Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
Gankutsuou is the Anime adaption of the famous "The Count of Monte Cristo" of French background. This version adds a new character, Albert, as the main character in this story of betrayal and revenge.
Bored aristocrat Albert de Morcerf sets out on an interplanetary Grand Tour with his friend Franz d'Epinay. In the city of Luna on the Moon, they are rescued from bandits and drawn into the pomp and circumstance that surrounds a blue-skinned, pointy-eared, fabulously wealthy man of mystery known as the Count of Monte Cristo. The ostentatious Count has style, wit, and an undeniable mean streak. In spite of rumors that the Count may be a vampire, Albert is dazzled and flattered by him but Franz is suspicious. Neither knows that Albert's mother was once the fiancée of Edmond Dantes-the Count's personal name. The families of Albert, Franz, and Albert's fiancée Eugine were all involved in a terrible injustice; the Count has spent years hatching his revenge and Albert is about to become part of his scheme. Increasingly isolated from his friends by his fascination with the Count, Albert loses his whole world. Yet even as the Count sees his plans come to fruition and he returns the evil done to him to the child of his enemy, he is moved by Albert's similarity to himself when young.
Maeda originally wanted to animate an existing SF story based on the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas, creator of the Three Musketeers, published in Japanese as King of the Cave. When he was unable to secure the rights to the adaptation, Maeda returned to the original novel to create his own SF version, which would also run in a manga version in Comic Afternoon. Dumas' story of a man unjustly outlawed from society and his plot to take revenge on the three men who wronged him forms the basis for dazzling artistic reinvention. This version not only adds sci-fi elements like Ulysses 31 or Alexander, but also tells the story from the point of view of a relatively minor character in the original. The result is a gripping anime that is one of the gems of the early 21st-century medium, helped considerably by the passion of Dumas' original. Maeda is renowned as a master at combining 2D cel animation and 3D models, as he did in Blue Submarine No. Six and the Second Renaissance sequences in Animatrix. The crew supposedly built a complete 3D CGI model of their future Paris so that Maeda could set his scenes anywhere in the city. The use of outlines filled with flat pattern to represent body and clothing elements produces images of baroque extravagance, filling the screen with a visual richness rare in animation. For anyone interested in pure, dynamic style, this is a series to treasure. Burnel, bass player with the Stranglers, is an interesting choice as composer; this is his first anime score. Renowned fashion designer Anna Sui worked her way onto the credits for some costumes sported by the female characters in the show's grand finale. Other sources imply that she designed all the costumes, although that makes us wonder why it would be news that she did so in the final episode. Note that the King of the Cave alternate title is not always applied even in Japan. A black-and-white live-action TV series based on the original Dumas source was broadcast on Kansai TV from 1955 to 57, under the title Kenshi Monte Cristo (Fencer Monte Cristo).
Maeda originally wanted to animate an existing SF story based on the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas, creator of the Three Musketeers, published in Japanese as King of the Cave. When he was unable to secure the rights to the adaptation, Maeda returned to the original novel to create his own SF version, which would also run in a manga version in Comic Afternoon. Dumas' story of a man unjustly outlawed from society and his plot to take revenge on the three men who wronged him forms the basis for dazzling artistic reinvention. This version not only adds sci-fi elements like Ulysses 31 or Alexander, but also tells the story from the point of view of a relatively minor character in the original. The result is a gripping anime that is one of the gems of the early 21st-century medium, helped considerably by the passion of Dumas' original. Maeda is renowned as a master at combining 2D cel animation and 3D models, as he did in Blue Submarine No. Six and the Second Renaissance sequences in Animatrix. The crew supposedly built a complete 3D CGI model of their future Paris so that Maeda could set his scenes anywhere in the city. The use of outlines filled with flat pattern to represent body and clothing elements produces images of baroque extravagance, filling the screen with a visual richness rare in animation. For anyone interested in pure, dynamic style, this is a series to treasure. Burnel, bass player with the Stranglers, is an interesting choice as composer; this is his first anime score. Renowned fashion designer Anna Sui worked her way onto the credits for some costumes sported by the female characters in the show's grand finale. Other sources imply that she designed all the costumes, although that makes us wonder why it would be news that she did so in the final episode. Note that the King of the Cave alternate title is not always applied even in Japan. A black-and-white live-action TV series based on the original Dumas source was broadcast on Kansai TV from 1955 to 57, under the title Kenshi Monte Cristo (Fencer Monte Cristo).
Episodes
| Season/Ep# | Name | Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 - 4
|
Mother's Secret |
02/20/2007 | |
|
1 - 3
|
5/22, Tempest |
02/13/2007 | |
|
1 - 2
|
Until the Sun Rises on the Moon |
02/06/2007 | |
|
1 - 1
|
At the End of Our Travels, We Meet |
01/30/2007 | |
Series Credits
| Person Name | Episode Count | |
|---|---|---|
| Hirokazu Yamada | 4 |
|
 |
Mahiro Maeda | 1 |
To edit the cast, go to an episode page.
Original US Poster Art
General Information
Edit
 Name |
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo |
 Name: |
巌窟王 |
| Romaji: |
Gankutsuou |
| Publisher | Gonzo |
| Start Year | 2004 |
| Genres | |
| Themes | |
| Aliases | Gankutsuou |
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Recurring Appearances
| Albert Morcerf first in At the End of Our Travels, We Meet |
8
|
| Edmund Dantes first in At the End of Our Travels, We Meet |
7
|
| Eugenie Danglars first in At the End of Our Travels, We Meet |
4
|
| Fernand Morcerf |
4
|
| Franz Epinay first in At the End of Our Travels, We Meet |
4
|
| Peppo first in At the End of Our Travels, We Meet |
3
|
| Haydee Tebelin |
3
|
| Valentine Villefort first in 5/22, Tempest |
3
|
| Gerard Villefort |
2
|
| Victoria Danglars |
2
|
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