Today on Screen Critix we are reviewing Guilty Crown Part 1, via Blu-ray. The Anime is scheduled for release on the 18th November, 2013. Fitting with the Christmas element. More after the break.
Name: Guilty Crown Part 1 Blu-ray
Studio: Production I.G
Licensed By: Manga Entertainment
Release Date: 18/11/2013
“Guilty Crown will no doubt be appealing to some, while irritating to others.”
Guilty Crown was an interesting watch not only because the animation is very well done, but because it is an original Anime with no previous source material. The usual paths to an Anime, on that note, are as follows: Manga, Visual Novel or Light Novel. I imagine that pitching an Anime without an established fan base is quite difficult.
So, what’s Guilty Crown all about? Guilty Crown is set in a damaged Japan where foreign aid is constantly required; basically Japan isn’t ruling itself anymore. An event labeled “Lost Christmas” shattered the country, and caused many to die from a genetic virus. The story follows Ouma Shu, a somewhat infuriating at times, not very confident, and socially awkward student. His life, without spoiling the series, becomes very complicated after a series of events that leave him to be one of the few people capable of changing the countries fortunes. Honestly, he isn’t cut out for the job. In contrast another character named Gai (cool sounding name?) is much more suited, and their lies part of the problem. He is the leader of a group trying to change Japan, with no choice but to rely on the unreliable Shu.
As previously noted the Animation is very well done, striking even, and the Blu-Ray edition is obviously the way to go if you have the equipment. I always find it a shame, however, when the Japanese language track is 2.0 and not 5.1 Dolby TrueHD. That doesn’t massively affect the viewing experience, but for sound buffs it will obviously be significant.
Most of this review so far sounds like a source material and specs piece? Sorry! Let’s get on with some opinion based paragraphs. I found Guilty Crown to be a good watch, even if the main character can be annoying, and found that storyline was constantly progressing at a moderate pace towards climatic moments. For example, this part 1 set ends on a cliffhanger. It almost felt like the entire initial 11 episodes were building towards that moment. The series also features enough interesting characters to mask the potentially too irritating lead; in the form of Gui an at times impossibly capable character who gets the job done, Sergio the antagonist with an ulterior motive, Yukio the guy you can’t quite figure out what his goals are, and a plethora of other mildly interesting characters. Amusingly enough the, seemingly, main love interest can be a bit bland at times. You do however get the feeling she will play a big part in the second half of the series.
Overall thoughts:
Guilty Crown will no doubt be appealing to some, while irritating to others. Due to the character and storyline clichés. The animation is however very well done. The part 1 cliffhanger was also interesting enough to gain some interest in the next episodes.
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