La Chevalier D'Eon
Original story by: Tow Ubukata
Production by: Production I.G. and WOWOW along with numerous companies including Studio Ghibli and Bee Train
Adapted from a manga: yes
Movies:none
Live Action series:none
OAVs:none
Genre: historical fiction, horror, mystery, supernatural
Number of Episodes: 24
ANN's Plot Summary: "During the time when Louis XV still ruled France, a certain woman was found dead in the coffin floating through the Seine river. D'Eon, the woman's brother, determines to search for the killer of his sister, Lia. But there are some strange movements in France. And things become more strange when Lia's soul enters D'Eon's body... "
My Ranking: 4 Hoshi
My Rating: R
There are very intense moments including graphic violence and overall creepy stuff. Also there's a few moments of partial nudity.
Review: As soon as I watched the first episode I was stuck. Within the first few minutes your thrown into a conspiracy and by the end of ep 1 you just gotta have more. Its that grippingly intense. Throughout the whole historical fiction concept it helps if you know a bit about the time in which it takes place (the reign of Louis XV of France), but if you're not so good at history, like me, you can still understand it pretty well.
Overall this series is in one word 'intense'. I don't recommend this series for the faint hearted or those under the age of 13 at the most.Le Chevalier is extremely clever in its story line. With its use of the inconclusive history of D'Eon de Beumont and Earl St. Germain they create an alternate story of their actions. They also rely on the peoples high faith of 'The King is the Voice of God' back then and include many religious references of the time. What was most intriguing was the use of Psalms in this series for it in fact becomes practically all about them; though halfway through they recite them so much I stopped listening altogether and saved my head some pain.
While I liked this series thoroughly, especially with all the awesome special effects and fight sequences it provides, it left me with an unfortunate wretched feeling inside. Perhaps if I had had a better historical knowledge I might have been able to avoid that feeling but oh well, to late now.
All together this series was one that drew you in and took you on one heck of a ride. I would definitely recommend it.
Comparison: I personally know nothing about the manga only that I don't think its very well known/very popular. From the look of it though I'd suggest the anime.
Sample Video:
This is the best vid I could find with a fitting song. Of course there are a few spoilers (but not so much) so for those who wish warning don't watch beyond 1:58. That still gives you a good look without seeing to much.
