Takai
03-27-2010, 10:03 PM
Le Chevalier D'Eon
Reviewer: Brian
Original Title: Le Chevalier D'Eon.
Format: TV series, 24 episodes, complete.
Year(s): 2006-2007.
Genres/Themes: historical fantasy, supernatural, action, adventure, drama, tragedy, conspiracy; seinen.
Animation Studio: Production I.G.
Director: Furuhashi Kazuhiro.
Original Author(s): Ubukata Tou.
Number of Episodes Seen: 24/24
Plot and Setting/Story: 8/10
When D’Eon de Beaumont, a young French knight in the service of King Louis XV, learns that his sister, Lia, has been murdered, he begins to investigate the circumstances of her death. He soon runs into a group of occult figures known as Poets, who use necromantic spells called “Psalms” to achieve their mysterious goals. During his investigation, D’Eon finds a body chained in a tomb. The corpse has been reanimated by the Poets and attacks D’Eon, rendering him semi-conscious. Lia’s spirit, thirsting for revenge, takes over D’Eon’s body and slays the creature.
D’Eon accepts a mission from the King, becoming a member of an elite secret agency. He meets Robin, a young agent of the Queen, who helps him escape from a trap. He also meets another secret agent, and his old fencing master. Together, they set out to find the truth about the mysterious organization which has infiltrated the governments of Europe. They travel from Paris to Moscow to London and meet a variety of historical figures as D’Eon slowly unravels the secret of the Psalms and the identity of the Poets. D’Eon can never be sure of where anyone’s loyalty lies, and it seems that every clue he uncovers reveals another plot. He also must struggle with sharing his body with Lia, who is bent on violent revenge.
The story is well-paced, with a good balance between action and plot. The fight scenes are especially well done – obviously, someone took care to choreograph them correctly. I’m also guessing that they did a lot of research on the historical details. I would have given the overall plot and setting a higher rating, but I really didn’t care for the ending of the series.
Characters/Character Development: 9/10
The characters in Le Chevalier D’Eon are a diverse group, each with different goals and methods of operation. D’Eon himself is loyal to France and the King, dedicated to finding out the truth, but not really disposed towards violence. In sharp contrast, Lia has no qualms at all about slicing her enemies to bits. Each of the other characters has their own secrets and their own plans, making the overall plot somewhat complicated. As the story progresses, more of the characters are revealed, sometimes in surprising ways. One thing I like about this series is that the bad guys have personalities beyond “I want to take over the world”.
Art/Animation: 8/10
I’m taking some points off here because of the amount of computer-generated graphics in the show. The characters are well-drawn, and the action scenes flow very smoothly. The fencing scenes in particular were very well done. The visual detail of the series is very rich - even blank walls have some sort of texture to them. The artwork is impressive, but I found the amount of CG to be distracting and unnecessary.
Sample Screenshots:
Please click on thumbnails to see the images in original size.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon01sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=20&pictureid=1615) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon02sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=20&pictureid=1613) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon05sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon05.jpg)
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon06sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon06.jpg) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon09sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon09.jpg) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon03sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon03.jpg)
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon07sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon07.jpg) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon04sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon04.jpg) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon08sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon08.jpg)
Music/Sound: 7/10
The opening and closing music is nice, nothing extraordinary. There is background music appropriate to the action: spooky music for the horror scenes, martial music for the fights, soft music for the introspective moments. The music is quiet and doesn’t get in the way of the dialog.
Additional Comments or Warnings:
I liked everything about this series except for the unsatisfactory ending. The artwork is good, the fencing scenes are realistically rendered. The historical setting is a nice change from the modern day or sci-fi settings. Lots of violence, no nudity (even though one lady has problems keeping her clothes on). If I were going to cosplay someone, it would probably be D’Eon de Beaumont.
Overall Anime Rating: 8/10
Not my favorite, but certainly worth watching.
Reviewer: Brian
Original Title: Le Chevalier D'Eon.
Format: TV series, 24 episodes, complete.
Year(s): 2006-2007.
Genres/Themes: historical fantasy, supernatural, action, adventure, drama, tragedy, conspiracy; seinen.
Animation Studio: Production I.G.
Director: Furuhashi Kazuhiro.
Original Author(s): Ubukata Tou.
Number of Episodes Seen: 24/24
Plot and Setting/Story: 8/10
When D’Eon de Beaumont, a young French knight in the service of King Louis XV, learns that his sister, Lia, has been murdered, he begins to investigate the circumstances of her death. He soon runs into a group of occult figures known as Poets, who use necromantic spells called “Psalms” to achieve their mysterious goals. During his investigation, D’Eon finds a body chained in a tomb. The corpse has been reanimated by the Poets and attacks D’Eon, rendering him semi-conscious. Lia’s spirit, thirsting for revenge, takes over D’Eon’s body and slays the creature.
D’Eon accepts a mission from the King, becoming a member of an elite secret agency. He meets Robin, a young agent of the Queen, who helps him escape from a trap. He also meets another secret agent, and his old fencing master. Together, they set out to find the truth about the mysterious organization which has infiltrated the governments of Europe. They travel from Paris to Moscow to London and meet a variety of historical figures as D’Eon slowly unravels the secret of the Psalms and the identity of the Poets. D’Eon can never be sure of where anyone’s loyalty lies, and it seems that every clue he uncovers reveals another plot. He also must struggle with sharing his body with Lia, who is bent on violent revenge.
The story is well-paced, with a good balance between action and plot. The fight scenes are especially well done – obviously, someone took care to choreograph them correctly. I’m also guessing that they did a lot of research on the historical details. I would have given the overall plot and setting a higher rating, but I really didn’t care for the ending of the series.
Characters/Character Development: 9/10
The characters in Le Chevalier D’Eon are a diverse group, each with different goals and methods of operation. D’Eon himself is loyal to France and the King, dedicated to finding out the truth, but not really disposed towards violence. In sharp contrast, Lia has no qualms at all about slicing her enemies to bits. Each of the other characters has their own secrets and their own plans, making the overall plot somewhat complicated. As the story progresses, more of the characters are revealed, sometimes in surprising ways. One thing I like about this series is that the bad guys have personalities beyond “I want to take over the world”.
Art/Animation: 8/10
I’m taking some points off here because of the amount of computer-generated graphics in the show. The characters are well-drawn, and the action scenes flow very smoothly. The fencing scenes in particular were very well done. The visual detail of the series is very rich - even blank walls have some sort of texture to them. The artwork is impressive, but I found the amount of CG to be distracting and unnecessary.
Sample Screenshots:
Please click on thumbnails to see the images in original size.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon01sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=20&pictureid=1615) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon02sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=20&pictureid=1613) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon05sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon05.jpg)
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon06sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon06.jpg) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon09sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon09.jpg) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon03sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon03.jpg)
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon07sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon07.jpg) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon04sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon04.jpg) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon08sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/deon/deon08.jpg)
Music/Sound: 7/10
The opening and closing music is nice, nothing extraordinary. There is background music appropriate to the action: spooky music for the horror scenes, martial music for the fights, soft music for the introspective moments. The music is quiet and doesn’t get in the way of the dialog.
Additional Comments or Warnings:
I liked everything about this series except for the unsatisfactory ending. The artwork is good, the fencing scenes are realistically rendered. The historical setting is a nice change from the modern day or sci-fi settings. Lots of violence, no nudity (even though one lady has problems keeping her clothes on). If I were going to cosplay someone, it would probably be D’Eon de Beaumont.
Overall Anime Rating: 8/10
Not my favorite, but certainly worth watching.