Gankutsuō

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gankutsuō
Original title 巌 窟 王
transcription Gankutsuō
genre Action series , drama, science fiction , his
Anime television series
Country of production JapanJapan Japan
original language Japanese
Year (s) 2004-2005
Studio Gonzo
length 25 minutes
Episodes 24 in 1 season
Director Mahiro Maeda
music Jean-Jacques Burnel , Koji Kasamatsu , Reiji Kitazato
First broadcast October 5, 2004 - March 29, 2005 on TV Asahi , Animax
synchronization
Manga
country JapanJapan Japan
author Mahiro Maeda
publishing company Kodansha
magazine Afternoon
First publication May 2005 - May 2008
expenditure 3

Gankutsuō ( Japanese 巌 窟 王 , dt. "Cave King") is a Japanese anime series from Studio Gonzo . In Japan , the series was broadcast from October 2004 to March 2005. The action of the anime is based on the book The Count of Monte Christo , but the story was moved to the year 5053. A manga was later released based on the anime . The title goes back to the title of the Japanese translation by Count von Monte Christo .

action

In 5053, Albert de Morcerf, a young nobleman from the planet Paris, made a trip to the planet Luna with his best friend Franz. Because the material abundance in his parents' house bores him and he longs for a change. When he arrives at Luna, he meets the rich Count of Monte Christo. Albert is fascinated by him and really wants to get to know him. The Count and Albert become good friends, in contrast to Franz, who is suspicious of the Count. When Albert is captured by a gang of thieves, he is freed by the count, who from now on enjoys his full confidence. Albert invites the Count to Paris to introduce him to his family and introduce him to the nobility.

Once in Paris, the Count introduces himself to the three most powerful families in the city: the Morcerfs, Danglars and Villeforts. Together these form the organization "The Fall", which holds power on Paris. But Albert doesn't know that his father tricked the count earlier and threw out his fiancée. At that time he was still called Edmont Dantes and was robbed of all his wealth by an intrigue and banished into exile. Now the count wants revenge and uses his contacts in the underworld. Albert and his friends get deeper and deeper into the web of intrigues spun by the count. Albert does not want to leave the count and loses so much of his old joy and is isolated himself. And while the count's plans are bearing their first fruits, he is plagued by doubts about the correctness of his actions.

Publications

Anime

The series was directed by Mahiro Maeda , on whose idea the anime is based. Maeda had been developing the concept of converting the Count of Monte Christo as an anime in a science fiction environment for a long time, but could not implement it technically. The idea arose while reading the novel The Stars, My Destination by Alfred Bester from 1956. Maeda moved away from an adaptation of the novel because its licensees did not agree. In order to keep the story easily accessible without having to explain the historical background of the original by Dumas to the viewer, Maeda moved his plot into the future with the ideas of Bester. Instead of the Count, he chose the young son Morcerf as the main character, from whose perspective the viewer slowly reveals the connections. The story also starts much later than with Dumas - the Count's past is only revealed in retrospectives in the course of the series.

The scripts were written by Natsuko Takahashi and Tomohiro Yamashita . The character design was developed by Hidenori Matsubara based on Maeda's templates. Hiroshi Sasaki and Yusuke Takeda were responsible for the artistic direction . Studio Gonzo produced 24 episodes, each lasting 25 minutes. For this, all locations were modeled on the computer in 3D, as was the movement of the figures. The clothing and surfaces developed in 2D were then placed over these. To depict the historical architectural elements in the city, the team traveled to Paris and studied the architecture there.

In Japan, the series ran from October 5, 2004 to March 29, 2005 on the television channels Animax and TV Asahi . Outside of Japan, the series was also broadcast in Singapore , India , Thailand , the Philippines , Indonesia , South Korea , Venezuela , Mexico , Argentina , Spain and Brazil by Animax, and in France by France 4 . In the US Gankutsuō was broadcast by ImaginAsian . The series has been translated into English , French , Spanish , Italian , Portuguese and Tagalog . The series was released on DVD in North America by Geneon Entertainment under the title Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo on six DVDs. Madman Entertainment took over distribution in Australia and New Zealand . The series was also released on DVD in France and Italy .

Voice actor

role Japanese speaker ( seiyū )
Le Comte de Monte-Cristo Jōji Nakata
Viscount Albert de Morcerf Jun Fukuyama
Le Baron Franz d'Epinay Daisuke Hirakawa
Maximilien Morrel Tetsu Inada
Eugénie de Danglars Chie Nakamura
Général Fernand de Morcerf (Fernand Mondego) Jūrōta Kosugi
Mercédès de Morcerf (Mercédès Herrera) Kikuko Inoue
Le Baron Jullian Danglars Shinpachi Tsuji
Gerard de Villefort Yōsuke Akimoto
Valentine de Villefort Junko Miura
Haydée Akiko Yajima
Marquis Andrea Cavalcanti / Benedette Tomokazu Seki

music

The song We Were Lovers by Jean-Jacques Burnel (singer and bassist of the band The Stranglers ), who also wrote the lyrics to the song, was chosen as the opening title . The song is based on a composition by Frédéric Chopin , the Étude Op. 10, No. 3 . The final title was the song You Won't See Me Coming , which was also written by Jean-Jacques Burnel. You can also hear other parts of compositions by famous composers in the series, such as the Manfred Symphony by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , the Lucia di Lammermoor opera by Gaetano Donizetti or the 2nd piano concerto by Sergei Wassiljewitsch Rachmaninow .

Manga

Based on the anime, from issue 5/2005 (March 25, 2005) to 5/2008 (March 25, 2008), Afternoon magazine published a manga with texts by screenwriter Yura Ariwara and drawings by Mahiro Maeda. The chapters have been summarized in three anthologies ( Tankōbon ). In the USA the manga is published by Del Rey Manga .

reception

The German Animania praises the anime above all for the successful visual implementation. The series "shines in the truest sense of the word with light effects" and makes full use of the technical possibilities of its time, the combination of 2D and 3D animation. Planet Paris was “brilliantly successful” with its “gloomy Gothic look” and “wonderfully eerie atmosphere” of the gloomy streets and impresses with its attention to detail. The Gothic look is also reflected in the detailed, reflective clothing of the characters. The plot is "excitingly knitted" and the development of the intrigues is successfully staged and staged with cinematic skill. In addition to suspense and action, the series also offers “a touch of eroticism” and a suitable soundtrack. Overall, Mahiro maeda succeeded in turning his visions into a technical masterpiece with Gankutsuō .

The Anime Encyclopedia calls the series a “jewel among the anime of the early 21st century” with a “poignant plot” , “baroque extravagance” and a seldom so great richness in visual style. Music is also an “interesting choice” . Stig Høgset of THEM Anime Reviews wrote that the series is mostly beautiful, but "sometimes very demanding on the eye" . At Anime News Network was Gankutsuou awarded series of the year by Theron Martin. The series also won the award for the best television series of the year at the 10th Animation Kobe Fair. Helen McCarthy Series writes in 500 Essential Anime Movies a "dazzling visual ingenuity" to.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy: The Anime Encyclopedia. Revised & Expanded Edition. Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley 2006, ISBN 1-933330-10-4 , pp. 219 f.
  2. a b c Animania 01-02 / 2005, pp. 34-41.
  3. Stig Høgset: Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo . Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  4. ^ Theron Martin: Theron Martin's Best (and Worst) of 2006 . January 7, 2007. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  5. Gankutsuou wins Best TV Series award at Animation Kobe fair . September 13, 2005. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  6. GONZO animation GANKUTSUOU wins best title award at 10th ANIMATION KOBE fair . Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  7. McCarthy, Helen . 500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide . - Harper Design, 2009. p. 40. ISBN 978-0061474507