Many anime studios are still relatively new to the industry, having been established in the early to mid-2000s or later, such as P.A. Works and Wit Studio. While some may count Gonzo among them, the studio’s predecessor was in fact initially formed in 1992 by former Gainax staff members, before merging with another company and later being absorbed into its parent corporation.
With a plethora of anime-original works and several well-known shonen titles under its belt, including Black Cat and Rosario + Vampire, Gonzo continues to thrive today despite its somewhat rocky journey. Given Gonzo’s vast catalog of nearly 70 televised works (to say nothing of its various OVAs/ONAs, films, and even games and manga, there’s certainly no shortage of variety to be found. Here’s just a taste of what the studio has to offer.
Hellsing (2001)
Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing is the leader of Hellsing -- an organization that specializes in dealing with dark supernatural forces. When she is asked to destroy a vampire running amok in a village, Integra sends her sworn servant -- the original vampire Alucard. Although Alucard easily dispatches the rogue vampire, a young police officer named Seras Victoria is caught in the crossfire. On death’s door, Seras is offered a choice: either die as a human or have Alucard turn her. Seras chooses the latter, thus beginning her new life as a vampire and member of Hellsing.
Now a classic supernatural horror title in its own right, Hellsing may have received an upgrade in the Hellsing Ultimate OVAs, but it’s the 13-episode series that still really shines in terms of both tone and direction. While anime horror can be very hit-or-miss, Hellsing manages to deliver an intriguing plot alongside great action scenes and a banger soundtrack, easily making it rank among the very best vampire anime of all time despite its age.
Last Exile (2003)
The fictional world of Prester, in which flight is the dominant mode of transportation, is home to the warring countries of Anatoray and Disith, as well as a hugely powerful organization called the Guild. Caught in the middle of the conflict are sky couriers, who pilot two-person vanships between the nations. Teenage couriers Claus Valca and Lavie Head are the respective pilot and navigator of their vanship, but their lives are turned upside down when they take on the job of delivering a young orphan girl named Alvis Hamilton to the battleship Silvana.
Last Exile is an anime-original series that later inspired a manga rather than the other way around -- and for excellent reason. It’s difficult to overstate just how unique and well-thought-out the series is in the anime world, with its mix of steampunk-like technological ideas placed in a more sci-fi universe. Moreover, the art style, from the show’s character designs to its background artwork and real-world historical inspiration for its airships, makes Last Exile a true gem in terms of overall production.
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (2004)
The year is 5053, and during a visit to the Moon-based city of Lune, teenage aristocrat Viscount Albert de Morcerf has a chance encounter with a mysterious yet charming nobleman known only as the Count of Monte Cristo. However, unbeknownst to Albert, the Count is actually a former sailor named Edmund Dantes, who was once betrayed by his closest friends and imprisoned on false charges. Upon escaping prison and reinventing himself as the Count, Edmund is now hell-bent on vengeance, and Albert -- who finds himself more and more drawn to him -- just happens to be the son of one of Edmund’s old enemies.
Based on the famous 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas, Gankutsuou is over the top and theatrical -- in the best possible way. Everything the series does is grand and dramatic, from the unique and extremely bold art style to details such as the characters’ body language, pulling off its purposeful flamboyance with so much panache that it’s genuinely difficult to look away. However, that’s not to say Gankutsuou is all substance and no style; beneath its melodrama and extravagant visual flair lies a finely-crafted show that makes smart storytelling choices and knows how to tug on the audience’s heartstrings.
Welcome to the N.H.K. (2006)
Sato Tatsuhiro is a university dropout who lives a reclusive life as a NEET and hikikomori (shut-in). He’s also a conspiracy theorist who’s convinced that his social problems stem from the N.H.K -- the Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai -- an organization that intentionally broadcasts anime to turn people like him into hapless otaku. One day, Sato runs into a mysterious girl named Nakahara Misaki, who claims to be able to cure him of his hikikomori ways and attempts to draw him back into society, despite her own hidden issues.
Adapted from a full-length novel, Welcome to the N.H.K. is a black comedy showcasing heavy psychological themes alongside a healthy dash of cynical satire. The story, a delightfully twisted blend of drama, humor and even a little romance, makes for an often cringe-worthy watch that nonetheless remains perfectly relatable. Its specific brand of somewhat morbid comedy may well appeal to fans of the likes of Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei and Arakawa Under the Bridge, with the tale packing a surprisingly hard emotional punch without being needlessly depressing.
Bokurano: Ours (2007)
During a summer camp, a group of middle-school children comes across a sea cave that turns out to be full of computers. The cave’s inhabitant, a man named Kokopelli, claims to be working on a game involving a giant robot whose purpose is to defend the Earth from alien invaders. However, since Kokopelli has not yet been able to test the game, he convinces the children to sign a contract for what he asserts will be a fun adventure. This ‘adventure’ quickly grows dark when the children are given no choice but to pilot the giant robot themselves in order to defeat enemy mechs from parallel worlds.
On the surface, Bokurano may seem like just another post-Evangelion show with its mecha set dressing and intense psychological drama -- every character (and there are a lot) has a tragic backstory or complex tangle of mental trauma -- but the anime is very much its own beast. More thriller than action, Bokurano depicts the grimmer side of humanity with remarkable subtlety, although anime fans who found the likes of Death Parade or Now and Then, Here and There difficult to watch for its similarly dark subject matter may want to approach with caution.
