The Ruler of the Cave

Last Christmas, Carlos gave me a boxed set of the anime series Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. I began watching the first DVD shortly after opening the gift and then proceeded to park my ass on the couch as I watched all 24 episodes over a period of three, maybe four, days. I could have watched it in one sitting, it was that addictive, but forced myself to prolong the gratitude of seeing the fates of the Morcerfs, Villeforts and, of course, the Count, unfold.

If you have read The Count of Monte Cristo, then you will be familiar with many of the characters and the essential plot. However, Gankutsuou only uses the Alexandre Dumas classic as the glue to hold together the saga. From what I have been told (as I have not read the original work, at least not yet), many of the plot points differ.

Gankutsuou (which translates to "Ruler of the Cave," a title used for the Japanese translation of the Dumas book) is set in 5053, but despite the sci-fi elements the setting would entail, much of the old world conventions remain in place. There is an emphasis on the characters' social standing, with the children of prominent families betrothed to the children of other prominent families (e.g. Vicomte Albert de Morcerf and Eguenie de Danglars). And that age-old question of whether one should marry for status (Valentine de Villefort and Baron Franz d'Epinay) or for love (Valentine and Maximilien Morrel) still exists in an age where people holiday in space.

Visually, Gankutsuou plays up on the retrofuturist elements. The costumes, which were designed by Anna Sui, are a mixture of 19th century fashion and late-1960s/early-1970s European jet set style and are patterned in metallic and iridescent prints that change form with each of the characters' movements. Similar digital animation texturing techniques are used with the scenery, which is a mix of traditional European and beyond-space age settings. Even the series' music helps capture the dichotomy present in Gankutsuou, with Jean-Jacques Burnel (the Stranglers) channeling Jacques Brel in the opening theme and many classical artists throughout the work while cyberockin' it during the closing credits.

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, was released on DVD in the US by Geneon, which also licensed such excellent titles as Appleseed, Paranoia Agent and Samurai Champloo. It was directed by Mahiro Maeda, whose directing credits include The Animatrix and whose animation has also appeared in Kill Bill, Samurai Champloo and Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Gankutsuou Wikipedia entry (with an excellent character list and episode guide)
Gankutsuou DVD page