▪	RELEASED BY:		DEL REY
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		MAHIORO MAEDA
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / B&W
		▪	PAGES:		220
		▪	RATING:		OT
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		11/11/2008
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		11/10/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		HOLLY ELLINGWOOD

If you thought you knew the classic tale of revenge, Gankutsuou will prove you wrong. Taking a completely unexpected sci-fi and supernatural bent to the legendary story, Gankutsuou tells the tale of the wronged Edmond Dantes and his Machiavellian plan for revenge. Set in the far future and on another planet, the tale begins with a young teenager named Albert, the son of the affluent general Morcerf. He goes with his best friend Franz to the outer planet of Luna for their carnival. There he is robbed and meets the much talked about but never seen Count of Monte Cristo.  The mysterious man quickly enthralls the young Albert and they meet again in Paris. But nothing is happenstance here. It is quickly revealed to the reader that the Count is a mysterious being with a bloody past. A foul betrayal by his closest friend led to him being wrongfully imprisoned to a living death in the Chateau D’If. Upon escaping, Edmond took on a new name, looks different having been so changed from the carefree and good man that he was to a vengeful spirit intent on elaborate payback. The houses of Morcerf and two others, Villefort and Ganglers, are responsible. They are a triumvirate of financial, military and political power and the Count has set up a most intricate plan to take all three houses and everyone associated with them down to Hell.

The manga proves a gripping retelling of the anime adaptation of the classic Dumas novel. For those who have seen the anime, you will find the manga is a reinterpretation rather than a strict adaptation of the anime. Things don’t unfold exactly the same way and different insights are afforded the reader. Although a science fiction setting is given, the tale manages to capture a Napoleonic atmosphere with Gothic undertones, giving a feeling of a time long ago despite that it is set in the far future and on different worlds. Albert is the symbol of innocence, an innocence that is about to be lost as he is seduced by the Count’s entrancing aura. The story is one about how revenge is something that destroys everyone, including the one who metes it out. It is also in part about forgiveness. But in this first volume, the danger Albert is in and the tragedy of the past of Edmond  give excellent character development for what is a going to affect the lives of all involved.

Mahiro Maeda is a famous talent in Japan having worked as a director, manga artist and animator. In his early career he worked on such classics as Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Later he worked for GAINAX (Evangelion) and later established GONZO and directed Blue Submarine No. 6 and Gankutsuou. There could be no better person suited for this manga adaptation of the anime. Naturally it would be impossible for a manga to mirror the dazzling colors and patterns of the intricate animation. Therefore the art work holds similar character designs that reflect those of the animation exactly, but the backgrounds, clothing patterns and atmosphere are darker, more mysterious, and more stark to give the feeling of a world of light (in this case the innocent and young Albert with his naive view of the world as all good is the metaphor for that light) being sucked down into the darkness of hate and revenge.

Manga extras include translation notes.

IN SUMMARY:
Gankutsuou the manga is an entrancing retelling of the sci-fi epic anime. It is a complex and captivating  sci-fi tale of revenge based on the classic Dumas novel the Count of Monte Cristo.