You've probably heard about this anime that raked in awards, was made by Mahiro Maeda, took a classic and ran away with it, redefined anime for the new century. So, is Gankutsuou worth all that hype?

Probably.  

If you grew up with the World Masterpiece Theater anime (those anime made closely based on world classics - such as those for A Little Princess, Heidi, Anne of Green Gables), and you're expecting the same thing -- throw that notion out the window, RIGHT NOW!

The novel is the story of an innocent man thrown into an Alcatraz-like prison. After many angry years, he manages to get free, get money, and orchestrates major revenge and evil against the people who got him into jail in the first place.

This basic premise is still the same in the anime version, and almost all the major characters of the book are still there. But everything else changes. Instead of 19th century France, this happens in a sci-fi world filled with virtual screens, spaceships, mobile suits, hidden computer archives -- but also 1960's-style cars and clothes, as well as 1880's-style frocks and carriages. We still don't know how the Count gets all his money, but now, we also don't know if he's even human!  Furthermore, Gankutsuou is presented not through the Count like in the novel, but mostly through Albert de Morcerf, a character with major implications in the novel, but had a minor presence. Lastly, there IS a very good reason why it did not use the name of the novel, but called itself Gankutsuou (Japanese for "ruler of the cave", the title of the novel when first released in Japan -- but that's not the reason!)

For instance: The Count is blue (no, seriously.). He first meets Albert on the moon. His servant Ali is an alien (no, seriously, an alien with tentacles for legs.). He has a whole spaceship in his command. Danglars is a modern stockbroker with a virtual secretary. Morcerf used to be a general who operated a mobile suit. Haydee, the Count's consort, is a girl from another planet. And everything I have related, is just the tip of the iceberg.  

Insane? Definitely. Convincing? Incredibly, yes!

Here are a few things you have to know, to explain all the hype surrounding Gankutsuou:

1. Alexandre Dumas is an author of world-famous classics. He is best known for The Three Musketeers series, but The Count of Monte Cristo is also very well-known.

In the hands of less capable people, Gankutsuou could have turned out to be a VERY hated animation for the sacrilege of taking such a classic and changing so many things. Miraculously, Gankutsuou does not rile you with the changes, because the book's major plot elements, character personalities, and suspense points are still there intact, just presented differently. Also, it does not assume to BE the book, just roughly based on it. You might even find yourself intrigued, as I was, finding out what changed and what stayed the same.

This is unlike what happens for most adaptations, including the movie with Jim Caviezel as the Count. Because the movie is directly taken from the book, major changes are not tolerated. Believe me. I was vicious with the movie for changing the ending.

2. Mahiro Maeda is now world-famous for the Animatrix's "The Second Renaissance", besides also doing Blue Submarine 6 and several other popular anime (He did the mecha for Vandread and some of the mecha in GateKeepers).  Gankutsuou is his first major work, and it is ground-breaking work.

3. 2D-texturing is not new with Gankutsuou. If you've watched Courage the Cowardly Dog, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and some of the work by the creator of Kids Next Door, you've seen a little bit of that animation style. It's like having printed paper under a white-paper cutout, and making that paper cutout move. But Gankutsuou took 2D-texturing to a whole new level. BOTH foregrounds and backgrounds have it, and at a level of detail several notches above those used by the American cartoons that have tried it. Add to that all the 3D CGI work that fills the whole show, and you have a distinct and unique animation experience. It deserves all the animation-related awards it has.  

4. Gankutsuou has very good fashion taste, in part because of the help from Anna Sui. Yes, a real fashion designer helped them out.

Some people complain about the opening and ending music, done in English by a French person. I don't. The opening ("We Were Lovers") takes you in gently into each episode. The ending ("You Won't See Me Coming") tops off each drug-crazy episode quite nicely with a rocking song -- that keeps ringing in your head. The rest of the background music is well-made and well-placed, a good combination of orchestral and techno.   

In short, Gankutsuou is a lot like fusion food - an equal mix of the best of the West with the best of the East. It has a flavor unique to itself, and it will leave people talking long after it is done.

Tips:

- Brush up a little on the novel (SparkNotes is good, watching the movie is fine) to get the most out of Gankutsuou. Reading the entire book is not required, but you have a good heads-up if you managed to read it. It helps in quickly understanding a lot of the foreshadowing in the first few episodes, as well as who the characters are (AH...so that's why the Count looks at her that way....I know who Edmond Dantes is.....-- that kind of thing).

Watching the show without any book knowledge won't be a major problem, because the major plot points are explained toward the end. But already in my country, copies of The Count of Monte Cristo book are starting to appear again in bookstores. It's probably the same in Japan and elsewhere. Coincidence? No way! ^^

- Don't think that you'll be bored if you've read the book and now watch the anime! Far from it. Since most of this is in Albert's point of view, there are still new things to see and appreciate in the story, besides all the sci-fi changes. I will be honest, though. Some of the changes are too far out to believe, the ending does change, and one major thing about the Count did change for this anime.  Watch Gankutsuou with an open mind, and you'll be fine. You might even like it.

- Be patient with the animation style. It gets less psychedelic and more organized as the series progresses, and you will eventually appreciate the unique beauty it has.

- Many people have said this. Watch it subtitled, if you possibly can. The English dub of the DVD release is not highly recommended. The Animax dub is tolerable and quite well-made, but the treatment of lesser characters can be annoying.

Final recommendations:

- Can you start an anime newcomer on this? I don't think so. But if you need help convincing a grown-up that anime isn't all like Dragonball, this might work.

- If you like plot-driven anime, and can tolerate story given through dialogue or quick visuals, there is a good chance you will fall head over heels for this show. It has a way of sucking people in like a sandtrap.

- If you like fast-paced, action-packed anime, this show can and will annoy you. The pacing is okay for its material, but do not expect fights. This is not The Three Musketeers.  

- If you like anime with lovable characters, this might frustrate you a bit, because you will not get to like Albert, Franz or the Count apart from the story. It's that kind of show. If likeable characters are what you're after, you'll like Samurai 7 more than this.  ^^V

In any case, whatever your preferences in anime, you can't go wrong by giving Gankutsuou at least one run-through. I figure this will be like Evangelion after a while: you don't have to like it, but it's a bit inexcusable not to have seen it even once. For better or worse, Gankutsuou WILL be a classic. Like the novel it is based on.    

You won't see it coming, but it will strike. And strike you hard.   

Links:

Official site:  http://www.gankutsuou.com

Spark Notes for the novel: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/montecristo/

Wikipedia for the novel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Count_of_Monte_Cristo

LJ community: http://www.livejournal.com/community/gankutsuou

 

EK  8 ) 

A series of murders causes outrage in the large refugee communities in Japan, so much that calls for an autonomous refugee state begins. A mysterious charismatic leader is rounding up the refugees, while a mysterious police chief is deeper in the case more than he wants to say. Section 9 finds itself trying to silently arrest the leader of the uprising, silently protect the relatively young prime minister, and silently save all of Japan from either nuclear attack or a major international war. And all that, while proving their worth to a government and police system that no longer believes them.  Welcome to the Individual Eleven case.

2nd Gig is the second season of Stand Alone Complex, handled by a slightly different group of people as those who did the highly successful first season. This second season is even better. Take it from me. I ignored half of the first season. ^^V  

Why do I love this? Let me count the ways.

- The Individual Eleven case is actually easier to follow, despite being more complicated and of more epic scope than the Laughing Man case (the first season's major plotline). Events occur in a specific chronological order, and clues are given in like manner. Also, after they have piled on all the political or conceptual chit-chat, they give a one-sentence summary at the end of it, the fact you definitely have to understand and take onto the next episode. It's hard to grasp everything, that is true, but it is easier to understand the overall picture, and in such a big case, that is what is important.

- Every episode in 2nd Gig moves toward completing the Individual Eleven case puzzle, both "stand-alone" ones and "complex" ones. INdividual episodes deal with moving the story forward. DIvidual episodes (the stand-alones) don't move the story, but give insights about it from other angles. DUAL episodes explain the concepts more fully. In short, no episode is skippable, if you want to really comprehend this case.

- In the original series we get to know Batou and Togusa. Within 2nd Gig you get to meet the rest of Section 9, thus correcting one semi-major gripe against SAC (that you actually know more about the Tachikoma than Section 9!). Back stories for almost all of them are given one episode each. Also, Kusanagi gets a little more personality in this set.

- The animation is better because of the change in direction, and you cannot complain even once. The big sweeping backgrounds are a wonder to look at. Attention to detail is incredible. The CGI-animated cars, tanks, and Tachikoma merge with the traditional animation much better in this set. Finally, Kusanagi is more appropriately dressed in this season, but still so, so sexy!

- "Tachikoma Days", at the end of each episode. Sometimes they are stand-alone, sometimes they are based on the episode preceding it, sometimes they make a little running story. Always they are very funny, and well made.

- Proto. If you thought Ghost in the Shell would never get a bishonen, this guy will prove you wrong. A small part, but a nice guy.  Kuze Hideo is quite good-looking, too!

- "Rise" and "Living Inside the Shell", the opening and ending themes, which give a good summary of what the concept of the series is about. The fact that the songs are in English (or 60% English) is a treat to English-speaking viewers.

You don't have to see the original movie to understand SAC, but it does help a lot. You have to have a working idea of the brain shell and ghost system the entire series is based on. You also need to get familiar with the major characters.

This is one of the brainiest, most concept-based, most dialogue-intensive new anime, so if you don't like your anime that way, you've been warned.  Also, Ghost in the Shell is definitely made for a mature audience. But there is plenty to like, so it won't hurt to give it a try. Just be ready to have your eyes and ears at full attention for all of 30 minutes. You'll be treated to a feast for the eyes and an exercise to the brain.

SAC 2nd Gig will make you proud to be an anime fan. You will be hard pressed to find another series, animated or not, with such a smart story. If you can handle the mental workout, 2nd Gig will not disappoint.

EK  8 )