Gankutsuou

This is an old tale which has many different mediums covering it's epicness, all of them taking their liberties and changing it for modern audiences. Those aside, so far this has been the best abridged version since the original tale/book. Not from the same era yet it rivals Shakespeare in my eyes. It has the same qualities in many regards for those who are a fan of Shakespeare. King Lear being my favorite, I guess it's not an understatement to the testament of my opinion on the comparison. It starts as a slow burn, getting you at ease with the environment, the elegance, prestige & characters. Introducing philosophy and psychological fencing within your mind to arouse a sense of - where is this going? Once you cross that threshold you will be at the edge of your seat wanting to see what happens. I'm glad it took the liberties to introduce it differently than the original and I ended up liking it more for it. This studio is the first to do it right and give the story a fresh take. Some don't like a 10 rating because it is generally viewed as a biased one; makes sense, I just can't ignore that it is in my top 20 of all time for good reason. Perfect isn't a 10; nothing in life is perfect and the rating system was made within it so, then a perfect score would be 11. Expect the unexpected!

Gankutsuou was a mixed bag for me. Overall a pretty interesting story and the plot, although slow paced at times, was fun to follow. The story was enjoyable with its mystery and drama. The truth behind many of these characters as it is revealed is quite compelling. Trying to figure out who is hero and who is a villain is fun, but ultimately this series proves to lack the morally complexity that I think it needed. This is one of the many issues caused by the anime's biggest flaws: the characters. My biggest gripe with Gankutsuou is its characters. It becomes apparent after several episodes that our protagonist is wholeheartedly naive. This becomes very tiresome, and is furthermore an issue as his character hardly developed. When events transpire that should cause his character develop, he either doesn't develop or at some points he seems to develop, and then regresses back to his original state. Now back to the issue of the lack of moral complexity and complexity of characters in general, many of the villains in this anime are one-dimensional and I personally could not take them seriously with how robotically evil they are. The events themselves are interesting, but the assortment of characters either being annoying or one-dimensional really damaged this anime as a story. This isnt to say I completely disliked the characters. I actually enjoyed most of the characters including several interesting side characters, I just found that several of the key main characters in this anime had flaws that effected my enjoyment and immersion in the story. Character aside, there are still many positives to this anime as I have already stated the plot and mystery is intriguing and there are several great moments of revelation throughout the series. The 'revenge' plotline is pretty cool, and a definite quality of this anime. Although I might add that I wasnt a fan of certain aspects of the conclusion to this plotline and in general the conclusion to this story. Another aspect that I really enjoyed about the anime was the amazing artstyle and animation that makes this anime unique. The animation style is like nothing I've ever seen in anime so far, so that was pretty neat. The combination of french culture with sci fi elements made for incredible scenery. This is still a good watch and an overall positive experience, I just cant help but feel a little disappointed by the end with the significant flaws in character that diminished what would otherwise be a great anime.

“Bide your time and hold out hope” Based on one of my favorite novels, The Count of Monte Cristo that sets not in the French Revolution but thousands of years in the future. Although it mixes both Aristocratic society and futuristic society. With its themes: love, betrayal, sadness, vengeance, and revenge are amazingly integrated into a wonderful narrative of revenge. Gankutsuou starts with the Count of Monte Cristo befriending our young Albert de Morcerf and Franz d’Epinay in Luna. Events after that are all planned by the Count for revenge. The best thing about Gankutsuou is engaging its themes while not ruining the narrative. Most revenge stories fell into these traps, its use of themes are sometimes not really engaging and ruins the narrative. Gankutsuou does both exquisitely. Another thing that is amazingly done by the show is setting up its atmosphere. The atmosphere of revenge. This is all possible due to the characters and the art which I be discussing next. Characters of Gankutsuou comprises of both aristocrats and the ordinary but I really like them for the same reason. They symbolize the dirtiness of the upper echelons of society. The evils of the rich people and people blinded by power. This is pretty much the reason of why the events of Gankutsuou takes place. The whole show symbolizes the poor vs rich, the oppressed vs the powerful. The Count is an oppressed person, oppressed by his own friends or coworkers. The Gankutsuou himself symbolizes the hope of the poor, the hope to rise again and fight against their oppressors. Gankutsuou’s power became The Count’s power and rises up again. Which can be seen that he is filthy rich. This is Gankutsuou’s power but in exchange you gave your body and soul. The Count is no different from his oppressors now like Danglas, Villefort, or Morcerf, after receiving Gankutsuou’s power, he himself was blinded by not power but by vengeance and revenge. In the end, he realized this and finally forgave them and then at the same time Gankutsuou disappeared from The Count. This explains why Albert successfully changed The Count’s mind when he hugged him. This anime shows the terror of power to hurt someone by the society and the effects of vengeance. Gankutsuou’s amazing tale is combined by surreal art and landscapes that is full of patterns that weirdly fits in a scifi world. This art helps make a weird atmosphere that makes Gankutsuou extra special. CGI are decent but needs improvement. Music is incredibly soothing. The opening song’s lyrics are the words of The Count himself, his sentiments. Final words: Gankutsuou is a show that is really unique. It combines its thematic and technical aspects to create one beautiful tale.

It's been a long time since I enjoyed an anime as much as I enjoyed Gankutsuou. It will most likely be a long time before I enjoy an anime that much again. While it's not an entirely faithful retelling of the tale by Alexander Dumas, thats because the director wanted to tell a different message; about all the innocents the count would harm in his quest for revenge. The story, while obviously not intending to be a direct adaption, is ironically one of the closest screen adaptions of the classic story to date. Despite taking place centuries from now, it still keeps the atmosphere of nobility era France, with all it's class warfare, sexism, and decadence fully intact. The sci-fi elements seem strange at first, but they add to the mood quite well. With the advent of plane travel, the full mapping of the world via satellite imaging, and the trend towards globalization, open seas and distant lands just don't hold the same mysticism they did back when Dumas wrote the original tale. By upping the ante, to replace distant lands with distant planets and open seas with open space, Gankutsuou takes a risky move that ultimately pays off. The art direction is fascinating, and refreshing. At first it's hard to follow, almost headache inducing. But after the first few episodes you can't imagine the show being the same without it. Character designs (barring the textures) are subtle yet unique. Each design fits it's character like a glove. To elaborate on the art direction, there are no solid colors in Gankutusuou barring skin colors. Everything else is a texture, a texture that does not move even when it's characters do. It brings to mind the effect used by low budget 90s cartoons when they wanted to give someone a plaid shirt but couldn't be bothered to draw the lines over and over. Except in this case rather than appearing tacky, it's beautiful. Backgrounds are a mix of classical animation, photographs, low poly 3d models, and particle effects. The Paris Skyline in particular is wonderfully surreal, second only to the Count's Castle in terms of aesthetic appeal. The soundtrack, composed by the songwriter for the french band "The Stranglers", fits every scene perfectly. The opening and ending themes fit the dual nature of the count extremely well (with the opening song a melancholic piano piece about shattered dreams and the ending a hate filled revenge themed rock piece). The characters are just as interesting as they were in the original story, with some being far more fleshed out. Some changes were made, the most obvious changes being made to the Count himself (who now has a supernatural aspect) but overall they kept the essence of each character intact. The focus of main character has shifted from the count to Albert, which only increases the mysterious aura to anyone who has not yet read the original tale. Rather than being outright told his motivations, we must discover them slowly, the same way Albert must. Franz is now a key character, and perhaps one of the best written LGBT characters I've seen in an anime. His sexuality is not used as a punchline, and he is not a camp caricature or a manly inversion of a camp caricature. Even though he is bisexual, he is not portrayed as sexually obsessed, and it's obvious that he values romance over lust. The anime was extremely enjoyable, and I found that once it really took off after about two episodes, I was completely hooked. I finished the entire show in about four days, and cursed myself for not watching it sooner. Gankutsuou is a hidden gem, at least among the circles I frequent. I only discovered it's existence by looking up the name of the director behind Samurai 7. It's obscurity may be due in part to it's completely unconventional art style, but I urge everyone to give this show a try. Even if the art does not grow on you, everything else will.

In terms of drama and storyline, this as an absolute master piece. There are many times where mere words cannot describe what just happened as you are completely captivated by how well everything is played out in such a fine manor. The odd art style it takes on can be a bit painful or cringe worthy to look at some times with its "abstract" form of use in adding color to the scenery and lead roles as well as setting the feel for the many environments as if it were played out in a older style movie. The setting is played out as an old french layout, moved to the future which at first seems like it wont work but it actually blends in so well almost like a symbiotic harmony. Gankutsuou's sound track can be an acquired taste as you go from Piano, to orchestral, opera and the ending being something of an electronic rock and roll. However all in all it really does fit together nicely as nothing sounds out of place with the scene or setting it's played in. Character development it was lacking for some main characters except for the villain. They spared no expense in diving deep into the motives for his actions, and the creativity behind the master plan. As for predictability, it's easy to tell who plays what role, very early on in the anime but how they play their roles gets to the point sometimes where you think my might of got them wrong because of how well it catches you off guard, making you eager for more. In short, Cliff hangers galore.

Gankutsuou is an anime remake of the French classic novel The Count of Mount Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It is at once faithful and unfaithful to the original. It for the most part follows the major plot of the novel, although the setting is taken into a futuristic world in 5032 AD. Also, this anime is refreshing in that the story is narrated in Albert Morcef's point of view. The story is amazing in the first 22 episodes. The tragic story of vengeance is perfectly depicted in this anime. Some side stories that revolves around the theme of friendship, trust, love, and betrayal are added in to further enhance the story. I would most definitely give this anime a 10/10 if not for the last 2 episodes. It was without a doubt one of my worst anime endings ever. Anyways, watch it to find out why. The art is different than most other anime in that it uses textures of many layers rather than colors. This does create a spectacular artwork. Definitely watch this in 720p to observe the beautiful artwork. However, not everyone may like this style because as a consequence, the characters look like 2-D object while the background is 3-D. The sound is decent. There are many good choices of classical music inserted in the emotional scenes. While I certainly can't disagree with these choices, I like songs with lyrics better in anime. The characters ranges in personality, ideals, and quality. For example, the narrator Albert Morcef lacks any significant likeable quality and is rather bland, but this is compensated by the Count, one of the most charismatic, ruthless, yet captivating character ever. The rest of the cast can basically be classified as "good" and "bad" guys. However, this would be an oversimplification and some characters do have realistic traits. One thing that I should mention is that villains are well-portrayed. By the time the villains are punished, the audience would rise in joy. I enjoyed this anime up to episode 22. I actually sobbed a lot (despite being a guy) in this anime. However, episode 23 is just like a wtf episode to me, where everything went wrong. Still, this anime is highly recommended and deserves a 9/10. Story, Art, Enjoyment: 9 Sound, Character: 8

I think Gankutsuou must be seen as an experiment. If you have an open mind for a unique style, and fresh approaches to presentation and story, then this is surely a series to check out. But as it is with experiments, they also bring disadvantages with them: they don't always succeed completely and will come with rough edges. The show is loosely based on "The Count of Monte Cristo" - but transformed to a science fiction version. It plays in aristocratic French baroque mega-cities. With many patterns, styles and habits directly taken from that time. In this scenery a dramatic tale of revenge, love, power and friendship unfolds. Art: Let me start with maybe the most prominent innovation of the show. The art style. It does not feature the usual watercolor-like backgrounds, but is a mix of 3D images with digital composition. You'll notice photos mixed and repeated - drawn elements, rendered images and lots of colorful effects. It is close to a psychedelic experience. Overall the backgrounds are sometimes iffy. Especially if you know digital art yourself, you'll notice many artifacts. Like badly tiling textures, obviously repeating photos, cheap rendering techniques ... and seriously: One can overdo it with lens flares. The characters itself are drawn in a more common style, in great quality and are then overlayed with moving patterns of the baroque epoch. Great care has been given to the costumes. They are changing constantly - a fact I greatly appreciate. I'm often bugged when in some shows characters are dressed every day in the exact same dress for several years. So overall - it is art like you've not seen it before. And while they sometimes went a bit too far it is very high quality art with a very refreshing feel to it. The art alone makes this show worth watching. 8/10 Story: I consider the story innovative too. It is one strong overarching storyline that goes through every episode. No fillers and no unnecessary stretching. Running at a very nice pace, keeping you always wanting to see what's up next. That being said: While there are some mysteries at the beginning, there is never really any big surprise. One knows the rough idea from the beginning - and it never goes to the depth of the original Monte Cristo. Maybe that's the price for the fast storytelling. It just constantly jumps from dramatic scene to the next, never with the time to explain some backgrounds... 6/10 Characters: ...which leads to the real weakness of the show in my opinion. None of the characters is truly believable - it is never quite clear why they do the things they do. I think the writers just let the characters do whatever is needed to go from one overly dramatic scene to the next. Love, revenge, friendship, hate. It's all there, but changes randomly from one to the other. Pretty much everyone constantly wants to give his life for whatever he sees in front of him. It goes a bit like: "Look at this fork - take my life, but you may never hurt this beautiful fork... oh look a spoon, I will now commit suicide for this magnificent spoon... oh wow, a plate..." No one ever explains why the Count is loved unconditionally by his helpers and the hero. Since this is the main theme of the show, it makes it hard to really go along with any of the characters motivations. 5/10 Music/Sound: It's one of the really rare cases where I watched every intro and outro in full length. The title songs are very nice and fitting - and the art to it is beautiful. The background score is dramatic as to be expected, and carries the show very well. The voices are excellent, with the Count clearly being a highlight. 9/10 Enjoyment: What can I say - I am easily bugged by anime-logic. Overly dramatic scenes can be a turn off. But it is an entirely enjoyable show for every minute of it. The quality level is consistently very high. You can't go wrong with watching it. 9/10 Overall: And if you want fresh approaches to the anime genre, then this is the series for you. I am sure that the innovations will pop up again in new shows. Maybe more polished then, but you've seen it here first. If I average all the ratings I gave, its a 7.4 - but the innovation bonus bumps it up to a nice and round: 8/10

"Remember this: My name is Edmond Dantes." Madames et Monsieurs, bon soir! Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo is an eerie fairytale never to be forgotten. The name Edmond Dantes is a chilling name that shall forever be tattooed in a person's mind once that name crosses the ears. This anime is a loose adaptation of the original haunting tale by Alexandre Dumas dating back in the nineteenth century. The artistic distortion of the tale that distinguishes it from its primary literary source can leave viewers breathless and speechless. ~[S T O R Y]~ [10] Gankutsuou chronicles the agonizing journey of one man who seeks to achieve revenge at all costs. Most of us have encountered the tale through our literary excursions. In case you have not dear reader than allow me to enlighten you. Edmond Dantes was once a fortunate man who would soon be promoted as Captain as well as being rewarded with a beautiful wife Mercedes. Nonetheless, his jealous rival Fernand Mondego takes drastic action by accusing Edmond of being a Bonapartist traitor, thus leading Edmond to be stripped of his fortune and thrust into endless despair throughout his years of being incarcerated. When heavily consumed by hatred and despair, Edmond strives to seek vengeance once he is released and does so under the disguise as the Count of Monte Cristo. Gankutsuou showcases a whole new twist into the story, adding supernatural and scientific elements into the mix. Although the ingredients seem rather odd, they have succeeded in creating a fine dish for viewers to taste. We still earn a taste of action, twists, and of course emotional impact in both the original and the loose adaptation. ~[A R T]~ [10] The designs displayed ostentatiously in the animation leaves a unique mark in the realm of Japanimation. The fantastic patterns, colours, and textures against clothing, architecture, and the landscapes of the setting can leave art lovers enraptured. At times the patterns can be a little repetitive and may become a nuisance to certain people, but viewers ought to look past the art and into the story rather than the other way around. The art provides an alluring distraction from the tension built between characters. Most adaptations of works set in the nineteenth century can often be repetitive. Hence the reason why Gankutsuou stands out more than plot-wise. Furthermore, three-dimensional art collides with two-dimensional animation. How can the anime become better than this? ~[S O U N D]~ [10] The musical score of the animation is brilliant in my personal opinion. We are able to feel the tension and the purge of emotions through each battle and vehement scenes. There is a mixture of Spanish guitar in certain scenes that provide mystery and intimidatio, the piano and the harp that leaves one either at peace or in anticipation, and of course the English and French vocals that match perfectly well with the setting. The soft opening theme clashes with the ending theme. This transition flows nicely before and after the showing of each episode. The opening theme allows viewers to be comfortable before the action begins. The ending theme awakens viewers with a burst of raw energy that can leave them hungry for more. Well done. ~[C H A R A C T E R]~ [9] The beginning of the first twenty-two episodes present the monologue of a mysterious narrator. His French vocals [translated for everyone to understand] are both alluring and mysterious, and they are able to provoke thought on how the last episode and the episode the viewer is currently watching connect and influence a stream of wonder. The characters in the two renditions are almost the same, except most of their positions are different. Albert, the son of Fernand Mondego, has now become the main focus instead of his father. Nonetheless, the Count never misses a chance to steal the spotlight. And once he does, whatever actions that he committs or the words spewed from his lips will give great meaning into the plot. The Count of Monte Cristo is introduced to a supernatural character Gankutsuou that influences Edmond to change both externally and internally. Yet this does not leave all the other characters in the shadows. Each character has their moment to shine. Mahiro Maeda, director of the series, has made sure that each character earns more than 30 seconds of fame. The reason why I have given a 9 was due to the lack of further information from the supporting characters such as Eugenie, the freelance journalist, et cetera. It would have been nice to know a little more about them and to have them put into more action. Ah well. Perfection is difficult to achieve these days. ~[E N J O Y M E N T & O V E R A L L]~ [10] From beginning to end, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo is a wonderful sight to see. The sights and sounds of the adventure can leave a viewer curious, stunned, or have them endure a moment of catharsis. If you enjoy modern literature encountering with new-age brilliant designs, then this anime may tickle your fancy. As the narrator would say: Madames et Monsieurs, I bid thee adieu.

Just to preface, I watched this without reading or knowing of the original story this is based on. I expected a great, exciting story of revenge and manipulation, but it didn't really deliver. Story - 5 The story is meh. I think it starts out well but then goes downhill when you start to get close to the climax. It is a revenge story, but it doesn't feel as intense as you may think it would, and when you do get to super exciting/suspenseful moments, something will happen like someone being destroyed by a hug... not even joking. Or, someone will show how conceited they are and how all they care about is power by literally shooting people close to them for no reason... but then very soon after, be willing to give up their lives for those some people? Now I see how characters can change and go from wanting to kill someone to be wanting to save their life, but we don't see this development at all. Nope, all we see is characters who give the audience every reason to believe they are terrible and only care about money/power, suddenly switch into a good person for no reason. If you are expecting an exciting story of revenge and manipulation of the main boy, Albert, you will not really get that. It is just not that exciting. Also, most of the punishments The Count plans on giving to the people who wronged him don't even require The Count to use/manipulate Albert, so it feels like Albert could have just not been in the anime. I do like how we kind of see the development of friendships into romance, and what people are willing to do for the people they love. I wish they had either focused more on the friendship aspect or on the revenge aspect to either make this anime more wholesome or more exciting. I did like the hallucinations Albert has after something happens to someone he loves. Art - 6 Even though I am not giving a great score, I will be honest and say that the weird/different parts of this show's art style may seem very distracting at first, but you will get used to it. Basically the biggest thing is how the characters' clothing, and sometimes hair, look like some weird green screen thing and don't move with the character right. They also are just plain odd patterns a lot of the time. But if you are thinking of stopping the anime just because the art style annoys you on the first episode, don't worry about it, again you get used to it. I am giving an above average score because the art style is obviously very creative, and it is different to see so much detail in characters outfits in an anime. Plus, their outfits change all the time instead of how in many anime, characters wear one or two outfits everyday. However, I am not giving a higher score because frankly I just don't like it. I think it is awesome that there is so much creativity in the art of anime, but that doesn't change the fact that I simply didn't find this pleasing to look at, and I felt it didn't fit in with the rest of the anime's tone. There is a good amount of CGI, mostly for moving vehicles and the robot things they fight in near the end, but I don't think it is terrible. There is a very wide array of colors in the anime which I like. Sound - 4 This is one of the first times I REALLY dislike an opening. Many times I will skip it if it isn't great, but this one I HAD to skip, and even listening through the first time was unpleasant. I just do not like it at all. The ending is okay, very different from the opening. I think that the general soundtrack is alright, it feels like a couple tracks were overused. Nothing amazing. Characters - 7 I had had this in my to-watch list for a while, but the reason I decided to finally watch it was because I saw the recommendations comparing this to the anime Monster mentioning how well characters are developed. I would agree that the characters are the strongest point in this anime, but in kind of an odd, incomplete way. They do all have personalities and don't feel necessarily forgettable, but at the same time, I don't really care about any of them (except Franz, Franz was the best), whereas in Monster, I remembered AND cared about all the characters. The anime has a good sized cast, and does a good job of slowly introducing you to each of the families involved before bringing things together. I also think The Count of Monte Cristo's whole backstory and character wasn't that bad, but not even NEAR Johan level. Some characters do feel a bit useless and like they only serve for when the writer needs a character other than the main cast to fix something, like Raoul, who I had to look the name up of because I didn't remember it at all. I thought that Peppo's character was a bit confusing. I feel like maybe they played a bigger part in the book? It just felt like this character should have had more substance instead of just saying quirky things to Albert. Enjoyment - 5 I thought I would be giving this anime a 6 or 7, but even though it does have some good qualities, I can't see myself ever rewatching it or recommending it. Especially since I think the ending was not well done. Also, I disliked the sci-fi elements of this anime. I thought it was weird how they still ride in a horse drawn carriage and have arranged marriages and behead people publicly, but also travel in space and have huge fighting robots and other insane technology? It's just so weird and feels like the anime wanted to be able to cheat with sci-fi features, while still keeping the french aristocrat era vibe. Overall - 5 I would not recommend watching this anime. even though it has some good qualities. If you are looking for an exciting story of revenge or an amazing character story line and plot as in Monster., you will not find that here. It is okay, but don't think this is a must watch or insanely amazing.

Gankutsuou is a work of art. Everything, from the characters, to the story, the setting, the rendition, is like a master artist's dream work. If you can appreciate the human characteristics of honor, justice,loyalty and on the other side: avarice, lust for fame and power, then you have come to the right anime show. Gankutsuou depicts the best and worst of human natures. This is a story of love, loyalty, betrayal and vengeance. If you're a romantic by nature, you'll love this creation. The creators of this anime put a lot of thought into making Gankutsuou as romantic as possible, in the mould of late medieval Europe. The setting is quite unconventional, with a mixture of the old and new. Its as if pre-revolutionary France has met the future world of starships and interstellar empires. This shock cultural and technological mix is in fact quite well portrayed and hence is quite appealing. This dystopia is enriched by the presence of the lead of the show, the Count of Monte Cristo aka Gankutsuou who's on a personal quest of vengeance against the perpetrators of heinous crimes committed against him in the past. His highly eccentric but charming nature concealed a coiled beast underneath, the beating heart of the creature that is Gankutsuou, who gives credence to the ideals of retribution for injustices. The characters are thoroughly explored and are very well thought of. The culture is pre-revolutionary and hence chivalry, honor and etiquette are some key. The protagonist's character is moulded by these attributes and so are most of his companion characters. Settling disputes and arguments through duels are the norm. However these 'duels' are fought in giant exoskeletons, which in essence are giant robots controlled by the person inside. Some of these duelling behemoths are shown in the anime and adds a different dimension to the mixture of cultural and technological settings. The animation is a masterpiece. It truly is quite spectacular to behold. The textures are somehow always 'flowing', adjusting themselves to the surroundings, like a chameleon. Words dson't do it justice but its quite pleasing to watch. The 3-D effects add finesse. The story is quite similar to the that of the book titled 'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexander Dumas, with some added touches by the developers. The story as a whole is well worthy of five stars out of five. Romantics would love this work. The soundtrack is apt for the 18th century setting France living hundreds of years into the future. The soundtrack does justice to the critical points of the story and setting, causing thrill and intrigue among the viewers. Overall, this is a must watch anime. Its quite underrated in my opinion and should be ranked much higher than 216. This anime most definitely promises entertainment.

Short version: Story (8/10) - Engaging and complex. Great setting and social themes. Poor climax and slow pacing. Characters (8/10) - Great supporting cast. The count is an epic character. Protagonist is too naive and is used as a plot device. Visuals (9/10) - Innovative style of presentation that works. Bad CG during some action scenes. Sound (7/10) - Great voice acting. Average background music. Amazing opening theme. Enjoyment (8/10) - Strong mystery factor effectively hooked me and the revelations did not disappoint. Long version: Gankutsuou is an adaptation of the famous novel "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas. Like many novel adaptations, the strong suit of this anime is an intricate and elaborate plot. The story follows a tale of revenge across light years of space and decades of time. It has a very interesting setting that combines the historical aesthetics of 19th century aristocratic France and sci-fi elements in a futuristic world. Such a risky combination is executed quite in Gakutsuou which creates an engaging and unique environment for the story. Moreover, the world of the aristocrats is substantially fleshed out which helps fully immerse the viewer in the lifestyle of the privileged Parisians. The anime starts off with a very good hook as it presents us, the viewers, with The Count of Monte Cristo. A very mysterious character that is shown as a ruthless, powerful man with an intimidating aura. The mystery surrounding him and the strong charisma that he displays easily makes him a fan-favourite. As the story progresses we start to learn more about him as a person, whether he is good or bad and what his motivations are. And to say the least, the revelations about the count only make him more interesting as everything surrounding his development and actions is coherent and believable. The other main character is the young aristocrat Albert Morcef. Since he is only 15 years of age, he is shown to be naive and easily swayed. This is completely understandable but his trustfulness is sometimes overused to reach certain events which makes him seem like a poor plot device. The events that take place around Albert in addition to the passage of time throughout the story develops him as a character as he becomes more mature and this development has its implications on the Count as a character too. The supporting cast of Gankutsuou is very rich. Every character has their own problems and sub-plots. All these sub-plots intertwine within the cascade of events that form the narrative in a very sublime way. Each of these sub plots substantially develop or explore these characters, adding different layers to them. This kind of story inherently has slow pacing as it relies mostly on vocal interactions between different characters with very rare actions scenes. Nonetheless it manages to keep the viewers hooked as almost every episode ends with a strong cliffhanger or some big event taking place. Unfortunately, the climax of the story was disappointing as it had some incoherent and contradictive character decisions and cheesy asspulls. Gankutsuou is widely known for its unconventional presentation. The use of random still patterns and imagery on the characters' outfits and even hair sometimes might be hard to adjust to initially but is one hell of a fresh experience that becomes visually pleasing as it grows on you. The backgrounds follow the same idea of uniqueness as it uses some very rough art-style. During action scenes such as mecha fights and car chases, bad use of CG can be off-putting but luckily such scenes are quite rare. The voice acting in this anime was great. The fitting choices for voice actors among the main and supporting characters is worth crediting. The deep voice of the Count fits his powerful character so well and the innocent tone of Albert's voice contributes to his unpretentious image. The actors do an exemplary job at conveying the characters' emotions in each scene using different tones and pacing of speech. The background music does a good job at adding a thrill to the important scenes. Otherwise, it wasn't very memorable. The opening theme is a perfect fit for the story and the count's character in particular. It has very meaningful lyrics that are sung by pleasant vocals to a fine tune. Overall, Gankutsuou was a very enjoyable and refreshing experience. The story tackles themes of love, hatred, gluttony, pride, ambition and many other social matters. It takes a risk at trying to be innovative with its presentation and succeeds. In many cases, mystery is used in stories as a hook for readers but revelations usually turn out to be disappointing which is not the case in Gankutsuou. I would strongly recommend anyone to watch it. Thank you for taking the time to read.

Gankutsuou - The Count of Monte Cristo is all about friendship, betrayal and revenge. The story of the anime series revolves around Edmond Duntes and Albert Morcerf. It starts with party in Luna where Count and Albert become friends. The rest tells, Whether the Count succeeded in his plans or Albert stopped the Count from doing so? Whether the Count lost himself to the Cave King Gankutsuou? Even though, first few episodes start with low note but the successive one really makes me crazy. Particularly, the episodes in which Count make them to remember the past which were buried deep in their hearts and repay them. I first watched this series on 2005 but I cannot complete it. Now, I did it for 3 times. Let’s come to the core, first, the characters and their design. The design patterns are different. This is the first anime in which I ever seen the range of textures used. I think, they experimented something & it turned out to be on positive note. I admired the characters of the Edmond Duntes, Albert Morcerf, Franz d’Epinay and Eugeine Danglars. Secondly, the narration is completely awesome. Even though, we can able to predict successive happenings but the way they conveyed is astonishing. All the credits goes to the director Mr. Mahiro Maeda and his team. I watched 16 episodes consecutively from 9th till 23rd. I never viewed any anime series consecutively like this including my all time favorites except Emma – A Victorian Romance. The only missing piece is how Edmond Duntes escaped from the prison and what’s his source of income and how he secured it? May be they forgot it or discarded it intentionally, who knows? Finally, the background score done by Mr. Kasamatsu Kouji and Jean-Jacques Burnel (opening & closing themes) are fits in their places. Gunkutsuou – The Count of Monte Cristo, sci-fci thriller series, is indeed a fine anime worth to watch and I believe that it will definitely entertain you for at least 10 hours.

Anime Genre Roulette 🎰 Review 12 🎰 Suspense Well, this anime really lives up to it's genre, suspense, mystery, and epic cliff hangers, along with an absolutely unique artstyle You are very much an observer in this, the series doesn't do much in terms of letting you walk in the characters shoes, which in this case, might actually be a positive, cuz you wouldn't want to be in most of these character's shoes, let alone relate to them The entire anime is basically a showcase of the utter degeneracy of the elites, uncensored i will add Needless to warn you, this show is NOT for everyone, i will go as far as to say it at times is beyond disgusting, but it's also so gruesomely true Now if you've read this far and have decided you can stomach the absolute filth that is covered in this series, congratulations to your nerves of steel, you are in for a bone chilling set of mysteries that intertwine and unfold to perfection My only mild complaint for this show is that towards the end some of the character's actions seemed out of character, but that might just be my impression

The animation is unique... but kinda hit or miss in terms of execution. Not a whole lot of flash and not incredible when it is flashy. The art style is really cool and it at times super well implemented. Other times it looks bad, the cg clashes hard with the art style and the color choice and patterns can make the animation too busy. The characters are pretty solid. Some characters are a little mustache twirly, but overall very good, a little annoying at times though. The story is the best part of the anime. Great world building, intriguing plot and some great twists and turns, although the climax is a little nonsensical. Pacing is terrible in the first half, but pretty decent in the second half. The first half is very slow, while the second half really hold your attention well. The voice acting is great overall. Impressive performance by several voice actors, but primarily by Albert's voice actor. The soundtrack was not very memorable, but scored alright. The op is not very well sung in my opinion, but the instrumentals are the one memorable track from the anime and is pretty good, the ed is good. Overall the art style is very unique, but the execution wasn't always there. I'd love to see someone try it again. The Story and characters make the show worth a watch, while the pacing in the first half makes it hard to recommend to everyone. Enjoyable, but rough. I recommend it to those who can sit through the first half without giving up on it. 6.70/10

Gankutsuou stands alone as an anime where I hate every single character for the right reasons, and still hate the anime as a whole. Every character is bad in a good way, but the plot still didn’t do anything worth watching. Before I delve more into why the plot is terrible, I do want to mention that Gankutsuou is the worst looking anime I’ve ever seen. This vector style texturing borderline hurt my eyes just looking at it. Absolutely disgusting. Now to the plot, but don’t worry I won’t spoil anything, not that there’s anything to spoil anyways. I feel like Gankutsuou was going for Monster style vibes, shrouding itself in a lot of mystery and having the climaxes be these grandiose revelations. This would’ve been amazing if the writing was any good or if the plot made any sense. It feels like a 10 year old wrote this plot. The plot twists seem pretty cool as you’re watching, until you give them any kind of thought. Every plot point logistically dissolves in a very impressive manner if you even think about them. It’s really a shame because they were able to write some almost interesting characters, but they only appeared interesting on the surface and ended up being flat and baseless. I don’t have much more to say other than that I’m sad I wasted the little bit of free time I have watching Gankutsuou.

Gankutsuou is an anime adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo, a book written by famous French writer Alexandre Dumas. The story revolves around the Count’s revenge against three people who betrayed him. In this adaptation, however, the story takes place in the future instead of 19th century France, and it is told from the point of view of Albert de Morcerf, the son of one of the people the Count is trying to get revenge on. I have not read the book and my only knowledge of the original story comes from a french television movie with bad acting, therefore I will try to avoid comparing this adaptation with the original. --- The good part: the Count and his revenge The main theme of this anime is the Count’s revenge. The Count of Monte Cristo is first introduced as a mysterious and incredibly rich man. After befriending the protagonist Albert de Morcerf on the moon, he comes to France. The Count uses Albert to meet the three people who had betrayed him and to prepare his revenge against them. Of course, the Count having changed his appearance and identity, they don’t know what’s about to happen. As the series progresses, he brings division among them and takes them down one by one. The preparation and the execution of the Count’s revenge is satisfying to watch, and constitutes the interesting part of the anime. The Count is also a great character. A very charismatic and bad-ass man who does whatever he wants to do, has cool clothes, and a fantastic voice-acting. Everything is part of his plan, including his encounter with Albert on the moon, and he doesn’t hesitate to use amoral tactics to achieve his revenge. --- The bad part: anime cliches and other infuriating things Sadly, this adaptation added lots of ridiculous anime cliches – you know that it’s an anime when one of the characters is a cross-dressing femboy – to the original story, hindering it greatly. The most problematic thing for me is Albert de Morcerf, who is nothing more than your generic anime protagonist. He is shy but brave. He protects women. He is kind and very naive, maybe even dumb. The fact that the story is told from his point of view and not from the Count’s makes the story so lame in comparison with what it could have been, and I haven’t counted the number of times I wanted to slap Albert’s face. This adaptation is also plagued with unnecessary romance stories, with things like a bad guy trying to steal Albert’s girl, and the usual stuff about forbidden love between commoners and aristocrats. Why combine the revenge part, which is actually interesting, with boring romance stories already seen hundreds of times in the medium? It also tries so hard to be emotional it’s irritating and as a result, the last episodes aren’t interesting at all: duel with CGI mechas, intervention of the “power of friendship”, slow and boring conclusion with the characters’ reunion and whatnot… ugh! I could also mention how incredibly stupid most of the characters are, Albert in particular. It quickly becomes obvious that the Count is responsible for all the bad shit happening around them, yet they do nothing. Lastly, there’s no explanation as to why the Count is so rich. In the original story, it was thanks to the hidden treasure he found on the island of Monte Cristo (hence his name). In this story there’s no island, no treasure, and no place named Monte Cristo. We just have to assume that the Count has unlimited money because… magic? Oh right, I forgot to mention that the plot-writers also added supernatural elements. It wouldn’t be an anime otherwise, huh? --- The art-style is a weird mix of 2D, 3D and photographic images Judging the animation is going to be a bit difficult for me since I did not watch the series in the best conditions (streaming site with mediocre image quality) and because I am probably unconsciously comparing it to modern standards, but I will do it anyway because it wouldn’t be a complete review without talking about the animation. A thing a lot of people praise this anime for is the uniqueness of the animation. While I do think the animation is original and very colorful, I wouldn’t call it good either. It is a mix of 2D and 3D that doesn’t blend well at all. The characters and some of the backgrounds are 2D while vehicles, some props and most of the buildings are 3D. The 3D buildings are ugly, blocky, repetitive, and often look ridiculous. There are some scenes where it is hard to understand what the heck is happening on the screen because of the ugly 3D. Some horses and cars are made up of 3D polygons, which also look bad. The floors are sometimes uglier than PS1 video games’ textures. There is also an excessive use of photographic backgrounds as if it was a goddamn visual novel. Regarding the 2D animation, it isn’t particularly better. While most character designs are good, the hair and the clothes look really weird. There are also a few episodes where the characters’ faces often look ugly. In short, the animation of this anime greatly hinders it. --- Sound: nice music and good voice-acting The voice-acting is pretty good, the Count’s voice in particular. The background music fulfills its purpose fairly well, though it is not something I would re-listen to on YouTube. The opening and endings are pretty bad, however. The singer doesn’t know how to sing. For some reason, both songs are sung in English. --- Verdict This series has an interesting revenge story and a cool character but all of its potential is ruined by a generic protagonist, anime cliches, unnecessary romance stories and a disappointing end. Some episodes and scenes are well done so it’s not a complete waste of time, but it’s not a good show either.

Story 8/10 This anime has various different elements to its story, each to different sides of the story. It is the story of vengeance of the Count of Monte Cristo, as he is observed by french noble, Albert Morcerf. To the drama aspect of this, it is executed perfectly. Drama, for me, is usually quite hard to get through, since I don't usually connect with the cast enough to be able to be affected by it. That said, this anime definitely had its dramatic moments executed perfectly. Nothing was too exagerrated, no reactions were unexpected, yet the simple way it was all orchestrated as more and more of the elements of the story were revealed and the plot twists happened, the characters just acted as anybody else would. To the mistery aspect of this, it was also pretty much amazing. Since you're seeing this through eyes of Albert Morcerf, who knows nothing about the relatioship of the Count and everyone around him, one is left wondering why or what was going on. The revelations are done very calmly and the most important ones have a lot of foreshadowing behind. As we find out about the character's backstories, only then we can say just what was happening. The thriller aspect, however, wasn't as good as one would want it to be. Most of the times, I wasn't left wondering the answers to what was happening. As the mistery did have some clues behind, you can pretty much guess what happened, taking away some of the thrill of the anime. Not to say that this anime wasn't thrilling, as it had a lot of good and well-done plot twists, but these twists were so few and far between, which didn't really affect the story, but my personal enjoyment, but we'll get to that later. There was also the sci-fi aspect of this. While it doesn't affect the story itself all that much, it certainly wasn't a bad thing to see all these intricate machines flying around. This also made up for some interesting mecha battles. Yes, mecha battles. A dramatic mistery that has mecha battles. Again, they didn't harm the story in any way, but they weren't exactly necessary for what was happening. The last aspect is the supernatural theme it had. While talking about this would be spoilers for the most part, this supernatural was what put down the story from being a 10/10, specifically because of the ending of the anime. This ending seemed that it would work quite well in a normal setting, I found it cliche'd in the supernatural setting. Character 10/10 The cast from this anime is nothing short of amazing. Be it the supporting cast, the main cast, the antagonists, the protagonists, everyone was amazingly written. The main character, Albert Morcerf, is a pretty normal guy with pretty normal friends, facing the struggles of living in the nobility, mostly arranged marriages than anything else. When the Count comes along and the story actually starts, these normal friends undergo through different situations because of the Count's plans, and they start their own character development. They face each of their problems in their own way, and everyone ends up being wonderfully developed by the end of the anime. That said, the main character is still only an observant to the Count's true targets. Now for this Count, he is the star of the show and the story basically revolves around him. The Count of Monte Cristo's backstory is not exactly complex, might even say it is the opposite. What I mean by this is that, while the supernatural factor might have been a bit off, the feelings behind what happened to him are all pretty known. This is his beginning in his quest for revenge, so the simplicity of it was pretty much needed for the audience and the main character to understand his motives. Another thing worth notice is the Count's ability to manipulate everyone, as he made up some impressively complex plan that took into account all the details of the cast's personality. He will basically give you a necklace that will lead you on your quest to murdering people for gold. He does this unnoticeable changes in the characters that makes them do everything he wanted for his plan. Last thing about the cast is the way there really isn't a 'bad guy'. While you may argue that the Count was that bad guy that needed to be defeated, you can just as easily blame the people he is taking vengeance on. The main character, being only an outsider to everything that's happening around him, he himself can't decide which one he wants to come out as a victor, on being able to ultimately decide at the end. One is left wondering whether or not the Count was a good guy. Art & Animation 8/10 The art of this anime was pretty much incredible. From character design to scenery, everything was beautiful and one of the most colourful anime I ever watched. Though with such an incredibly art, came a crappy animation. While I wouldn't say that it was completely bad, seeing as the fast moving scenes were really good, but the slow scenes, where the characters were just moving as normal was kind of off-putting. The character's seemed to be wearing green screen, and while it was beautiful when the video was paused, watching them move, as the clothes just changed patterns, was kind of bad. Enjoyment 7/10 This is where I say how I felt while I was watching, and I have to say that, while there were some moments that left me hanging on my seat expectantly, it was more often when I was waiting more the Hulu commercials to come. It was very hard for my attention span to handle more than three episodes, since the thrill of the story, as I mentioned above, wasn't enough to keep me invested in it. Overall: 8.7/10 = 9/10

Ah yes, as I promised myself, I am now committing time to watching those anime deemed to be classics by the "elite" anime fans out there. One particular title caught my eye: a retelling of the classic 19th century novel, Le Comte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo) by Monsieur Alexandre Dumas, whom I think is better known for writing Les Trois Mousquetaires (The Three Musketeers). The anime was produced by Gonzo back in late 2004, years before they went bankrupt. The anime retold the story of the original novel in a very futuristic setting, complete with the colonization of the moon, aliens, advancement of completely useless technology and other sci-fi shenanigans you can think of. But the catch here is that instead of our vengeful Count, the story is centered around the son of one of the people behind the Count's unjust prosecution. I'll get to the point. I liked Gankutsuou very much. If you want someone to start watching anime, Gankutsuou is a good anime to recommend. It's based on a classic novel and has a very trippy artsy style that is rarely seen in any anime even today. The CGI were atrocious at worst and mediocre at best, but since this is an anime from 2004, I'm more than willing to forgive the show for it. Many people say that Le Comte de Monte Cristo is the best tale of revenge ever told, and I think so too. Carefully plotted trickery, conspiracy and psychological manipulation are the Count's best weapons in his quest for the ultimate revenge, both in the novel and the anime. There are elements of political corruption, the issues of nobility and inheritance, illicit love affairs, and a lot of other topics that are always entertaining to see unfold. But I think the real charm of Gankutsuou lies in the people caught in the Count's malevolent schemes. The cast, when taken together, is very solid, serving their purpose as tools to be manipulated by the Count, while still being believable enough to stand out as individual characters. By that I mean, they each have their own personalities, and by extension, their own weaknesses to be exploited. To be honest, I found the first few episodes of Gankutsuou to be a bit of a pain to watch. Not because of the visuals, but rather, the relative lack of anything interesting happening, but I guess that was just me. By the tenth episode, I just couldn't stop myself from watching it (even though I had some minor complaints as it went on). Hell, even my roommate who was stealing short glances at it while playing Castlevania on his DS eventually gave up on playing and joined me in watching it. It was just that good. Episode 20 is where Gankutsuou really won me over. Under an elaborate tale of revenge, it manages to tell a good helping of great stories too. The personal struggles of our teenagers with each of their issues and the ways they were resolved were very fulfilling and rewarding. This much was made clear by the very romantic conclusion of Eugenie's story. After episode 20, it just got better and better. I was practically laughing along with the Count as his brand of justice was being brought down on the unfortunate people who messed with him. All the pieces of the puzzle assembled themselves to form a magnificent picture of despair and suffering for the enemies of the Count and those important to them. That said, I can't really say that I liked the ending very much. I felt that the ending was a tad too anti-climactic, but at least it tied up the story very well. Other complaints would be the inclusion of the entity known as Gankutsuou. It didn't serve any real purpose except to make the Count blue. But my biggest complaint is the lack of cellular phones. You would imagine that in a futuristic world where pens write on their own and everything pops up holograms, there would at least be a form of remote communication, but nooooo.... Most of the conflicts between the characters could have been solved by a single phone call, but the original novel was set in the 19th century, so there you have it. All in all, Gankutsuou, in my opinion, is one of the best anime there is. I didn't really expect much from this, but goodness knows that I enjoyed it very much. To that, I give Gankutsuou my personal MAL rating of 8, instantly giving it a place in my still under construction Top 30 list.

Let me begin this review by saying that I'm a big fan of the works of Alexandre Dumas. Naturally, when I'd heard that Gonzo was working on an adaptation back in 2005, I brushed it off. Only recently however, did a relative of mine strongly advocate this series to me. I managed to find a box set for $25 at a local Best Buy, and got to watching. Suffice to say, I was not disappointed in the least. Story: 10/10 The Count of Monte Cristo. One of the greatest literary works in history, and arguably the greatest revenge tale ever printed. It's clear that so much care went into the story for this adaptation. Everything is so different, and yet still the same. The attention to detail is astounding. Granted, since I knew the end of the original work, I'd gone into Gankutsuou knowing full well how it would end. Despite this knowledge, nearly each episode had me on edge. Gankutsuou starts very differently than the source material, and places the role of the protagonist into the character of Albert. In doing so it transitions the story from the classic revenge story into a Bildungsroman, a coming of age tale. The Count, on the other hand is portrayed as the anti-hero. As opposed to the novel, which has him as the clear protagonist and begins with his story, his rhyme and reason are gradually revealed as the series goes on. Rather than take away from the story, this adds an entirely new dynamic, making it a fresh experience to both fans of the novel and to those who've never read it. Art: 10/10 I guarantee you, you've never seen any japanese animation depicted in this style. The animation style is nothing if not original. It may take some getting accustomed to, but the art is absolutely mind-blowing at times. Quite frankly, Gonzo tried something new here, and they succeeded wonderfully as far as I'm concerned. That's all I'll say on the subject. Sound: 10/10 Nothing short of beautiful. Along with a few classical excerpts, the soundtrack is handled wonderfully by Jean-Jacques Burnel of the legendary British punk band The Stranglers, as well as Kasamatsu Kouji (who doesn't seem to have worked on any other soundtracks besides this one). Burnel also contributes to the opening theme and the ending theme. The opening is an amazing and somber song, whereas the ending undoubtedly was written for the character of The Count. Every song fits perfectly. Enjoyment: 10/10 The suspense, the drama, the romance, the characterization... I can't recall a single episode of this series that I did not enjoy. In many aspects, I actually preferred what Gankutsuou did with the story rather than the source material. There were moments where I was literally shaking with anticipation. So much from this series will stand out in my mind for years to come. I'm not at all ashamed to admit I cried in the last episode. Overall: 10/10 A perfect score across the board. There is absolutely no reason not to watch this masterpiece. There is nothing wrong with Gankutsuou, and so much right with it. I honestly walked away from it thinking it was an improvement on Dumas' original novel. Whether or not you agree is up to you, but at the very least, give it a glance. If you can appreciate art, you will not be disappointed.

So, I watch a lot of anime. With this, I’m only two reviews away from my 7th review on this site, and I really try to watch as much anime as possible. So with that in mind, I do not make the following statement lightly: Gankutsuou is my favourite series of all of the anime I’ve watched during the past year and a half, and perhaps even longer. It’s often referred to as one of Gonzo’s masterpieces, and I wholeheartedly agree. This is everything that I look for in an anime, and then some. Good Gonzo has always stood out with how damn innovating they kept trying to be. Gankutsuou is a fantastic example of this, but that’s far from everything about this series. Aside from being consistently experimental, it’s also extremely well executed. I have not read the story of the original Count of Monte Cristo, but regardless, the creators did a fantastic job of converting it into a story that fits perfectly into 24 episodes. They took the entire setting and turned it into a futuristic setting that at the same time retained the atmosphere of France of more than two hundred years and the aristocratic culture of the days before the french revolution. It’s completely fiction and even through the weird graphics style, it feels strangely authentic. The setting here is really solid, and yet it’s the part of this show that impressed me the least. Instead, we have some fantastic acting from the cast of characters that really brings them to life. There is a ton of character development in this series, and the creators even managed to make an often whining teenaged lead into a compelling character (though granted, before his development he does not stand out as the strongest member of this cast). The characters in this series all have a ton of flaws, and this series uses those brilliantly. The entire plot weaves together all of the different characters and their backstories, and just about everyone gets his or her moment to really show off his or her character. And the way in which this is done was a really emotionally resonating one. This series knows exactly when to be subtle, and when to release all brakes and go over the top. The delivery in this is just perfect, with creative poses and animation in which a lot his happening at the same time, yet the story remains focused on what it wants to show. It’s really well shown with a lot of detail in how the characters are reacting to each other. And as for the graphics… they’re some of the best you can get if you don’t mind the intrusive CG. This series is full of excellent visual ideas. I mean, just about every shot is absolutely gorgeous and it’s ridiculous how creative the visuals can get. The creators really tried to stuff a ton of ideas into the visuals here, as long as they all fitted into the story. The result is a show that looks absolutely unlike anything else. The animation itself isn’t the most consistent, but when it delivers, it really delivers some amazing and hard hitting inbetween animation that combines perfectly with the storytelling. Gankutusou really was a show in which Gonzo could show off what it was able to do with its CG, and while this show is obviously heavy on the CG, it doesn’t feel out of place. Instead, the graphics create this gorgeous whole. Overall, I found this series one heck of a ride, and Gankutsuou is very likely going to end up in my top 10 favourite anime. I absolutely adore these kinds of series that can get a huge emotional response out of me. It’s obviously not a show for everyone (and I did hear that this anime changed a ton of stuff from the original novel), but to me, Gankutusou took a while to build up, but as soon as it hit its stride just about everything fitted together perfectly.