Gankutsuou
Gankutsuou The Count of Monte Cristo Written by Andromeda ”Born into an aristocratic family in Paris, Albert sets out on a journey with his best friend, Franz, to escape his privileged yet dull life. They travel to Luna, which is on the surface of the moon, and meet a very wealthy man named The Count of Monte Cristo. Becoming completely fascinated with The Count’s mysterious charm, Albert welcomes him into Paris high society. But soon Albert will discover the Count’s true motive – revenge…” This is a classic tale by Alexandre Dumas told in a futuristic and somewhat spacey setting. Most people, when they think of classic stories from ages long ago, they associate the word boredom with it, as being something that your forced to read in your high school English class by a stuffy teacher. This adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo will have your head reeling from the colors, the patterns, the music, and the personalities of each of the key characters. Every character has their own distinct personality. Albert is a young naïve boy wanting to see the world and to learn more about it and the people in it. Franz is laid back and easy going, but deep inside is a very concerned person, concerned about his best friend Albert. He believes that the Count is nothing but a fraud and warns Albert, like any concerned friend would. But there is a deeper story than that of just Albert, Franz, and the Count. There are secrets that his parents and the Count keep hidden away, far away from the light of day. The three of them share a past, one that could end up destroying not just the Count’s intended victim, but also that of the woman he loves and of the young man that he’s grown close to. Insecurities, greed, lust, revenge, love. These things, when thrown together, can make a riveting story unfold. The art, bright colors mixed with dark ones bring together both stories within this tale. The bright naivety of the aristocrats and the dark tones of the truth. What left a bad taste in my mouth was the use of all the strange patterns. When used as part of the background, it wasn’t so bad, but when used for the clothes and hair, it didn’t sit right, it was too busy. That, and when the character’s moved… the patterns barely moved at all. It was if certain parts of them were transparent and you could see the wallpaper behind them. Way too busy. It distracted my mind from the story. The music was a terrific score, dramatic at times and soft like others. The use was well chosen for the classic tale that is retold. The opening credit was slow, but was perfectly written for the story. The ending was upbeat and the closing was extremely colorful and entertaining. If it weren’t for the credits, it would have made a great music video. If I had only watched the first episode, I would tell you to skip this anime series. But having watched four episodes, I found myself wanting to see more, but alas, I had to write this review. Now that I have, I’m going back to watch some more of this. You can check out the trailer for The Count of Monte Cristo here. http://www.montecristodvd.com/ Licenser: Geneon Studio: Gonzo Length: 100 min Retail: $29.98 Release Date: Now Available on DVD and UMD
Gankutsuou The Count of Monte Cristo Written by Andromeda ”Born into an aristocratic family in Paris, Albert sets out on a journey with his best friend, Franz, to escape his privileged yet dull life. They travel to Luna, which is on the surface of the moon, and meet a very wealthy man named The Count of Monte Cristo. Becoming completely fascinated with The Count’s mysterious charm, Albert welcomes him into Paris high society. But soon Albert will discover the Count’s true motive – revenge…” This is a classic tale by Alexandre Dumas told in a futuristic and somewhat spacey setting. Most people, when they think of classic stories from ages long ago, they associate the word boredom with it, as being something that your forced to read in your high school English class by a stuffy teacher. This adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo will have your head reeling from the colors, the patterns, the music, and the personalities of each of the key characters. Every character has their own distinct personality. Albert is a young naïve boy wanting to see the world and to learn more about it and the people in it. Franz is laid back and easy going, but deep inside is a very concerned person, concerned about his best friend Albert. He believes that the Count is nothing but a fraud and warns Albert, like any concerned friend would. But there is a deeper story than that of just Albert, Franz, and the Count. There are secrets that his parents and the Count keep hidden away, far away from the light of day. The three of them share a past, one that could end up destroying not just the Count’s intended victim, but also that of the woman he loves and of the young man that he’s grown close to. Insecurities, greed, lust, revenge, love. These things, when thrown together, can make a riveting story unfold. The art, bright colors mixed with dark ones bring together both stories within this tale. The bright naivety of the aristocrats and the dark tones of the truth. What left a bad taste in my mouth was the use of all the strange patterns. When used as part of the background, it wasn’t so bad, but when used for the clothes and hair, it didn’t sit right, it was too busy. That, and when the character’s moved… the patterns barely moved at all. It was if certain parts of them were transparent and you could see the wallpaper behind them. Way too busy. It distracted my mind from the story. The music was a terrific score, dramatic at times and soft like others. The use was well chosen for the classic tale that is retold. The opening credit was slow, but was perfectly written for the story. The ending was upbeat and the closing was extremely colorful and entertaining. If it weren’t for the credits, it would have made a great music video. If I had only watched the first episode, I would tell you to skip this anime series. But having watched four episodes, I found myself wanting to see more, but alas, I had to write this review. Now that I have, I’m going back to watch some more of this. You can check out the trailer for The Count of Monte Cristo here. http://www.montecristodvd.com/ Licenser: Geneon Studio: Gonzo Length: 100 min Retail: $29.98 Release Date: Now Available on DVD and UMD