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Questions regarding Gankutsuou

.I strongly recommend the novel if you haven't read it already... The story more than makes up the lack of animation and sound.

Please use some spoiler tags. -_-;;

What happens in the novel?

Count of Monte Cristo is Dumas finest work, and it's such a powerful tale. Also you get a different side of the story consider how it's told from Edmunds point of view, but I thought that Gonzo did a great job looking at this tale in a new light, which makes me want to see there Romeo and Juliet even more.

Delta

It's a good anime, but not a good adaptation of one of the greatest novels in existance.

I applaud Gonzo's attempt. But they failed. Miserably, at that. In fact, they missed the entire theme of revenge and justice and turned it into some no-theme, nonsensical ending that made no sense whatsoever. Maybe if they kept the theme and presented it in an alternative ending, like the Hollywood movie, it would've worked. Maybe if they came up with a whole new theme instead and decided to show that throughout the entire series, it would've worked. That ending was one of the most disappointing endings I've ever had to face while watching anime, especially because the rest of the series was so good.

What? You honestly thought the Hollywood movie (with Jim Cavaziel) had a better ending than the anime? The movie version doesn't follow on the theme on the novel either!

And no, the theme was not about God. Dantes prayed for God's justice (Not God's deliverance) when he was imprisoned; likewise he abandoned God when he escaped. God doesn't even appear in the anime. The novel's ending shows that revenge and happiness can be attained, without God's justice, and goes against the religious concept of "revenge is foolish and pointless". The movie at least showed revenge fulfilled; the anime twisted that, making Dantes look like one big fool in the end. And if that wasn't enough, spoiler[he dies with the man he hated the most.]

I can't comment on the original, unfortunately, but I think you hit the point of the anime's ending there- that revenge/hate is foolish and pointless. spoiler[When he couldn't make Albert hate, couldn't destroy his soul, that's when he realized that his actions couldn't bring him happiness. In turn, Franz's sword- thrust into Dantes in hate- ended up killing a man who'd just realized his folly and was ready to reform. And Albert's dad (whose name currently eldudes me) also learned that the happy life he'd built on hate and revenge was all false and quickly destroyed.

Judging from what you say, they do sound like 2 completely different 'morals' to the same story. And it sounds like the original novel was a fair bit more powerful for its bleaker take on this. I guess it's a matter of preference in the end.]