Anime Review: Gankutsuou - The Count of Monte Cristo
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Gankutsuou - The Count of Monte Cristo
Publisher: Gonzo
Type of Anime: TV
Genre: Drama, Dark & Gothic, SciFi
Watched Subbed/Dubbed: Subbed
Overall Rating: 
Story:
My Rating:
Gankutsuou is an adaptation of the Count of Monte Cristo, which I have not seen or read, so I have no idea what types of liberties this anime has taken with the storyline. That said, it is an incredible anime for those that like mature plots riddled with conspiracies and politics. The story takes place in Paris some time in the 5050's and revolves around three major families who control Paris: the Danglar's, who control the financial world, the Morcerf's, who control military affairs, and the Villefort's, who preside over the courts.
The anime follows two main characters, Albert, the young-at-heart son of General de Morceft, and his best friend, Franz, who will soon marry into the Villefort family. To escape from their every day lives as Paris nobility, the two take a trip to Luna to attend the Carnival, which resembles an upscale Mardi Gras in New Orleans party-fest.
Their vacation quickly becomes more interesting when they meet the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo at an Opera House. Albert is immediately intrigued by the Count's bizarre reputation and arranges a meeting with him when he happens to find the Count's missing pocket watch and decides to return it. From this meeting, the Count and Albert forge a friendship that will bring the Count to Paris and end up wrecking havoc on the most powerful families' lives.
When the Count comes to Paris, Albert takes create pride in introducing him to his friend group. Soon, the Count is doing all his banking business with Monsier Danglar and dining with the Morcerfs, though Albert notices his mother acting strangely to the Count, who seems to resemble someone from her past. He quickly flatters his way into the good favors of these two families while secretly plotting against them.
Meanwhile, Albert seems to fall under the Count's spell and refuses to think badly of him, even when his friends and parents become suspicious. When he's not with the Count, he's dwelling on his upcoming arranged marriage to the Danglars' daughter, Eugenie. Albert's biggest ordeal is that he wants to marry for love but he's just not sure he's in love with Eugenie. Franz, on the other hand, is certain that he's not in love with his fiance, Valentine, which was also arranged. His admission sparks other conflicting interests when Max, an ordinary soldier, falls in love with Franz's fiance.
As the Count learns more about Albert, he begins to delve into Albert's insecurities and put himself in the position of the wise mentor who offers advice to his adoring student. Yet behind the scenes, we see a vindictive man who will stop at nothing to seek revenge on the people who caused him great pain. We only get glimpses into this man, who is known as Gankutsuou to his servants. We know that his past lover ended up marrying someone else and he's never quite moved on. And we get a sense that he's very manipulative. Everything is a chess piece to him and in each episode, he gets closer to making checkmate. And he's enjoying every minute of it.
For instance, when Albert first meets the Count in Luna, they sit down to an interesting lunch. This day is the last of the festival and three people are to be executed. The first two plead their innocence while the last boasts that he has killed ten women and children. The Count begins to show his true colors when deals three cards and asks Albert to choose one. He holds in his possession a pardon from the cardinal and whichever card Albert chooses, the Count will offer the pardon to him. You can probably guess which card Albert draws, and to his horror (and the Count's amusement), his involvement in this game unleashes a murderer back onto the streets.
Overall, this is a fantastic series that I highly recommend. It is a great study in character development, as every character has a past with something to hide, and does a tremendous job of exploring how each character's fears and insecurities shape their world view and thus, their decisions.
Animation:
My Rating:
Gonzo has created a very stylized anime, taking incredible liberties with the backgrounds. Playing upon both the futuristic element and that the families are super rich, Gonzo used color/shape patterns to shade the characters' clothing and environment. Everything is incredibly lavish and detailed, though the non-moving patterns do take an episode or two to get used to.
The anime also relies heavily on 3D animation to add depth to the environment. Certain scenes such as car chases are virtually all 3D generated.
Music:
My Rating:
Both theme songs for Gankutsuou are strong and fit well with the darkness of the storyline. The opener is a gothic ballad in English about a long lost love while the end is an industrial-punk instrumental. Throughout the anime we are also treated to lovely piano music.
Character Design:
My Rating:
Gankatsuou has some of the best character development you'll find in an anime series. Perhaps that's because it's based on a classic novel, but it feels like a period piece out of a early 20th century novel (think William James' representations of the rich) that's been splashed with a richly devious plot and fast forwarded by 4000 years.
Albert is incredibly naive and this is a coming of age story for him. He sees himself as weak and worthless - the type of guy who lets coincidence dictate where he'll end up. These insecurities that lead him to latch onto the Count's strong willed nature even as his other friends warn him not to. Franz, on the other hand, is pretty laid back though you can tell he cares deeply for Albert, particularly as Albert falls deeper under the Count's charms.
The heads of each of these powerful families are all driven by ambition and greed. And all have a past that is somehow intertwined with the Count's. Though they don't recognize him at first, as he pulls their strings and shakes up their world, they must come to terms with their own pasts.
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