Gankutsuo: The Count of Monte Cristo

Gankutsuo:  The Count of Monte Cristo is an anime series written by Shuchi Kouyama, directed by Mahiro Maeda, musically composed by Jean-Jacques Burnel, and produced by Studio Gonzo. It originally aired from October 5, 2004 to March 29, 2005, with a total of 24 episodes in the end. It was adapted from a popular and famous French novel called Gankutsuo written by Alexandre Dumas in the 1800's.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Incredible animation.
 * 2) The art of this anime is very unique and inventive.
 * 3) The story is the best part of this anime, and some even argue that it's superior to its literary source.
 * 4) The voice acting is amazing in both sub and dub.
 * 5) The pacing of the story is also worth praise, it's not too slow, not too fast, and each episode is able to perfectly end on a cliffhanger to make you interested in continuing.
 * 6) While not solely focused on its action scernes, there is a fight scene at the end of the show, and it looks incredible, both in terms of art, animaiton, and tension.
 * 7) The payoff and conclusion of this anime is almost flawless, very satisfying.
 * 8) The plot twists are all interesting, satisfying, and well foreshadowed.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) While the visual style is unique and inventive, it can also be hard to look at for prolonged periods of time.
 * 2) This series focuses heavily on creating incredible plot twists, which can make it less enjoyable on subsequent viewings for some people.