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Gosick

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Gosick
Cover of Gosick volume 1 as published by Fujimi Shobo
GOSICK -ゴシック-
(Goshikku)
GenreMystery, Historical, Drama, Detective, Romance
Light novel
Written byKazuki Sakuraba
Illustrated byHinata Takeda
Published byKadokawa Shoten
(changed from Fujimi Shobo)
English publisher
DemographicShōjo
Original runDecember 10, 2003 – July 23, 2011
Volumes13[1] (List of volumes)
Manga
Written byKazuki Sakuraba
Illustrated bySakuya Amano
Published byFujimi Shobo
MagazineMonthly Dragon Age
DemographicShōnen
Original runJuly 9, 2008 – present
Volumes6 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Directed byHitoshi Nanba
Written byMari Okada
StudioBones
Original networkAT-X, TV Tokyo
Original run January 7, 2011 – July 2, 2011
Episodes24 (List of episodes)

Gosick (GOSICK -ゴシック-, GOSICK -Goshikku-) is a Japanese light novel series by Kazuki Sakuraba, published by Fujimi Shobo. Set in a fictional European country in 1924, a Japanese exchange student meets a mysterious, brilliant girl who only leaves the library to sleep. Her brother, a detective, relies on her exceptional mind to solve difficult mysteries.

Tokyopop released the first novel in the series in English in April 2008[2] and the second in March 2010. The series has been published in Germany by Tokyopop since November 2006.[3] A manga adaptation started serialization in the shōnen manga magazine Monthly Dragon Age on December 9, 2007. An anime adaptation by Bones premiered on January 7, 2011. Crunchyroll simulcasted the animation during its Japanese broadcast and continues to webcast it.[4] At Otakon 2011 Bandai Entertainment announced that they would release the series in North America. In January 2012 Bandai Entertainment announced that they will withdraw from the North American market, and GOSICK's North American release is cancelled.[5]

Plot and settings

Gosick takes place in 1924 in a small, French-speaking fictional European country, which stretches in a strip from Switzerland, through the alps between France and Italy, to the Mediterranean Sea. The country is called "Sauville" in the English translation of the light novels; it is called "Saubure" in the anime adaption. The story centers on Kazuya Kujo, the third son of a high-ranking officer of Japanese Imperial Army, 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. The series mostly focuses on Kazuya and Victorique getting involved in different mystery cases and their struggle to solve them, at the same time forming important bonds with different people.

Main Characters

Kazuya Kujo (久城 一弥, Kujō Kazuya)
Voiced by: Miyu Irino (Drama CD), Takuya Eguchi (Anime)
The main character of the story. As the youngest son of a soldier, Kazuya has spent most of his life struggling with living in his highly successful siblings' shadows. Jealous of all the attention his brothers got, he worked hard to compete, but everything changed when he understood that adults, who think that the youngest child is always spoiled and useless, will never acknowledge his efforts. With a permanent scar in his heart he left the military academy in Japan and before anyone from his family could stop him, went to study abroad to St. Marguerite. Unfortunately, his black-hair, dark brown eyes appearance, combined with the campus legend saying that "the traveler who comes in the spring brings death with him" has resulted in Kazuya being called the "Black Reaper" by the largely apprehensive student body and having no friends. By some twist of fate he becomes a messenger and companion to the most eccentric pupil in the school, Victorique. At first he didn't like Victorique because of her arrogant and sadistic attitude, but after some time hanging around and knowing her, he started to truly care for her and be protective of her. It is shown that he is willing to risk his life to protect her on more than one occasion. He is described, by Victorique, as a good and sincere person whose soul is pure and beautiful enough to admit pride. Although he claims to have good academic achievement that rivals that of his older brothers, he can be very dense and slow. It can be assumed that while Kujo has a good memory, he has subpar creativity and has little common sense in living. Instead he has to rely on Victorique to explain even the simplest things [citation needed]. Despite everything that happened in Japan he is proud to be a soldier's son.
Victorique de Blois (ヴィクトリカ・ド・ブロワ, Vikutorika do Burowa)
Voiced by: Chiwa Saitō (Drama CD), Aoi Yūki (Anime)
The heroine of the story. Victorique has the appearance of a small (5' 0"), almost doll-like, girl with very long blonde hair and emerald eyes and a voice that sounds beyond her age, and typical tsundere. Another important part of Victorique's appearance is a pipe that she uses when thinking about something. She spends her days at the conservatory at the top of the library, reading several difficult books, often in different languages, simultaneously. She points at one wall of the library and has told Kazuya that she has read almost all the books over there. Along with her sharp tongue, abusive bluntness and eccentric attitude, she possesses a genius level intellect which she applies as a consulting detective. After Victorique saves him from a near-arrest, Kazuya finds himself being entangled in every new mystery that occurs. Because her mother, Cordelia Gallo, was a mistress, and according to Victorique "a dangerous person", she was imprisoned in the depths of the de Blois mansion where she developed mannerisms that is anything but childlike. She was sent off to school under strict orders to never leave the campus. Only in exceptional circumstances does she obtain permission from Grevil to leave the campus. When she first met Kazuya she did not like him and thought that he was annoying and stupid for climbing up all the stairs in the library. She even ignored him and made fun of him, but gradually warmed up to him and began to trust and cherish him. Despite acting harshly towards Kazuya almost all the time, it's clear that she cares deeply for him, as seen many times when he is in danger. She enjoys "reconstructing chaos" by solving intricate mysteries and often complains about boredom being the root of her headaches. Throughout the anime, Victorique was also called by others as the "Golden Fairy in the High Tower", "Gray Wolf" and at the end of the series "Charming Monster"; all of them creatures of folktales.
Victorique's name is spelled "Victorica" on the official Gosick website, likely as a phonetic spelling. Her name is spelled "Victorique" in the first two novels (English translation) and in episode 9 of the anime.[6] All evidences in novel and anime indicates that the nation of Sauville, the academy and the de Blois all speak French as their official language.[7] She probably signs her name with the French spelling, "Victorique" [citation needed]. In the novels, it is noted that her name is apparently usually a man's, as Avril initially does not believe Victorique is a female student when she is being discussed. In the final episode, Victorique's hair turns silver due to the Marie Antoinette Syndrome.

Other Characters

Grevil de Blois (グレヴィール・ド・ブロワ, Gurevīru do Burowa)
Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Drama CD), Hidenobu Kiuchi (Anime)
Grevil is an aristocrat who had forced the local police to make him a detective purely because he had an interest in crime. The most noticeable thing in his appearance is his drill-like hairstyle that Kazuya thinks could be used as a deadly weapon [citation needed]. In the light novels he smokes a pipe identical to Victorique's. This isn't shown in the anime. Being a terrible detective, he has relied on Victorique to solve his cases. Despite that, Victorique was never acknowledged for her efforts because she must not be made known to the public. Grevil is the half-brother of Victorique sharing the same father; Marquis Albert du Blois. Grevil's mother was Albert's proper wife while Victorique's mother was simply a mistress. It is revealed that he was in love with his childhood friend Jacqueline. Unfortunately, at that time she was already married. Grevil, with assistance from Victorique, solved a case and acquitted Jacqueline of an accusation (framed) of murder.[8] While he is described by Victorique as a heel and a playboy, it is implied that his current happy self is nothing but a shell to bury his sad past, including losing Jacqueline to someone else and not being able to show his concern for his sister openly.
It is mentioned in episode 10 that his shocking drill-like hairstyle is actually the price for asking Victorique to solve Jacqueline's case, while citing that if Victorique wanted to make his life miserable, she should have asked him stop loving Jacqueline instead of merely asking him to don such a ridiculous hairstyle. He originally has a charming long hairstyle, and at the end of the episode he restored this old hairstyle.
Avril Bradley (アブリル・ブラッドリー, Aburiru Buraddorī)
Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami (Drama CD), Noriko Shitaya (Anime)[9][10]
An international student from Great Britain. Because she and Kazuya are both foreign students, they quickly found common ground and were able to talk freely, instead of treating Kazuya like a monster, which is what most of the rest of the students are doing. She is a beautiful girl with short blond hair and blue eyes. It is hinted that she has feelings for Kazuya. She represents Kazuya's ordinary ties to the school, apart from his adventures with Victorique. She also enjoys eating and is fond of ghost stories. Through the first novel she has not met Victorique.
In the anime the real Avril Bradley was kidnapped on the way to the academy and replaced by Keiran II, the successor of the famous thief Keiran who mysteriously disappeared eight years prior. This thief wishes to continue his legacy by stealing the priceless works of famous artists and writers, etc., and was after a rare stamp that Avril's grandfather, a famed adventurer, had intended to give to her. She was rescued by Kujo, and later in the nurse's office said she thought he was a "black-haired prince". Ironically, because the thief knew of the real Avril in detail and had been a very good imposter, it wasn't hard for Kazuya to reestablish a friendship with the real Avril, who even developed feelings for him, but has a hard time trying to get closer to him due to his dedication to Victorique. In episode 14, she confessed her love for Kujo to Victorique but Victorique left before she can hear Avril's confession.
Cecile Lafitte (セシル・ラフィット, Seshiru Rafitto)
Voiced by: Yui Horie (Drama CD), Yui Kano (Anime)
A teacher in St. Marguerite Academy. She teaches Kazuya's, Avril's (and Victorique's) class. A small woman with a baby face, fluffy brown hair and big round glasses. She tasks Kazuya with taking the class handouts to Victorique, and she was the one who first brought Kazuya and Victorique together. She also dislikes ghosts and is prone to fainting in certain supernatural situations.
Brian Roscoe (ブライアン・ロスコー, Buraian Rosukō)
Voiced by: Tōru Ōkawa (Anime)
A famous magician whom Kujo regularly encounters. After Victorique proves Cordelia Gallo's innocence, he is seen beside Cordelia commenting that her "sin" has been burned together with the only bridge connecting the Grey Wolves' village to the outside world. During the First World War, he used his capabilities as an illusionist, along with a magic lantern, to disrupt a German bombing run on the "Beelzebub's Skull" convent in Lithuania - a huge projection of the Virgin Mary. He was the one who helped Cordelia escape from the sanitarium she was in left by Albert after Victorique's birth. Since then they have been working together to oppose the Marquis' intentions.
Later is revealed that Brian is not a single individual, but a pair of identical twins who share the same appearance and name. Both care deeply for Cordelia, but one of the twins despises Victorique as her birth prevented Cordelia from returning those feelings.
Cordelia Gallo (コルデリア・ギャロ, Koruderia Gyaro)
Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (Anime)
Victorique's mother, who hails from the legendary "Village of the Gray Wolves", a secluded castle town (later stated to be a small independent kingdom by the village elder.) inhabited by people with seemingly communal attributes - short stature, pale skin, blond hair, green eyes, and high intelligence. It is also shown that they develop precognitive abilities in old age. She was expelled from the town after being framed for the murder of the then-current elder, and her whereabouts were a mystery until Victorique manages to prove her innocence, when she is seen beside Brian Roscoe.
Cordelia's resemblance to her daughter is uncanny, and her short stature even as an adult leads even Kujo to mistake Cordelia for Victorique when he sees her. It is eventually revealed that Cordelia never had any kind of relationship with Victorique's father, the Marquis Albert de Blois; The Marquis in fact kidnapped, raped, and imprisoned her for the duration of the resulting pregnancy for the sole purpose of bearing Victorique - a child with Gray Wolf intellect which he could use for his own ends. Immediately after she gave birth to Victorique, the Marquis placed Cordelia in a sanitarium where she remained until she was freed by Roscoe. Despite the circumstances of Victorique's birth, Cordelia loves her daughter deeply, and watches over her closely, even visiting her to deliver a pendant containing her picture despite the risk of being found by the Marquis.
Marquis Albert de Blois (アルベール・ド・ブロワ侯爵, Arubēru do Burowa Kōshaku)
Voiced by: Takayuki Sugō (Anime)
Marquis Albert de Blois is Sauville's "Minister of the Occult", the main antagonist and Grevil's and Victorique's father. He is responsible for Victorique's secluded life and instructed Grevil to keep track of her movements. Impressed by Leviathan's tricks to impress the king and queen of Sauville, he offered him protection in exchange of creating homunculus for the army. In Leviathan's last moments, he suggested that Albert mate with a woman with extraordinary powers to produce a child capable of achieving his goals. As per this suggestion, Albert then proceeded to kidnap and rape Cordelia Gallo to produce Victorique. He cares little for Victorique as his daughter, seeing her as a mere tool. According to him, Victorique's conception and raising have been part of his plan to seize power in Sauville in spite of an upcoming storm that is set to engulf the entire world. It is implied that the event in question is the Second World War that began more than a decade before its real life counterpart.
Thanks to Victorique's efforts, Albert managed to obtain precious information to topple his main nemesis in the government, The Minister of Science, Jupiter Roget and blackmailed the King into making of him the Prime Minister. He also managed to amass a legion of followers by making the people believe that his daughter is the legendary creature "Monstre Charmant". His plans are ruined when Cordelia managed to have Victorique escape with Brian Roscoe's help, exposing Albert's schemes and ultimately kills him before being slain herself by one of his bodyguards.

Media

Light novels

There are nine light novels out titled 'Gosick' and four collections of shorter writings, stories, titled 'GosickS', with a capital 'S' on the end of the title. The Gosick novels are full length works, and the GosickS books are short story collections. The series was authored by Kazuki Sakuraba with illustrations by Hinata Takeda. The first novel was released in Japan on December 10, 2003 and the last one on July 23, 2011.

  • Gosick (GOSICK -ゴシック-, GOSICK -Goshikku-) ISBN 4-8291-6229-5
  • Gosick II: The Crime That Has No Name (GOSICK II -ゴシック・その罪は名もなき-, GOSICK II -Goshikku - Sono Tsumi wa Na mo Naki-) ISBN 4-8291-6254-6
  • Gosick III: Beneath the Blue Rose (GOSICK III -ゴシック・青い薔薇の下で-, GOSICK III -Goshikku - Aoi Bara no Shita de-) ISBN 4-8291-6273-2
  • Gosick IV: A Fool Represents the Case (GOSICK IV -ゴシック・愚者を代弁せよ-, GOSICK IV -Goshikku - Gusha wo Daiben seyo-) ISBN 4-8291-6288-0
  • Gosick V: Beelzebub's Skull (GOSICK V -ゴシック・ベルゼブブの頭蓋-, GOSICK V -Goshikku - Beruzebubu no Zugai-) ISBN 4-8291-6328-3
  • Gosick VI: Night of the Masquerade (GOSICK VI -ゴシック・仮面舞踏会の夜-, GOSICK VI -Goshikku - Kamen-Butōkai no Yoru-) ISBN 4-8291-6375-5
  • Gosick VII: The Rose-coloured Life (GOSICK VII ―ゴシック・薔薇色の人生―, GOSICK VII -Goshikku - Barairo no Jinsei-) ISBN 4-04-428115-1
  • Gosick VIII (1): Twilight of the Gods (GOSICK VIII 上 ―ゴシック・神々の黄昏―, GOSICK VIII Jou -Goshikku - Kamigami no Tasogare-) ISBN 4-04-428121-1
  • Gosick VIII (2): Twilight of the Gods (GOSICK VIII 下 ―ゴシック・神々の黄昏―, GOSICK VIII Ge -Goshikku - Kamigami no Tasogare) ISBN 4-04-428124-6

GosickS takes place before Gosick, GosickS II between Gosick IV and Gosick V. GosickS III takes place after Gosick VI.

  • GosickS: The Reaper Comes in the Spring (GOSICKS -ゴシックエス・春来たる死神-, GOSICKS -Goshikku Esu - Haru Kitaru Shinigami-) ISBN 4-8291-6310-0
  • GosickS II: Summer from the Disappearing Train (GOSICKS II -ゴシックエス・夏から遠ざかる列車-, GOSICKS II -Goshikku Esu - Natsu kara Tōzakaru Ressha-) ISBN 4-8291-6352-6
  • GosickS III: Memories of an Autumn Flower (GOSICKS III - ゴシックエス・秋の花の思い出-, GOSICKS III -Goshikku Esu - Aki no Hana no Omoide-) ISBN 978-4-8291-6387-0
  • GosickS IV: Winter of Sacrifices (GOSICKS IV - ゴシックエス・冬のサクリファイス-, GOSICKS IV -Goshikku Esu - Fuyu no sakurifaisu-) ISBN 978-4-04-428119-9

Manga

A manga with illustrations by Amano Sakuya, is currently serialized in the shōnen manga magazine Monthly Dragon Age.

The first volume was published by Fujimi Shobo on July 9, 2008. As of March 2011, a total of six manga volumes are available.

Volume listing

No. Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1 July 9, 2008978-4047125582
2 November 10, 2008978-4047125773
3 August 9, 2009978-4047126152
4 January 9, 2010978-4047126442
5 2010978-4047126930
6 February 9, 2011978-4047127104

Drama CD

A drama CD in which the story is based on the first volume of GosickS, was released on April 21, 2006.

Anime

Gosick was adapted into a 24-episode anime television series by Bones under the direction of Hitoshi Nanba and script supervision by Mari Okada.[11] The series began its original broadcast run on TV Tokyo on January 8, 2011. However, episode 11 and afterward was on hold after a 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, but has since begun broadcasting again .[12] The media streaming website Crunchyroll is also simulcasting the anime series to audiences in Africa, Europe, North and South American, the Middle East, and southeast Asia.[13] Bandai Entertainment had licensed the anime,[14] but later cancelled the release of Gosick along with an announcement that they would cease any new DVD, Blu-ray, and manga releases.[15] Madman Entertainment have licensed the series in Australia and New Zealand and are releasing subtitled only DVDs until a dubbed version becomes available. Three pieces of theme music are used for the opening and closing. The opening theme is "Destin Histoire" by yoshiki☆lisa and was released on March 2, 2011.[16] From episodes one to twelve, the ending theme is "Resuscitated Hope" by Komine Lisa and was released on April 27, 2011.[17] From episodes thirteen onwards, the ending theme is "unity", also by Komine Lisa.

Episode list

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No. Title Original air date

Reception

Anime News Network's Carlo Santos commends the first volume of light novels for "a mysterious, elegant atmosphere and an intricate plotline [making] this a thrilling read from start to finish". However, he criticises the light novels for "flashback scenes [that] never really fit in". He also mentions that "the final conclusion is rather far-fetched."[18]

Historical Connections

Both the novels and the Anime have some historical background. The names of the fictional country, "Sauville" or "Saubure", and the description of its geographic location match very well with the now long gone kingdom of Savoy, also called Savoie or Savoia, the founder of which was the Count of Sabaudia: Humbert Aux Mains Blanches (Humbert the Whigh). Savoy was between modern-day Italy, France, and Switzerland. A "great war" is mentioned during the series and it's also stated that Sauville partook in the war.

References

  1. ^ GOSICK VII was released on the 25th of March 2011
  2. ^ "News: Tokyopop Confirms 38 Upcoming Manga, Manhwa, Novels". Anime News Network. June 18, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  3. ^ TOKYOPOP - Bücher: Romane: Gosick
  4. ^ "Crunchyroll Confirms Gosick Simulcast". Anime News Network. January 4, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  5. ^ "News: Bandai Entertainment to Stop Releasing New DVDs, BDs, Manga". Anime News Network. January 2, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  6. ^ Screenshot of the letter from Kujo
  7. ^ See anime episode 4, Victorique counting in French, see also episode 6 where the local newspaper is written in French.
  8. ^ Gosick, Episode 11
  9. ^ "スタッフ・キャスト" (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Retrieved February 7, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "スタッフ・キャスト" (in Japanese). Gosick Official Website. Retrieved February 7, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Gosick Mystery Novels Have Anime in the Works". Anime News Network. March 15, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  12. ^ "Story & On air". Gosick Official Website. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  13. ^ "Crunchyroll to Simulcast Gosick Mystery Horror Anime". Anime News Network. January 4, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  14. ^ "Bandai Entertainment Adds Nichijou, Gosick Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  15. ^ "Bandai Entertainment to Stop Releasing New DVDs, BDs, Manga". Anime News Network. January 2, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  16. ^ "TV Anime "GOSICK" Opening Theme: Destin Histoire [Regular Edition]". CDJapan. Neowing. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  17. ^ "Resuscitated Hope". Lisa Komine official blog. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  18. ^ Santos, Carlo (May 23, 2008). "Gosick Vol. 1 (novel)". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 13, 2009.

External links

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