I'll reconstruct them for you here into a review...
I'll take the fragments from the chaos of this world...
And I will reconstruct them into truth using the wellspring of wisdom within me...
Story: 10
Gosick stars Kazaya Kujo, a Japanese exchange student in the fictional European country of Sauville. During his stay in Sauville, he meets up with the other main character, Victorique, a small girl with long blonde hair and dresses in lolita clothing, and solve mysteries together. Throughout the series, as each mystery is solved, more questions on the past, and the family relating to Victorique are raised. These questions are the driving force for the latter half of the story.
The ending was amazing. What seemed like pointless arcs in the beginning all tied together seamlessly in the last two episodes. The last two episodes were filled with so much suspense, so much emotion, the series has one of the best if not the best ending to any mystery genre series.
The problem with the mystery genre and the reason why most people stop watching Scooby Doo is that the mysteries are repetitive and boring as they do more and more of. Sherlock Holmes does a great job of not being repetitive when it deals with mystery because the characters, mainly Watson, are very interesting and keep the mystery solving exciting. Gosick does the same deal, as the characters allow the mystery to be more interesting rather than a rinse, wash, repeat process.
The romance in the anime, was rather slow in the beginning. I couldn't even see the two characters becoming a couple, but as the series progresses, we got to see a great change in character for both of the main characters. This will be discussed in more detail in the character section.
The setting of the story was executed well. The story takes place during the 1920s in a land that is transitioning use to electricity. We see candles, we see lightbulbs. We see trains and planes, we see carriages pulled by horse. These contrasting things pull off an effect of a unique setting that very few people give much thought too. The ending does a great job with the setting, as it pulls up true history and applies it very well to the story.
Art: 9
Gosick scenery wise was fine, nothing too outstanding in the scenery department. The art stands out more in the character designs and specifically, Victorique. The dresses that Victorique had were jaw dropping. They were so pretty and well drawn, each lace, each fluff, everything. Seeing the first dress was impressive, but seeing the other dresses were just amazing.
Something that caught me by surprise were the action scenes. I was not really expecting those action scenes, but they were executed really well. The right amount of use for transition scenes that caused a clear understanding of what was actually happening during the action.
Sound: 8
The OP, Destin Histoire, was a great song that reflects the pacing of the anime. With a very calm beginning, the series starts off calm, with mysteries that involve others and not the main characters. The song will pick up much as the mysteries and suspense do in the series. The first ED, Resuscitated Hope, didn't really fit in with the series, but was still a fine song. A calm beginning but a bit too hard for what the series had in mind. The second and last ED, unity, was a great ending and the type of ending I was expecting to have in the first place. I would suggest them to have used "unity" as the sole ED rather than using two different songs...
The background music was fine, no complaints. Helped carry the mood of emotion or added suspense when it was needed. Nothing too outstanding for the background music sadly.
Character: 9
As I have said before, the characters had to be interesting to keep the viewers entertained during the mystery solving. Victorique and Kujo do a great job at keeping the viewer entertained as their little squabbles, Victorique's attitude of "I'm better than you" crumbles to a very cute innocent girl, Kujo's slight stubbornness but I will do it anyway... These characters are very likable and enjoyable to watch.
Character development was amazing, as Victorique was a character who never experienced love and Kujo was a character who needed confidence, these two characters built off each other in a symbiotic relationship that is very endearing to the viewer.
Enjoyment: 10+
Watching these characters interact with each other during the mystery and outside of the mystery was one of the most enjoyable things about this series. The suspense this anime can deliver is nothing short of amazing. This series is addictive and does a great job at keeping the viewers attention.
The most enjoyable part was the ending. I have explained why I found this enjoyable in the story section... but it needs to be explained twice! That is how enjoyable it was. The flawless execution of suspense and emotion during the last two episodes were down right amazing. Nothing could have stopped me or cause my eyes to drift away from the laptop screen during those last two episodes.
Overall: 10
I was expecting just a cute story... something similar to Hyouka where they solve mysteries and through the mysteries, the two main characters get together. This anime showed me something I wasn't expecting, true chemistry between the two main characters, a true connection that can be felt outside of solving a mystery. Gosick has earned a spot in one of my most favorite anime series.
That ending was so goooooooooood.
