Amazon.com: Gankutsuou, designer-director Mahiro Maeda's adaptation of Alexander Dumas's novel of revenge, shifts the action to a sci-fi future of easy space travel. The series opens with the carnival on the moon (instead of Rome), where Albert de Morcerf and Franz d'Epinay meet the title Count, whom Maeda has reimagined as a cross between a Byronic hero and a Yoshitaka Amano-esque vampire. The designers put elaborate patterns on the characters' hair and clothes, but the patterns don't move with the characters. As a result, Albert, Franz, and the Count often look like disembodied heads floating over a patterned background. The overly detailed settings and cheesy 3-D CG effects add more discordant visual notes. But the overripe imagery can't disguise the limits of the animation or the ineffectual storytelling. The Count of Monte Cristo has been filmed at least five times previously, but Maeda's is the first version to make Dumas's characters uninteresting. (Rated 16 and older: violence, brief nudity, sexual innuendo, alcohol use) --Charles Solomon
Like Most Revenge Stories, the Anime's Best Parts Are at The End. I saw one person review this anime negatively after seeing the first (2) volumes of Gankutsuou. I believe this is not a fair review, especially for a revenge story, when the sweet climax is at the end of the series, from Volume 4,5,6. Volumes 1,2,3 create the suspense needed for the climax, and without these initial volumes, the climax wouldn't be as sweet.
Dumas Would Be Proud Gankutsuou is based off of the classic "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas. In this beautifully drawn and portrayed version of the timeless classic, we see the exciting tale of the Count unfold with a futuristic twist. Set in the distant future, the Count returns once again to seek his revenge. What really sets this anime apart from others is the way the plot is exposed. It's so thick and twisted that you can't help but be sucked into it. Also, though the anime stays true to the basic plot of the book, Gankutsuou has it's own twists and unique story line that will captivate anime fans and readers all over again. Accompanied by stunning scenery, gorgeous artistry, and a slew of intriguing characters, Gankutsuou will thrill you like no other anime you've ever seen. Whether you're new to the timeless literary classic or a returning fanatic like myself, Gankutsuou is an anime you can't afford to pass up!!
Recommended viewing age: 13+ (brief nudity and some adult situations...and NO THAT DOESN'T MEAN SEX!!!!)
Enjoy!
Count of After having watched all of the episodes I can say that I am very glad I stuck past the first few episodes. The story becomes really interesting once the revenge sets in, you get a much better feel of all of the characters. There are only a few people who I could hate or love all the way through, they do a good job of showing everyone as human, with their own feelings and reason. One thing I like (which is a problem in some titles) is that the story never feels rushed, it really works well and ends smoothly.
The art style is amazing and is more than just eye candy. They use an interesting style of prints for hair, clothes, and backgrounds. This not only goes to accentuate the characters as people but also shows you their class and importance. When you see a poor part of town there is nothing but watercolor, everyone is dull and flat, when you see Paris or Luna and the people there- everything is popping, sparkeling, extravagant.
Phenominal, Entertaining and a little Bizarre First, let me say that the unusual style of the series is at first a little off-putting. Once you fall into the story, however, you don't notice that style as much, and that's really how it SHOULD be - unusual style can't hold my attention for long.
It's Count of Monte Cristo in space, (mostly) from Albert's perspective. We get to experience the Count's revenge through Albert, which adds a bit more suspense, I think. I'd never read the book, but was, like most people, familiar with the story.
The Good: The story, characters and animation are all top drawer. The Count's character design is very attractive, too. I came to care about the characters and feel sorry for them during their inevitable downward spiral, through their poor choices. What's especially good is that the story doesn't "dumb it down" and spell out certain things (such as a character's love for another), but leaves the viewer to decide. Plus, the climax is one of the best I've ever seen.
The Bad: There is some CG work here which isn't very good at all (robots fighting), and could have been done without. But it's a minor quibble.
The Ugly: None!
NOTE: This is NOT a series for kids. There are issues of sexuality, death, sacrifice, brutal betrayal and a little incest. It's a very adult theme, but very enjoyable.
Also, the box for this first volume is really lovely. It's kind of shiny with golden touches and looks really nice on the shelf!
Overall, this is one of my FAVORITE series, in the top 3, and I've seen a lot of anime. ;)
Punk Rock Opera This has to be the most original, non genre specific anime to date.
Although I wouldn't consider this the best anime of all time, it's certainly in my top 10 list, and I'd go as far as to say that it's in my top 5.
Mahiro Maeda has managed to recreate a classic tale, using a medium never tried before, and pull it off seamlessly. The style of animation is nothing short of breathtaking; there are times when you're so engrossed in the grandeur of it all that you're able to reach that Zen like level that all cinematography strives for, and you find that you've become completely lost in the film. There's even a small feeling of loss when each episode ends, leaving you slightly short of breath.
One caveat: I didn't watch the English version, so I can't really comment on how well it was dubbed. Because this series was so dialogue heavy, the subtitles were distracting at times, but if the dubbing is up to par, I won't hesitate to watch it all over again, because I'm sure that I missed out on a quite a bit by having to read my way through.
The Bottom Line: Not to be missed, even if you're not an anime fan. This is truly deserving of all 5 stars.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
