The Lowdown

Gankutsuo is a Japanese animated version of The Count of Monte Cristo, released in 2004. It actually stays pretty faithful to the original story, but it A) focuses on Albert as the main character rather the Count, and B) is set in the year 5000 A.D. (that's right). You can watch it in the original Japanese with subtitles, or dubbed into English.

Some Observations

• I haven't seen that many manga / anime type things, but one thing I have noticed is that they often seem to have a song at the start that is too long and very silly, and then a completely different but equally silly song at the end. This is no exception, and the music is by Jean-Jacques Burnel, who was the bassist in The Stranglers. Who saw that coming?
• Opens in Rome (although Rome is on the moon). A lot of people have criticised the Rome segment in the book as one of the less interesting bits, but this one ticks along nicely.
• Albert often comes across as naive and irritating in both the original story and most adaptations. But in this version it's actually worked into the story and becomes a strength to the character. Albert's naivety and its manipulation by the count, and his ensuing growth into adulthood is one of the central themes.
• This version adds more confusion to the 'how do you pronounce Haydee' conundrum. Here we have it as 'Hedd-ay'. Adding to 'Ay-ee-day' and 'Hay-day' and 'Hi-day'
• Maximilien Morrel's character is altered a little in this one. He also has strength to easily lift up a car because he's a cyborg or something. Several elements of the story are moved around, and in this one they dispose of the love story between him and Valentine pretty early on, allowing them to focus on the less boring bits.
• Fernand and Edmond are Best Friends in this version of the story, as they are in many of the better adaptations. This allows Fernand to be promoted to 'chief villain' and makes for a more dramatic / satisfying conclusion.
• Albert and the Count's relationship definitely verges on the romantic / sexual, giving the story an extra creepy element. There's also a pretty strong implication that Franz is in love with Albert. In fact, a lot of this story is about Albert's burgeoning sexuality. But in a classy way.
• This being a Japanese animated adaptation of the story, the duel between Albert and the count if fought with GIANT BATTLING ROBOTS instead of swords / pistols. Why Dumas chose not to go down this route in the original text, history does not reveal. I'm sure he had his reasons.
• In some versions, I find myself having a slight liking for Danglars. Of all the conspirators he is definitely the slimiest, the most broad-brush villain. But at the same time his complete lack of conscience and sentimentality make him preferable to the weak, tortured Fernand or the pompous Villefort. He really does only care about money, and isn't taken in by the vanity of French society.

The Verdict

Some may have been tempted to write this off as an adaptation because it's sci-fi, or because it's in a traditionally 'pulpy' medium. This would be a mistake - this is one of the best adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo. What makes a good adaptation? They took the original story and kept the themes and many of the characters, but they've added to it, enough that it stands out in it's own right. Lots of it is quite silly, but you never get the sense that they are less than 100% committed to the original story. In Gankutsuo we see the story primarily through Albert's eyes rather than Edmond's, which allows them to really bring out the element of the Count being an alluring, mysterious figure that so many of the other adaptations fail to do properly. It has enough depth to allow for greater or different exploration of the themes or the relationships between the characters. In this one, the later episodes function as a kind of 'what if', with the Count's actions and attitudes substantially departing from the original story. I found this really interesting: how would things have turned out if he hadn't been able to turn away from blind revenge? Great stuff.

Characters and Plot Elements