Gankutsuou is amazing. I could end the review here and have said all I need to, but of course you’ll want to know (and I’ll be quite happy to tell you) just what Gankutsuou is and why it’s amazing. Well, bide your time; hold out hope!

Or, so says the catchphrase of this exquisite show. Gankutsuou is the 2004 anime adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo. If you’re not familiar with the story, both novel and anime detail the vengeance of the title character on those who betrayed him years before. Though the anime stays very close in plot to the novel, there are some marked differences that make the above summary almost a spoiler in itself (don’t panic, you’ll have figured out at least that much whether or not you’ve read the novel). The biggest of these is point of view: the novel is told on the Count’s timeline, proceeding chronologically, while the anime is told from 15 year old Albert’s (pronounced “Al-BEAR”) point of view, some decades into the Count’s story. Albert meets the Count on the moon when the enigmatic and stupendously rich gentleman saves his life from kidnappers. Little does Albert know when he invites the Count to visit his home that their meeting was more than just chance, and the Count’s past connections include just about all of the adults Albert knows, not excepting his own parents.

“Wait, wait, back up,” you say. “The MOON?!” Ah, yes, one of the other differences is that Gankutsuou is set in the future instead of 19^th century France. But this doesn’t change much; the Count and Albert meet on the moon instead of in Rome, the Count owns a spaceship and a giant mecha and happens to have blue skin. Hey, it happens. For those interested, the other differences lie in the importance of certain characters (Franz and Eugenie are more important in the anime because of its focus on Albert, while other characters likewise decrease in importance), the duel of episode 18, a specific aspect of the Count’s past which carries to the present, and the fates of a number of the characters at the end of the series. Themes are also subtly shifted, but overall the anime’s plot was arguably truer to the novel than was, say, the 2002 English film version.

With its roots in fine literature, it’s no surprise that the plot and characters are deep and complex. You want plot twists? You will get plot twists, and they will be believable as well as surprising. Even though I knew what was coming (having read an abridged version of the novel), I still felt sucked into the shock the characters felt as revelations were unveiled and their lives as they knew them were completely transformed. Albert starts out seeming the average shounen hero, a brash, naïve teenager who’s a little bit stupid but has a good heart. These qualities will help him, but Albert goes through what few shounen heroes have faced before; he is mentally as well as physically chewed up and spit out by fate. How he reacts to this and tries to take back his life is in keeping with his character. It doesn’t hurt that he’s voiced by the wonderful Jun Fukuyama *insert fangirl squee* in the Japanese, who recently played Code Geass’ Lelouch (though the characters sound nothing alike, which is as it should be). Albert’s friend Franz and fiancee Eugenie are also well-developed characters, as are his parents Fernand and Mercedes; Haydee, the Count’s lovely companion; Andrea Cavalcanti, a marquis; and all their compatriots. But let’s be honest, the real draw is the Count himself, voiced perfectly by the godlike Jouji Nakata. Mysterious and alluring, the perfect gentleman carrying black secrets in his heart … there are few characters so well realized as the Count.

If I can stop fangirling for a moment (keep in mind this is the literary fangirling of an English major, okay? ^__^), let’s talk about the animation and the music. The animation is unique, and I mean just that. The colors are lush and gorgeous, but more eye-dazzling are the textured patterns that appear in everything. It’s hard to put into words, but, for example, Albert’s hair has the visual texture of real hair, and the patterns on Haydee’s clothing shifts as she moves. This effect is somewhat dizzying at first, but the results are beautiful. The animators knew what they were doing. Perhaps the only downside of the animation is the single mecha battle, which is appropriately creaky (the suits are supposed to be old) but sticks out from the rest of the sumptuous animation (and perhaps this just goes to my dislike of obvious CG).

The soundtrack ranges from Eugenie’s sweet piano rendition of the opening song “We Were Lovers” to some very dark and appropriately chilling pieces. The opening song itself, by Jean-Jacques Burnel, always felt awkwardly worded to me but isn’t a bad song overall, and it fits well with the lovely art of the opening sequence. The ending on the other hand is a brisk, catchy rock number that fits the dark side of the series and made me long for each new episode (for added enjoyment, watch the credit-less ending sequence on slow and try to pick out all the things that are happening).

If you haven’t already been able to tell by my barely suppressed enthusiasm, I really love Gankutsuou. Talking about it makes me want to watch it again (troubling since I rented the DVDs through my library). It never lets up for a moment, wasting not a single one of its 24 episodes. Even though there was a large gap of time for me between watching volumes 1-4 and volumes 5-6, I could jump right back into the story and enjoy it completely. Gankutsuou is certainly different in some ways from the novel, but the story it presents is just as complex and satisfying. It is rich in plot, color, intrigue, character development, and emotion. There’s something here for just about everyone, and I encourage you to watch this by any means possible.

Credits: All images from http://animepaper.net, contributed by various members.

Tags: anime adaptations, Gankutsuou, Jouji Nakata, Jun Fukuyama, series review

Category: Series Reviews

Senna is a college student majoring in English and minoring in Japanese. Her favorite anime and manga include Escaflowne, Please Save My Earth, Scrapped Princess, Nana, and Boogiepop Phantom.