ramona.cremin - 2016-09-04 17:43:59

the only bad thing about this anime is everything except victorique, music and the drawing, and those things not great

uohara - 2016-08-18 03:48:26

WTF IS THIS BULLSHIT... THIS ISNT FUCKING HENTIA. I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMTHING TO FAP TO AND THIS ISNT IT. ITS SOME ANIME PEICE OF SHIT WHERE THEY DONT GET FUCKED BY TENTACLES. LIKE WHAT TYPE OF STORY IS IT IF THERE NOT GET RAPED BY TENTACLES.

heathcote.bret - 2015-07-25 13:45:12

Sure the Gosick storyline is great and some of the mysteries are interesting, I could somehow enjoy the show purely based on that.
However, the show has no signs of protagonist character development, it's like watching Sherlock Holmes from the view of a parrot that can only say "Sherlock". I'm sure the voice actor budget must have been insanely low, because it seems like they couldn't hire the protagonist voice actor completely, luckily they did have enough money to make him say "Victorique" in several ways, which is so annoying that it lowers the overall enjoyment of the story, I'm not even joking when I say that the protagonist say "Victorique" every other sentence, often several times in the same sentence, atleast 40 times for each episode.

If you can overlook such an awfully annoying main character then the story and animation of Gosick is actually pretty decent and worth watching.

bogisich.beau - 2015-04-03 03:40:50

I've started it with Hope that I could be Impressed !! in these Boys Boring High School Days !! and ... I felt that it was like my Type exactly [ Amazing Drawing - Mystery - History - Drama + Action ] ... and it was exactly like that except that it was a little bit Kiddy and with no Action [ Epic Moments which makes your Body get Hot and Excited to Stand and Break everything in the Room with your Virtual Hand Sword !! ] ... but, in Total ... a Story in that Age with that kind of Mystery and Horror which have been Revealed and Explained step by step ... and that Pride-Sink "Cheeby" Girl ... it was really a Good Watch !! ... ^_^

stracke.americo - 2015-01-03 05:31:46

Excellent mystery series with a nice atmosphere. Generic male lead is made up for by his child-genius counterpart, Victorique. The setting of Gosick is wonderful and complements the characters and the show's vibe. Romance part of the anime seemed weak to me, but it was more than made up for by the mystery story. The visuals in this series are absolutely superb.

Only thing that really fell short in this anime was the ending. 7.5/10

lschiller - 2014-10-14 05:45:16

[Old review is old.]

After the highly successful Fullmetal Alchemist reboot, Studio Bones took a nose-dive into a slump that they still haven’t come out of. After a period of time where every other show they released ended up being great, nowadays its lucky if they create one solid series per year. Around the same time of entities like the widely disliked Darker Than Black Sequel, the laughable blend of TTGL and SKU that was Star Driver, and the soon to be meta-Shakespeare shounen trainwreck called Blast Of Tempest, one show was able to stand its ground as a decent mystery anime.

Gosick is set in the fictional early 1900’s in a country to the south of France named Saubure, following a Japanese transfer student named Kazuya Kujo at an academy that has a thing for ghost stories. He comes across a girl named Victorique de Blois, who suffers from boredom and uses her natural talents to solve little mysteries to pass the time. The duo find themselves going on many adventures, solving cases, exploring the world they live in, and uncovering a widespread connection between their dangerous escapades.

On the first layer of the show, we have episodic mysteries that each span the course of a few episodes. They proved entertaining enough on their own to see how every little factor presented in the episodes tied in together, to be expected from a good mystery show. The second layer is the overarching story, to which all of the episodic cases connect to in an intriguing way, forming a more impressive and surprising picture by the end of the series. Between all of the story developments, the perfect amount of time for character down-time is given, with actual content to show unlike other filler that just tries to find methods to kill time. Bones has shown its ability to create solid stories around relatively uninteresting characters, and Gosick is a fine example with great pacing and engaging content, fitting the mood of an easy to follow fantasy adventure.

Speaking of those uninteresting characters, Kujo is the bland observer who doesn’t have much of a drive during most of the show. We also have a ton of tropes like the eccentric teacher, the suave egotist, the cutesy love interest, the list goes on. On the other hand, Victorique’s enjoyable personality and motivations make for a relatively exceptional lead. Even though most of the cast ends up being recycled tools that we see constantly, I find myself surprisingly enjoying them because they feel more subdued and grounded in their world. Kujo is easy to stomach, the eccentric teacher is likable, the suave douchebag is fun to watch, and even the side characters or episodic folks are unique enough to keep my interest. The only ones I actually thought fell flat were that romantic interest (mainly due to her arc being utterly shafted), and a comparatively boring main villain who only gets focus near the end of the show anyway. Overall I do like this cast more than what I usually get in anime, but I can easily see other viewers getting bored with them.

To alleviate the characters, most of the fascination for the show comes from the setting and how Bones visually depicts it. The animation is consistently beautiful, especially the amazing backgrounds that illustrate the fictional setting with alluring sets and gorgeous lighting. As you can probably guess by the title, Gosick tries to lean towards the dark and romantic subject matter of the gothic. Usually the closest thing to a “gothic” anime show are painfully generic deliveries from studios that don’t care about quality control to begin with. Settings and designs are simpler for easier appeal, and the narrative content is often completely uninteresting. This isn’t the case for Gosick as the anime goes all out for their execution of an older, semi-gothic setting with wriggle room for more fantasy elements that they fully own as well. The result is a fully rendered, well-developed setting that is actually capable of carrying the show, just because of the continuous journeys throughout the various locations and those famous ghost stories from throughout the land. It thrives off of how well the setting is fleshed out, and that’s a rare quality that I always love to see in an anime.

The soundtrack for this show is plain brilliant. It’s rare for great ambient music like this be produced even from groups who specialize in that style (Midnight Syndicate/Nox Arcana), so when I hear much better dark fantasy music coming from an anime, my day just gets better. The soundtrack was composed by Kotaro Nakagawa of Code Geass fame, and though fans will lean to said hugely popular entity as the stronger soundtrack, I have difficulty deciding which one of them I prefer. The opening is a pleasant surprise, with a memorable song, carefully stylized visuals, and the clever inclusion of every plot element from the show. All musicality considered, the sound design is given some well-deserved praise as another area where the show surpasses expectations.

It’s been five years since this show came out and even though Bandai picked holds the licensing rights, there is no local release and consequently no English dub. I would highly enjoy a dub seeing as it takes place all across old Europe, warranting great opportunities for unique voices and accents. Sad, but I can still dream (and would gladly give money if it came true).

One more final bonus for the show: No fanservice whatsofuckingever. A trivial matter to most anime fans, but a legitimate miracle for me.

So you may have noticed that I gave solid marks to every aspect of Gosick, and while I do firmly believe all of these elements to be of fairly high quality in the composition of an overall good show, I recognize that strong appreciation for certain aspects allows me to enjoy writing that doesn’t always have effective elements. Despite sitting fine with me, audiences can only take so much of Victorique’s snobby attitude, or Kujo’s overall obliviousness. The inclusion of certain dark bits might have been too heavy to include, though never shown in an unreasonable light. While mysteries are fun and all, astute viewers will solve them without too much difficulty, and there isn’t much else to offer besides how the arcs come back together to create a fairly nice ending. These problems do not bother me in the slightest, but they also don’t propel this show to a truly great position.

Gosick will always be a personal favorite simply because of the extreme rarity connected to the aspects that it hits out of the ballpark. I’m always satisfied with every rewatch as I fall back in love with the rich world, enjoyable story, terrific music, and detailed animation. The things that should have bugged me to no end didn’t phase me at all because of these exceptional qualities, which is a very rare position of opinion for me to wind up in.

Gosick (2011):
7.4/10

rachelle.blanda - 2014-01-15 04:35:52

Story: GOSICK takes place in 1924 in a small, made-up European country of Sauville. The story centers on Kazuya Kujo, the third son of a Japanese Imperial soldier, who is a transfer student to St. Marguerite Academy, where urban legends and horror stories are all the rage. There he meets Victorique, a mysterious yet beautiful and brilliant girl who never comes to class and spends her days reading the entire content of the library or solving mysteries that even detectives can't solve. I really like the mystery solving portion of the anime which was basically the first 12 episodes or so. There aren't many good mystery anime and the first half of the series was pure mystery. But, when the second half starts the cast is thrown in to a war and i feel it was rather rushed.

Animation: The animation of GOSICK was very good. It keep a very fluid and consistent look. I also really like the animation they used for the main cast. The animation really made the stand out and look unique.

Sound: I can't say i really noticed alot of the music in the series. But, when i did i felt it really fit the scene it was playing in. The voice actress who voiced Victorique also did a very good job. I feel she really put emotion into the character.

Character: The main character is a cardboard cutout with no real personality. He basically does whatever Victoriques says. None of the other characters with the exception of Victorique stand out either. I found Victorique to me the most interesting character in the series. Here personality really kept me interested throughout the series.

Enjoyment: I enjoyed the first half of the series but i feel the second half really fell short. I was no wear near as interesting as the first half and it was very predictable what would happen at the end of the story. I would recommend that anyone who likes mystery to watch at least the first half of this series.

green14 - 2013-11-03 21:49:58

This anime fell of its pedestal in its final 2 episodes. However every episode up until that point was very enjoyable; its story very immersible. Could of been a masterpiece if only the story made sense after the two last episodes.

thurman.goodwin - 2013-08-06 17:25:09

Gosick is a beautiful anime with the plot line revolving around Victorique and Kujo as they go and solve small mysteries which develops their clear bond that grows throughout the whole 24 episodes

Story:

I will spoil a tiny bit at the beginning in the following sentence just to set the scene. Kujo is an oriental transfer student who comes to the school Victorique lives at, he one day explores the library of the school to find what he thinks is a doll in the garden at the very top of the library only to find out it was Victorique. They then go on to solve cases here and there

Though with many episodes that look like fillers they some how just all and up together leading right into another case Victorique ends up solving with the help of Kujo. The story kept me coming back for more and more as it keeps throwing questions into my mind one of which I find was not clearly answered or even answered at all.

Ending:

Now the ending would usually go under story but I wanted to talk about this separately. SPOILER BEGIN The ending is a cute reunion of Kujo coming back from some kind of war which has been going on for a few years. Victorique manages to find him by what I draw from is a address Kujo writes to her in one of his letters. They walk hand in hand to where I can only guess is home looking like a beautiful couple SPOILER END though there is two questions I just can't work out

1. What is this "wellspring of wisdom" Victorique always talks about and

2. Why, When and How did Victorique dye her hair silver in the last episode

Animation/Sound:

The animation, art style, sound track and color scheme were all terrific that's really all I can say myself go watch the anime if you want to see how good I think it really is.

Character:

The story as I said before revolves around Kujo and Victorique so you could imagine throughout a 24 episode anime there would a some kind of change in personality or relationship well YES THERE IS AND IT IS BEAUTIFUL. Over time you can see much development in Kujo's and Victorique's relationship particularly near the very last episodes where you can see Victorique setting her pride on the line to keep Kujo out of harm's way and Kujo him self trying TRYING to do the same.

I just want to talk about (very briefly) how Victorique developed. Victorique started out as just a very uptight girl who would most likely be hard to get to know, after many case Kujo keeps throwing his life on the line for her which leads her into falling in love with him. Though very hard to notice you can clearly see it happen over time.

Enjoyment:

I really enjoyed it. That's really all I can say. ( yeah i know that was lazy )

Recommendation:

I heavily recommend this anime to anyone just anyone but even more to some one who is looking for a nice romantic love story or some one who is looking for a juicy mystery to sink their teeth into.

Overall:

Overall this anime is great with twist and turns which leave you asking for more and more as you keep trying to find out what happens next. Superb anime 9.5 out of 10

Sidenote:

1 question I would like to find the answer to is well not realted to the animes story but why the name Gosick. I would really like to know why this name was chosen by the creators of the anime. Also now I can't think anything but what now? like this anime is one of those which gets you feeling a small void after finishing... I need to find something like this>.>

becker.ricardo - 2013-03-15 15:51:42

Story/Characters: 8/10 of 10The only weakness of this anime, is the plotting of a couple of the story arcs. In many cases it seems that, as a mystery, it is a very good character based show with a good amount of humor and action mixed together. The mysteries in the first two arcs are, in general, far too easy to solve, but the story does pick up the pace after that. I believe that some of this is intentional. In particular, the first mystery is designed more to show how incompetent Grevil is rather than showing Victorique's brilliance or providing a real mystery for the viewer to sink their teeth into. The next few sections of mystery plot seem more intended to display Victorique's genius, as she solves them so quickly that the viewer doesn't really have time to ruminate about them, though they are not too hard to solve anyway. There are several plot points in the Queen Berry arc that were pleasantly surprising, and the tie in they make with real world history were deftly handled. The mood of the show changes decidedly in the final half, going from more of a light hearted feel with tense moments in the final portions of a story arc to a much more intense and dark tone throughout. The real mystery, we find, is not in the individual story arcs and their petty plot points, but in the overarching story of Victorique’s origin, her family, and the intrigues and mechanisms of both the villains and those who seek to help our intrepid heroine and her stalwart protector. Will a cruel world tear apart these two youngsters as it appears to be tearing itself apart, or will they persevere and find their way to a happy ending against all odds? This is where the story truly begins to shine!But the story is not what this show is about! It is about Kujō and Victorique, their friendship, and the bond of trust and eventually love that develops as the story progresses. Kujō is one of the finest anime leading men to be paired with a strong tsundere leading lady in recent memory. Frankly, he is right up there with Ryuji from Toradora and Sousuke from Full Metal Panic. He is strong, loyal, brave, and surprisingly good with a pair of brass knuckles. He is willing to put himself in the path of danger in order to protect Victorique, even when he had just met her. As the story progresses, she begins to rely on him for that physical protection, but even more, Kujō becomes her emotional rock as well. Victorique is a classic tsundere, wrapped up in goth-loli packaging. But she is more than just a moe stereotype. Victorique is a fantastic character, with many sterling features including her demonstrative boredom, her sarcastic monotone laugh, her vulnerability because of her diminutive size, and her emotional fragility because of various factors in her childhood. She is a complex and well rounded character, capable of a wide range of tsun, from biting sarcasm to bald face manipulation of Kujō's tender-hearted nature, but she also has a tender side that is loyal to her Kujō and seems genuinely happy to have someone she can trust in her life. By the end, when the two have fallen in love, the tender moments between them are fantastic and when the hands of fate separate them, the pain is palpable! The way that these two characters interact and develop as the mysteries swirl around them is a joy to behold and one of the main pleasures of this show.Art: 9 of 10The background art for Gosick is stunning! The lush greens of the forested mountainside, the architecture of the school with its towers and old buildings, and the wonderful attention to detail in the school environment, as well as the other settings when the two are off campus, are all done with exquisite charm and impressive style. The character designs are wonderful, with Victorique's ultra cute, doll like looks and flowing hair and Kujō's attractive yet down to earth everyman look, as well as the other characters in the school and outside of it. The main problems I have with the art do stem from the characters, however. Grevil's hair is atrocious! It is supposed to be, I realize, but it is beyond silly! The fact that it is an integral plot point does not excuse it! There is also a tendency to rely on some fairly unattractive and out of place super deformed animation techniques when showing surprise, chagrin, or shock in the characters, though the blushing face of Victorique when embarrassed is one of the true joys of the show. The animation, particularly of the action scenes with Kujō and the various horror/suspense moments in the show is first rate and very smooth. The surreal war scenes of the final arc are almost ‘Madoka’ level in their bizarreness, adding another layer of artistry to the show’s accomplishments. The horror aspects of the show can get pretty graphic, so be prepared and consider the age of the viewers if you tend to watch anime with your kids. (Eleven or twelve and up should be fine, but if the child is prone to nightmares or squeamish, you might want to wait until 14 or 15.)Music and Sound Effects: 10 of 10The music for this show is almost always exactly the right mood at the right time with just the right intensity to enhance the story or drive it forward. At first, I was unsure about the opening theme, as it seemed a bit too much like something you would hear with an action show like Full Metal Panic, but it grows on you with repeated listening and, as my son pointed out, it fits the beginning of the anime in terms of the fact that the opening of arcs in the story are generally more light and comedic in nature, while the climax of an arc is bound to be more suspenseful and tense, which is where the ED music comes in. The end theme, "Resuscitated Hope," is one of the finest anime songs I have ever heard! While in mid arc the show strives to end each episode with a mini-cliff-hanger, edge of your seat, shiver up your spine moment. When it succeeds, that sensation is amplified by the haunting, driving rhythm and minor key sensibility of this wonderful song! I get chills up my spine just listening to it, without the anime lead in! The second ED, “Unity”while not as good of a song as the first, is just as effective in evoking the mood of the show as it turns darker and the lives of our duo become more fraught with danger. It is haunting and painfully evocative of Victorique’s tortured past. The animation that goes with it is extremely well done. Both of them bring shivers to my spine! The background and incidental music inside the episodes is expertly done, as one should expect of a show with a mystery/horror based theme.Voice Acting: 9 of 10The voice acting for the leads is wonderful, particularly Victorique. Her distinctive style of talking and the range of emotions she displays are challenging tasks that are ably met by Aoi Yūki. The aforementioned monotone laugh and the tone of voice when she is massively embarrassed and about to go into full tsun mode are priceless! Kujō's voice actor also does an excellent job, displaying a good range of emotional states and a solid base from which Victorique's eccentricity can be fully appreciated. The weak point would have to be Grevil, whose voice is almost as annoying as his hair, but I expect that was intentional on the part of the director.Overall Enjoyment: 10 of 10This show is one of my favorites of all time! I am unapologetically a fan of Gosick and would buy in on BluRay in an instant if Bandai had not gone and folded their home video operations after snatching up the rights. I hope that someone rescues the license, even if it is NIS America and I have to deal with not having a dubbed version. I just want to have it to watch whenever I wish in a well-minted disk. Is that too much to ask? At least it is still on Crunchyroll and I can go there and watch it anytime I please, which I have done with select episodes a few times since the show ended. If you haven't checked it out, I would suggest that you give Gosick a try!