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Plot Synopsis

Although based on Alexander Dumas' famous classic of revenge, Gankutsuou is a new retelling of the series that sets it in the distant future, and spins its yarn through the eyes of a young and idealistic Albert. Albert, a member of the Parisian upper class, has already gotten jaded with life and in an attempt to spice things up, goes on a trip with his best friend, Franz, to a carnival on Luna. There he encounters the fabulously wealthy recluse, the Count of Monto Cristo, who, when Albert is kidnapped and held for ransom, ponies up the money to save the young man's life. Believing only the best in his mysterious benefactor, Albert invites the Count into his circle of friends and life in Paris. Little does he realize that the Count has only one goal: revenge upon the three men who wronged him, casting him in prison and stealing him away the love of his life. And revenge is a dish best served cold...

Story & Characters

<i>Gankutsuou</i> is loosely based off of the famous novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandar Dumas. Although I am only passingly familiar with the original work, <i>Gankutsuou</i> begins partially into the story, and the focus of the story is young Albert du Morcef instead of the Count himself. Instead of viewing the story through the jaded lens of a man betrayed, we instead see through the lens of a naiive (and brash) boy in love with love, although this does not prevent the story from taking numerous dark turns. Themes of friendship, love, betrayal and revenge are interwoven throughout the plot. The story is tightly plotted, with no room for filler material - after all, starting from the middle of the novel, <i>Gankutsuou</i> relies partially on flashbacks and searches into the past as the history behind the rich Count is slowly revealed.
Unlike the original story, which takes place in 19th century France, <i>Gankutsuou</i> is set some 3000 years into the future, and thus also contains numerous science-fiction and fantasy elements - Luna, home of the carnivale, is the new Rome, and instead of Corsicans there are space aliens. Plus, it gives Gonzo an excuse to have mecha. Still, the setting manages to integrate a lot of the trappings of 19th century French nobility into this strange landscape.
The story is complex and twisted, and you need to pay attention to what people are saying because somewhere along the way, someone else will refer back to past events. Plus, it's dark and has a few hints of gothic to it - so it's not for everyone. However, if you enjoy drama and character development, the story has it all.

Rating

9 (very good)

Art

The art for this show is most unique. I say that in a good way - no series before has ever looked like this, and it sets the scenery apart from other shows. Unlike typical cel-style shading, or even smoother 3d-style shading a few shows are picking up, <i>Gankutsuou</i> is bedecked (to the teeth!) in frilly patterns. The patterns don't move the same way character motions are. At first this is rather disconcerting and quite distracting. However, after a while you become used to the odd stylings and they're less dramatic.
The color palette for this series is bright, bold, and oversaturated - almost psychedelic in its use. I've already mentioned the patterns, but even things like buildings become embossed in the richest of golds and silvers.
The series relies a lot of 3d CG as well. Since this is a sci-fi setting, luxurious spaceships and giant mecha share the space with expansive opera halls and horse-drawn carriages. The 2d and 3d isn't very well integrated, but this generally isn't a problem because there are few scenes where 2d and 3d are present at the same instance. However, the 3d CG could use some work - it's overly smooth, although perhaps this was intentional.
The quality of the animation is mostly uniform, although production quality drops off slightly during some of the middle episodes. All those patterns must have gotten expensive.

Rating

8 (good)

Sound

I would really, really want to see this series dubbed in French, even though I don't know a lick of the language. It's strange to hear the term "Monte Cristo Hakushaku" for "le comte du Monte Cristo." Despite the language barriers, the Japanese voice actors do a good job filling their roles, although there aren't really any superstar performances that I can laud. The roles are solid, but not exceptional.
Music-wise, Gonzo took an interesting route in enlisting Jean-Jaques Burnel, previously of The Stranglers, to pen the opening and ending themes, resulting in a sweet piano love ballad for the opening (that basically tells the story that the series skipped in order to begin with Albert's story) and a rockish song for the ending that describes the Count. The songs within the show itself are a mixture of techno (fitting in again with the psychadelic leanings of the series), piano ballads, and dark orchestral pieces for dramatic moments. This makes the OST a bit jarring as it switches back and forth between the styles - I like individual pieces, but as a whole I'm not sure I'd buy the disc.

Rating

7 (above average)

Presentation

<i>Gankutsuou</i> is whirlwind of a series. A solid basis on a classic story of love, betrayal and revenge, combined with an imaginative new setting in space and a different sense of art, this series tries to appeal to all the senses a tv show can reach. It's not afraid to be different, and in fact seems to revel in it. Sure it's outlandish - and the patterns alone have turned off many a potential viewer. However, if you're willing to stick with the little oddities the series evidences, you're in for a treat. This is not your typical anime series - despite several mecha fighting scenes, the focus is not on action but on the story and the people and the lies they weave amongst themselves and within themselves. However, rewatchability is not that high - due to its tightly interwoven plot, it tends to leave you breathless as the events unfold at breakneck speed. I'd also recommmend not starting the series until you have the entire set of episodes on hand - most episodes end on some sort of cliffhanger, which are never pleasant to squirm through.
If nothing else, this show has motivated me to go find a copy of The Count and read the original.

Rating

9 (very good)

Final Verdict

8.50 (very good)

Reviewed by Tama-Neko, 3y 15wk ago