"Born into an aristocratic family in Paris, Albert sets out on a journey with his best friend, Franz, to escape his privileged yet dull life. They travel to Luna, which is on the surface of the moon, and meet a very wealthy man named The Count of Monte Cristo. Becoming completely fascinated with The Count's mysterious charm, Albert welcomes him into Paris high society. But soon Albert will discover the Count's true motive – revenge…" Those familiar with the story know that the Count was anything but benevolent towards the lead of the story but this anime adaptation by director Mahiro Maeda certainly brings something new to the tale and I can't stress enough how interesting the story is, albeit with a slowly paced story that seeks to milk out every bit of angst possible from the characters' woes."

While a popular story over the years, The Count of Monte Cristo has never been really brought to life as faithfully as it could have been, with producers trying to provide the basic experience to save money and juice up some aspects of the original (perhaps encouraging some people to read the books) as Hollywood tends to do. The story details the plight of a wealthy man who seeks revenge on those who did him wrong when he was a penniless nobody. Plotting and scheming to get even, he manipulates events to achieve his goals; including regaining the love of his life that was the primary reason he was betrayed. This modern adaptation uses a science fiction motif but still remains basically faithful to the original even as it takes some moderate liberties to enhance the story (and much of what takes place could easily qualify as a timeless place without need for history or specific setting).

The lead character of the story this time is Albert, the son of a powerful man, who lives life following the rules he has always accepted as his security blanket. He comes across a mysterious stranger, the Count, during an off world trip where the wealthy man befriends him and seeks to teach him something about life. As the series unfolds, it becomes apparent that the Count has an agenda but he always protects and assists Albert when asked, even if sometimes a bit less so Albert would like. Albert learns that modern society is built by people he can't trust to do the right thing as the Count instills a sense of morality in the young man that he had not previously acted upon. This causes problems of course but the Count's great wealth and influence seems to set a few well placed people more on edge than others.

Episodes 9) I Dreamed a Dark Dream, 10) The Letter From Edmond, 11) An Engagement Broken, and 11) Encore quickly sped up some of the previous threads the story had been developing, providing me with a lot more insight as to how the rest of the series should progress. Three of the most prominent families in the aristocracy, including Albert's, are dragged into having to relive their dark past together (each representing one branch of society; the law, the military, and politics) with the end result being that they openly suspect the Count of being a direct threat to their way of life and their positions gained by whatever means necessary. Albert's fiancé, who he had never actually loved in the first place, was forced to break it off with him and this sets in motion a melancholy in the lad as he finally realizes that he really does care for her. Poison and intrigue further a few plots and whispers of a decades old conspiracy rear their ugly heads too, with the alliance between the families dissolving quickly as events continue their descent into the madness of the Count's plot.

While I was less enthusiastic about Gankutsuou: V2 than I was about Gankutsuou: V1, this volume revived my sagging interest by speeding things up and showing more of where the series is headed. The nature of the Count is at least alluded to, although there was plenty of room for the series to continue developing with lots of the usual twists and turns it had already shown to date. I thought the show was worthy of a Highly Recommended for the manner in which the overall quality was displayed, though better extras would've made the decision easier for me (or even a fifth episode). In short, the point of the series seems to be that human nature doesn't change and may never evolve as we'd like to think our refinements have caused in the last few thousand years. As long as we have emotions and the ability to deceive, we'll always be subject to the whims of out own actions and I strongly suspect the next few volumes of this series will bear that out as a primary message.

Picture: Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo V3 was presented in widescreen anamorphic color with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, as originally made by Gonzo out of Japan. If you've seen the front DVD cover; you'll have the barely the slightest idea of how it was made in terms of style but even then you won't understand until you've watched an episode. Unlike any other anime series I've seen to date, the combination of CGI and visual effects manages to show off a richness that is more artistic than I tend to like but it works due to the nature of the story. Every time I went back to revisit it, I saw something else onscreen but describing it sure won't be easy. Take, for example, the suits that Albert and the Count wear. It was like they were cut from the same CGI mold and they moved in unison as though the material were on a separate layer. In general, you'll simply have to see it to understand it but the DVD mastering was up to par and handled it nicely; making this a very distinctive looking show.

Sound: The audio was presented with the usual choices of a 2.0 original Japanese track or a newly made English dub, both in Dolby Digital with optional English subtitles. For what it's worth, both tracks had something unique to offer and those who typically blow off either version of the audio; I strongly suggest you listen to both. With so much visually going on, listening to the dub gives you a chance to see the richness offered without reading the subtitles yet the "feel" of the original track had something too. There was some separation between the channels and the dynamic range was good but this is definitely one case where a 5.1 track would've really suited the material nicely. The music tended to be haunting, the audio effects were fitting, and the vocals all seemed in place with neither track being especially better than the other though.

Extras: The series isn't exactly known for the depth of the extras included on the volumes released so far and that doesn't change here with some limited comments by the Japanese voice actors, commercials, trailers and a double sided DVD cover, as in the past.

Final Thoughts: Gankutsuou V3 was a lot of fun to watch but required me to watch the last few episodes of the previous volume to remember some of the details that led the characters to the point they were at here. The stylish look of the CGI wasn't really my thing but it did provide an artistic means of revisiting the visual elements that anime has been reluctant to explore most of the time in favor of more conventional story telling processes. The writing and depth of the characters was what sealed it for me though with a lot to appreciate as the show continued on to provide a lot of entertainment. In short, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo V3 was another winner that Geneon can be proud of on all levels, doing more than simply telling a story; going so far as to prove the benefits of the artistic elements of anime too.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVD Talk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003, Best Of Anime 2004, and Best of Anime 2005 articles or their regular column Anime Talk.