Look no further... this might be just the thing for you!
From here onward you might encounter some spoilers, so beware as "Death is certain, it's hour uncertain." (Monte Cristo; 5053)
Story 8/10:
It's a story about one mans revenge, mainly told through the eyes of another and that works perfectly, as it partly hides the fact that everything is a very elaborate plan of a mastermind. This makes storytelling way more interesting and thrilling as it would be in one of your typical overpowered mastermind animes.
Story starts strong, but is for the most part pretty straightforward with some rare unpredictable moments in it, where you uncover the backstories of characters and what led them to being where they are.
Towards the end everything is on the table and very predictable so anime starts to drag out a bit.
Art/animation 8/10:
Art in Gankutsuou is the main make or break and will either make you love this anime or make you drop it after a few episodes. You will have hard time finding such unique avant-garde psychedelic art in anime world and it's a loss of words to describe it. You have to see it for yourselves.
While I loved the art of it, I couldn't really get past animation... The animation just isn't good and I can't give pass to obvious CGI moments. Even for the time Monte Cristo came out it was terrible, yet it seemed they were very proud of it and pushed it heavily towards the end of series.
Sound 10/10:
Sound elements were beautifully composed and put into action. It fit the anime and scenes perfectly.
Both opening and ending fit well into whole picture of Gankutsuou and can also be considered masterpieces on its own.
Characters 9/10:
Could talk all day about characters, but it's only fair to let everyone meet them on their own. Overall they were well made and developed through series. They fit into their roles and backgrounds and rarely strayed away from what they were meant to be (apart from some questionable decisions towards the end).
Personal favourites: Monte Cristo, Peppo
Enjoyment and overall conclusion 8/10:
As noted before I loved the art that this anime provided in combination with great sound and characters it had. Story itself was also top notch, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't include a bit of rant here:
What killed my enjoyment (as it usually does in anime and other media) was the fact we follow a very good story about revenge and then we completely stray away from it with redemption arcs or in this case "hugs that can beak the biggest demons in us", just to end the story on a "feel good moments". Maybe it's just me, but the ending in this series could have been awesome, if they just for once sucked it up and finished up what they started with.
Setting rant aside, it's an awesome anime that I'd really suggest to those who are looking for something different, than your usual panty and boob shots. Do yourself a favor and watch it in sub tho!
