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You know that feeling you get when you're just happy to be alive? That's the feeling the author of this series is trying to get across and the impression that's left on me after having finished it. Throughout the entire story, I was never bored but not particularly surprised either. Each character made great impressions on me and I enjoyed them all.

That's not to say that Gosick is without faults. Let me lay this out.
Music – This is the worst area for Gosick. The lackluster opening and ending songs were ok at best and downright sappy at worst. The ... soundtrack throughout the rest of the series was, however, right where it should have been: in the background. It wasn't bad or anything of the sort. It fit the mood just fine and didn't stick out in any way.

Characters – This is a relatively strong area but still weaker than others. Kujo, our main hero, is a bit of a loser-kun when he first appears. As a loser-kun, he is destined for abuse from everybody he meets and is destined to be a doormat for about half of the series. However, unlike other loser-kuns, Kujo grows out of it. Victorique is really a snob. I suppose she technically fits the archetype of Tsundere but ultimately is too weak physically to pull it off well. This ends up meaning Kujo has to be the manly man in spite of his loser-kun status. However, much like Kujo, Victorique ends up growing out of her tsundere status as well. Everybody else fits well around the relationship between these two and each plays their own, supporting role very well.

Animation – Here's an area where this anime shines. This series is drawn very well. I'd suggest that the attention to detail is above and beyond what is normal in any anime series. The stylistic choices seemed spot on for the setting as well as the character tastes within that setting. The very last episode is a fantastic example of this with Victorique sporting late 20's-style Japanese clothing. In the opinion of this author, there weren't any artfully distasteful choices at any point in the series. The animators and directors demonstrated real class throughout the series.

Story – This was not really a mystery. For those of you looking for a straight-up, old-school mystery you should give up. The mysteries in this were mildly obscured at best. So then, why do I rate this story so highly if I am saying this? The story is an amazing experience. It isn't about the mystery at all. Rather, it's about this odd couple and the environment around them. How does the world change so vastly and work so heard to tear them apart? There were times where I thought one of them was going to die. The story took some rather dark turns at times and that left you wondering what was going to happen.

Overall, this series, because of its incredible story, endearing characters, and it's full environment; because it reaches out to you and pulls you in so effectively and keeps you there and, sometimes, at the edge of your seat, I am giving this series a 9.5 out of 10. Gosick, you're a treasure.

This anime does a number of things really well ... and then flops in a number of other areas. The very first thing to understand about this anime is that you aren't going to understand this.

Story
The entire anime plays out similarly to the end of Evangelion where absolutely nothing makes any sense. This is an area that could have used significantly more polish. Done properly, this could have been a mind-twister that really made you think about some important questions in life. In stead what we have is a Half-life/Evangelion hybrid that just doesn't feel right about half of ... the time.

Art
This is by far the series strongest area. The art is relatively well done. There's better out there, of course, but this really isn't bad. The characters feel individualized, well drawn, and well animated. The backgrounds are rich and contrast well enough that the characters don't become drown out by it. The environment overall feels believable.

Sound
I really don't have any particularly strong feelings about the audio in this series. For me it was just ... meh. It certainly isn't bad sound and the theme isn't too bad ... but it also isn't good either. It's just there.

Characters
This is the low point of the series right here. There are token characters everywhere in this one. This includes the obligatory mostly-naked girl in all three episodes. For me, this really took away from the story. Some of the characters are, for the most part, believable. They do their best to draw out the main character but even then he feels ... empty most of the time.

Enjoyment
Surprisingly, I still enjoyed this anime. It certainly wasn't the best out there ... but it was pretty good. It is, for all intents and purposes, average. If you've got nothing all that great to watch, this is at least a somewhat enjoyable experience.

The final verdict: OK ... I suppose.

Roughly twelve years ago, I picked up this anime series. A friend had it on Laser Disc ... LASER DISC. Given that, this should help you understand how old this series actually is. If you can get over the fact that this is a relatively old anime (and the fact that it shows) then this is a very well executed series.

Art:
As stated earlier, this IS an old anime. However, for its time, it was above average and, quite possibly, great. The artistic style really adds to the story (though a couple of the fight scenes were ... awkwardly executed).

Sound:
Again, ... the sound, by today's standards would be sub par. But for its time, it is way above good. The voice acting is way beyond good, which adds to the series story line.

Story/Character:
Without spoiling anything, all I can say is that the story is really good. Really the story is character driven. The three main characters REALLY shine but their personalities are drawn out very well by all of the supporting characters. VERY, VERY well done.

I am rather disappointed with this series. I've seen 2 episodes and I've noticed a recurring theme: FANSERVICE. This really irritates me. In my opinion it really pulls away from where the focus needs to be (which is on the characters). This series has a great deal of potential. However, with the overwhelming focus on T&A shots, There's no way for me to enjoy this. As a note, add 2-3 points to my "Overall" score if you really like fanservice.

Going into this series, I admit that I had braced myself for more of a tragedy than this. Having acted in the original play, I know just how depressing and plain ol' emo it can be. But this is truly something different.

Story: First off, the story is much more moving and uplifting than I was expecting. There were times when I was actually moved to tears by the responses of characters to each other. The story just barely follows Shakespeare's original story. Basically put, if you're looking for an anime rendition of his story, you're looking in the wrong ... place. This is not to say that the story is bad in any sense of the word. Rather, I think that Shakespeare would be proud of this expansion to his original story.

Art: I'd have to say that the art section is the most disappointing of all. Thankfully, this isn't saying too much. The art from front to back is very well done. Some of the townsfolk felt a little bit cheapened but I would count this as making sure the story is focused on who it should be.

Sound: I have to admit, I'm extremely impressed with the sound from this anime. From the musical compositions to the sound effects to the voice acting to one of the better renditions of "You Raise Me Up" (performed by Lena Park). As far as audio goes, darn impressive.

Characters: Only a couple of characters weren't all that impressive. However, all of the key players are very well developed. All of the seiyuu who performed did an excellent job indeed. This really helped to bring out the characters personalities and brought life.