Manga by Mahiro Maeda, Scenario by Yura Ariwara, Planning by Mahiro Maeda and GONZO
Del Rey, 432 pp.
Rating: OT (16 +)

Albert and Franz, two young Parisian nobles, journey to the city of Luna to celebrate the Carnival. Along the way they encounter the enigmatic man known only as The Count of Monte Cristo. What dark secret does this man hold, and just what connection does he have to Albert and Franz?

First thing you’ll probably notice is Mahiro Maeda’s art and that’s because it’s absolutely beautiful. There’s a certain roughness and sketchiness to the work which I suspect is due to his usage of cross-hatching. He mixes this with the toning to fantastic effect, creating a beautiful, highly detailed world and cast of characters. Whether it’s the ornate, French-inspired hotels and ballsrooms or the fanciful designs that reside under the Count’s cloak, everything looks amazing. The clothing, the hair styles are really just a treat to look at and I found myself going back over it just to admire the detail of it all.

The story introduces and sets up the premise of the Count’s plan to avenge himself upon the families that conspired against him, imprisoned him, and took his life from him. To this end, he begins to insinuate himself into various aspects of their lives. Of course, revenge isn’t a clear-cut thing, and we quickly learn that while he’s in the right to want vengeance, his manipulations are ensnaring people that had nothing to do with his imprisonment, several of whom actually seem quite keen on the Count. Not having read Dumas’ original novel or having seen the anime, I’m not exactly sure how things will play out. But I’m getting the sneaking suspicion that it won’t be pleasant and, frankly, if this has a happy ending I’ll be feeling a bit cheated.

If there are any negatives about the story, it’s that the cast is utterly massive. The sheer amount of characters, their positions and ranks, and their relationships to each other felt a bit overwhelming at times, particularly towards the end when about half a dozen characters are just thrown right at you. I found myself flipping back and forth to double-check names just to make sure I was following it all correctly. This was made fairly easy due to the fact that most of the characters are introduced with a caption giving their name and rank.

All in all, I’m digging the hell out of this series. The art’s lovely, it’s based upon a classic tale of revenge, and it’s only going to be three volumes! A good first volume that gives the series a great start, I think the rest of it will definitely be worth a look. Incidentally, not only has this piqued my interest in the anime but I’m now tempted to hunt down the original novel by Alexandre Dumas as well.

Volume one of Gankutsuou is available now.