Peppo is my absolute favorite character in Gankutsuou. I have to admit her little “secret” caught me off guard. I had much the same reaction as Albert when he found out. However, she was such a cutie that I could not fault her for it.

We first meet her early on in the series but she quickly disappears as a supporting character. I was very pleased when she became a maid for the Morcef family (Albert’s family name), but their maid outfits were a bit of a disappointment. If I ever have maids they will be required to wear skimpy little French outfits. That’s one of the few aesthetic calls the character designer got wrong in my opinion. There was also a scene in which she explained how she had gotten the job and the trust of Albert’s father. Let’s just say there was a close up of her licking her lips. Was she telling the truth or was she messing with Albert’s mind? I don’t know.

I like her because she is an honest character. While her actions are mostly devious and underhanded, her heart is honest and one gets the feeling that she has a tendency to follow her heart. She really is a good person, but appears a victim of circumstance. Hard life.

Gankutsouou: The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the better series that I have watched in a while. In general, the most popular shows always appeal to the largest viewership. That has to be the case because popularity is based on ratings and returns. Both of those rely on the number of people watching to be very large, but not necessarily very receptive to a good story and original artwork. I fully expected that this series wouldn’t be a break out hit her in the states. I didn’t follow the fansub run (if there was one), but I can guess that it probably faired only slightly well. One reason, no lolis.

Many will be turned off by the art work, that’s a given. One derives pleasure from the visual experience if one allows oneself to delve into the story. I haven’t yet finished this series. The vol 5 disc ended at episode 20. There are 24 episodes in the series; so, the next disc should polish it off. This is one of the very few series that has not bored me at any point. Every single episode is enjoyable to watch.