Victorique is extremely intelligent and uses her ‘wellspring of wisdom’ to solve cases as the story progresses. Its easy to see where the influences for her character come from most notably Sherlock Homes (she even has a fake pipe). Kujo is’nt as stupid as we a made to believe but he’s certainly naive and in early episode Victorique walks all over him.
Gosick has several story arcs which take place before the bigger story arc starts around half way through the series. Its clever how side stories link in with the main story arc in particular the Alchemist arc which is plays an important part in explaining why Victorique is shut up in the tower. The story has some dark undertones especially when dealing with Victorique mother & father but this is balanced out by the growing relationship between Kujo & Victorique.
Their relationship grows as the series progresses and Kujo becomes less of a doormat and Victorique becomes more human. She is portrayed as cold and calculating by others but she is really a victim of her father’s desires.
I don’t want to give too much away about the story which is smart and engaging. The side characters are not particularly interesting but it doesn’t matter as your focus is on the growing relationship between the main characters. The art style is stunning and its easy to see how Victoriques design influenced Studio Bones Chaika. The sound is ok though I’m not a fan of the Eurovision-esque closing song for the second part of the series.
The series moves faster in the final episodes and brings elements of the story together for a great worthy climax. I would have been nice to see more of Kujo and Victorique at the end but at least its conclusive and generally satisfying.
Even though the motives of the criminals are questionable the story still holds your attention due to the strength of the main characters. Gosick is very enjoyable and is a must for any fan of mystery and romance. It’s a shame Bandai pulled out of DVD publishing before this series got released as it’s a real gem of a show. I hope one day someone picks this up for release as it’s too good to be forgotten.
