I admit...it's been quite awhile since I last watched some anime...with school work and other activities "in the way", I barely had time to even take a peek at new anime series...Throughout the school year, I did manage to watch a few anime series, but I didn't get past the first episode (including Baka to Test, Clannad, Tokyo Magnitude, Bakemonogatari,etc.)...they were great, but I just didn't have the time. With summer vacation starting, however, I now have more than plenty of time! I decided to start with a series that was highly recommended by my friend, whom had also recently watched it. Following her advice, I downloaded the whole series and began right away...
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| Odaiba in the background...now known as Area 24 |
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| Ouma Shu and Yuzuriha Inori, the main protagonists |
Story line
I never expected much from GC, for it is a Shounen anime, and my assumption was correct. This was the one element that killed it completely. Like most Shounen animes, it follows a basic and limited script and copies elements from successful shows...in this case, Code Geass. From the minute you first see GC, you immediately notice the resemblance. Starting from even the title (CG and GC; Code Geass and Guilty Crown) down to the characters and overall plot...everything is just so similar,except it fails completely at mimicking. There are several plot holes here and there...there's no twist, no real strategy, no realism/logic...and at times, it's just plain stupid. Still, there were memorable moments in GC...mostly during the "touching" parts that does have you thinking about the values of life sometimes...
Characters
Before I start, I must proceed to declaring something I've held in for quite a long time: The main character, Ouma Shu, is a complete pathetic idiot (sorry for the strong words) that simply mars the show and makes viewers (myself at least) want to punch him in the face whenever possible. If they would've made Shu just a little smarter, maybe the show would've been more enjoyable. Getting back on track, most characters in GC were mostly generic...with your typical "ever day" teenage boy who ends up saving the world; a shy and emotionless girl who falls in love with the main protagonist and gets * SPOILER ALERT* kidnapped by the villans...and along with them some Tsundere girls and evil bad guys...But don't get me wrong, it isn't all that bad. There's still a bit of notable character development in some, if not most, characters, that are oh-so-ok...mostly in secondary characters, such as Hare and Souta. Considering that they are secondaries, they've got a pretty solid character that makes them superior to Shu and Inori, whom tends to be out of character most of the time at times (In my own opinion). Character development is there...but it's also kind of strange in a way. The characters change too often and too quickly, often leaving viewers completely dumbstruck.
Visuals
Time to stop criticizing, because when it comes down to visuals, GC has it spot on. The animation and art style is simply superb. Sure, the style is quite similar to most anime out there, but it really stands out on its own. Character designs, though not groundbreaking nor all that unique, were still quite well done in my opinion. Tokyo looked amazing in this show, especially in the art shown above...It shows that effort was put into the designing of Tokyo in 2039...The animation was amazingly smooth, especially in the first two episodes... most noticeable during fight scenes. Both OPs and EDs were overall fine, and were mostly eye-candy... Both visuals and sound were carefully threaded, matching the characters and scenes quite well. When this works, Guilty Crown reaches heights to match almost anything out there.
Sound
Being the other "pro" side of the series, GC possesses one of the most enjoyable soundtracks of any anime out there...especially the inserts. Collaborating mostly with well known artist and bands such as ryo and Supercell (somehow related to Hatsune Miku/BRS I guess?), it really steps up its game. It's solid and fits the atmosphere very well, including the OP songs, which really hooks you on during the first minutes of the show. The voice acting was good, but not to a point where you go "wow!"... The overall sound effects were very well executed, adding more appeal to the show.
Enjoyment
Despite all the cons, I have to admit that I quite enjoyed Guilty Crown...despite it's various imperfections (mainly the abhorrent plot holes)...I guess it's mainly because of a few reasons: 1.) I have never watched Code Geass, so I'm not aware as to just how much of GC is a copy of CG 2.) I never expect much realism/logic in anime (especially Shounen) so I'm not as aggravated as I should be. 3.) It's been a long time since I've watched an anime with such high production values...that I've naturally been oblivious to most of the flaws 4.) Some parts of the series really makes you wonder about the value of life, something I personally like while watching an anime. The only thing that really bothered me was Shu from the beginning to start...he was the reason I hesitated on completing the whole series.
Final Thoughts
If you are able to withstand unrealistic plots that lack logic at times, a VERY annoying main character, and a rather slow paced story...then you'll enjoy Guilty Crown quite a lot. Fans of the action an sci-fi genre (Including CG fans!) should definitively give it a try, as it really stands out in this category. In the end, I think this series was a great idea, but it was poorly executed (the storyline).
Summary
+High production value
+Superb visuals/animation
+Great and fitting music/soundtrack
+Makes you re-think some values of life
+Great idea overall (the plot)
-Terribly executed plot/story-line
-ANNOYING main character
-Lack of realism/logic
-Lack of originality
Final Score: 6.9/10
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| Part of the main cast of Guilty Crown |
Characters
Before I start, I must proceed to declaring something I've held in for quite a long time: The main character, Ouma Shu, is a complete pathetic idiot (sorry for the strong words) that simply mars the show and makes viewers (myself at least) want to punch him in the face whenever possible. If they would've made Shu just a little smarter, maybe the show would've been more enjoyable. Getting back on track, most characters in GC were mostly generic...with your typical "ever day" teenage boy who ends up saving the world; a shy and emotionless girl who falls in love with the main protagonist and gets * SPOILER ALERT* kidnapped by the villans...and along with them some Tsundere girls and evil bad guys...But don't get me wrong, it isn't all that bad. There's still a bit of notable character development in some, if not most, characters, that are oh-so-ok...mostly in secondary characters, such as Hare and Souta. Considering that they are secondaries, they've got a pretty solid character that makes them superior to Shu and Inori, whom tends to be out of character most of the time at times (In my own opinion). Character development is there...but it's also kind of strange in a way. The characters change too often and too quickly, often leaving viewers completely dumbstruck.
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| Tokyo...in 2039 |
Visuals
Time to stop criticizing, because when it comes down to visuals, GC has it spot on. The animation and art style is simply superb. Sure, the style is quite similar to most anime out there, but it really stands out on its own. Character designs, though not groundbreaking nor all that unique, were still quite well done in my opinion. Tokyo looked amazing in this show, especially in the art shown above...It shows that effort was put into the designing of Tokyo in 2039...The animation was amazingly smooth, especially in the first two episodes... most noticeable during fight scenes. Both OPs and EDs were overall fine, and were mostly eye-candy... Both visuals and sound were carefully threaded, matching the characters and scenes quite well. When this works, Guilty Crown reaches heights to match almost anything out there.
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| Fyu-Neru, the adorable robot |
Sound
Being the other "pro" side of the series, GC possesses one of the most enjoyable soundtracks of any anime out there...especially the inserts. Collaborating mostly with well known artist and bands such as ryo and Supercell (somehow related to Hatsune Miku/BRS I guess?), it really steps up its game. It's solid and fits the atmosphere very well, including the OP songs, which really hooks you on during the first minutes of the show. The voice acting was good, but not to a point where you go "wow!"... The overall sound effects were very well executed, adding more appeal to the show.
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| Inori and Fyu-Neru |
Enjoyment
Despite all the cons, I have to admit that I quite enjoyed Guilty Crown...despite it's various imperfections (mainly the abhorrent plot holes)...I guess it's mainly because of a few reasons: 1.) I have never watched Code Geass, so I'm not aware as to just how much of GC is a copy of CG 2.) I never expect much realism/logic in anime (especially Shounen) so I'm not as aggravated as I should be. 3.) It's been a long time since I've watched an anime with such high production values...that I've naturally been oblivious to most of the flaws 4.) Some parts of the series really makes you wonder about the value of life, something I personally like while watching an anime. The only thing that really bothered me was Shu from the beginning to start...he was the reason I hesitated on completing the whole series.
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| Hare |
If you are able to withstand unrealistic plots that lack logic at times, a VERY annoying main character, and a rather slow paced story...then you'll enjoy Guilty Crown quite a lot. Fans of the action an sci-fi genre (Including CG fans!) should definitively give it a try, as it really stands out in this category. In the end, I think this series was a great idea, but it was poorly executed (the storyline).
Summary
+High production value
+Superb visuals/animation
+Great and fitting music/soundtrack
+Makes you re-think some values of life
+Great idea overall (the plot)
-Terribly executed plot/story-line
-ANNOYING main character
-Lack of realism/logic
-Lack of originality
Final Score: 6.9/10
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