Let's talk about the Count of Monte Cristo: Gankutsuou anime series.
April 17, 2011 - 7:38pm
#1
The Count of Monte Cristo Series Discussion (Possible Spoilers)
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This is a great and very unique series, in looks and content.
I just read that there is a manga ( made after the anime ) that goes into The Count's backstory,
before the events in the anime.
But it'd be interesting to see some more anime
made from this, or along similar lines.
"Bide your time and hold out hope!" - Gankutsuoh ...that we get SPICE AND WOLF SEASON 3! ( and Monte Cristo on Blu Ray. )
Hola Wolf. As I mentioned on the other board we frequent, Romeo X Juliet is in a similar vein as Gankutsuou. It obviously "expands" on the premise of Romeo and Juliet, and it is definitely a trip. Studio Gonzo definitely does some good work, though. After a very poor fiscal year in '09, they've scaled back their production, though. The studio is still going, and recently they've put out some good work, like their new Last Exile follow-up.
Greetings, Kamonichan.
I shall have to take a look at that series. I did like the "modernized" live action version from Baz Luhrman.
Do you suppose Kraft Laurence was named for "Friar Lawrence" - the monk from R & J ?
Of course, Nadia did an amazing job with 20,000 leagues.
We really need a reboot of that series.
( A certain suspiciously similar film doesn't count! )
They did Moby Dick in outer space also... but it seemed too silly when I watched the first episodes!
"Bide your time and hold out hope!" - Gankutsuoh ...that we get SPICE AND WOLF SEASON 3! ( and Monte Cristo on Blu Ray. )
I really liked this show. I normally don't notice or put a lot of important on animation style/quality (I consider story more important) but the animation here was just gorgeous. The story was also really interesting. I love stories about revenge (as long as they don't turn cheesy or cliche). The only thing I didn't like was the ending, but I'm not really sure why. I guess it just didn't live up to the high expectations the rest of the show established. But overall, this was one of the highest quality anime I've seen in a long time and one of my favorites.
I put a LOT of importance on style! But on some series, it can be something of a "hollow shell" effect. NOT SO with this show, it has both virtues in the extreme! ( After all, the story is based on a literary classic, and they stay reasonably true to it... certainly the depth is there. )
ENDING SPOILERS - ( See it first! )
"Bide your time and hold out hope!" - Gankutsuoh ...that we get SPICE AND WOLF SEASON 3! ( and Monte Cristo on Blu Ray. )
@Wolf of Monte Christo I have yet to read the book (it's on my infinitely long and growing to read list), so I don't know how that ends.
I also haven't read the manga yet (I ordered them online and they literally got here as I was writing this post! What a coincidence
) but I think it follows the same plot. It just shows a different perspective and shows some things in more detail or things that were only alluded to. I'm going to go read them now see for sure. 
I found the dub to be pretty lackluster, but I couldn't get into the sub at all. That really handicaps the show for me, but even without that handicap, I still don't think this show would be as great as it could have been.
The show takes the classic revenge story and dilutes it by forcing us to see it through the eyes of an angsty young teen who is ignorant of the world and everything in it. Instead of getting to see the count meticulously exact his revenge through his own eyes, as was done in the book, we get to see it through the eyes of our lame protagonist, when he isn't trying to reconcile himself with the ways of the world or figure out his sexuality. Just when it starts getting good, we have to go back to irrelevant boredom like the 2 main dudes having their bromance, the lead's confusion about his attraction to a transvestite, or the ramblings of Tony Oliver's character about the "evils" of the rich and unrequited love. Not to mention the rather disturbing affection displayed by our young lead for the Count. I don't know about you guys, but I could enjoy the series without the sexual questions.
Tale of just revenge = good, tale of angsty young aristocrat trying to resolve his love life = bad.
I don't see why we can't just see the tale through the eyes of the count. The book and the 2000s movie went this way. The boys weren't introduced until fairly late in the book, yet we meet them before the count in Gankutsuou.
If Death Note had been presented in the same way as Gankutsuou, we'd be seeing the tale through the eyes of Matsuda instead of Kira's. How boring would that have been?
(Also, the opening theme song is 90 seconds of pure fail. It doesn't fit the show in the least. You knows it)
I thought it made an interesting version for the Count to be mysterious - if we see his story from the beginning ( as in the book ) there is much less of this!
Storytelling has changed over the centuries - Dumas might have done something similar if he had written the book today?
Is it worth seeing the 2000's film?
It seems too harsh to say "Pure Fail", though it visually doesn't fit with the amazing look of the rest of the series, and there are a couple missed notes in the title song* - "...and I want to say what's more, I just pray that you will love me, and trust me..." ( "retakes"? ) The singer and band are generally good, though (contributing some other parts to the soundtrack?), and the ending sequence is great.
*the opening song is almost like a Danny Elfman number from a Tim Burton film, the ending more resembles The Doors, which means that I can sing them...
"Bide your time and hold out hope!" - Gankutsuoh ...that we get SPICE AND WOLF SEASON 3! ( and Monte Cristo on Blu Ray. )
Do give us a review / comparison once you've read the whole Manga!
Yes, I still haven't finished it myself, but I know the summary...
afterward, read the spoiler box above for a nice fan art!
Here's another -
spoiler response -
"Bide your time and hold out hope!" - Gankutsuoh ...that we get SPICE AND WOLF SEASON 3! ( and Monte Cristo on Blu Ray. )
Will do!
I've gotten to read a little and it's a lot different from what I was expecting.
@sidereal_presence I agree with what you said, it would have been more interesting to follow the Count. Although that being said, I can see why they choose to follow Albert instead and don't really fault the series for it (well, too much anyway
). Albert is more relatable and seeing things through his eyes gave everything an air of mystery since we didn't know everything the Count was planning.
I also think it would have been nice for it to be sung in French since the singer/writer is French. Having a trilingual show is... interesting.
The dub was very lack luster. This is one of the few anime I watched subbed when I could have watched dub. Although that was mainly to test my French in the beginning of every episode. My French needs a lot of work. xD
I also agree about the opening. The first time I heard it I disliked it. But I've listened to it so many times now that I've learned to love it. But that sour note in the middle still bothers me.