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Year: 2011-2012
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Episodes: 22
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
This might be a little too soon but what would happen is an apocalypse-type virus hit. I’m talking about turning people into crystal-like substances and then killing them. How do you think the world would react? I can tell you now that no one would probably stay calm. Do you trust the government or any organization to stop the virus?
Overview
The world changed on December 24, 2029, when an Apocalypse Virus spread across Japan, bringing death and chaos while plunging the country into utter despair. The day would be known throughout as “Lost Christmas.” Unable to do anything and establish any sense of order, the United Nations sent an organization known as the GHQ to contain the virus and become the nation’s ruling body. A decade has passed since the deadly day, and Japan is still under the rule of the GHQ.
In the Roppongi district of Tokyo, high school student Shu Ouma lives a quiet life. One day his life suddenly changes when he encounters a wounded girl named Inori Yuzuriha, the vocalist of a popular internet group Egoist, hiding out in the film’s club workshop. Shu is incredibly smitten with Inori as he loves the group’s music. Shu finds out that Inori is part of a resistance group named the Funeral Parlor, which aims to free Japan from the GHQ’s dictatorial grip. The group is led by the charismatic Gai Tsutsugami. Gai plans to steal a vial containing a substance called the “Void Genome.” When a battle breaks out between GHQ elite Anti-Bodies and Funeral Parlor. Inori rushes to Gai as she holds the vial he is looking for. Shu goes to save her, and when the vial shatters on Shu, he is granted the “Power of the King.” With his new abilities, Shu must fight to help Japan gain the freedom it craves.
Review:
Guilty Crown is one of those anime series that you will either love or hate. It is one of those anime series that you might think is incredible in the beginning, but as the story goes on, you will think it is meh. The start of the story is very interesting. A major virus called the Apocalypse Virus caused chaos and panic in Japan. Japan couldn’t survive the virus and called on help from the world’s nations, and the world unleashed the GHQ, which contained the virus. Ten years later, a resistance organization known as the Funeral Parlor led by Gai wages a campaign against the GHQ to liberate Japan once more.
The story is two-fold. The first part is about a boy named Shu, who gains the power of the kings from Inori and can take out Voids which are the weaponized versions of a person’s soul. Gai recruits him because he knows he is in love with Inori. Guilty Crown follows the usual track of a boy who has power but is scared to use it. He shouldn’t have it, but everyone accepts that he is the one who can be the one to bring them to victory.
The story works until this big dramatic turn with Gai dying and the secret that if a void is destroyed, then the person is killed. It’s like a no-shit dummy look at things. Shu goes on this evil “king’ story for a couple of episodes. Like dude really loses his mind until he is betrayed like MacBeth style, and Gai comes back. Then after that, the story really falls downhill. It hits the standard, and the boy gains new confidence and can take on the world. It could’ve been much better than it was because Inori becomes evil, and somehow Shu does; Shu becomes blind at the end.
I think that is the major problem of this anime. It started off one way, and it would’ve been better to keep the idea going of a lost kingdom and protection. When Gai returned as this really evil but OP person, the story became strange, and he even tore off Shu’s arm. That was straight-up hardcore. When Inori went evil, the story became blah. It showed she had an evil side, but the way it was done could’ve been better.
One of the highlights of this anime was the music. Now, I hardly ever pay attention to the music, but the beginning of this anime had me hooked on the music alone. It took me a while to find the starting song, but Euterpe by Egoist is where it was at. The melody and lyrics were on point. It is one of the few anime songs I have on my playlist. I want to give props to Egoist because some of the songs they sang were powerful and the true highlight of this entire anime.
I will also admit that the animation and effects of this anime were really good. When Shu pulled out people’s voids, they were done in spectacular fashion. The animation with the virus as it turned people into purple crystallized forms and then exploded is like snowflakes. Also, I have to give the anime credit for making Tokyo look marvelous. With the tower and spotlight moving around, it was a marvel to see.
Where the anime also does great is with the action. If you looking for an anime with action and people going crazy almost every episode, then this is the anime to watch. The first eleven episodes were action-packed and great, which moved the story and characters. The final two episodes were also off the chain, with Shu getting his powers back and going HAM on everyone. Love a good action film.
As far as the characters go, Shu is one of those characters that start off as a weak-ass punk and then becomes a boss. He is a standard anime person. Inori is another character that is cute but also mysterious. You really don’t know her background until the end. Gai is one of the characters that you root for, and then they just mess him up completely. One of the problems with this anime is that there really isn’t much character development for all the other characters.
Guilty Crown is one of those anime series that you will either like or hate. It is actually an anime where it starts off really strong for the first thirteen episodes and then falls off greatly with unwanted development and a confusing plot line. The music is by far one of the biggest highlights of this anime, along with the action and visuals. Listen to Euterpe by Egoist.
