It has great production values but the complexities inconsistencies and and sometimes full-on BS of the story really hurt what's it's actually worth. The main thing with guilty crown is that there's no real category to place it under (you'll see what I mean later). GC is an anime that has action which it executes by adding plot elements that don't make sense- a show in which you need to turn your brain off to enjoy,but it also has the deep compelling themes that you need to think really hard to enjoy. And this review is going to analyze how well GC actually synthesizes these two things.
Story (6/10)
if someone were to go up to you and ask you to explain the plot of GC It would take you at least 3 hours to give a brief summary. This show has one` of the most fast-paced complex stories I had ever seen: bringing in plot twists multiple times every episode, fitting in chunks of important explanation in mere minutes, having every other episode be a major turning point in the story. This makes following along really hard for the average viewer. In the blink of an eye, you could've missed something; and by the end of the anime all your inevitably left with is a giant ball of inconsistencies and loose ends. So why the mediocre score for story?
Well, if you are able to follow complex stories, ignore some inconsistencies, and approach the show knowing to keep an eye out for everything, the story itself is not that bad. I say this because the show does give you feels throughout its story, and the action scenes are really well done. The problem is that GC tries to hard to execute these 'feels' and intensify the action to the point that it sometimes just makes stuff up for the sake of provoking emotions. Guilty Crown does explain a lot of its plot twists though. Just, people usually don't catch all of them because GC does it too quickly and fill in too many in each episode. And when you do catch all these little explanations you are still left with some plot holes (though not as much as most people blow it up to be). And these holes really beg you for a second season.
Characters (7/10)
The characters, on their own, are okay. Our main protagonist, Shu is a caring student but is too afraid to do anything. He values everyone, has good morals, but because of his in-confidence is unable to really save anyone in the beginning. Fortunately, his character develops and by the end he turns into a bad-ass, which makes up for whatever stupid things that he may or may not decide to do. Inori, the female lead, is often credited as bland. However, I believe that word is misinterpreted. Inori is a sweet, misunderstood girl. She doesn't really get human interaction, and is often manipulated and used by others. This makes the audience feel sympathy giving her character charisma. As for supporting characters, they did their jobs, had depth, and were enjoyable. The villans in GC were superb and are some of the most cunning and sly characters I've come across. I would like to give extra props to Segai who is basically like an insane mastermind badass.
The problem with the characters is that the plot drags them down. The backstories of each of the major characters are explained but it's because the explanation that further questions emerge, expecially about Inori. This makes it hard to understand what the characters are truely going through.
Art and Animation (10/10)
GC's art and animation is what really gives it enjoyment. The brilliant angles of the action scenes, and the battle choreography makes GC worth it. The movements are really smooth, the colors matches the mood, and the character designs are just beautiful. The action sequencings gives a sense of action, intensity, and just straight-up coolness. At times, I really want the whole anime to be action, action, action. And while the animation does attempt to distract upon the failures in the story, it's really hard to turn your brain off, ignore the complexities and inconsistencies in the plot, and just focus on the action. This is because alot of the story is plot. But still, the animation itself is as smooth as a morning sunrise.
Sound (10/10)
Supercell did a really great job on their tracks. From orchestra to rock, they made the experiences more full, extenuated, and impactful. On it's own the sound track was superb and really nice to listen to. Key tracks include: 'My Dearest', 'Everlasting Guilty Crown', and 'Bios'. However, once the anime's done you realize the soundtrack was almost "too" good. Upon listening to it on it's own, the songs makes you realize how much better the anime could've been if the story had executed itself better. However I feel that would be putting the story's fault on the music, and Supercell really nailed it on their end of the bargain.
*Originality
Now, although guilty crown is often credited as being unoriginal, it's still special. The thing is: GC executes too many plot twists. It's because there's so many 'things' going on, you are bound to catch one 'thing' that was probably from another anime. In my case, I found plot elements that resembled at least 4 different animes. The point is that although some 'things' might be from other animes, GC still had a fair amount of its own 'things' and that is what makes it not just another copycat.
Final score: 8/10
I would argue that Guilty Crown didn't completely fail in creating an anime where you.... need to think... and not think..., because it was an enjoying ride. While watching I was constantly waiting for the next episode, and anticipating how things will turn out. The action scenes and numerous plot twists really gave feels - happy and sad. For it's entertainment value, Guilty Crown does pretty well. And I would argue that it's worth a watch because of this.
The problem is GC doesn't provide anything memorable. Because it executes so many things in its plot, the story becomes utterly messy; and because it's messiness, there's no clear message or underlying meaning the anime's suppose to give to you.
Guilty Crown is an anime that you watch to feel and see action. In the moment, it's a great watch; but once you finish and realize the failures in technicalities, it doesn't really give you something to keep. Thus I present it with a final score of 8/10.
