Gosick

-Details
Title: Gosick
Genre: Drama/Romance
Company: Bones
Format: 24 Episodes
Dates: January 7, 2011 – July 2, 2011

-Visuals- 9.1/10
The attention to detail in this show is second to none. Victorique is even better than that, the attention to detail and design in her "Victorian Age" clothing is simply phenomenal! The color palette used is vibrant and yet not garish, and in keeping with the theme the various other characters look and colors is also well done while leaving little room to the doubt that she is the star and main character. I also loved the various landscapes and backgrounds as they most certainly fit the look and feel of Europe post WWI in a universe that is just slightly, and I do mean slightly, different from ours. Overall this is not one of the best looking anime's I have ever watched but it is most definitely at times a great looking show, and borderline awesome looking.


-Characters- 9.4/10
Wow...simply wow...I'm not sure I have ever watched a show with fewer main characters and yet I did not feel cheated. The dynamics between Victorique and Kujo is simply a joy to watch as it emotionally grows and unfolds. the antagonism between Kujo and Grevil as well as their (spoiler) eventual mutual respect is also incredibly well done, and it could be argued that the main sub plot characters, Avril, Cecil and Brian sometimes seem to almost, but not quite, steal the show.


-Story- 8.2/10
The story starts out as a misfit at school, Kujo, is introduced to Victorique, who lives in a tower in the library, never goes to school or even leaves the tower and reads books non-stop. Turns out she is bored and wants Kujo to entertain her with mysteries which she then promptly solves. The story does develop into a more cohesive one as the series progresses unfortunately I'm not sure that is a good thing, as I actually feel the show would have been better if it had continued as a series of vignettes as opposed to all encompassing story divided into pieces. While this did provide more structure for character development , growth and interaction it also took away a bit of the charm, mystique and whimisicalness of Victorique and Kujo. Having said that it's still a fun romp, but I certainly enjoyed the first half much better than the second.

-Overall- 8.8/10
I almost, just not quite, loved this show. Even having said that I really, really liked this show a lot. As I said in the story portion I seriously wish they had stayed the course with each episode being somewhat autonomous. The show simply lost a little bit to me when it started becoming more serious and attempted to become a more all encompassing mystery/thriller. Still, it is an enjoyable romp and I certainly recommend it to anyone looking for something a bit different. If nothing else Victorique and the art style is worth the "price of admission"