Reviews

Gankutsuou is a work of art. Everything, from the characters, to the story, the setting, the rendition, is like a master artist's dream work. If you can appreciate the human characteristics of honor, justice,loyalty and on the other side: avarice, lust for fame and power, then you have come to the right anime show. Gankutsuou depicts the best and worst of human natures. This is a story of love, loyalty, betrayal and vengeance. If you're a romantic by nature, you'll love this creation. The creators of this anime put a lot of thought into making Gankutsuou as romantic as possible, in the mould of late medieval Europe.

The setting is quite unconventional, with a mixture of the old and new. Its as if pre-revolutionary France has met the future world of starships and interstellar empires. This shock cultural and technological mix is in fact quite well portrayed and hence is quite appealing. This dystopia is enriched by the presence of the lead of the show, the Count of Monte Cristo aka Gankutsuou who's on a personal quest of vengeance against the perpetrators of heinous crimes committed against him in the past. His highly eccentric but charming nature concealed a coiled beast underneath, the beating heart of the creature that is Gankutsuou, who gives credence to the ideals of retribution for injustices.

The characters are thoroughly explored and are very well thought of. The culture is pre-revolutionary and hence chivalry, honor and etiquette are some key. The protagonist's character is moulded by these attributes and so are most of his companion characters. Settling disputes and arguments through duels are the norm. However these 'duels' are fought in giant exoskeletons, which in essence are giant robots controlled by the person inside. Some of these duelling behemoths are shown in the anime and adds a different dimension to the mixture of cultural and technological settings.

The animation is a masterpiece. It truly is quite spectacular to behold. The textures are somehow always 'flowing', adjusting themselves to the surroundings, like a chameleon. Words dson't do it justice but its quite pleasing to watch. The 3-D effects add finesse.

The story is quite similar to the that of the book titled 'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexander Dumas, with some added touches by the developers. The story as a whole is well worthy of five stars out of five. Romantics would love this work.

The soundtrack is apt for the 18th century setting France living hundreds of years into the future. The soundtrack does justice to the critical points of the story and setting, causing thrill and intrigue among the viewers.

Overall, this is a must watch anime. Its quite underrated in my opinion and should be ranked much higher than 216. This anime most definitely promises entertainment.