There are many anime that have been remembered for their specialties, be it a unique take on a genre, satire, an unusual protagonist, or anything else. When Guilty Crown aired in 2011, it had everything going for it—it was a unique story, exceptional visuals, stunning OST (Original Soundtrack), but now most people might not even have heard about it.
In that day and age, with all that the series had going for it (including a very compelling female lead), it should have become a huge hit, but it failed. It failed miserably and was buried.
The Director, Tetsuro Araki, said that it was a masterpiece that was not understood and was criticized. In his words- ‘We did amazing work, yet it was called crappy.’ Let us delve in and see what Guilty Crown did wrong.
Why did Guilty Crown fail so horribly?
Guilty Crown had a perfect base on paper. Production I.G’s stunning animation was a specialty reserved for only the biggest budget adaptations and the best anime; the narrative was a gripping sci-fi premise with a sense of magical realism. Finally, it had an unforgettable soundtrack by Hiroyuki Sawano, which continues to mesmerize fans even today.
However, despite its many strengths (which would have elevated even an average anime to a popular level), the anime was widely criticized for its weak storytelling and unlikable protagonist.
Tetsuro Araki expressed his opinions about Guilty Crown in an interview with Anime Galaxy Official:
For me, it was an unfortunate anime. What we accomplished with this series, everything we did… I feel like people gave it too little credit. For us, it was a very frustrating anime
I know exactly what went wrong with Guilty Crown, but I haven’t proven it with my work yet. I want to show my skills in a place where they would be appreciated.
Years after the anime was buried in the annals of history, an interview with Director Araki resurfaced in which he expressed his profound disappointment with respect to how the anime was received.
Comment
byu/Mazen141 from discussion
inanime
Comment
byu/Mazen141 from discussion
inanime
Comment
byu/Mazen141 from discussion
inanime
He believed that the work deserved a lot of recognition and fame, considering the amazing work that the team had done in making it. But he seems oblivious to the glaring flaws in the work.
Araki admitted that Guilty Crown was a frustrating experience for him as a creator. He felt the series was unfairly criticized and failed to receive the recognition it deserved.
Attack on Titan was Araki’s redemption arc
The protagonist, Shu Ouma, was simply too frustrating to root for. He was weak, not just in strength but also mentally weak.
There is not much growth that is seen, and he is annoying, selfish, weak, and cowardly. That is not a protagonist that can make fans admire them.
There was a work called ‘Attack on Titan.’ I thought that this team (at WIT) would be a good fit for me, so I pitched it to them. I had the idea of doing that. Tetsuya Nakatake, the president, and Joe Wada also had their own plans, so it all came together,
Though Guilty Crown might have been a tough failure to overcome, Araki did not lose hope and continued to tread forward and make a name for himself. But he had to stick to the original to deliver a faithful adaptation.
He later went on to direct Attack on Titan at WIT Studio, which became one of the most influential anime of recent times.
You can watch Guilty Crown on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
