Rule No. 1: Don't Be A Jerk (A Guilty Crown Analysis)

Ok, so I really want to finish this post before Guilty Crown does, so here goes! Another reflective post...on why I think Guilty Crown is a tense yet entirely mediocre series - and why realism is not a vale of tears.
[SPOILER WARNING]

Before I begin, I'd like to add that in no way do I really hate the Guilty Crown series. However, when I first saw it, it had a lot of potential - that the series just shoved away in a bin in later episodes and never came back for. There are some reasons for this, but I'll cover those later in my Conclusions posting. The major issue I'd like to address is the fact that everybody in Guilty Crown acts like teenagers from an MTV show. And this, I definitely have problems with - especially when that elite group of "everybody that gets screen time" is depressing me with their assortment of backstabs, insults, and retarded trains of logic.

ONLY DAN EAGLEPERSON WOULD THINK OF FIRING SAMS AT A BOAT WHILE APPARENTLY HAVING AN UPRIGHT STROKE AT THE SAME TIME.

AMERICA

FUCK YEAH

Well ExtraCareful, you say, you've always supported realistic character interactions in stories. People can be real jerks, sometimes even worse than this, in real life!

Yes, but you forget: people are shades of grey, not black and white. That's true character interaction. Realism isn't having happy hip folks do awesome stuff, nor is it having average emo anti-heroes duke each other out in a savage Lord of the Flies-style cannibalistic rumble in the jungle. What I want is for people to show their good side and their bad side, for people to have common sense, for people to have flexibility. I DON'T want characters shouting each other down to force plot points to occur or to force characters to break.

Now, let me list how Guilty Crown is a) not creative, and b) not appealing except in a predictably morbid way.

I. Shu ends up going along with things far too easily and Gai is too much a dick to correct his ways.
Prime Example: Episode 4. From what Gai/Inori said in the last bit of the episode, the entire episode was based on trolling Shu so that he could save that one weirdo guy that we never see again and so they could convince him to join Undertakers. Now, most people (like the average kind-hearted protagonist) would say, "fuck no, I'm not joining (at least not yet) a terrorist group that tried to screw me over". Shu takes an entirety of 5 seconds in silence when Gai essentially says to him, "ok I fooled you. Anyways, follow me without question for reasons unknown."

Shu then agrees.

The fuck?

Did the plot train on the plot railroading express come too early for the studio or something or were the writers just brain-dead when writing this episode? Why would any person agree to that AFTER they had gone through what Shu did in this episode? He didn't even get a feeling of pride from that since the Undertakers had tricked him from the beginning. Terrible way to end that mini-arc and force it into the next story, IMHO.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

fuck yourself

II. Everybody that's supposed to be the "good guys" actually make worse moral choices than the "bad guys".
Prime Example: ENTIRE SERIES. Gai continually uses Inori to bait the shit out of Shu to use him for whatever purposes. The rest of the ragtag wannabe-Valkyria Chronicles team shits on Shu for every other dissenting word that comes out of his mouth. If this was an actual team, they could have been wiped out in a military simulation by an amateur paintball group. Furthermore, even after the team splits, the rest of the school also treats Shu like shit and just shouts him down. That's simply not what people do to strangers, and even less so with friends.

Oh no, you say. What about the bad guys? They kill people without mercy!

Right. Because the Undertakers put the endless amounts of people in lab buildings, helicopters, mechas, ships, jeeps, and tanks to sleep using Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom Day/Night. Right, that's what they did.

Setting that aside, the worst the villains have done to Shu this entire series is a total of 1 Shu kidnapping, 2 Inori kidnappings and pretend crucifixion (clearly showing support for Hinduism), and a fucking tea party by the main Joker behind the scenes, Major Segai Waltz or whatever his name is. Let me repeat that: 3 kidnappings and a tea party. I'm not gonna count the "shooting guns at the heroes thing" because that's par for the course in any action/battle/modern setting.

To be honest, near the end of the first half of the series, when the Undertakers got owned and Gai died, I legitimately started to cheer out loud for the villains. The good guys are just that bad.

Pictured: baller

III. People snap way too easily in this series.

Prime Example: ENTIRE SERIES. Again, realism is NOT being emo. It is being realistic. People don't break that easily with sad tidings, else I think WWII might have ended slightly earlier (or much later, depending on how you wanted it to end). But no. Every time Souta (Shu's best friend) or the other jackass (I think his name is Yahiro) hears something slightly out of the ordinary or have an idea, they take up 10 minutes of fuckin' screen time SHOUTING AT SHU AND EVERYONE ELSE AND OMFG CHICKEN LITTLE SAID THE SKY IS GONNA FALL ON OUR FUCKING HEADS.

In essence, get the hell out of town, shitty characters. You don't belong here.

Even the girls make me want to slap them; the red-haired girl (Ayase) explodes often for no reason, Inori points a gun at every other character calmly like she thinks candy will pop out of them or something, and I still don't understand why Tsugumi has cat ears. Literally the only character that's anywhere close to being somewhat human is Hare, and she gets owned by an explosion because the studio was retarded and wanted to advance the plot faster the car she was fixing with her Void Band-Aids did not appreciate her Midas touch. I just don't get why everyone can't get along and fight the bad guys instead of imploding. This doesn't make for a coherent series at all...

"You know, my dad owns a gun shop, but- you know, he doesn't like to admit it, but I think it makes him real nervous when I work there 'cause, uh, any time I get a gun in my hand it just automatically points to somebody's head." - FPS Doug

IV. Void Ranking System. The midichlorians are strong with this one.

Prime Example: Episodes 13-15. The Void Ranking System came up in the last minute because someone managed to pull off a void-ranking counter at the last minute (presumably from their asses). 

Now if anyone has seen Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, this would be a greeeeeaaaaaaattttt time to facepalm yourself. Look, George Lucas and co. almost got run out of town for using such a stupid fucking idea like using the number of midichlorians in your body to measure Force potential. 

WHY WOULD YOU USE A QUANTITATIVE SCALE TO MEASURE A QUALITATIVE SYSTEM WHERE EVERY ELEMENT IS UNIQUE?

I mean, what the FUCK? Is the little dwarf in the counting machine say stuff like "hey man...Void scissors, I need that to trim my beard. I think it's a keeper. 58 points", as opposed to "why is this girl carrying a comb...21 points"?!?!?!!? It makes no sense at all and it's such a shallow attempt by the producers of the studio to force a plot point to occur. For Star Wars, it was the choosing of Anakin Skywalker as "the Chosen One". For Guilty Crown, it's the forced hierarchy and the "haves/have-nots". 

Just...stop. Stop. Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop. You're bad. The studio is bad. Just...please. Don't use a "power counter". Be creative please. The story doesn't need to turn into a "Citizen Kane"-style "hero becomes corrupted b/c he has power when the others don't" story. It can be introspective from the protagonist's point of view. WHY does it have to be like this?

Based upon their rankings on the Awesome Scale, I drew a butterfly with their images. It makes sense. Trust me. 

V. Shu's breaking - the Rise of the Darth Vader wannabe

Prime Example: Episode 15.

WHERE MAH GUUUUURRRRRRRRLLLLLLFRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNN

Darth Sidious: [Vader's new mechanical body arises from the steam] Lord Vader... can you hear me?
Darth Vader: Yes, Master.
Darth Vader: [Vader looks at Sidious] Where is Padme? Is she safe? Is she all right?
Darth Sidious: It seems in your anger, you killed her.
Darth Vader: I...? I couldn't have! She was alive... I felt it!
[Vader growls, and his Dark Side strength crushes everything around him in the room. He frees himself from the metal stretcher, and steps off. Palpatine has a smirk on his face]
Darth Vader: Nooooooooooooooooooo!

Obi-Wan: I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you.
Anakin Skywalker: I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over. Chancellor Palpatine has showed me the true ways of the Force.
Obi-Wan: Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil! The Sith are evil. The Dark Side of the Force is an evil presense.
Anakin Skywalker: From my point of view, it is the Jedi who are evil.
Obi-Wan: Well, then you really are lost!
Anakin Skywalker: [raises his lightsaber] This is the end for you... my former master.

You're his best friend. Maybe if you shout in his face enough, he'll stop being evil.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind, until now, until now you've become the very thing you swore to destroy.
Anakin Skywalker: Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan! I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Your new Empire?
Anakin Skywalker: Don't make me kill you.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy.
Anakin Skywalker: If you're not with me, then you're my enemy.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: [realizing that Anakin is consumed by evil and there's no reasoning with him anymore] Only a Sith deals in absolutes.
[draws his lightsaber]
Obi-Wan Kenobi: I will do what I must.
Anakin Skywalker: You will try.
[draws his lightsaber and confronts Obi-Wan]

BUT I HAVE ENOUGH TICKETS! I HAVE ENOUGH TICKETS!!

Anakin Skywalker: Are you all right? You're trembling. What's going on? 

Padmé: Something wonderful has happened. Ani, I'm pregnant. 

Well actually that last quote had nothing to do with Guilty Crown. It would have been hilarious if it did, though.

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Anyways, I hope this clears up your perception of what realism is as well as my view on it. And whenever you see a Guilty Crown fan, give them a punch in the gut for me. A disappointing series deserves a disappointing reputation.

Series like GC remind me why I should be grateful for series like Hanasaku Iroha.