That said, I was pleasantly surprised by the anime; with no external biases or influences, I was able to appreciate this anime for what it truly is : a decent anime. It had some really strong moments, and some pretty weak moments. I just happen to enjoy the stronger moments more than I hated the sub par moments.
STORY: 5/10
The overall plot was at best unpredictable and at worst disjointed. The story line, relative to other animes, is pretty complex. By complexity, I mean that there is a lot of mystery involved in the plot concerning motives, and characters; there are implied and explained back-stories, and lot of dodging questions. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but when you finally hear the explanations and you are only vaguely intrigued by it, you are left wondering... “Why the heck didn't you just reveal this in the first place?”.
This anime would have been a lot better if they had left the story line simple and focused on the aesthetics, emotions, and actions in the show.
The plot wasn't too bad, overall. They were moments that left me in shock (in a good way) and these moments made the show worth watching.
Art: 9/10
The art style was amazing and eye catching. I was intrigued immediately by the first scene of the show, and there weren't too many times where I was enthralled by the aesthetics of their art, whether it is character design, or background. The art was really really good.
Sound: 10/10
WOW!
If this anime was half as a good as it's music production, then this would be one of the greatest anime ever done.
I was considerably blown away by the background music that seemed to elevate every mediocre scene up to a good scene, and the good scenes up to a masterpiece scene.
I don't have much words to describe how good the sound of this anime was episode by episode. Inori's singing was also always beautiful, and was probably the only good thing about that character.
The soundtrack was so good that I sometime wondered if it wasted for such a show, and maybe could have been used for a better anime. However, that doesn't matter.
What counts is that this production did really well with the sound aspect of the anime.
Character: 3/10
I pondered whether writing a detailed synopsis on the main characters of GC, but I've decided not to. It's not worth it. The characters are nothing unique and most of the times, they really pissed me off with their actions.
Shu Ouma has a memorable name, and maybe at some points seemed to have some potential to be a good introspective but assertive main character but most of the time, he turned out to either be recklessly stupid or a pitiful coward. Most of the time, I was left wondering what mental illness this kid seems to have. He seemed to lack the rational part of our brains, especially in the first half o the series. To his defense, however, Shu did have some redeeming moments.
Inori was just a mess of a character, extremely inconsistent, and really just used as a crazy eye candy that can sing a bit.
Out of all characters, I really enjoyed Ayase and Hare, they at least seemed genuine and I've had nothing to say negatively about them the entire show.
I hated Arisa, though I respected her in the beginning of the show, and I really really considered condescending this show rating just because of this bword...but I held myself back.
The rest of the cast, including Gai, were in my opinion, mediocre at best. Nothing to be excited about.
Enjoyment : 8/10
Due mainly to the art and music, and partly to the surprises of this show, I really enjoyed he later half of this series. I was watching this episode by episode and not really caring too much, and just going through the motions..but there came a point where the show "turned up' and really went on high gear. At this point, I couldn't help but look forward to the next and next episode. It really got suspenseful and entertaining and I enjoyed that moment. Not too many shows can make you wonder or be excited for the next episode, but near episode 12-14, GC was able to do that, and thats something I appreciate.
Overall: 7/10
The art and sound really is inflating this show, it should a bit lower than seven, but it was a decent show. I would definitely watch a second time, and I plan to but it's not because this was a masterpiece or anything, but because I really enjoyed the emotions that this show try to convey.
There was a particular episode, which I won't spoil, where you could really feel the emotions of Shu Ouma..oh man, was it heart wrenching! and probably this was the moment, that I started not looking at this anime as a a filler, but as a stand alone anime that I should look forward to and enjoy.
So yeah, based on this review, there is a lot of mixed feelings here. If you improve the characters, and made the plot a bit simpler to follow then this could have been a really special show. It's really disappointing when you think of the potential.
I would still recommend this show to anyone. It's decent anime.
