Gosick

GOSICK

A detective anime set in 1924, in a small fictional European kingdom. Taken from the light novels of the same name. 

OVERVIEW -Set in the fictional (well, semi-fictional) kingdom of Sauville, situated near the alpine borders of France, Switzerland and Italy (much like the historical kingdom of Savoy was), the story is narrated by and follows for the most part a Japanese student called Kazuya Kujo and his adventures with his fellow student, the mysterious, brilliant doll-like girl, Victorique de Blois, as they become involved in intrigues, plots and long-standing mysteries that Victorique solves by "reconstructing the fragments of chaos" using her "wellspring of wisdom". 

REVIEW -Described by some as "one of the best detective stories out there", Gosick is a rather unique piece of work, beautifully animated and produced by one of the best animation studio's out there (BONES, responible for things such as both full metal alchemist series, the cowboy beebop movie, wolf's rain, scrapped princess and even the Escaflowne movie of 2000) and set in an old European setting lovingly created from realistic to the time/location buildings and landscapes, it actually does a good job of re-creating European culture too, something other anime's tend to over-look (things like hot-spring style communial baths in london for example...) and slowly builds from a tale of unrelated misshaps and unsolvable mysteries into a deep, long-standing deeply political intrigue that ties in both world wars (WWII happening a good 20 years early in this fictional setting), the battle for the hearts of the populous between the conflicting disciplines of science and the occult/religion, murder, love and bonds that transcend all of the above. 

By far the best part is the slowly building relationship between Kujo and Victorique, as they face adversity they slowly begin to trust, then depend on each other, the closed-hearted arrogant Victorique slowly opening up to Kujo, and the shunned and feared "stranger in a strange land" finding at first a friend, then someone to protect and become a stronger person for. Victorique plays her part as a tsundere perfectly, and much like an old European "noblewoman" might in fact be, especially one so childish and socially removed. 

Over the course of the various mysteries they come across, all solved by Victorique's ability to effectively put together seemingly un-related and obscure facts to see the truths behind things, they begin to find the truth behind Victorique's unusual situation, the reasons for her birth and a series of divinations and predictions, as well as manipulations and political machinations set in motion by the rulers of the nations of Europe that shaped the course of the first world war, and are setting up to shape the events of the coming "storm" that is WWII. 

There are some great mysteries in the stories too, intricate, clever plots and lies, deceits and half-truths and the anime does a great job of not only setting the scene but in unwravelling it via Victorique's deductions. Nothing is ever as it first appears to be, and a running theme behind it is one of the replacement of "magic" with the use of science, and how the use of slight of hand, suggestion and tricks can explain most of the "magic" the people believe in. Ultimately the story is about Victorique, her past,her heritage, her family and her bond to Kujo, and ultimately ends on a bittersweet but happy note, with both Kujo and Victorique promising to always be with each other. 

At 24 episodes in length, the general opinion upon seeing all of it is a want for more, because its so easy to become attached to the wonderfully realised world and characters.

SUMMARY -

Story - A very clever tale, it comes together in a manner similar to Victorique's own deductive method, with each seeminly unrelated mystery eventually providing insight, clues or direct connections to the overal story of the series. Set away from Japan but written by a Japanese woman, it avoids the temptation of making everything japan-esque, often making use of Kujo's Japanese heritage directly to confuse the "locals". witty dialogue, well designed characters and growth of both them and the story, while still retaining a degree of humour. I would say its only let down is its tendancy to lean towards "happy endings" in most matters, which in some cases is a little unrealistic. 9/10

 

Production - The animation studio, BONES, is one of the top-notch producers of anime in Japan at the moment, an offshoot from Sunrise, one of the longest running and well-respected studios around (producing all the gundam series, escaflowne, the cowboy beebop series, the big O, code geass, dirty pair and InuYasha to name a few) the show is vibrant, making use of brilliant colour, pastel settings and even desaturation techniques to enhance the moods of the story, Its use of 3D CG is almost seemless and exceptionally well done. Voice casting is also top notch, with each character's personality really showing through with ease. One nice touch is the fact that due to being set in Europe all the writing used by people, except for Kujo's letters from home, is written in french, again something often overlooked by other anime's. 10/10

 

Music -While the opening piece is a little too "pop-y" in my opinion to fit with the rest of the show, its ending pieces are superbly fitting for the feel and time-period of the piece. Its score and insert music is also very apt and time-period accurate. While nothing really jumps out and sticks in your mind for the most part, the almost operatic first ending is well worth a second listen. 7/10

 

Accessability - Set in a fictional but mostly accurate early 20th century Europe, the whole show feels very homely for a Brit like me. There's a degree of cultural exchange that happens during Kujo and Victorique's interactions, allowing for some humour and missunderstandings but it firmly sticks to the general populous being European and presents it well, making it very easy to watch without a need to delve deeply into Japanese culture. (though some may want to refresh themselves on European history at points!) 9/10

 Overall Impression -Visually appealing, great stories taken at face value with a subliminal plot exploding into the final arc, it makes great use of actual history and subtlely works its own, fictional story into it, making it very compelling to watch. Its characters are superbly written and portrayed, backed with powerful voice performances that creates a real connection to them. About the only thing that someone wouldnt enjoy about this would be if they dislike detective stories in the first place. 9/10

Final Score - 44/50