Oct 14, 2011
*Updated*
I take back what I said. This series is a complete mess.
Remember the first episode? Guy meets girl; evil government; le resistance; Deus Ex Machina (Gai); guy is thrown into battle; guy gets power from girl to fight giant-robots-from-nowhere - all done before, nothing new. And guess what? It GETS WORSE. Onwards from there, the build-up of episodes is just awfully underdeveloped. Towards the semi-finale, its revelations rushed past the audience like a train, or over the audience if you’re trying to figure out what the whole first half was for. The GHQ? Virus? Terrorism? Shuu manning up? Yeah, alot of those issues are
...
just not important. Perhaps the proper title for this series is “Guilty Crown: What the heck is this?” I'm gonna directly quote critic M0rg0th here:
"And it’s strange because everyone (I’m also guilty as charged) complained about the generic dullness of this show but surprisingly neither the script-writers nor the director realized that this show concerned itself far too much with stuff that isn’t important."
Now the characters... oh god, the characters are so bland it makes me want to scream. Perhaps the biggest mistake Guilty Crown has done until now is just one word: Shuu. Shu Ouma - 17 yrs old, and a bit of a wimp... or so I thought. Turns out he's the biggest, whiniest, and retarded douchebag in the entire series. We never get a good explanation on why he's doing what he does (other than some useless split-second flashbacks). Why was he chosen as the main focus of the story? Shuu is a weak character, not just in the way that he’s bland and dull but also because he simply has no charisma; a poorly made plot-device. Not to mention it's his own damn fault that the city's in danger in the first place.
Inori Yuzuriha - a completely dull female lead. Inori is a different character in EVERY EPISODE. Plus, her comments on "love" are nothing short of face-palm worthy. Nothing more than an stereotypical otaku's wet dream.
Ayase Shinomiya - mech rider of the resistance who rides a wheelchair (accident maybe?). She's very modest and kind, and has feelings for Gai. But she also likes Shu?! Seriously?!
Tsugumi - Genki-girl and fanservice. Who the heck is she and why is she there in the first place?
Gai Tsutsugami - okay, he's a strong-willed, stern, conflicted but inspiring leader of the resistance. Initially cold to Shu, he accepts him in the end (which is a big mistake). AKA the best and most developed character in the series.
Ok, undeniably the art direction is this anime's strongest point. From the very beginning the animation is as expected from I.G Production - the transitions and movements of characters are smooth and realistic. Character models are rich with expression and personality, all differentiating in unique ways. The action and fight scenes are free-flowing and cinematic, rivalling that of many animated action movies. The backgrounds and environments are fully developed, blending a mix of futuristic and modern Japanese architecture, filled with vibrant shades and colours. Special effects are very pleasing to the eye.
Music is of great importance in this series, as the music direction is lead by Ryo of Supercell, with Supercell themselves providing the opening, ending, and insert songs. The soundtrack ranges from bittersweet ballads to fast-paced rock-guitar riffs, and the random insert songs from time-to-time don't hurt either. One problem is that there are too many insert songs in one episode, so it can become somewhat of an annoyance. Voice acting, however, is top-notch work that doesn't really need explaining. Sound effects are what you'd expect from a sci-fi anime.
But you know what? None of that matters. Michael Bay is pretty much all of this. But how is it that the director of "Code Geass" and "Death Note" became so much worse? Someone, please tell me.
The "future" is pretty much dead. The series excel in Art and Music, but fails spectacularly with an awfully undeveloped story. But perhaps I'm being too hard, and that things will pick up in the second half! But by then, it'll be too late to make much of an impact. We can't keep calling incompetence as brilliance.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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