Gankutsuou/Headscratchers

• Yes, yes, it's an adaptation of a work before they were invented, but the entire plot would be totally obviated if these 51st century rich kids carried cellphones.
• Where did the knife shard in the Count's heart come from?
  • It's the tip of Franz's sword that the Count broke inside his chest during their earlier duel to show off his invulnerability. So.. Franz got to kill the Count posthumously.
  • The irony here is that embracing humanity and feeling love for Mercedes and Albert are what killed him, by loosening the crystal demon's hold on his heart and literally softening it. This is possibly the best justified Redemption Equals Death ever (well, maybe not redemption per se, but you get what I'm saying).
• If the main cast are all wealthy members of nobility, why does everyone have only one formal outfit? I swear, Mercedes wore that blue dress for like several straight episodes.
• In that vein then, why didn't The Count have the sword shard removed after the duel? I mean, when he got shot, they made a point of showing that Ali can extract bullets and heal him, so why not the sword? And why did he break it off anyway instead of just pulling the whole thing out?
  • 'Cause it looked three times more epic this way.
• What happened to Heloise and Edouard, who were seen with Ali in the second to last episode, and why was the Count taking custody of them anyway?
  • I presume the Count took custody of them as a weapon against Villefort? I mean, he already had Andrea, but Villefort -freaked- when he saw his wife and child in the Count's carriage (I think that was the scene, anyway), and that made him more desperate etc. No idea what happened to them, though... maybe they're off with Haidee and co?
  • And while we're at it, what happened to Andrea Calvicanti?
    • He went on the run with Caderous. A wanted poster for them can be seen briefly in the final episode.
    • He eloped with Peppo, so Peppo could become a model and Benedetto could become a ridiculously wealthy gangster.
• How can there be a short day-night cycle on the moon? The lunar day is equal to the Terran month.
  • Hmm, through the magic of Did Not Do the Research, Hand Wave and Rule of Cool?
  • Perhaps this was part of the terraforming process the moon has been subjected to. After all, the moon as we know it does not have an atmosphere either.
  • Or a face.
  • HEY, the Man in the Moon resents that.
• The art style. I actually like it when viewed in promotional stills but get blinding headaches if I actually try to watch the show itself. And everything I've heard makes me think I'd really enjoy the show if I could actually watch it.
  • Get past the "Carnival" episodes, if you can (1-2). It actually gets a lot less jarring, speaking as someone who started out with a "WTF?" attitude towards the art style and now loves it.
    • It's not so much WTF, it's physical pain because my eyes won't focus properly.
  • I had much the reverse reaction; I was in awe of the style and beauty of the arrangements and patterns, but after the carnival episodes felt a little let down with the lack of the initial glamour. Still an excellent series though.
  • It really takes getting used to. I was put off by it at first, but then I tried to focus on the faces of the characters, and that made it a little bit better
• Why did the count go through all that melodrama about calling the coffin-box of the illegitimate baby of Domglar's wife and Villefort "anathema" and all these other creepy things in the spooky night, when it was empty and the child was alive and in fact part of his Evil Plan? Or is he just that into larping? ^_~
  • It's part of the psychological warfare of course.
  • Yeah, the entire point of that soirée (and indeed, much of the Count's activities when he arrived Paris) was to create discord and distrust in and among the families to manipulate them (and probably also simply because he enjoyed doing it). See also: planting doubt in Albert regarding Mercedes and Fernand's love for each other, seducing Héloise, spooking (and subtly threatening) Villefort and Mme Danglars, etc.
• Why did Luigi Vampa try to kill the Count during the kidnapping on the Moon? They weren't acting for Albert's benefit, since he wasn't in the room. So...why?
  • They both knew it wasn't going to hurt him, and it seemed like fun? What, you and your friends never throw knives at each other while exchanging banter just for the hell of it?
  • The impression I got was that (unlike in the book) this was the first time they'd met, and it was only after this that Vampa's gang started working for the Count.
• Why does Morcerf let Haydee come up to the podium to speak during his campaign rally? Do politicians in the 51st century regularly hold open-mike nights?
  • Because he has no reason to refuse her, and still believes the Count could be a potential ally (and Haydee is basically his representative as far as anyone knows), which would probably help him since the Count is becoming well-known in Paris and is obviously richer than God. Weirder things have happened in modern politics--look at Joe the Plumber. Also, you know, it allows for an awesome really dramatic confrontation scene.
  • Also, Haydée randomly appeared and said she came to speak in support of Morcerf. Which politician would want to miss a chance like that?
• How is both Mercedes and Fernand both black and yet their son is white?
  • .....First of all...who's black? They're all French. And Albert looks pretty clearly related to them....even if they weren't French, he didn't suddenly switch race on them.
  • They're tanned because they are from Marseille, and people are slightly more tan there than in Paris, on average. Albert is paler because he's a sheltered kid who spends most of his time indoors.
  • Then again, this is three millenia in the future, who knows what kind of mixing could have happened on the planet. I'm not saying that they are black, but who knows what Albert's family could be mixed with. But, with all that said, I also agree with the "Albert being more sheltered and priveledged thus spending more time indoors" assertion