Yesterday, I watched the last episode of the anime. That I watched the 52 episodes in such a short amount of time (subbed even, which normally hurts my motivation quite a bit) should tell you all about how much I enjoyed the show.
Spoilers, in case you care about them, for this story.
As far as I know, Javert kills himself in the book, right? After his brain breaks apart, because he finally understands that Valjean DID change? Well, in the anime he certainly doesn't. I guess, he becomes a force for good now. He certainly is one of my favourite characters, and I wished there was a bit more focus on him. He is clearly a side character - an important one, but Cosette and Valjean are the clear focus of the show. But in general, I find Javert fascinating, this absolute focus on his role, as he perceives it, and that he is actually a competent cop. Fascinating guy. Also, is he the basis for rival characters? I had to think of Dragonball Zs Vegeta so often, when he appeared - with this fixation on one single person, that beat you, but that you never really give up on.
I loved Gavroche. He was always a joy to watch, with his optimism, strength and the way he looks out for weaker people. It was so heartwarming, to finally see him reunite with Cosette (does he actually survive the book? I was really surprised, when he didn't die through the shot). Talking of dying, I expected Chou Chou to die, way back in Cosettes childhood. Seemed like a story, where something like this happens - a miserable person finds something nice, and than it's taken away.
Then, as much as I hate them, the adult Thenardiers are great villains. The show was at its most griping, when they were in power (or felt like it). I think it makes a lot of sense, to not start with the Bishop (as much as I like him) - I read the first 50 pages by now, and there is nothing directly happening. We only learn about his live. Well, maybe they could show this in one episode, and end it with the guy who lives alone, abandoned from society, who is soon dying. But, whatever you might show, starting with Cosette and Fantine, and their loving relationship, and ending the first episode with the realization that Cosettes nice live is over (at least for the next few years), when Ms. Thenardier shows her true face, makes for a great start. I couldn't stop watching, because I just wanted to see Cosette finally, finally get out of this hellhole. Later on, when Valjean is caught by the Thenardiers, it's another very exciting moment (and probably the funniest one in the show, when he writes down a wrong address, and you see a shot of Ms. Thenardier standing in the middle of nowhere). Despiceable people, and he is way more dangerous than I expected at the start of the show, but they work really well.
I also enjoyed my time with Eponine a lot. I just can't hold too much of a grudge against her, despite her horrible behaviour towards Cosette. She would have been very nice, if her parents hadn't been such horrible rolemodels. And, granted, she was jealous, but still. Just this idea of a child, who has an education, nice clothes and good food, basically a good childhood, but then losing it all and losing all this nice stuff, is heartbreaking. It must be hard, to live up, realizing how your live gets more and more miserable. And, despite her hating Cosette later on, too, she still does good deeds, like making sure that Valjean is there, so that the thieves don't break in. Dunno, I feel like I'm missing stuff here (which, I assume, the book does way better, with all those pages) - like with many things in the anime, it feels like I watched 2.5D characters of three-dimensional ones, like there was always more to them, than was shown. It's a good anime, I think, but it feels like, even with over 50 episodes, it didn't quite give us all we should have gotten. I'm very curious to meet Eponine again, in the book.
Bonus mention, for the guy who had to sell his books, due to increasing poverty (I just love characters, who value books, and he was just such a nice guy), and the nun who never lies (except for that one time). I liked them, they were nice side characters.
I haven't mentioned Valjean and Cosette yet. Which is due to the fact that they felt, to me (and I assume that is at least partly due to the way they where adapted in the anime) they were, kind of, the most uninteresting characters in the show. I'm grading on a curve here, they were still nice and interesting to spend time with, but everyone I mentioned above was more interesting to me. Like, Cosette never felt like much of a character, after she is saved from the Thenardiers. She doesn't have much of a goal, aside from her love story (which was the least interesting subplot of the show). She is just this supergood behaved young lady - which might make sense, but makes her somewhat flavourless to watch.
Valjean was more interesting, but mainly when it was him with another character, that wasn't Cosette. Which I just now realized - when he was captured by Thenardier, we got a really interesting version of him, as we did when he and Javert finally meet, behind the barricade and afterwards. But as the nice father, he was just that - a nice father. He just never showed any emotion, aside from fear due to paranoia, but even that was downplayed. Like, he was perfectly nice, but never showed any genuine joy, or strong emotions at all. Just this calm happiness, of having Cosette with him. Like with her, that made him somewhat flavourless, for much of the show.
Also, I feel a bit irritated about his relationship with her. Don't get me wrong, he was generally great, and I understand why he couldn't tell her the truth (which was sometimes frustrating). But I react a bit allergic at characters (generally men), who are all about protecting another character (generally women). He (thankfully) never got angry about anything of that (he is a hero, after all). And I get, that this is early 19th century France, which we talk about here. But the whole "I finally found someone to take care of Cosette" - dunno, I would have preferred her taking care of herself, and him trusting her with this. But, again, I get where this plays. And, again, I enjoyed this show a lot, so my criticism isn't meant to be too harsh.
Oh, right, there was Marius. To be honest, he didn't leave much of an impression on me, and I have no idea if this might be due to some changes in the story. I mean, the way he stalked Valjean and Cosette was weird and stupid, but it made me just find him to be a teenage dumbass. And he is just way too dumb, to get how Eponine feels about him (but here too, a teenager being a stupid teenager, he isn't intenationally hurtful, just completely oblivious). Elsewise, there was just the awkward love story. Dunno, maybe I overlooked something (it's very possible, feel free to tel me, what you hate about him), but I just didn't find a reason to actually hate him.