Guilty Crown

On December 24, 2029—the day colloquially known as the "Lost Christmas"—the Apocalypse Virus spread across Japan, bringing death to its citizens and plunging the country into utter chaos. In an effort to establish order, the United Nations sends the GHQ to assist with the crisis by containing the outbreak while removing all political autonomy in the process. A decade later, the country still lives under their control, unable to break free from their draconian rule.

Frustrated with the state of the nation, a resistance group named the Funeral Parlor aims to liberate Japan from the GHQ. Led by the charismatic Gai Tsutsugami, the group plots to steal a vial containing the "Void Genome" to further their goals. The vial falls into the hands of internet vocalist Inori Yuzuriha, who ends up being hunted by the GHQ's Anti-Bodies forces. Having nowhere to go, she seeks refuge in a warehouse where she meets Shuu Ouma—a socially awkward high school student who is a huge fan of her music.

Shuu gets dragged into the conflict the moment he rescues Inori, and the Void Genome shatters in his hand, granting him the "Power of the Kings." While learning how to control his grand new ability, Shuu must now fight to liberate Japan from its cruel oppressors.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yuzuriha, Inori Main

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Ouma, Shuu Main

Kaji, Yuuki Japanese

Tsutsugami, Gai Main

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Shinomiya, Ayase Supporting

Hanazawa, Kana Japanese

Tsugumi Supporting

Taketatsu, Ayana Japanese

Menjou, Hare Supporting

Shimamura, Yuu Japanese

Segai, Makoto Waltz Supporting

Canna, Nobutoshi Japanese

Yan, Daryl Supporting

Uchiyama, Kouki Japanese

Ouma, Mana Supporting

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Kido, Kenji Supporting

Okamoto, Nobuhiko Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Wada, George Producer

Kimura, Makoto Producer

Nakatake, Tetsuya Producer, Production Assistant

Reviews

Mar 16, 2025

Amitrk

Recommended

Ok so guilty crown was a fun watch. Lets get into it!

Animation- 8.5/10

The first thing that I found impressive about guilty crown was the sick animation. For it's time it was amazing and a visual treat.

Music- 7/10

The music was also good and praised by many but in my opinion it was just “good”.

... Story and plot 6.5/10

Without spoiling much i would say that the overall story of guilty crown was disappointing. It had a lot of potential but in the end plot holes everywhere.
Mana's powers, the whole apocalypse viruse logic, shu's sudden character development - it all kinda happens cause the writers wanted it to. They don't explain it in a way that truly makes sense. And the ending feels like everything happened for nothing,just for the vibes.

Characters- 6.5/10

They were fine. I really liked some of the side characters but I found the main characters to be pretty average. Gai really wanted to be lelouch so bad imo.
Dude had the drip, charisma and sacrifices for the greater goods but his execution was all over the place.

Overall enjoyment- 7/10 (good).

It was entertaining and a fun watch. Sometimes emotional and the fights with the music was a treat.

Overview-

Guilty crown is something that delivers on the hype, emotions and visuals but when you step back, the story kinda collapses under its own weight. It is still entertaining and fun. Just go with the flow and don't look for logical explanations and you'll mostly likely enjoy it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Oct 14, 2023

JonnyBGud

Mixed Feelings

“Guilty Crown” is a visually stunning and emotionally charged anime that takes you on a rollercoaster of action, drama, and suspense. The series is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a deadly virus has ravaged Japan, earning it a well-deserved rating of 8/10 for its setting. This dystopian backdrop provides a rich and intriguing environment for the unfolding story.

The animation is top-notch, with beautifully designed characters and breathtaking action sequences that keep you on the edge of your seat.

The story revolves around Shu Ouma, a high school loner who obtains a mysterious power that allows him to extract weapons from people’s hearts. As he becomes ... entangled in the conflict between rebel forces and the oppressive government, he must make difficult choices that have far-reaching consequences. The character development, while engaging, is rated at 5/10, reflecting the series’ limitations in this aspect. The characters, while well-designed, may feel somewhat cliche in their development.

I will give it to “Guilty Crown” for its phenomenal soundtrack, composed by Hiroyuki Sawano. The music perfectly complements the intense and emotional moments of the series, enhancing the overall experience.

However, “Guilty Crown” does have its share of criticisms. Some viewers, including myself, found the plot to be a bit lacking, earning it a rating of 6/10. It’s not uncommon for viewers to draw comparisons to “Code Geass,” as there are similarities in the power dynamics and the struggle for control, but “Guilty Crown” does have its unique elements as well. Additionally, the story pacing can be inconsistent.

In conclusion, “Guilty Crown” is a must-watch for fans of action-packed, visually captivating anime with a touch of romance and drama, especially for those who enjoy post-apocalyptic settings. While it has its flaws in terms of plot and character development, it’s a memorable series with moments that will stay with you long after you’ve finished watching.

Rating: 6/10 (Plot: 6/10, Characters: 5/10, Setting: 8/10)

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Feb 12, 2025

Nikosloler

Not Recommended

Guilty Crown. An anime that aired in 2011-2012 and was especially popular because of its catchy openings and stunning animation.

I must say ,going into Guilty Crown blind, without having seen or heard spoilers and
only knowing the MAL score of the series, I had quite a lot of expectations.

This is one of my first ,few reviews, but I felt the need to write one for this absolute circus of madness.

The first half of the story (episode 1 - 12) focuses on the cliche archetype of :"boy with hidden past and memory loss meets emotionless girl and gains power to save the girl and the world".if ... done properly , a series like this can yield great results, however this wasn't the case here. It's a mix of all the generic tropes one can imagine ,mashed into an amalgamation of "soulless". Up until episode 12 ,the story ,as generic as it may have been , atleast tried to stay on track with the mediocre plot it set the viewers up for. After episode 13, right when the second half of the story starts, the story takes a weird turn. From corrupt government that wanted to create a new race of humanity fighting opposing revolutionary army with no end goal, to students trapped in a school during a new outbreak of the virus, isolated.

I must say , the ability to manifest weapons out of the "heart" of someone is rather intriguing and slightly reminiscent of Bleach, with a much less inconsistent , illogical and annoying execution.Apparently ,some people faint by having their void manifested ,others don't, some of the abilities can somehow be combined (like when Shu stopped the Leukocyte beam), while others can evolve when used by Shu , or cant.

Let's not even start on the characters.Shu, the protagonist, is as one dimensional and childish as it gets, second ,in horrible writing, only to the piece of cardboard Heroine: inori. I can see they tried to create a flawed kid with responsibilities of an adult ,but all they managed to do ,was disgrace the interesting initial concept of Guilty Crown. On the one hand, Shu is quite literally bipolar, as his mindset fluctuates throughout every single episode between being an antisocial coward to heroic to coward again to more heroic to emotionally scared and coward AGAIN to sociable hero to psychopath. On the other hand, inoris personality is nonexistent. She first follows Gai completely ,because why not? Then she switches over to Shu , because of love I guess ,and that's that. She never takes action without being told to ,except for 1 time when she tried to save Shu. She also shows a few signs of madness ,but that's irrelevant. The supporting cast are also dreadful, so I won't go into any more detail about them.
Then there is the Right ability at the right time trope (Deus ex machina) , the protagonist making immature decisions and later regretting them etc

However ,credit must be given where credit is due. The animation of this show is phenomenal ,with no repeating frames and solid CGI, especially considering it came out in 2011. The music is good, both the OSTs and the Opening (the endings were okay) so no significant complains here. The artstyle is okay, nothing outstanding, new or unique, but gets the job done and works well with the vibe of the show.

Iam very disappointed because this show could've been so much more and yet ,fell short of every single expectation I had for it ,in story writing, world building, characters.

Better alternatives to this ,in my opinion, are "Project K" or "Kiznaiver". They obviously aren't perfect either ,but I was a lot less confused ,annoyed when watching them ,over Guilty Crown. They both have a similar "path" to follow (as in lost memory ,new power ,emotionless girl, save girl and world etc) but personally delivered a more enjoyable and interesting experience.

Thank you for reading and I apologise if the composition of this review is a bit messy, I wrote it relatively fast.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Guilty Crown Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) tsubasalover - Nov 3, 2011	301 replies	by JennySu »» Apr 15, 6:21 PM
	Poll: Guilty Crown Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Yumekichi11 - Dec 1, 2011	397 replies	by MidnightStar5 »» Apr 10, 11:23 PM
	Guilty Crown Ending Explanation/Interpretation ( 1 2 3 4 ) Xspy70 - Jul 21, 2015	182 replies	by Watcher_Kyle »» Mar 26, 4:27 AM
	this makes no sense (sorry for bad english) NunoTheDudeYT - Nov 6, 2024	17 replies	by Zarutaku »» Feb 3, 5:38 PM
	Poll: Guilty Crown Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) tsubasalover - Jan 12, 2012	457 replies	by removed-user »» Jan 9, 7:43 PM

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