revealed
oh and the song "you won't see me coming" is hands down the most addicting ending song EVER, i just want to do air guitar whenever it's all "dananana da na dananana da na dananana da na" before the "E-D-M-O-N-D THAT'S MA NAME" part

characters
Lets see, Albert can be kind of annoying some times, but he's not too bad, and you really have to sympathise with him whenever...well i won't spoil it.
Franz is also rather enjoyable, i guess you can say he serves as the voice of reason, oh and i cried whene-GOD THATS ALSO A SPOILER TOO!
Eugenie is Albert's love interest throughout the series, sort of. They were friends before the series starts off, and their parents had arranged for them to get married, which causes them to drift apart, however, as the series goes they are slowly falling in love.
now for the eponymous Count of monte cristo, handsome, charming, wealthy, sophisticated, smooth, he's the perfect human being. he has past connecdtions with Alberts parents: he was close friends with his father and mother before they were married. He had fallen in love (and was even engaged to) alberts mother, which filled his father with jealousy, so him and two other people (who were planning some sort of treason) had framed him for their own crime, one thing lead to another and they all became aristocrats. it's now about 20 years (i think) later and The count has achieved a vast amount of wealth and knowledge, and befriends Albert to get close to his parents to enact his revenge.

Animation
oh my god just...oh my god, i cannot even describe the way this series looks...just watch it for yourself.

anyway, i give gankutsuou a 5/5

The Count of Monte Cristo, one of my favorite books next to Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot or Crime and Punishment, is adapted yet again into something for the screen. I've watched the 1932 version directed by Rowland V. Lee, I've watched the 2002 version directed by Kevin Reynolds. This unique adaptation, taking extensive liberties as setting in the far future, and focusing on Albert instead of Edmond is by far my favorite adaptation. I don't think anyone will think of a reason to why I decided to watch this, so skipping that. This as mentioned earlier is unique.

The animation is handled by Gonzo, for those who follow animation studios, knows they use plenty of CG. It was peculiar getting around seeing the CG horses, but it's not what steals the eyes' attention. It's the costume design as well as the character designs. Edmond is no longer the man that we've seen in past incarnations, this time he looks rather like a Yoshitaka Amano vampire. It's dark and bold at the same time. The costume design being handled by Anna Sui in the finale with all the episodes having a similar feel. The characters move through textures with their entirety that gives off that distinctive eye-catching animation style.

As a story, The Count of Monte Cristo is a dark story, an adventurous story, a love story, a story of revenge, or a story of growing up. It's hard to say, it's what you can make out of it that is amazing. Gankutsuou is much the same, there are many facets of substance that those who watch will have a different interpretation on what they got out of it. The original was amazing, and this adaptation is just the same.

Many of the characters are kept in this adaptation, including some of my favorites such as Haydée and the second wife of Villefort. There are many, and I can't stress that enough, many different relationships in this series. There are more in the original content. A few of the characters in this series I like more than the original. Foremost being Eugénie, as I disliked the way her story was concluded in the original. That out of the way, this series is all about dynamic relationships and none of the characters felt as if they were poorly written.

The music is beautiful, as a fan of classical music, I was surprised by some of the pieces included. The music was lush with emotion, and how can't I include Lucia di Lammermoor Act 2? There was so much that I can go on about this music, but I feel that I am biased with my love of orchestrated pieces. There were somber moments, energetic moments, and even a bit lighthearted moments. With the song Mercedes, who knew a single syllable sung through the entire song could sound so beautiful. But, what got me not to give this a perfect rating for music was Jean-Jacques Burnel. Not that bad when he stays in his vocal range, but every moment he steps out of it, it was grating to my ears.

Overall, I knew I would love this series. As a huge fan of the novel, I had high expectations for this series. I admit, I was a bit skeptical on the futuristic setting, focusing on Albert, and wondering what other liberties the creative team would take with this adaptation. Gladly, I was not disappointed one bit with this version of The Count of Monte Cristo. It's beautiful, a masterpiece even.

What can i say, "genius" maybe. Nah it wouldnt be enough. Aside frm taking the Dumas classic, gonzo couldn't resist in to making the impact even bigger with an outstanding opening song and a very rocking ending. Amusing, no? But with out being it enough they took in a very risky artwork, which can only be either loved completely or hated to its maximum by the viewers. Which i brought to my head only one though "Bravo!!!!". Because in art one must risk everything to reach even higher grounds, but again its Gonzo we are talking about, so what else can be expected.

Excellent art; marvelous music for background, opening and ending; an original alternate setting , which even if it defers from the classic its very amusing;then finally a marvelous view point was taken to tel the story.