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Gankutsuou
Manga Review
When Battlestar Galactica coined the term "re-imagining", it set loose a series of mindstorms, allowing producers to take something old, and make it entirely new again.
Del Rey's space-age revenge manga is based on the Gonzo anime series, which, if you've ever read The Count of Monte Cristo, you'll immediately recognize the characters and have a pretty good handle on what's going on.
 But with the futuristic spin and space-age gothi-ness (is that a word?), the whole thing has gone topsy-turvey and pretty soon you'll be gasping for air and wondering why the room is spinning.
The anime series benefited from a ground-breaking stylistic approach, but the good news is that the transition to the printed page hasn't lost much of the impact. Manga artist Yuri Ariwara has conceived a monochrome palette that is equally compelling as the original, while being entirely different.
Alexandre Dumas himself would be impressed with this re-telling and, if this story can still be so good after 160 years, we can only wonder what will happen when the Japanese get their hands on Moby Dick. Re-imagining, indeed.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, December 2008
Gankutsuou:
The Count of Monte Cristo
Anime DVD Review
The classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo has been adapted to the screen many times. Now it's getting a futuristic spin and a splashy gothic look in this anime series helmed by internationally-acclaimed director Mahiro Maeda (The Animatrix, Kill Bill). Gankutsuou is supposed to mean "Ruler of the Caves". If that's intended to impress, it succeeds.
Costume designer Anna Sui provides the enigmatic count with a galaxy of flashy outfits as he prowls the streets of a decadent city built on the surface of the moon. There, the mysterious gentleman meets the young and impressionable viscount Albert Mondego, and sucks him into his world of depravity and revenge. Hidenori Matsubara provides character designs that give a nod to Anne Rice as well as Alexandre Dumas. (Are those fangs the count is sporting?) Who will go down for the Count? Check it out if you dare!
Below: Scenes from Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo.
Reviewed by Lawrence Sufrin, January 2006
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