Guilty Crown – 8

Of all the people in Funeral Parlor, it’s clear that Inori has, without a doubt, the worst job of all of them.  Think about it for a sec.  Whenever she’s not endangering her life on another abstruse mission of Gai’s, she’s busy needing to keep Shu happy so that he (well, mainly his Void ability) will actively participate in their missions.  Everyone else has it much easier, much safer, and much more enjoyable.  When looking at it that way, you can’t help but feel sorry for Inori.

Guilty Crown – 7

Why can’t more episodes of Guilty Crown be like this one?  No, I’m not talking about how this episode steadily improved from start to finish nor that it had introductions to new characters, some respectable action sequences, and a decent amount of information on the setting making it a detailed episode.  Those were all great but that’s not what I want to bring up today.  No, what made this episode one of the best was that it didn’t take itself as seriously as any of the previous ones, and that’s a major plus for Guilty Crown.

Guilty Crown – 6

Anyone notice a persistent haze of negativity surrounding Guilty Crown?  By now, one would’ve guessed that the series has done enough to dispel most of this jinx, but it hasn’t, at least for many.  Guilty Crown is suffering from a few different ailments which, combined together, might explain why the series just can’t shake this lingering pessimism.

Guilty Crown – 5

I hope Gai is evil.  I want Gai to be evil.  I really do.   Maybe not ‘mastermind behind the release of the Apocalyspe Virus’ which devastated Japan but I don’t want him to be the hero when this anime is over.  I want his morals and actions to be questioned by both the characters and the audience.  And I want it to be done in a way that changes everyone around him.

Guilty Crown – 4

And my reaction:

…the hell am I watching?  Sometimes Guilty Crown is truly amazing, a visual masterpiece with exhilarating action sequences and intensified drama.  But other times it leaves you dumbfounded, confused, and needing to ask, “Really?  Is THAT really what I’m watching?”

Guilty Crown – 3

I’ve always been judgmental and critical of school settings in anime and this episode of Guilty Crown is no exception.  Schools in anime are always the same and always a negative.

Guilty Crown – 2

Gut check time.  After two episodes, let’s take a moment to review what Guilty Crown is doing right, where it’s underperforming, and what is going wrong.