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Comment on Top 10 Best Anime Studios by Anonymous:

You beat me to the punch, as I was going to say some of the same things about Gonzo. Mainly because #19 AIC is credited in the rankings with Sora no Otoshimono, R-15, and Strike Witches, even though Gonzo did Strike Witches S1.

I imagine Gonzo’s problem was that they worked on a lot of action/sci-fi shows that were perhaps more tailored to Western audiences, and Japanese reception/sales weren’t so hot. And since much of the Western fanbase is content to be on anime welfare and let Japanese otaku subsidize their anime consumption and dictate what kinds of shows get made, Gonzo didn’t get enough foreign sales boost to prosper. And really, a lot of their more hated projects had circumstances beyond their control.

So. I’ll highlight some other Gonzo projects.

Gatekeepers (2000) and Gatekeepers 21 (2001-2002) – Fun superpowered teenager show that took a darker turn in its sequel.

Vandread (2000/2001) – By 7 years, it predated Gurren Lagann’s blend of hotblooded ridiculous over-the-top combining mecha action and copious fanservice, all with the innocent romantic comedy of men and women who literally didn’t understand each other. CG was good for its time.

Hellsing TV (2001)- Was an okay vampire show with nice music and atmosphere for the first half, may have been started too early to make a more satisfactory manga-based ending. Fail = not 100% Gonzo’s fault.

Final Fantasy Unlimited (2001-02) – Had the unenviable task of adapting a vast disjointed mythos into a single story. Kind of childish, but had inventive CG and landscapes in the various worlds. Was showing signs of improvement, but the spectacular failure of FF: The Spirits Within caused Square to cancel the show early. So the rushed/asspull ending = not Gonzo’s fault.

Kiddy Grade (2002-03) – Sleek, sexy, and fun sci-fi adventure/comedy. Notable for providing scandal seiyuu Aya Hirano with one of her first leading roles.

Gravion/Zwei (2002/2004) – Nothing masterful, but good for what it was — a fanservicey combining-mecha show with plenty of boobs, pantsu, and crossdressing.

Kaleido Star (2003-2004) – Obviously deserves split credit with Junichi Satou, Hal Film Maker, and North American distributor ADV Films (who helped co-finance the production), but it’s still an incredible show with many happy and sad moments.

Chrono Crusade (2003-2004) – It’s kind of hard to adapt a manga final arc that doesn’t exist at the time of animation; manga-fan haters have no sense of history. And yet, Gonzo put together one of the most memorable anime endings of the early 00s, if not the whole decade.

Samurai 7 (2004) – Insane amounts of CG katana-cutting-starship/mecha spectacle, great music and sound, and plenty of heart infused into the adaptation of Kurosawa material and the new arc in the final 3rd.

Burst Angel (2004) – Probably suffered from having production staff/talent diverted to other projects that same season. But it was reasonably fun, despite relying too much on “Meg gets kidnapped” plots.

Desert Punk (2004-2005) – Suffers a bit from “incomplete manga adaptation” syndrome, but at least Funimation’s dub made it damn entertaining.

Trinity Blood (2005) – IIRC the LN author’s death complicated things. Ending was kind of fail either way, but was an okay show while it lasted.

Basilisk (2005) – Sometimes-silly, but always-intense ninja action with star-crossed lovers and no clear good guys or bad guys.

Solty Rei (2005-06) – Was mentioned by the poster below me, but this was one of my best anime surprises. Film Noir meets mecha/sci-fi, plenty of cute girls, but outstanding story and character development.

Romeo X Juliet (2007) – Setting aside all the stuff about magical trees and floating continents, this was more believable than the source material.

Rosario + Vampire (2008/2009) – I know manga fans hated it, but I dug the sexy monster girls and occasional 4th-wall-breaking comedy.

Saki (2008) – The legendary nopan status of this show has been well-covered on Sankaku.

————–

Read or Die was mainly a Deen (OVA) and JC Staff (TV) production, though.

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