So tonight I won't shut up about Gankutsuou

Tumblr user KrokoRobin talks a lot while watching one of the best anime series ever made. Prepare for lots of tl;dr and spoilers! Tag List Alright there is this one rule. If you reblog any of my posts? PLEASE don’t delete the text. It takes hours, researching, thinking about and writing this stuff. And if it doesn’t fit your blog aesthetic, then please don’t reblog it. My screenshots aren’t that pretty, like, you can even repost them, I don't care. But I’m sure you will find better ones to reblog that do not have meta analysis to go with them.

[gankutsuou-feels]

I friggin love this blog <3 esp. that 50 shades of done post xD Thx SO MUCH for showing what crazy shit an adaptation can do and be fucking awesome all the while! :D I'm falling in love with this show more and more, poor kurapirkko can attest to that (as long as I dont fangirl them to death... ^^;;; - btw i can carry them now! ᕙ( * •̀ ᗜ •́ * )ᕗ) The OST is so absolutely amazing! It uses the same simple melody for completely different emotions its incredible :D I could just go on and on!

“(that MUDRA! and it makes so much sense but hell if one notices with all the flashy stuff going on) Btw I agree that the show really had a different tone than the book regarding the revenge theme. I felt that it was handled poorly and rushed in the book, 'Welp, maybe it wasn't so good that an innocent child had to die for my revenge, but hey, tout va bien!' On the other hand, Book!Edmond hasn't sold off his soul and humanity and it shows. He wouldve spared Albert on Mercedes' request,““a thing that wouldnt have sit well with the Gankutsuou. In a way, it makes you wonder whether there is such a thing as 'humane revenge'... I don't think though this angle is played completely straight nowadays much in media, but I might be mistaken. /ramble (so sorry ^^;) Yeah well anyway (why do asks have such a small character limit?) thx again and a great weekend to you and Panda! :D (p.s. did you know that Albert's seiyuu also voiced Grell? And looks amazing when he's friggin 40? (SO JELLY)“

AAAAHHH I’m so happy you had fun with it, both the anime and this blog! It just fills me with so much joy when I can show my fav anime to someone new and it resonates with them ♥♥♥ (congrats on being able to pick up Pirkko! Hope they enjoy a piggyback ride haha)

hell if one notices with all the flashy stuff going on

yeah that’s a bit of a problem with Gankutsuou and the direction the art style took. I’ve been comparing the original vision for the show and the final result a lot, and one can’t help but notice that the anime endet up with much less contrast. Everything, no matter whether it’s the characters, the foreground, the background, or any object in between, has more or less the same weight, which makes everything blur together very quickly, especially with the insane amount of colors and patterns on the screen. I like that look, but I sometimes can’t help but wonder what Gankutsuou would have looked like with a cleaner look involving more flat black areas. Maybe I’m gonna write about the lack of negative space, or ma, in Gankutsuou at some point...

Don’t apologize for rambling, that’s what this blog was made for!

Jun Fukuyuma is insanely talented. He’s got such a wide variety of characters he can play, and I’m super happy he’s still so active and involved in many popular anime series!

[gankutsuou-feels]

Hi! I hope to don't bother you too much with this ask. How do you think about Albert x Haydee and/or Eugenie x Haydee as end-game couples? For all the reasons you know, it's more a "what if" scenario than possible ending, and I hope we are not too much in a "fanfiction territory" for an ask. Take your time for this ask, and for your blog, we'll all wait for you patiently :)

Ah gosh darn it sorry for taking a while to answer this I had a lot on my plate recently. But thanks for asking, and no, you’re definitely not bothering me at all :D

I am all here for the fanfiction territories and the what if scenarios! Albert/Haydee especially doesn’t seem to be that far of a stretch if you ask me. Honestly, I think these two could be really good for each other, since they’ve gone through a similar experience losing the Hakushaku by the end of the series. You just need to take a look at their faces right when they’re flying out of the collapsing mansion and you know they share the exact same sentiment and there is no one else in the world who quite feels the same grief as they do. Except maybe for Bertuccio, but he’s older and much more able to cope. That’s why it’s so good that he stayed with Haydee, as her bodyguard and personal confidant.

Haydee being the queen of Janina and Albert being a diplomat after the events of the show, I absolutely imagine them meeting again for some political conference, reconnecting there and just feeling a sting of melancholy, but also relief, when they look at each other and realize that they’re both still hurting, deep inside, and that they can talk about it with each other.

I also think it would be interesting to see how Haydee’s feelings for Albert would develop, as they start of on quite a complicated foot. Haydee really wants to like Albert, she’s happy that the Hakushaku means so much to him, and his upbeat attitude and honest admiration for her craft are a breath of fresh air in her quiet and never-changing world. But he is also the son of the man who murdered her father and betrayed her people, and no matter how much she wanted to ignore these feelings, she held some deep resentments against him because of that. Because he is so ignorant of her suffering, because maybe he would act just like his father if the situation arose.

To watch Albert face these accusations, becoming more aware of his father’s crimes and acknowledging the pain he caused, while Haydee slowly overcomes her hatred and learns that Albert can help her heal, I think that would be an interesting foundation for a relationship, romantic or otherwise.

Eugenie and Haydee on the other hand never even met, as far as I can remember, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from shipping them. Sapphic Eugenie ships are the best ships after all! And Eugenie being fiercely protective of her amazing queen is just the most adorable mental image. Maybe she could become a musician at Haydee’s court! Aaah what an affair that would be~

And occasionally, when there’s no one around to notice, Eugenie would whisk the queen away in her speedy sports car to a private place far outside the city where they can talk about their problems and fears, and Haydee doesn’t have to worry about the burden of her crown for a couple of hours.

I think having someone around who doesn’t care all that much for politics and doesn’t dwell on dark pasts could also be a good thing for Haydee, and I imagine their personalities could work together in amazing and occasionally hilarious ways!

And since you said Albert/Haydee and/or Haydee/Eugenie, I will also consider the most adorable frickin poly relationship in the history of ever, where Haydee is caught between these two still hotheaded idiots and she just watches them have this playful rivalry for Haydee’s affection because Albert and Eugenie are ALWAYS having a playful rivarly about SOMETHING and Haydee adores them and quietly enjoys being appreciated so much and so openly a teensy tiny little bit before she politely asks them both to settle down and Albert and Eugenie comply and then they both get queenly kisses (while getting a bit flustered of course) and then everything is alright ♥

As you can see, as always I’m here for ALL the ships asdfgh! Again, thanks a lot for this ask, shipping questions are the best questionsss!

[irenssvincent]

Dentelle 

This is my humble tribute to “The Count of Monte Cristo” — Duma’s great novel, the beautiful anime, and the charming character himself ❤ — as well as to the magical music of brilliant Saint-Saëns, who is probably one of my favorite composers of all time ~ Quite a French mix we have here ^^ I hope you like it~ SPECIAL THANKS to かた@子  for creating stunning Gankutsuou artworks and giving me permission to use one of them as the poster for this video ❤

Note: This video may be blocked in some countries due to the music copyright reasons. If you are unable to watch it on YouTube, you can download the HD version here ^^ 

Info: Anime: Gankutsuou, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movies Music: Camille Saint-Saëns - Danse Macabre

[gankutsuou-feels]

Guys, everyone take a look at this stunning Gankutsuou AMV! The style of the anime and the music fit together perfectly and it really captures the atmosphere of the elegant yet depraved world the Hakushaku has built for himself~

I know we all don’t get a lot of content in this fandom, so seeing awesome contributions like this always makes me super happy and I HAD to share it ♥ Thanks for the heads up and keep up the good work!

[gankutsuou-feels]

Happy New Year i hope 2017 will be kind to you. Come back on this sideblog whenever u want/feel like to/like no pressure. The energy and thoughts u put in your posts is greatly appreciated and your blog will always hold a special place in my heart.

Sorry for the late reply!

Thank you so much for this message, it makes my day every time I look at it ^^

I’m really glad you guys are still here, and believe me I think of you and this blog very often. I really hope all of you have an amazing new year 2017!

Spread the Gankutsuou goodness ♥

[gankutsuou-feels]

Is this blog still active? :s

It’s on hiatus at the moment.

Posting about ten minutes of Gankutsuou usually takes up my entire evening, and I don’t have the time or energy for that right now.

I can’t say when, but I will be back, promise!

[gankutsuou-feels]

Hi, I love your posts on Gankutsuo! They're so well thought out and illuminating. You have such a sharp eye when describing this show, so I was wondering if you could a question about the show that's been bothering me for a while. Do you know why Andrea wanted revenge against Eugenie? Why did he want to make her life hell and not Valentine or Eduard, since they were also his half-siblings? I never got why he wanted to hurt her specifically. Do you have any idea why? Thank you for reading!!

Hey there~

Thanks a lot, I do my best! But honestly, the only reason I am even able to get so much out of this show is because there is just so much THERE...! 8D

Concerning your question, I think there are a lot of reasons, the most important one of course being that the Hakushaku ordered him to focus his attention on the Danglars-family. The Hakushaku enables Andrea to take revenge on those who have abandoned and betrayed him (a sentiment the Hakushaku can very much identify with), and in turn, Andrea does his bidding.

He spies on Baron Danglars for the Hakushaku and insinuates himself into the Barons’ confidence to get engaged to Eugenie, which in turn will leave Albert devastated and disconnected from his friends, making him more vulnerable to the Hakushaku’s influence.

Another reason is because both in a meta and an in-universe level, there is a certain connection between Andrea where he sees himself in Eugenie, or rather the life he should’ve had. Maybe she looks most like him out of his half-siblings, maybe it’s her personality, but something about her in particular makes him feel like she is the one who took his place. The fruit of betrayal that must be plucked from the tree, he has decided, is Eugenie.

And as I said, we’ve got a whole meta level to take into consideration there. After all, Eugenie was originally supposed to be the Andrea-like character in the show and even looked exactly like him.

Last but not least, I think it was plot convenience. Eugenie needed conflict and there had to be an obstacle that her and Albert must overcome to be together.

[gankutsuou-feels]

Thanks to @waitingxonxhope for apologising! I got a bit waspish there, for which I want to publicly apologize as well.

Deleted the posts in question, so no hard feelings and I hope you all have a great day ^^

[gankutsuou-feels]

pisupuer reblogged your photoset “It’s astonishing how nothing but the unexpected sight of Mercédès can still upset the Hakushaku to the core.”

#he is heteorsexual

[gankutsuou-feels]

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!! Best wishes ! Good luck with the master thesis! Can't wait to read more from you ^.^ i hope this year will be good to you <3

Thanks a lot! ♥

[gankutsuou-feels]

I just wanted to say thank you for having such an awesome blog. I've been a fan of Gankutsuou since I first saw it when I was 10, and I wish I had been old enough to participate in all the deep discussions that were surely more prevalent when the show was brand new. I just finished rewatching the show for the first time as an adult (boy did I miss a lot) and this blog is exactly what I needed! Finally someone who understands just how deeply this show can absolutely DESTROY you with feels!

Glad you like it! I promise I’ll get back to writing meta soon, my life is nothing but stress right now 8D

Tbh, I’m not sure if there ever was any sort of forum for discussions over Gankutsuou, at least not as far as I know. I watched it not that long after it aired, and no anime related site I frequented had any sort of discussion board for it. It seems like Gankutsuou has never been popular enough to attract enough people for deep fandom discussions...

[gankutsuou-feels]

Why have you stopped posting D:?

I am writing my bachelor thesis right now and I am working on a personal project (a story which you can find out more about here :D). Both drain me quite a lot, so even when I have time for analysing Gankutsuou, I don’t have the energy for it.

I am planning on reviving this blog eventually, once I am done with one of these two things! Up until then, I sincerely apologise for the lack of updates. Hope you guys are alright, love you all <3

[gankutsuou-feels]

AHAHAHAHA im so sorry for all the Revolver Ocelot on your dash you guys I’m a loser who can’t even handle xkit im so so so so so sorry

[gankutsuou-feels]

whyyyyyyyy does tumblr always reblog my stuff as my gankutsuou bloggggg

im so sorry guys it's not my fault

[gankutsuou-feels]

Hello! I love Gankutsuou and I would love to watch more animes like it, but so far haven't found anything. Do you have any recommendations?

Hi there! ^^

Tbh I’m not big on anime or manga. I was a major fan back when I was a teenager, but by now I’m quite disappointed of the whole industry and tend to avoid it as a whole.

There are some exceptions though (obviously, or this blog wouldn’t exist).

For example right now I’m re-reading Maiden Rose. I think people who enjoyed Gankutsuou for its perfect mix of tangible plot, depth, queer themes, and uncompromising exploration of fucked up relationships will love this manga as well. It is set in a world ruptured by war and tells the story of two men from vastly different places who are trying to hold onto their affection for one another, despite the destructiveness of their surroundings and their own feelings. Fair warning: There are graphic depictions of sex and rape. (There are also two OVA episodes covering the first volume of the manga. They are fairly well animated and if you can deal with the noises seiyuus make during sex scenes, you might want to give them a look as well.)

Even in my time as an anime/manga-fan, I always steered clear of the bl genre. I couldn’t stand the stereotypes, the typical "seme/uke" dynamics, and the romantisation of what were obviously non-consensual relationships. While Maiden Rose does contain similar tropes, it deals with them in a whole different way than usual. It does not gloss over them, but recognises them for what they are and shows them in their whole screwed-up-ness. And complexity. That might not make a difference for some. However, as I keep alluding to when I talk about most of the relationships in Gankutsuou: I think the depiction of abusive relationships per se should not be treated as a taboo. It is the recognition of unhealthy themes that is everything imho.

ANYWAY, Maiden Rose is really great and, just like Gankutsuou, one of the rare and awesome cases of a narrative that is built around queer romance, but also has a whole story to tell outside of that.

[gankutsuou-feels]

The Hakushaku conjured a sword out of Maximilien’s heart.

That’s all.

[almaclara-dream]

I couldn’t resist….

[gankutsuou-feels]

The best part is that I JUST watched RGU, and of course my brain immediately gave me images of the Hakushaku as the Rose Bride and Albert as Utena (feat Franz as Wakaba).

...Though more accurately, Mercedes should probably be the Rose Bride. And Eugenie would very much fit the role of Utena. Aaaaand now I ship Mercedes/Eugenie.

[gankutsuou-feels]

Hello, i'm digging through your blog, i am not finished yet but i can already tell you that i cannot thank you enough for what you do. This anime is so very very dear to me. I was 15 when i first watched it and it's going to be the 8th year now, i pretty much grown with this anime, each time i watched i had a different understanding of it ... Anyway i am so happy your blog exist! You've put some of my reflexions into words and i noticed new things thanks to you. Have a very very lovely day <3.

ASDFGHJKL I don't even know what to say thank you so much! 

It's very similar for me! I first watched the anime when I was ~17 yo, which means that it's eight years now for me as well, and I would be lying if I said that I had noticed everything I am pointing out here before. There are so many things that I am realizing just now as I am basically stopping every thirty seconds to sit back and THINK what just happened and what it could mean.

I mostly created this blog to finally put down all these ideas and feelings I had about Gankutsuou, but I'm very glad to see that there are people out there who appreciate this show and who enjoy reading my meta!

A lovely day to you too! <3

[gankutsuou-feels]

We haven’t seen Edmond a lot yet, so this is one of his very first appearances. He is depicted right in the middle of his defining struggle: Behind bars despite his innocence, symbolized by his completely white clothes and the white rose.

[wuekka]

but he already has Gankutsuou inside, since he’s already blue so…his innocence is like the flower, it’s dying?

[gankutsuou-feels]

nah, here, we probably see him either in custody in Marseille, or it's a metaphor. The Gankutsuou won't possess him until he spent some years in Chateau d'If. He looks a LOT different at that point, too.

In any case, he is freshly imprisoned, and still untainted. Of course the rose is bit tattered already...