At first, the story starts out much like a typical Shonen anime (Boy gets power, boy decides to use power to fight oppressive figures, boy learns to master said power, etc.) but as the second act rounds the corner, the shit hits the fucking fan and everything seems to start spiraling out of control (in a good way). Just as the main character starts to get a grip on his power, the enemies throw a huge wrench in his plan causing a drastic change in the character's priorities, marking Shu's (the main character) descent into the darkest parts of the human experience.
The story's main problem is that it follows the basic plot setup of Code Geass a little too closely. It manages to come up with some creative ideas of it's own towards the end, but the seemingly rushed ending feels somewhat canned and doesn't really satisfy. Also, some of the characters don't feel very fleshed out and sometimes the main character acts like an indecisive pussy which gets really grating after a while.
On a lighter note, the art and sound are absolutely fantastic. The voices fit the characters perfectly and the score contains some of the best sounding songs I've heard in anime for a while. Also, the art is fabulous in almost every way. The animation is super-clean and the art style is enough to make even the dilapidated ruins of a destroyed city look absolutely gorgeous. In fact, the scene in the first episode where Shu receives and uses his power for the first time is probably one of my favorite scenes in any anime of all time. The music, the voices and the artwork work perfectly in synch to create a scene that literally gave me goose bumps. If you want a reason to watch this anime, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGrIYew4edE Just amazing, right?
All in all, while Guilty Crown may have its faults, you still shouldn't miss out on one of the most visually and musically appealing animes out there. It is definitely worth your time.
