Guilty Crown: Delving into Human Nature

Most protagonists in animes make mistakes but then recover in almost no time. Thing is, whether you are a hero, or you want to be one, you'll surely make mistakes, and you have to go through a lot to succeed. And your inner power or spirit is the light which guides you through darkness from time to time. It's rather easier to make mistakes rather than succeed. 

This is reflected again and again in "Guilty Crown". 

It's a curious name. How can a crown be guilty? It can be the person wearing it like King Joffrey from "Game of Thrones", but how can the crown be guilty? 

A king is one of the weakest units in a game of chess. It is not that you don't want to do anything with the king, but it's difficult to manoeuvre due to the king's limitations. 

The anime is based on a rather post-apocalyptic world. The protagonist Shu Ouma is a high school student. He is a fan of Inori Yuzuriha, a glamorous vocalist from an internet group called Egoist. When Shu Ouma finds a wounded Inori, he tries to help her out. But on that moment, he is affected by Void Genome, a biological weapon that provides a special power—the power to transform a human's inner ability or spirit into a physical form called "Void". It can be of many forms. Someone's Void is just a flower vase; someone's Void can even be a tin-cutter.

A Void, as it is a pure element of a human's mind, gives the user unlimited power. Especially Inori's Void—a sword that can cut through anything. 

Each and every episode shows Shu Ouma's fight with his own powers; controlling them becomes his goal. He joins "Funeral Parlor"—Enori's rebel group. 

Yes, the way the episodes progress feels a lot like "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion". But the core difference is that Shu Ouma's human side is given preference. He is not a genius strategist or a very good fighter. It's mesmerising to see him stand up against what's wrong. His character development reflects that of a regular human being. 

You will be awestruck from time to time, when you find out the true identities of several characters. Those are enough to pull you into the anime to watch more. The revelations of people's intentions, their strategies, their positive intentions behind the negativity, all will bring tears to your eyes. Especially when you find out what the protagonist's Void is, you will feel the deepest sympathy for him. 

The science-fantasy was directed by Tetsuro Akari, series director of "Attack on Titan", "Death Note" and "Highschool of the Dead". He was even a storyboard artist for "Sword Art Online" and "Black Lagoon". 

The anime consists of two seasons—altogether 22 episodes long. The soundtracks are enough to keep you sated if you are a music lover.