SYNOPSIS

The story takes place in Tokyo in 2039, after the outbreak of the "Apocalypse Virus" during what became known as the "Lost Christmas" of 2029. Since then, Japan has been under the control of the multinational organization called GHQ. Ouma Shu, a 17-year-old boy who mistakenly obtains a rare and great power can use this power, "The Right Hand of the King," to extract "voids," or tools/weapons that are the manifestations of peoples' heart. He has been rather shy since a childhood tragedy, but both his personality and life change forever when he meets a girl named Yuzuriha Inori, a member of the rebel group called "Funeral Parlor," whose members seek the restoration of self-government in Japan via the ousting of GHQ.

MUSIC

Opening Theme:
#1: "Euterpe" Performed by Chelly. (Ep1)
#2: "My Dearest" Performed by Koeda. (Ep2-12)
#3: "The Everlasting Guilty Crown" Performed by Chelly. (Ep13-22)
Ending Theme:
#1: "Departures- Anata ni Okuru Ai no Uta" Performed by Chelly. (Ep1-12, 22)
#2: "Kokuhaku" Performed by Koeda. (Ep13-21)

REVIEW

Overall: 6/10
Points off for glaring plot holes, confusing story line, and random unnatural jumps in character development. Guilty Crown takes place in future Japan, where a disease has ravaged its way through the city. The government is corrupt & killing anybody who they think is infected, thus causing a terrorist group called "Funeral Parlor" to fight against them. Shu, who accidentally gets a super power to pull out weapons from people's heart is forced to join Funeral Parlor and fight against the government. Cliche anyone? The real main problem was that there were so many plot holes and inconsistencies that it was almost comical. The lack of logic that the characters had was also tear inducing. Some random and fun plot holes are: where on earth were the teachers at this school? Since when does student government have so much power? How does nobody notice all the massacres the government performs? I won't get too deep into why there are so many errors in the writing, but trust me, there are a lot. But the characters themselves were really interesting and made this anime worth watching for me. Some plot twist (while often poorly detailed) were indeed surprising, and the show did do a great job of maintaining suspense & making you want to marathon the show instead of taking your time. Add in the soundtrack and animation and I would say watch this anime if you have a summer break and have nothing to do. You won't be mad at it for wasting your time which might make you like it a little more than you normally would. Plus it's only 22 eps so for the avid anime viewer it's pretty short. I was really reluctant starting it but I have to say it got really interesting for me. One thing I would also add is if you're new to anime in general just because this show is such a mess story-wise. The story was definitely enjoyable, but was majorly held back by its inconsistency. Try more mainstream ones just to get your feet wet before diving right in.

Arts: 9/10
No complaints here, Guilty Crown really does have great animation. The lighting isn't particularly special, but the character models, movement, colours, and just overall feel were definitely high end. This is the kind of animation you hope to see out of more modern anime & is truly impressive.

Soundtrack: 8/10
Again, no complaints. Much like the art, the sound in this show was very high class. The openings & endings were great & the vocal tracks used in the show were good too. The soundtrack was spot on and really captured the emotions you were supposed to be feeling at each moment. I never heard anything out of place, and the music only enhanced the vibe in the show.

Characters: 7/10
I'd give the characters 10/10 just because I loved them so much but in an effort to remain objective I've to be honest. First of all, the characters really are the reason I kept watching Guilty Crown. From the beginning I kind of looked down on Shu, as anyone else would as he's painted as a coward & kind of a recluse. His development doesn't end here though! Shu's personality flip flops so many times that it's almost ridiculous. Why Inori claims to have loved him throughout this entire time is beyond me, seeing as he was at least 5 different personas in the show. To add onto his multiple personality disorder, he has almost no backstory, and the only backstory he does have is poorly explained. This goes for everyone else involved in this flashback. Gai is similar to Shu, where his personality changes multiple times during the show, and it never quite explains his reasoning or actions. I also liked Inori, despite the dryness in her character at the beginning, she really grows on you, especially when battling her own inner struggles. So all in all, I stayed for the characters, but just that with a plot as heavy as Guilty Crown's, you kind of need to establish strong characters.

Final Notes:
I'm glad I watched it. Yes, the characters were relatively weak, and there were plot holes all over the place. But, Guilty Crown is no pile of crap either. Its stand out performance in animation & music and you easily have an above average anime. If you can ignore the plot holes and take all the episodes in as they come, then you'll get swept up in the animation, fight scenes, characters, & emotions and you might just forget that the whole things make very little sense.

Pros:
+ Thrilling.
+ Quality animation.
+ Ending was actually satisfying.
+ Vocal music pieces are stellar.
Cons:
- Plot holes.
- Poorly developed characters.
- Fails to deliver in emotional moments.