Director: Tetsuro Araki,
Starring: Yuuki Kaji, Austin Tindle, Ai Kayano, Alexis Tipton, Yuichi Nakamura, Micah Solusod,
Running Time: 250 minutes
Certificate: 15
Being released on the same day as SHANGRI-LA, means that day will be a terrorist vs. freedom fighter kind of a day. GUILTY CROWN also follows a young character (this time a schoolboy) and sees them become entangled amidst the growing tension between the government and a supposed terrorist organisation. It happens a lot in anime, but GUILTY CROWN throws out a number of curveballs to really make it feel fresh. Shu (Kaji/Tindle) is your average high school student who happens to stumble across a strange girl. This of course leads to some generic plotting, but fortunately the writers dish out such suspected plot turns in the first few episodes. By the end of the second episode, when asked to join the terrorist organisation, it’s a lovely surprise to see that Shu has turned them down.
It’s touches like this that bring the show to life in new ways, as it adds strength to Shu, and also questions whether he is hero material or not. Inevitably he finds himself getting involved, but it suggests that such dark times are unavoidable. His turning down of the opportunity to fight for freedom further adds to his complexities, as earlier he doesn’t risk his life to save the girl, but does regret not doing so. To have a weaker hero that grows into his own skin makes Shu instantly more likable and relatable.
The action is a bizarre mix of conflicting levels of quality that will probably intrigue and deter audiences in equal measure. The animation is sublime, as Shu is allowed to access his new found powers in order to dive into the air and engage in fast paced battles which never flirt with confusion. The visuals are striking, but then we have the needless use of songs that often make the show feel like an extended music video. This is obviously done due to the fact that one of the lead terrorists is also a pop star and the songs aren’t bad per se, but when the sound effects are so on point and the violence so tense, catchy tunes are the last of our worries.
GUILTY CROWN is often on the verge of becoming a generic and mediocre show. At one point Shu finds a female living with him uninvited and could have easily slipped into Harem territory. Although a few misunderstanding jokes rear their ugly heads, it moves on quickly. You’ll certainly find a number of worrying anime tropes within the structure of each episode, but they are never dwelled upon and the show moves along quickly. By the end of this season we’re fully engrossed in the world and characters, which makes the climax and cliff-hanger a mouth-watering finale.
GUILTY CROWN Series 1 Part 1 is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 18th November via Manga Entertainment.
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