|
Gankutsuoh
 |
|
|
Animation - 9.5 |
|
|
Sound - 8.8 |
|
|
Story - 9.2 |
|
|
Character - 9.1 |
|
|
Value - 9.1 |
|
|
Enjoyment - 9.4 |
|
|
Average - 9.2 |
|
|
Kaj |
(2009-08-17 15:07:27) 2009-08-16 09:50:50 |
|
| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| "Revenge is a dish best served cold." No doubt I'm not the first person to use this cliche in a "Gankutsuou" review... probably not even the first person to start a review with it, but it's excruciatingly hard not to use it. Some might say this is because of my limited imagination and questionable writing ability, but I'd like to think that the real reason (or at least the main one) is because, out of the plethora of works that the overused phrase has been applied to in the past, very few has done it justice the way "Gankutsuou" does. It is a show through which the meaning of the phrase can truly be appreciated - in "Gankutsuou", revenge is a dish that was served very cold indeed, and nobody served it better than the Count.
"Gankutsuou" is a bizarre sci-fi adaptation of the Dumas classic "The Count of Monte Cristo"... but then you probably already knew that. Or if you didn't, you'd most likely have gleaned that info from all those other reviews by now. So let's just skip the introduction and get to the juicy part where I fawn and gush over the anime like an obsessive fanboy, because this show is just pure awesome.
Initially, I hated the very experimental CG animation. Gonzo must have spent an absolute fortuneon it, and all it did was make my eyes blurry and my head hurt. The way the patterns on clothes stayed still whilst the people wearing them moved around got to me especially. The animation isn't the only thing that was experimental. The artistic direction of the anime is very abstract and surreal, and I generally dislike this kind of stuff. But that's the thing - "Gankutsuou" took a lot of weird junk (most of them of the type that I hate), thrown them together, and voila... it just kind of worked! The melodrama, the aristocratic society (that's er... set in space) and the eccentric direction worked in tandem to transform the whole thing into something that had a feel of a theatre production, and I was able to just lap it all up without trouble. Even the ending theme - an unorthodox punk disco tune - should have been a disaster on paper, but instead it fitted the anime like a glove, and added an edge of intensity to the ending, often psyching you up to watch the next episode straight away. Not long into it, the animation itself was probably the only thing I still wasn't keen on, but I was getting used to it, and even that had its moments of brilliance - the shimmering gown that one of the characters wore to the opera in one of the episodes was breathtaking... it was one of the most impressive piece of CG I've ever seen and made me think that it was exactly the kind of thing CG was made for.
The central attraction of this anime is the Count and the mind boggling story. Despite the Count being a bit of a bastard, the guy oozes so much charisma that it's practically impossible to hate him for the things he did. His general badassery even managed to make that cliched manic laughter used by so many lesser villains seem cool. He didn't just charm nearly everyone in the anime with his quiet confidence, strengthand eloquent mannerisms, he damn well won me over too. Even when he eventually showed the ugly depth of the darkness within him, I still wanted to believe there is more to him... just like Albert did. Unlike the book (which I've not read, but I know a bit about), Albert is the central character, and to tell the truth, he comes across as a little bland initially, but possesses such an innocent and sincerenature that it's difficult to dislike him. Even though the count is the star of the show, Albert was able to shine through in his own way and garner a lot of sympathy for his cause. His incorruptible qualities eventually got me on his side as well and made me desperately wish that he would succeed against the odds... again, an effect that's replicated on a lot of the characters. This remarkable ability of many of the "Gankutsuou" characters to influence the viewer in the same way that they influence other characters makes the viewing experience a very convincing one - when you feel what the characters are feeling, you can be pretty sure you're completely
engrossed in the show.
Gonzo is famous for their stella animation and production coupled with a half baked story, and if, like me, you always had that nagging feeling that they just need to work with a half decent story (i.e. one that they didn't write themselves) in order to produce something amazing, then "Gankutsuou" will go a long way towards convincing you of that theory. The source material is considered to be of an extremely high standard, and boy did Gonzo deliver. The plot development was nothing short of superb. The opening episodes were a little slow, but the sense of being at the tip of an iceberg presented enough intrigue to keep me going. As the story unravelled bit by bit, the pace quickly picked up, and by the time the series was half way through, it was fiendishly difficult to stop watching at any point. It just kept getting better and better as everything started to click together and the full extent of the web the Count had been spinning was revealed. The later parts were peppered with so many astonishing twists and shocking revelations that I was nearly overwhelmed (in a good way) trying to get to grips with everything that was happening. And then it was all over... in the penultimate episode, oddly enough. The last episode is a bit like an epilogue showing the aftermaths of the event. I bet a lot of people yawned through it, but I quite like it as it provides a nice calm closure after the hectic non-stop events of the previous 15 episodes or something. The last episode is actually told in a weird non-linear fashion, and the point of doing this in a trivial closure episode is totally lost on me - it just made things more confusing, to the extent I had to backtrack and watch some parts more than once in order to confirm what I thought had happened. These are very minor complaints though, to be honest, and is nothing compared to the horrendous lack of story clarification found in most Gonzo works. The good thing is that by working with a well established story, Gonzo was able to avoid most of its usual cock ups, but its trademark mistakes are still evident in the parts it did change. The primary one is that they've changed the back story of the Count to involve some supernatural being... but they only touched on that briefly, and I, for one, was still a little bewildered regarding his background by the time I finished watching series. Typical.
Nitpicking aside, Gonzo has undoubtedly transformed Dumas' classic novel into a classic anime. If you still need convincing, then think about it this way. Firstly, Gonzo's repetoir contains quite a lot of popular hits, but they tend to be unanimously shunned by critics over their lack of coherence and substance. Secondly, adaptations from books often get ripped to shreds almost as a knee-jerk reaction from the fans of the book, ESPECIALLY when it deviates significantly from the original material. "Gankutsuou" bucks BOTH these trends - not only is it praised by the general (anime-watching) public and critics alike, but it also received at least a level of grudging acceptance from fans of the book, despite it being an audacious re-imagining of the original tale. These are no mean feats, and an anime that can to do this is surely worth a try, right?
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| The classic tale of a man wrongfully accused of a crime he didn't commit in order for a few men to rise in the ranks of the French aristocracy. No revenge story does it any better than The Count of Monte Cristo as we go through the time when Edmond Dantes was a humble man with everything he wanted who was later sent to prison and orchestrates the ultimate revenge after his escape. Gankustuou unfortunately cuts down on the first two parts and concentrates solely on the revenge part. However not only that, but Edmond Dantes isn't even the main character! It is Albert, the son of one of the men that The Count has targeted, whom we follow in a slice of life way as he experiences the high life while The Count plants his seeds of revenge with him as the centerpiece. Gankustuou was actually disappointing in that not only did they completely water down the jail scene into a couple of seconds in a flashback, but overall it felt like there was a lot more to be desired. Gankustuou really lacks the energy and excitement the movie had, though other than that the anime does great in having an excellent cast of rich characters, a unique visual with overlapping backgrounds--a homage to Angela Anaconda and Stickin Around--and a wonderful paced story.
I just can't stand watching movies set in the time of the Renaissance era; something about its culture makes it seem boring. Gankutsuou does a wonderful job of blanketing the boringness with its sophisticated visual style and incorporation of a futuristic universe. An 18th century culture incorporated with 50th century technology. Where rocket ships allows people to travel across the stars, city folk sometimes prefer their carriages and horses. Newspapers are still the way to find out about the latest gossip but the images are moving like small movie clips to offer a greater insight of incidents. Wars are still fought by sword but with giant mechas. Oddly enough the universe of Gankustuou is fascinating to look at, its characters are a bit dull looking, almost as if they were created by amateurs. Perhaps it had that in mind as the simplistic models are a nice change from the perfect curved shiny bodies with big eyes many of us are used to seeing in anime.
Characters were wonderful for the most part but don't really excel in anything other than being flawless. They all served their roles were, were all very likable, but nothing truly memorable save for The Count of Monte Cristo. In fact he might have been the only interesting character as he had a pair of different coloured eyes, odd blue skin, a strong, patient, and charismatic character, and a weird entity in "gankustuou" that gave him all the knowledge of the world. Outside of him there was never a time where you would feel you had a real connection with any of them. A cast that is great but lacking a certain flare to truly make it memorable.
While the story replicates one of the greatest novels of all time, perhaps making Albert the main character and not Edmond Dantes was a mistake. A certain energy was present when Dantes made his escape from jail that it became a hotblooded adventure. For months he would train and learn about the world with another character in the jail determined to escape. In the anime he meets gankustuou and in just a second has everything he needs to know to plot his revenge. No fun at all! The story mainly follows Albert live his life through while he sees first hand how it turned upside down when he meets The Count. He lived a pretty average life coated by riches and status. Little by little The Count plants his seed of revenge in a pretty satisfying but a bit slow manner. You would wish he would have hurried it up. Like the characters the story didn't really stand out that much. Edmond Dantes' background was ruined by the fact that everything good about it was stripped away by creating this entity called gankustuou. He worked for everything he had but here it was all given to him.
There really isn't much flaws to this show at all, just that it doesn't excel in anything. It is like having a great friend who prefers to stay in doors and socialize as opposed to another friend who is adventurous. The lack of energy is what is really holding down this anime portrayal of The Count of Monte Cristo. It concentrated too much on polish and not on flare. Even dramas need suspense and there just wasn't that much of it here. If you're a big fan of The Count of Monte Cristo, this is definitely an interesting watch with its incorporation of a futuristic interface while maintaining its Renaissance feel, but don't expect anything too big.
|
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
0 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Gankutsuoh ocurrs during the year 5053, mixing elements of the century XIX novel with high technology and spacial trips. Every chapter has an introduction in french language.
While visiting Moon festival, Viscount Albert du Morcerf and Baron Franz d'Epinay meet a very odd, excentric millionaire named Count of Monte Cristo, a noble. When they leave, after a lot of strange incidents, the Count promises to visit Albert in Paris. After the Count arrives, he is clever enough to make some friendshipness with the most important families in France (Morcerf, Danglar and Villefort).
While the original novel of Alexandre Dumas mainly focuses on the Count, the anime really shows what happens to Albert after he meets the Count.
Vengeance, intrigues and high tension in every chapter will make you want to watch the next episode, and at the same time its structure makes every chapter look like a new one. If you haven't read the book, you will think it's an excellent story, but if you had read the story, you will think it's just brilliant!
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
lauren. |
(2008-05-23 10:40:22) 2008-04-06 09:07:01 |
|
| Average |
6.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
| SEEN 24/24
Wow it's rated really high, so it must be a must-watch right? No... Actually this anime isn't for everyone, like I was bored by this show.
Seriously, stop saying MUST-SEE FOR EVEYRONE when it's clearly not. Too many waste their time...
Well maybe I was more bored by azumanga daioh.
|
1 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Aion |
(2008-05-04 11:51:00) 2008-02-12 19:02:37 |
|
| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Gankutsuou, my favourite anime series. I enjoyed it enough to read the 1250 page novel it's based on (The Count of Monte Cristo) after finishing the series, and I'm far from an avid reader. In the end, not only did Gankutsuou become my favourite anime, it also helped me find my favourite book.
I decided to start collecting the series after watching it. It wasn't an easy task to accomplish with me living in the UK and Geneon being dead in the water, but I'll save you the details and simply say that I'm now the happy owner of the art box and all 6 volumes of this truly fantastic series.
The art box, much like the series itself, is most artistic and looks very expensive thanks to the lovely gold font used. The cover of the box has an image of Albert and Edmond standing together, both looking in opposite directions, with Albert holding a sheathed sword and Edmond holding the golden scepter you see him walk about with in the series. The back of the box is equally impressive, showing Albert and Franz looking shocked, with Edmond in the shadows behind them (once again, holding his golden scepter). The spine of the box shows a rather bizarre looking Edmond running, his mouth open in a smile and his left hand held out in front of him. You can tell just by looking at it that a lot effort was put into designing this art box.
The DVD covers aren't bad, either. Like a lot of the DVD's Geneon released prior to their sad demise, all 6 DVD's have reversible covers, meaning both sides have different artwork. Since nearly all the Gankutsuou artwork is beautiful, it's great to be able to turn the covers around if you want a change - It makes me wish more DVD's had reversible covers. I'd also like to add that the reversible covers can be quite useful if, for example, you order a copy of Vol. 4 from SecondSpin and the copy your ordered arrives with one side of the cover damaged.
Moving onto the DVD's themselves, the DVD's have some very nice extras. All 6 DVD's have comments from from multiple Japanese voice actors/actresses, each voice actor/actress briefly summarising an episode each and sharing their thoughts. These comments allow you to put faces to the voices, give you an insight into their personalities and are, quite frankly, great to see when anime DVD's very rarely have extras. The other extra worth mentioning is an interview with the director of Gankutsuou, Mahiro Maeda, who (if my memory serves me correctly) was interviewed after he watching episode 1 on a cinema screen with the press.
...I'll move onto the anime now. Just believe me when I say that the series is well worth owning on DVD.
[b]Plot[/b]: 9.7/10
Not having read the novel prior to starting this, I had no idea what to expect. I knew about certain vague details, such as a young man becoming fascinated with Monte Cristo, but that's all. As a result of having no expectations, I was blown away by the story of Edmond Dantes; The Count of Monte Cristo.
In a nutshell, Gankutsuou is a fairly simple revenge story that's executed extremely well. Edmond, posing as The Count of Monte Cristo, is kind on the surface, yet you can tell there's this hatred inside him waiting to explode. He manipulates and kills as his plan to drag the three who wronged him into despair is slowly revealed. There's a twist added to his character in the form of a sort of pact with the devil - He gained the power to get revenge by giving his soul and body in exchange, meaning he loses his humanity bit by bit while getting his revenge.
In order to add mystery to Edmond's character, the story is not told from his perspective (unlike in the book). Instead, the story is told from the perspective of Albert, a young noble and son of Fernand de Morcerf; a general and one of the three Edmond wants revenge against. This brings both bad and good points - The good being the added mystery and a different angle on the story, the bad being Albert having the IQ of a dog. I wanted to kill him when he failed to work out that it was in fact Edmond pulling the strings behind the awful sequence of events unfolding around him for the 10th time.
The setting was quite a shock at first, with the story taking place in the year 5053, where as the novel takes place during the 1800's. It was a further surprise to discover the story started during the Rome part of the novel, the only difference being that the writers replaced Rome with a city on the moon. I do kinda wish the story had been told in the 1800's instead since very few details are given about the futuristic universe and the setting becomes more of a distraction than anything.
One thing that might upset purists is that the story goes in a different direction than the novel at around episode 18. With Edmond's character being key to the story, Edmond only caring about revenge in the anime was the reason behind the change of direction towards the end. In the novel Edmond was persuaded by Mercédès to alter his plans, yet in the anime Edmond turned a deaf ear to her and continued... This one seemingly minor change had a huge impact on how the story progressed beyond that point. Thankfully, Gonzo handled the changes very well, making the finale interesting for people who have read the novel since, if like me, those people would find themselves fascinated by the new angle on Edmond's character.
All in all, the story was a wonderful ride. An adaptation of a timeless classic with artistic differences, it was executed excellently, at times perfectly. You do have to wait for the 'main event' before you discover just how amazingly well told the story is, the first half in particular being nearly all build up, but I still felt compelled to keep watching even without any major twists/events occurring.
[b]Characters:[/b] 9.7
I liked pretty much the entire cast...apart from the main character, Albert. Although I knew he had to be made rather stupid for the sake of the plot, his stupidity and inability to see the obvious became very annoying after awhile. You'd think he'd be able to put two and two together when Edmond just randomly kept appearing and Edmond himself had told Albert that there were no coincidences!
After reading the book, it became even more clear how stupid Albert had been made in Gankutsuou in order for the story to be told from his perspective. Although Albert was quite impulsive in the book, stupid was not one of the words that entered into my mind whilst reading... If anything he came across as a rather intelligent and likeable character. Believe me when I say that Albert was neither a crybaby nor an idiot in the novel.
Franz, Albert's childhood friend in Gankutsuou (they aren't that close in the novel), shares a close relationship with Albert, the two being near enough inseparable. Unlike in the book, there are definite homosexual overtones, Franz obviously viewing Albert as more than a friend and Albert unable to see it. Franz, like in the book, is a calm and very intelligent character, in many ways being the exact opposite of Albert in the anime. Albert and Franz fall out many times in the anime over Edmond after Franz tries to warn stupid Albert on various occasions about Edmond not being all he seems.
Edmond, the Count of Monte Cristo himself, remains a mystery for most of the series. He acts kind, yet you can tell that underneath he's more like a devil waiting to unleash his true self, wearing a mask to fool those around him. His character differs considerably from the character you see in the book because, where as Edmond views himself as a servant of God in the book, Edmond views himself as a demon of revenge (actually giving his soul to the devil) in the anime adaptation. Gankutsuou's Edmond is certainly an interesting take on a famous character, one that I'm sure would likely have created discussion had more people read the novel Gankutsuou is based on
There are many other important characters that also need mentioning:
Note: There are minor spoilers below. Nothing too extreme.
- Eugénie Danglars
The daughter of one of the people Edmond is planning his revenge against, she acts as Albert's love interest in the anime due to the pair being engaged thanks to their parents arranging a marriage. Interestingly, she was a lesbian in the book... It's both strange and interesting that the writers decided to make Franz homosexual and remove Eugénie's homosexuality in Gankutsuou.
- Mercédès de Morcerf
The wife of Fernand de Morcerf, the mother of Albert de Morcerf and former lover of Edmond Dantès. She's of vital importance to the story, yet she doesn't appear very often in either the novel or anime. Mercédès is the reason Fernand betrayed (I say betray because, unlike in the novel, Edmond and Fernand were friends in the anime) Edmond - He wanted her love, which was impossible for him to get while Edmond was around.
- Fernand de Morcerf / Fernand Mondego
A man whose successes in life have all been based on various acts of betrayal, he married Mercédès after condemning Edmond to (what he hoped would be) death by accusing him of something he hadn't done, using Edmond's naivety against him. Since then, he managed to move up the ranks of the army, eventually becoming a general and changing his name to hide his past. At the start of Gankutsuou, it's revealed Albert is his son and that he's attempting to become president of France (anime only).
- Gerard de Villefort
While Fernand was the one who set the ball rolling, Villefort was the one who chose to condemn Edmond when he could've freed him. After seeing the name of his father on a letter Edmond had been given (Edmond not knowing what was in the letter), the ambitious judge decided to destroy the evidence and destroy Edmond's life in order to protect the name of his family. Honour is the only thing that matters to Villefort.
- Baron Danglars
The father of Eugénie, Danglars is the third of the three Edmond wants revenge against in Gankutsuou. Edmond, being honest, stood in the way of the greedy future banker when they worked together in the past. Seeing the chance to get rid of him, Danglars was the person who gave Fernand the plan he used to destroy Edmond, being careful to distance himself from being directly involved. Danglars cares only about money.
...Ok, those are most of the important characters in Gankutsuou - I'm going to be typing forever if I don't stop now. As you can see, the cast is both huge and diverse, which is something you'd expect when this anime is based on such a lengthy and famous novel.
The one glaring omission from the anime cast is one of the most important from the book: Abbé Faria. Faria saved Edmond from killing himself after he had spent many years alone in the prison of Château d'If, giving him renewed hope and someone to converse with. Faria soon become a sort of mentor to Edmond, giving him the vast amounts of knowledge he had inside his elderly mind, ending up turning Edmond from a silly boy into a respectable man. Faria also ended up leading Edmond to fortune by telling him about the treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo on his death bed.
In the anime, no explanation whatsoever was given for how Edmond transformed from a naive boy to the charismatic man you see as The Count of Monte Cristo. He doesn't even go to the island of Monte Cristo in the anime, his cave of wonders being moved to underneath his house in France. Although this does work and go with the changes made to Edmond's character (demon of revenge; not the servant of God he believes himself to be in the novel), Gankutsuou would've had more depth if Faria had at least been shown.
Overall, Gankutsuou has an amazing cast of characters. I do recommend you read the novel if you wish to understand them fully, though - A 24 episode anime can only fit in so much.
[b]Art:[/b] 9.7/10
[b]Animation:[/b] 9.7/10
The first thing that hits you about Gankutsuou is the rather bizarre CG effect clothing and hair has. The effect is hard to put into words; it's as if the characters clothing and hair are reflective... It certainly takes a few episodes to get used to it. If nothing else, you have to praise the studio behind Gankutsuou (Gonzo) for the huge amount of effort they put in.
The second thing to hit you is the bright range of colours used. If, like me, you went into Gankutsuou expecting to see dark and dull colours, the sort fitting for a tale set in the 1800's, you'd be completely wrong since it's anything but dull, vibrant being a much better description.
As expected of a Gonzo production, Gankutsuou also has a fair amount of CG outside of the clothing/hair effect, including some epic mecha fights. The CG stuff is stunning at times, almost jaw dropping for a TV series.
Overall, Gankutsuou is a joy to watch...once you get used to the unqie animation effect. Production values were clearly not low here.
[b]Sound:[/b] 9.5/10
First of all, let me say that I didn't think very much of the opening (OP) song: The OP, while fitting, was so dull and slow I had to skip it after watching it once. The ending (ED) song, on the other hand, I did like, the lyrics fitting the show perfectly and the song being fast paced. I feel the ED song would've worked better if it had been used for the OP.
The soundtrack is very high quality, as you'd expect. There aren't too many tracks I'd listen to outside of the series (although there is one AMAZING track), but the music fitted the show like a glove and helped keep the story epic.
I have to mention track 18, one of the best pieces of music I've ever listened to. It was cheek-tinglingly stunning to listen to when it played during the best episode in the series (strangely enough, episode 18!!!), making the sequence even more thrilling than it was already.
[b][u]Total:[/b][/u] 9.7/10
Having watched a fair amount of anime, I'm hard to please. Gankutsuou pleased me.
I recommend this series to everyone: Those who have read the novel and those who haven't. My only suggestion is to watch the anime before reading the novel if possible - We all know how people can be picky when it comes to adaptations.
|
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Animaniac |
(2007-12-30 00:47:21) 2007-12-30 00:33:35 |
|
| Average |
6.5 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Story focus mostly on the revenge part of the work by Dumas and mostly surround the 15 years old Albert. The Count is still fairly represented in the plot lines but as someone who went through so much, the Count should be better represented than a 15 years old young aristocrat. Perhaps Gonzo thinks their target audience are 15 years old and have the story around the naive kid would be a better sell.
|
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Gankutsuou, an interesting and strange twist to the allready good story of Count of Monte Cristo. A modernized version of it, takes place somewhere in the future where there are space ships and military war robot things similar to Gundams. The story was definately good. It started out kind of slow in comparison to the later episodes. This story is not for everyone however, I can definately see people not liking this series simply because of how unique and strange it is. The art style is relatively hard to get used to, but it was worth it. If you are a SERIOUS anime watcher, watch Gankutsuou, as you will most likely not
be dissapointed with it. I would say this is Drama/Action/Romance as there is a large underlying topic of love. I guess it would be good to mention also that that younger audiences, less mature audiences will be put off quickly.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This serie made me read the 2000 pages novel! My favorite anime easily. For the peoples who don't know the count of Monte Cristo, I can only say : "Where do you live!!?" The most popular novel from Alexandre Dumas treated with the best spinoff I ever saw! I almost never give perfect scores, but this one clairly deserved it. The most brilliant use of novel story to built an entirely new story and at the same time, staying true to the roots.
You love intelligent anime, there is the sumum. Since I saw it, I was only for more french influences into anime... and after seeing Highlander anime iteration last night, I can only ask for more!
|
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| It actually took me three tries to really watch this anime. The first two times, I started watching the first episode, and then thought: "I just can't take this right now". The reason was the very, very odd animation. But then, the third time, I gathered all my courage and was determined to watch a few episodes to make sure, once and for all, that this anime was nothing for me.
I was lucky the narrow minded me lost to the curious me. Because in the end, when you get used to it, the animation is actually one of Gankutsuou's (many) strong points. It is refreshingly original, amazingly vivid and extremely beautiful. You need a few episodes to get used to it, but when you are, you'll think other animes look dull.
The music of the series was good, and the voice acting was great. Not much more to be said about the sound... very good, but I wouldn't give it a ten.
The story is based on the classic novel "The Count of Monte Cristo", by Alexandre Dumas. Most have heard of it, and many have read it or watched some movie adaption. The story of Gankutsuou is indeed "the same" as the book, but in a sci-fi setting and with a bunch of original things put in. I must say I think they pulled it off almost perfectly, but I imagine it might be slightly confusing at times for those who don't know the original story.
As for the characters, I actually really liked them. Both the personalities and character designs were, for the most part, well done and unique.
This is indeed an anime I think I could watch again sometime in the future. Its appealing animation and interesting setting makes this an excellent adaptation that shouldn't be missed by anyone, regardless if you've read the original book or not.
|
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Summoner |
(2007-06-09 09:44:10) 2007-06-05 07:56:24 |
|
| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Vengeance. A feeling so strong that it overcomes everything else, a feeling, which can become life itself.
It seems as if GONZO finally did it, it's hard for me to admit it, but Gankutsuou is actually a good show. Even though it shares many GONZO like blunders, its initial premise, style and pretty much everything else covers any crap GONZO tried to implement. Seriously, out of many shows I watched to this date this is the first time GONZO has created something worthwile, maybe I should stop evading some of their other works as well...
Any anime fan should give a shot at Ganktsuou, I really can't find a reason to dislike this show. While it has some weaknesses they are nothing major enough to make the overal show look bad.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Firstly, to start off, I have three words for this anime. Unique, beautiful and "wow."
I've always been a lover of The Count of Monte Cristo. This anime re-uses the story but adds fascinating twists that are DEFINITELY NOT apart of the original yet are DEFINITELY fascinating. A wonderful combination of story and art perfectly mixed to have a wondrous result.
|
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| No subestimen este anime, si piensan que solo es un remake de la novela estan muy equivocados, es mas, el protagonista noes ni siquiera el conde, ademas que este anime es genial y adicitvo como pocos.
|
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| The first thing to notice about this adaptation of Dumas' classic, is the purely original, meticulously detailed, and most eye catching animation I have ever seen. It is unparalleled in its originality. I must admit though that at first, it took some time adjusting to it. But after that, it is enjoyable.
The adaptation itself took on an entirely different perspective from the book, placing Albert as the main protagonist. I believe this, although effectively executed, did cause the anime to lose some integrity in its theme of ultimate revenge and the vindication thereof. I also found it incredibly hard to relate to Albert, whose character was intended to be naive, took the word to some new levels, mainly blunt. Sometimes he was just so stupid and unmanly that it angered me. Also one major gripe with the adaptation was the lack to explain the torment and explore the reasons as to which led to such a strong resolution for revenge, which really hurt things overall. Sure it was justified but not with conviction as in the book. Another flaw was the one dimensional characters that were victims of revenge. Mainly Villefort and Danglars who were preoccupied with their own narrow-minded affairs, always carrying the same theme and never varying. Overall I give the story a 8.5/10 rounded to a 9/10.
For the good the background music and op and ending themes were good. I particularly liked the edgy hard ending theme. So music gets an 8.5/10 rounded to 9/10.
In sum this adaptation of the classic is very well done, but is not without its flaws. However, the stunning animation, classic storyline, and fitting music definitely make this anime worth watching. It comes well recommended.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This was an amazing work of art, combining a great plot, unique and wonderful visuals and music and oustanding human drama.
The story is based on the classic Comte de Monte Cristo, by Alandre Dumas, of course with a few liberties like a sci-fi/victorian setting and a few changes in the story; nevertheless, the show had an amazing flow and the story of revenge slowly and deliciously unwrapps itslef in each episode; a lot of innocent people get trampled over in this man's quest for revenge, even the one's that love him the most.
The characterizations are top notch and there's a lot of character development for the main characters, specially the young ones like Albert, Franz and Eugenie.
The animation is luscious as is the music; a true feast for the senses.
In the end this show is an excellent example of the heights anime can reach in all aspects, and I can see it being enjoyed by any one.
|
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| A great anime: original, thanks to its unusual animation. Captivating, thanks to its story and character development. Poetic, thanks to its music...
The anime is of course not perfect, but i strongly advise you to watch it, all the more if you have read "The count of Monte Christo" and liked it.
Note that the animation can be very surprising at the beginning, but try to watch 3-4 episodes and you'll get used to it and will appreciate it more.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| I had so much expectation for this show, It thought that this will be so great based on what I heared on Animax's commercial announcing that this series received an award in some Tokyo anime contest in 2004. Well, actually, it was nice but pretty disappointing. It lacks something but I don't know what. If only I remember all the events, I could've give a more opinionated review but sadly, I don't recall everything anymore.
I wasn't able to read the original story nor watched the movie so I cannot comment much but I know some things are altered. For example, the setting of the anime version is futuristic, maybe hundreads of years to the future and the story focuses in Albert's point of view and not on the count's. Below is a short summary.
Albert is from a wealthy and powerful family living in a country in europe (probably France, sorry, I forgot) We all know that people of nobility in the past don't marry for love but because of money and wealth and Albert's case was no exeption, his parents wants him to marry his childhood friend Eugenie, a daughter of a rich banker/businessman. Franz is Albert's bestfriend who faces the same fate as him, to be married to Valentine, a girl from a rich family again who he doesn't love. But the main focus of the story is about the 3 noble familes, Albert's (de Morcerf), Eugenie's (de Danglars), and Valentine's (de Villefort) and their parents connection/ relation to each other especially in the past and to the person known as the count of monte cristo, who will do anything to see his enemies fall into the depths of misery.
More of my review, please read (^_^)
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Wow.... this anime shattered all my expectations and found its way into my top 10. Where do i begin? I downloaded this anime out of boredom and purely random. I had heard about it and seen some glances, but i did not listen or pay attention, until one morning when i woke up thinking i was supposed to have class but it was cancelled. Pissed off, i came back and watched this anime for no reason.
I kept on thinking before i watched it, how can the count of monte cristo aguably the greatest book ever written IMO being made into an anime be interesting when i have seen and read the story many many times.
And then i watched it. Holy shit. That is all i said after each episode. This anime gets all 10s because it is perfect in every way. Each episode left me dying for more... and lo and behold, i watched every single episode in a row. I have only done such a thing twice. Planet ES being the other time.
The animation is just astounding, breath taking and original. The animation transported you to their time and world.
The sound was just incredible. every episode began with someone speaking fluent french summarizing the previous episode. And the impact of the ED after the last scene of an episode hits u like a shovel on the head.
The characters in this anime depict humanity in such a way, that the concept of art is transformed into reality. I loved every single character through their flaws and greatness.
The story of this anime is the crown Jewel. Animes like Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's rain, Berserk and Planet ES show us why anime to most of us has surpassed hollywood and their bullshit. Gankutsuou's Story though an adaptation is simply phenomenal in its truth and embodiment. You will laugh, you will awe, you will thrill and you will cry. Not only does this anime surpass the concept of its genre, it stands on its own and it stands tall.
I wish more people would give this a chance and get their heads out of crap like naruto and bleach (which i used to like) and watch an anime that touches, stimulates and exhilerates you.
Gankutsuou is a masterpiece. A pure masterpiece.
|
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Stunning anime. The art is done in a very unusual stlye. There are flat textures on most of the characters, and many of the textures do not move as the characters move, causing them to pan across the character's bodies. It can be a bit disconcerting at first. However the art is incredibly detailed and beautiful. The character models are amazing. However the most compelling part of this series is the plot, which seems to have been embellished from the original. Characters have complex historys and traits that dictate their actions. The Count manipulates and plays a complex game of deceit that progressively ensares his prey. There are so many plot threads going at once, that it's worth rewatching episodes to grasp all the subtleties. The pacing and direction is exceptional.
At the end of every episode, you hate that it's over, and you are dying to watch the next one. Now if only the DVD's didn't have a gap of three months between releases... Sigh. This is a must-watch.
|
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Avalanche |
(2006-04-04 04:18:12) 2006-04-03 14:48:13 |
|
| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| My favourite classic is now an anime! But considering this was done by GONZO (you just have to accept the fact that they ruin storylines), I was a bit apprehensive at first, however I am glad to say this: Gankutsuou is GONZO's masterpiece! What makes this special is that how the makers presented this old-time classic mixing it with the future and presenting it from the viewpoint of the prey rather than the hunter
|
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
petran79 |
(2006-05-24 22:43:10) 2006-03-13 17:13:48 |
|
| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| (Anime-Keep fansub, good translation)
Count of Monte Christo or Count Arucard? That was my first thought when I first saw the Count with a long hat and coat and vampiresque features.Probably the producers had their mind on Hellsing while discussing about the Count's appearance but fortunately only when considering the Count. Because the rest of the anime was beyond anything I've seen from GONZO so far.
Everything worked well. Though I read some novels I hadnt the chance to read any of Dumas works (my French isnt that good and I dont like reading translations of novels that much). Despite this I could predict already from the first episode what was going on and the trap set by the Count.
This anime isnt in any case comparable with the novel anyway since this novel is very difficult to be adapted faithfully. Even if I've read it I wouldnt compare it to the anime because it is certain that no movie has ever managed to surpass a book.
As for the story it worked out extrememly well though in the end I feared the blunders of Gonzos other series would reappear but fortunately the last episode was worth to be remembered. It proceeds well and it gets better after the middle. I wonder why they can follow a novel's story so well to that extent and cant even cope with more simple stories of mangas (Chrno Crusade, Hellsing, Black Cat to name a few).
Only problem I had was with the voice actors. The classic problem whenever Japanese try to adapt European novels. It would be better had I heard this with English or French dialogue. If a DVD release is available in another language I'll try to rewatch this. Not that the actors didnt do a decent job but the voices and the character's behaviour seemed irrelevant to futuristic French settings. Thats why I didnt like any of them that much but I'll admit they had a very good performance, it just failed to leave an impression on me. But I liked the way they and their clothes were designed.
I liked the animation though sometimes I thought they overdid it and it diverged the eyes from the plot. It fell in the same trap the anime ''Petite Cossette'' did though to a limited extent. I didnt like the animation in the mecha battles and a simple fencing between humans would have sufficed.
The music was also of very high standards with various scores of all kinds mixed together.
Overall this is a serious anime that excells in the artistic field, though some flaws in the story and characters may not offer the enjoyment the series would deserve, had Gonzo been more carefull in the small details that make an anime great.
A must watch though for serious anime fans.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Site design by ecxol.net:
|
