I asked: If death is a release, what is it that you wish to give them?
My friend answered me succinctly: 'I will give them eternal suffering and remorse.' "
There will never be another series quite like Gankutsuou. And that is why it depresses me to see the loosest yet greatest adaptation ever conceived, of *THE* quintessential tale of crime and punishment vengeance (as well as one of the most influential, contemporary classics of literature), so neglected by the anime fandom. Gonzo's masterpiece - complete with stunning CG-layered-on-2D clothing designs by Anna Sui - and one of a select few anime worthy of being regarded as such. Voice acting legend Nakata Jouji said it best: "Gankutsuou is one of two or three anime that will stay with viewers, long after its conclusion".
Remember, remember not 'V for Vendetta' but instead its inspiration: The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes. A charismatic avenger charming all with a persona crafted after being broken by an injustice so crushing that he was forced to remake himself anew, he inflicts karmic justice on those that stole everything from him. True vengeance has never been about cinematic, visceral violence, and The Count forces his captivated audience to remember, for revenge was a dish served warm before his fictional existence came to be. So synonymous with righteous vengeance is his name that I first came across it when watching 1998 romance anime (of all things!) 'Kare Kano'. Fearing that another character held a long lasting grudge, jokingly the heroine pointed at the character with a look of shock and exclaimed, 'Edmond Dantes!?' The reference went over my head then, but never again.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::STORY:: 8.5-9/10::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Count of Monte Cristo has a fairly straightforward revenge narrative, yet the elaborate attention to detail and incredibly relatable examination of the human condition makes it so much more.
A young man called Edmond Dantes loses his freedom, his love and almost his life because of the greed, jealousy and pride of three men. Then, after nearly two decades, he returns out of nowhere after having been thought long dead, posing as 'The Count of Monte Cristo': an enigmatic man of mystery who sends shockwaves through Paris with both his charm and riches. He then puts into action his plan to get the ultimate revenge on the three men that wronged him; all three now being prosperous members of the Parisian elite. After spending countless years suffering, rather than merely wanting to kill them, he wants to ruin them by throwing them into the same pit of despair he himself was once forced to endure.
Gankutsuou differs from the original in one very jarring way: it is NOT told from Edmond's point of view, or in chronological order as a consequence. The first episode is titled 'At Journey's End, We Meet', and this is because the series begins some 300+ pages into the novel! In order to fit it into 24 episodes (rather than 100+!) and increase its anime appeal, the story is instead told from the perspective of Albert; the 15-year-old son of one of the three Edmond seeks vengeance against. This results in both positives AND negatives... the good being the addition of mystery to a previously linear narrative and a different angle on a classic, which allowed for the 'directional sleight of hand' required for large chunks of the source material being skipped entirely. The bad? Albert having the IQ of a dog. So naive/dumb was he that I wanted to slap him when he failed to work out that it was in fact Edmond pulling the strings behind the awful sequence of events occurring for the tenth time. Despite being warned repeatedly... even by Edmond himself!
The oddly specific year 5053 setting will be quite a shock for anyone aware that it was originally set during the 1800's! Adapting a practically unadaptable tale of vengeance, without ANY violence, and moving it to the future with mecha sword duels highlights the suicidal ambition animation studio Gonzo had. It was a further surprise to discover that Gankutsuou begins during the Rome festival section of the novel (Albert's introduction); the only difference being that Rome was replaced with... a city on the moon called Luna!? Sci-fi settings are more attractive than period pieces lacking fantasy, but I would have preferred the story just to have occurred during the same period it did originally. Very few futuristic universe details are shared and it becomes something of a distraction. Clearly, Gonzo's fetish for robots overshadowed logic. In fact, French society and nobility function as if the past has been bizarrely thrown into the future! Even glove throwing to initiate legal duels to the death remained intact. But, for better or worse, it certainly made for an intriguing merger of the distant past and far future!
Ignoring events not being shown in chronological order, one of the two things that might REALLY upset purists is Gankutsuou's story going in a different direction almost entirely after episode 18. With Edmond the narrative's key component, him only caring for vengeance was the reason behind this late change. He was actually persuaded in the novel by Albert's mother, Mercédès, to alter his plans... yet in the anime he turned a deaf ear and continued. This one seemingly minor alteration had a HUGE impact on progression beyond that point since, in the original version, Edmond eventually realised the folly of his actions as an anti-revenge gloss was added for closure. Thankfully, Gonzo handled the changes superbly--the series best episodes being in the final third, and the writers ultimately managed to - just about - retain the core themes; making the finale interesting even for fans of the source material... assuming they are able to overlook a deus ex machina huggle and a rather uninspiring epilogue, that is!
All in all, the story was - and still is - a wonderful ride. An adaptation of a timeless classic with artistic differences, it was executed excellently considering only a fraction of the source material was used. HOWEVER, you do have to wait for everything to fall into place before being able to fully appreciate it, with the first half consisting largely of build up. Uneventful at times, perhaps, but always compelling and never does the narrative lose its grasp on the unsuspecting viewer. Most, if not all, of those not fully convinced prior to episode 15/16 will be by the end; when the series transitions from being very good to giving goosebumps. It is the sort of series where, once the dominoes are lined up, they all fall. After 20 episodes, 2/3 of the villains are taken down in ONE episode: that is the sort of series Gankutsuou is. The pay-off for enduring the 'downtime' is immense satisfaction.
I share these words with those still in doubt: "Bide your time, and hold out hope."
::::::::::::::::::::::::CHARACTERISATION: 8.5-9/10::::::::::::::::::::::::
As I not-so-subtly hinted above, I liked pretty much the entire cast... aside from the lead, Albert. While I do understand that he had to be made somewhat stupid (originally, he was merely a side character, and neither a crybaby nor an idiot) for suspense purposes, his complete inability to see the obvious became a source of irritation. One would think anyone with a few brain cells would be able to put two and two together when Edmond randomly kept appearing AFTER telling Albert there were no coincidences! Thankfully, by the end he does mature and learn from his mistakes, but it was too little, too late for me. Easily the most intriguing aspect of Albert's characterisation is his bond with The Count: from fascinated admiration, to friendship... and perhaps something more to fujoshi! The lines become very blurred.
Albert's best friend, Franz, shares a much closer bond with him than in the source material; the two being near enough inseparable. Franz is calm and highly intelligent, making him Albert's polar opposite and the outlet for my frustration. The pair fall out constantly over Edmond due to Franz's warnings about him not being all that he appears, and they do play off each other rather well as a result of their differences. Also, there are definite homosexual overtones in Gankutsuou that were not in the novel, with Franz making it clear on numerous occasions that he views Albert as more than just a friend; despite him, typically, remaining oblivious. Albert's fiancee, Eugenie (she was originally a lesbian!), traded sexuality with Franz so they could both be closer to Albert. The trio also received oh-so-Japanese childhood friend edits. These alterations proved to be by far the best changes the anime writers made since the emotional turmoil of the chaos surrounding Albert was allowed to consume him completely.
Edmond, The Count of Monte Cristo himself, remains a mystery for much of the series. His screen presence and charisma is such that the anime depicts his arrival in Paris as something akin to a storm. He acts kind, yet he is clearly hiding a horrible truth underneath his mask of faux identity. His character differs considerably from the one seen in the source material because, where as in that he views himself as a faithful servant of God delivering justice, he is - quite literally - a demon of vengeance in this adaptation. Gankutsuou's Edmond is certainly a most interesting take on a famous character. However, in truth he is only 'one side of the coin' in terms of depth that his novel counterpart is (his internal conflict over his actions all but being removed), despite still being one of the best anime characters in existence. That says it all, I feel.
The one glaring omission from Gankutsuou's cast is one of the most important: Abbé Faria. Faria saved Edmond from suicide after he had spent years in pitch-black isolation; giving him renewed hope. Faria then became a mentor; sharing the vast amounts of knowledge held inside his elderly mind and changing Edmond from foolish to respectable. He also lead Edmond to fortune on the island of Monte Cristo. Although only the briefest glimpses in flashbacks are shown of Edmond's past in Gankutsuou, its greatest flaw is that there was no logical progression for his transition from hopelessly naive to the charismatic tactician that is The Count of Monte Cristo. Some form of vague contract with a French-speaking devil is agreed, and that is that: character development was sacrificed to save time. He does not even go to the island of Monte Cristo; his cave instead being moved underneath his house! Although the alternations do rework the narrative to fit, as well as going along with the 'demonic avenger' edit, Gankutsuou would have had FAR more depth if Faria had at least been shown...
Overall, Gankutsuou has a very well developed core cast, ignoring some minor quibbles. I STRONGLY recommend reading the novel for a heavily expanded version after watching, though: a 24-episode anime can only fit in so much!
Some of the supporting cast appear as no more than pointless additions without the multi-faceted depth the novel format allowed for. They appear early on but very rarely during the latter stages. In this regard, the biggest sacrifice was the removal of the Edmond-Morrel subplot, which originally left Edmond hopelessly conflicted over Maximilien Morrel's romance with Valentine (the daughter of one of his targets for vengeance) and highlighted his true sense of justice. In the anime, Edmond's role with Maximilien was given to Albert/Franz, and some of the novel's best exchanges were sadly lost.
::::::::::::::::::::::::VISUALS / AUDIO: 9.5/10::::::::::::::::::::::::
The first thing that hits you about Gankutsuou is the rather bizarre and eye-catching CG effect clothes and hair have. It is hard to put into words without first seeing but it is as if the characters clothing and hair have reflective patterns on them. A world famous fashion designer, Anna Sui, was responsible for the patterns and they truly are a sight to behold. It takes most people, myself included, a few episodes to get used to, but it is stunning once your eyes adjust. Gonzo deserve much praise for the huge amount of effort they put in and the high production values. 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 would be completely wrong since the colours are vibrant. Simply beautiful.
As expected of a Gonzo production, Gankutsuou also has a fair amount of CG, including some mecha fights. The mecha CG is actually quite impressive given the series came out in 2004. The problem is the scenic view shots of Paris, which do look very outdated when seen in 2016. CG never ages well compared to 2D art, and anime was very much behind the curve when it came to implementing it. But I feel the unique clothes/hair effect more than makes up for any failings.
In terms of the music, first of all let me say that I think the opening (OP) and ending (ED) songs are the wrong way around: I feel the ED would have worked better if it had been used for the OP, honestly. And vice versa. The OP, whilst fitting perfectly with its clear, downbeat lyrics and visually giving a taste of how the series would have been were it set during the 1800's (the real Château d'If even being shown), is slow-paced to the point I found it dull until I understood the series. On the other hand, the ED has a fast-paced tempo and with also fitting, far more aggressive lyrics--what you would usually expect to hear as an OP.
The soundtrack is very good. There are not too many tracks I listen to outside of the series, but the music fitted the show like a glove and helped keep the story impressively epic. I especially also loved how classical music was included; some even remixed, such as The Count's theme. It made the experience feel that much more special to hear both unedited and edited versions of some of the most famous classical music in existence playing alongside the animation. In addition, I HAVE TO mention track 18, which is one of the best, most tragic pieces of music I have listened to. Period. It was cheek-tingling to hear it play during the most emotional part of the series (strangely enough, episode 18!), making the sequence even more thrilling than it was already.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::OVERALL: 9.5/10::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Having watched far more anime than any sane man should endure and being critical by nature, I am difficult to please. But Gankutsuou impresses, no matter how many times it is re-watched, with every area - aside from its ending, perhaps - surpassing my expectations. It is a rare, rare feeling to end something feeling close to complete satisfaction. I enjoyed the series SO MUCH that I felt compelled to marathon read the 1250 page novel it was based on shortly after finishing, and I am far from an avid reader. In the end, not only did Gankutsuou become my favourite anime, it also lead to the discovery of my favourite book. And for that, Gonzo, will always be remembered fondly--by me, at the very least.
I recommend the series to everyone: those who have read the novel and those who have not. My only suggestion is, if possible, to watch Gankutsuou before reading since people can be EXTREMELY picky when it comes to adaptations. Had I came to love the novel before the anime dazzled me, a very different review may well have been typed here, after all!
