Guilty Crown: Part 1 [4 Discs] [Blu-ray/DVD]

What can I say, you just have to watch it to understand how awesome it is.

It's a good show that makes you wonder what is possible in the future and what humans are capable of

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Drama Length: 11 episodes "Shu's entire world was shattered after a meteorite crashed into Japan, unleashing the lethal Apocalypse Virus. The chaos and anarchy born of the outbreak cost Shu his family and reduced him to a timid, fearful shell of the boy he'd once been. His life took another unexpected turn after a chance encounter with the stunning pop star, Inori. This mysterious beauty introduced Shu to the King's Right Hand: a genetic mutation that allows him to reach into hearts of mortals and turn them into weapons. The visceral action of this visual masterpiece escalates as Shu finds himself caught in the crossfire between those who desperately seek his newfound strength. On once side lurks a clandestine government agency - and on the other, Inori and the spirited band of rebels known as Funeral Parlor. The choice is Shu's to make - and the world is his to change." $85? Gotta be kidding me!? That's what I thought when I first saw this series coming out in North America. But you know what? Even without any of the extras, the production quality for Guilty Crown is so high that it's highly justified. We just need to be glad that Funimation somehow got the English licensing away from Aniplex or the cost would have probably been double this and it wouldn't be available through anyone but Rightstuf! That stuff aside, I hesitated a long time before buying this one after my local store completely got rid of its anime section, but all the stores down in the Nashville area have an even larger selection now than before so I picked it up when I saw some of the LE versions left. As a warning, don't read through the books that come along with this one until you've finished all of Part 2! Read through some spoilers that I didn't want to know yet! The story! Guilty Crown is an original story anime compiled by the big companies in Japan with the primary emphasis being on genetic manipulation. After a viral outbreak left the country on its knees ten years ago, the nation can no longer support itself and is instead operates as a quasi-independant entity with the help of the rest of the world. In the aftermath of this, a military group known as the Antibodies is responsible for maintaining peace and order in Japan. We're introduced to Inori fleeing from the GHQ base after having stolen a vial from them. She manages to escape but is wounded and ends up being blown off of a bridge into the river below. No spoilers as this happens during the very first intro song -_- The production quality for Guilty Crown is extremely high and is only surpassed by Fate/Zero in the past couple years, in my opinion. If you're not watching it in full HD, you're really missing out. Incredible animation that blends artwork and CG together almost as well as a high-budget movie does and amazing music easily make this a series to remember. "My Dearest" by Supercell is a killer opening theme as well as the closing song. Have to love the opening to episode 1 which features the song Inori sings throughout the series. I could swap to the Japanese voice cast if I wanted to, but the English voiceovers do an amazing job. Every character is right on queue and I can't find any flaws with their performance. The extras even have a 10 minute interview with 3 of the original developers/directors for the series where they talk about how to develop an original anime and the key concepts they wanted it to follow. Very cool to watch. I hesitated to get this series at first because of the price, but it's fully worth it after having watched all of Part 1. It's rare to get such great quality for the entirety of a series. Time to start up Part 2!