Over time, people's tastes change. I think this applies to any area of human interest. Music, literature, films, games - with age, every person discovers something new, and what recently aroused strong sympathy ceases to seem so attractive. We become more picky, more experienced, and are no longer ready to waste our time on something mediocre. Of course, a similar rule applies to the anime industry. You get older and more experienced, and fewer and fewer titles are able to evoke a kaleidoscope of emotions in your soul. Even works that previously seemed like masterpieces no longer evoke such ardent enthusiasm. However, I think this process can be called natural. In reality, only ten to twenty percent of all titles produced are high-quality, watchable products that you don’t mind spending time on. It’s just that initially you don’t realize it, and you look at everything. This time I want to tell you about a title that, if I had seen it ten years ago, I would have been delighted with, but now... now the viewing experience was not at all delightful. This will be a review of Guilty Crown.
Brief information
Guilty Crown of 2011 by Production I. G. _ Based on the original script , the series consists of twenty-two episodes.
The events of the title take place in the near future, several years after the incident that occurred in Japan and was nicknamed the Lost Christmas. As a result of an unknown coincidence, many Tokyo residents turned into crystals and then crumbled into ashes. The main character, schoolboy Shuu Ouma , escaped such an unenviable fate. He goes to a regular school and enjoys a regular life. , she watches and edits amateur videos of the famous female singer Inori Yuzuriha . Imagine Xiu’s surprise when he met the wounded idol in his refuge, where he preferred to spend time alone. But the happiness did not last long: the idyll was brazenly destroyed by corporation soldiers who burst into the shelter, proclaimed Inori a criminal and took her into custody. Oma is faced with a choice: either fulfill Inori's last request and take the suitcase with unknown contents to a certain Guy , or pretend that nothing happened. This is a choice that can change your life. But how difficult it is to do it...
Inori Yuzuriha
Member of the youth pop group EGOIST. He is an artificially created person, in fact a container for Mana. She was accidentally released by the head of the Undertakers, for which Inori is very grateful to him. Due to the blood transfusion between her and Guy, he is, in principle, still alive, since he has long been infected with the virus. Has conflicting feelings towards the protagonist. At first he doesn’t like him, and sometimes he even despises him, which leads to separation. Later he encounters Xiu again and already falls in love with him. After Mana awakened, she used all her will to manifest herself and help the main character.
In the photo of the anime "Sinner's Crown" the protagonist is being held by Void. Inori is likely by his side as fans are hoping for a happy ending for these two. There are many theories regarding the ending, but the viewer/reader will decide for himself what to believe.
Characters
You know, this is no longer funny... At first I had hope. It's a weak, uncertain, but not unreasonable hope that Shuu Ouma , who is the main character in Guilty Crown , will still turn out to be a quality character, because in the first episodes, despite his modesty, he still does the right things. But hopes tend not to come true. Unfortunately, most of the time Oma behaves like an ordinary OYASH with brown eyes and hair (like a curse), as well as a bunch of complexes to boot. Even having received power, he is afraid to use it, feels sorry for himself in every possible way and blames everyone around him for this. He whines constantly. Whines one, two, three, ten episodes. “Ooooh, I don’t want this power!!!” “Ooooh, leave me alone!!!” “Ooooh, I want to be like Guy, but I’m not him, so I’ll act like a child!!!” And so time after time. And now a logical question arises: why the hell make such a character the main character? In the name of what? I would understand if this were a minor character who appeared in several episodes, but Xiu is at the center of events throughout the entire series, and constantly makes it seem like he is owed something.
Yes, he changes eventually. But damn it, this happens fifteen episodes ! It took Fifteen endless episodes and several deaths of loved ones for Oma to find the eggs and begin to benefit those around him. For a title with only twenty-two episodes, this is an unaffordable luxury. Fifteen episodes for the main character to turn from a withdrawn hysterical person, causing irritation with every antics, into a full-fledged hero with whom one could empathize. Yes, during this time you can watch another, full-fledged title, as, however, not so patient viewers do. And I understand and support them. The fact that pretty girls like Inori and Hare are aimlessly attracted to Omu for no reason does not arouse sympathy towards him, but only even greater rejection, because sympathy must be earned in some way. Otherwise, the anime turns into a harem. The only thing that the main character masterfully does throughout two-thirds of the series is utter pathetic phrases with the blissful face of a great martyr. No subsequent metamorphosis that turns Ouma into a normal protagonist is worth such torment. It seems that the writers did not fully realize that in order to demonstrate the weak traits of a character, it is not necessary to turn him into an amorphous, pretentious, stupid fool, suffering from amnesia and running from all problems.
Okay, we've covered the main character, now we can move on to other important characters. Fortunately, they were much better than Oma. Even endowed with stereotyped images, the remaining characters successfully cope with their tasks and do not cause rejection. Thus, the main character in the person of Inori Yuzuriha turned of symbol of the series with a bang. Having seen Inori at least once, it will be difficult to confuse her with anyone else. Gai Tsutsugami is a likable, strong-willed, if slightly formulaic, leader who is a pleasure to watch, clearly demonstrating what a protagonist should really be like. If it weren't for Guy in the first half of Guilty Crown, there would be no one to empathize with at all. Among the minor characters, I would like to highlight the girl in the wheelchair, Ayase Shinomiya , who, despite her rather banal image, turns out to be a deep and versatile character . Additionally, I liked how her friendship with Oma developed smoothly, which has more impact than all the romance shown in the series. Alisa Kuhouin was also curious , using her example to show that changes lead not only to the better. , Makoto Segai (Makoto Waltz “Scarface” Segai) seemed suitable , doing everything to obtain information and getting an unreal thrill from what was happening. A sort of Orochimaru from the world of Guilty Crown.
On the other hand, many minor characters never received the attention and development they deserved. At times I didn’t understand why they were even added to the series. So, the purpose of the arrogant boy Daryl Yan and the motivation for his actions remained mysterious, other than “Baaaaa, I’m so glamorous and evil, I’ll kill everyone I want.” The image of Oma's friend Hare Menjou , whose fate is guessed from the very first episodes. Yuu really is , what is associated with the strong metamorphoses in Guy’s , or how Mana’s . The motivations of the antagonists are also poorly explained. So many questions and so few answers... In general, the situation with the characters in Guilty Crown is very contradictory.
Mana Oma
The protagonist's sister. She looked like a smiling blonde with pink eyes. She became the first person to be infected with the Apocalypse virus, receiving with it the power of Void control. Particles from her body led to the formation of weapons in other people. She used Void Xiu to regain what she had lost. She died, but was later resurrected in an artificially created body (Inori). He has a platonic attraction to his brother, which he limits and condemns in every possible way. After Xiu once again refused to marry Mana, she ordered his death.
Plot
The first thing I would like to note is the well-developed, consistent structure of the series , thanks to which each part of it turned out to be uniform and dynamic, and the transitions between them were natural and smooth. Still, the fact that the original script was written specifically for the series format makes itself felt. Guilty Crown consists of several arcs spanning five to six episodes with clear boundaries. From the point of view of richness, it will be difficult to find any weak points in the title - the plot constantly does not stand still and presents new surprises. The last arch turned out to be especially powerful - dynamic, touching, and looks in one go.
By the way, I think that any viewer who watched Code Geass will notice many similar features in Guilty Crown - the source of inspiration of the writers here is obvious. Here you have a confrontation between the opposition and the oppressive organization; and the main character with supernatural powers, capable of manipulating others; and characters centered in school; and controlled mechs, one of which is controlled by a sexy girl in a tight catsuit; and the ultimate goal that the antagonists are trying to achieve. Hell, this list goes on and on. Whether this is good or bad - let everyone answer this question for themselves. On my own behalf, I’ll just say that Guilty Crown still doesn’t look like outright plagiarism.
However, despite the complex structure of the plot, if you look at it more closely, you will notice many shortcomings. Let's start with the abundance of clichés that fill Guilty Crown. Firstly, this is amnesia , which always brings an element of second-rate to any title. Simply because it is the least elegant way of hiding some information from the viewer, which at some point is used as an adrenaline injection that gives the plot impetus. Secondly, there are resurrections of dead characters. The meaning is approximately the same. Thirdly, these are the predictable deaths of certain characters, which are needed only to direct the plot in the right direction. Fourthly, this is romance , inserted into Guilty Crown completely out of place - just to be there. I’d rather not say anything about such trivialities as a chosen schoolboy who, quite by chance, receives great power, or the final battles that decide the fate of the world.
But here we come to the second most serious flaw of Guilty Crown, which I will call fan service . And not simple fan service, which, if used correctly, can serve for good, but fan service in its most intrusive and meaningless form. What sense could there be in showing off someone's tits or ass every minute on half the screen in an anime that tries to be more or less serious and raises issues like the mass oppression of defenseless people by an all-powerful corporation and the execution of dissenters? So you look at this, try to somehow analyze and tune in properly, imbued with the atmosphere, and then suddenly the entire screen is occupied by the breasts of Oma’s mother or another heroine, in response to which Oma makes embarrassed faces with rosy cheeks. No, are you serious? The mood disappears in the blink of an eye, the desire to continue watching instantly disappears, and in its place comes only one question: “Why?” How can a person who makes a professional living by creating anime for his living not understand such a simple thing? Why did it take two-thirds of the series to realize that Guilty Crown doesn't need to show off someone's breasts every minute? I'm afraid I can't understand this.
Void Genome, Void and Virus
The Void Genome is the main character's special power, which is genetic in nature. Allows you to isolate a Void from a person - a spiritual weapon. It can take various forms, and also significantly depends on the will of the bearer, which determines the strength of the weapon in the end. So, for example, the protagonist’s close comrade received an F in the invented Void classification, and Inari wields a sword of terrifying power and could top the table. If the carrier survived and mastered the Void Genome, then a repeated experiment would most likely kill him. However, the protagonist agrees to this and voluntarily absorbs both the Void and the virus.
Panache
The visual part of Guilty Crown turned out to be of high quality. It successfully combines such advantages as stunning choreography of battles, a huge number of extraordinary angles, elaborate close-ups and original character design, and such obvious shortcomings as the drawing of background images (especially the school), the design of the main character and an excessive amount of static, which becomes noticeable towards the end of the series. The series also has disgusting treatment of water. I got the feeling that more budget was spent on animating Ayase's chest than on rendering the surface of the ocean. These are the modern priorities. But be that as it may, the visual component of Guilty Crown is one of the strongest points of the series. The amount of goosebumps from some episodes cannot be expressed in words. The scene of drawing a sword with the camera flying in a circle and jumping forward to the incomparable music of Hiroyuki Sawano; Guy's first appearance scene with great fight animation; many non-standard angles and dynamic battles - all this can easily be added to the list of advantages.
Music
You know, I usually try to avoid loud statements, but this is clearly not the case. Hiroyuki Sawano is a damn genius who sold his soul to the devil for his ability to create incomparable, amazing music. Any, even the most second-rate anime, with a soundtrack from Sawano, has the opportunity to become outstanding. Only with just a few notes can you tremble from melodies that are still unfamiliar to you, turning any battle into an epic spectacle. And the skillful use of powerful female and male vocals makes the soundtrack even more beautiful, soulful and diverse. Despite not the longest duration, it turned out amazing. I especially want to note the light melody that is used during comedy inserts with the words Yes or No pronounced at the right time - I haven’t laughed so much in a long time from the competent combination of the audio and visual parts of the anime. The openings and endings were no less high quality:
The first opening of My Dearest performed by supercell ;
Second opening of The Everlasting Guilty Crown performed by EGOIST ;
The first ending theme of Departures ~ Anata ni Okuru Ai no Uta ~ performed by EGOIST ;
Second ending theme of Kokuhaku performed by supercell ; – this one would generally pass for a decent opening.
They all sound powerful and varied. For once, I came across an anime in which I didn’t want to rewind a single opening or ending theme after a couple of listens.
Ratings
Characters – 5.0. A very annoying and weak main character who remains so for most of the series. Among the minor characters you can find some interesting examples, as well as many stereotypes.
Plot – 7.0. The series has a dynamic and well-constructed structure, in which, however, one can see many cliches and shortcomings.
Drawing – 8.0. Excellent battle animation, character design and close-ups. Mediocre backgrounds and a lot of static.
Music – 9.0. Despite not being the longest, the soundtrack of Guilty Crown through the efforts of Hiroyuki Sawano turned out to be amazing.
