Le Chevalier D'Eon

All the world's a stage, all the world's a stage! Comedy and Tragedy cycle endlessly! And to be or not to be---that is the question! We live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with weapons. Who's gonna do it? You weep for those that are your allies, and you curse those that are your enemies. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing the truth. Death, while tragic, probably saves lives. And the existence of love and hatred, while grotesque and incomprehensible to most, is the core of life itself. You don't want the truth because deep down the truth hurts. We use sugar-coated words like honor, code, and loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. But what does it all really mean? The world is merely a stage set for the actors to play upon. Le Chevalier D'Eon, an unforgettable performance that defies reality itself yet co-exists with history within reality.

The world the world the world! The world is a tale of love and friendship! The world is a tale of hatred and vengeance! The world's a comedy! The world's a tragedy! The people are the puppets, the leaders, the actors and the audience! The world shall stand up upon it's feet and give the stage a thunderous applause! Bravo! Bravoo!! Bravooo!!! Everyone shall be moved to tears! Le Chevalier D'Eon, the magical tale of a mysterious murder within hidden secrets within the French revolution within the territories of European countries (France, Russia & England) within the magical boundaries of reality within the entire world's stage. Shakespeare... Pssh... Le Chevalier D'Eon puts all his so-called "tragedies" to shame. Witness the performance for the ages!

Who do you think are the most powerful people in the world? Kings? Religious Leaders? Generals? Scientists? "The People"? Poets? A divine deity? Hmmm... What changes the world? Murder/War? Communication/Words? Oh dear Le Chevalier D'Eon. Not only does this magnificent show symbolize significant motifs - the core of human nature, Cruelty Vs Masculinity and more, but at the same time it delves into France's reality during the 18th century. Poverty of the poor, corruption of the government, the role of women (social hierarchy) and more. This is a tragic mystery that'll leave the audience confused and befuddled quite a bit, but if the audience can see through the act and see the core lying beneath the outer surface then wow, is this a performance to be seen!

The story of Le Chevalier D'Eon is so unique, it's unlike anything I've ever seen before. I won't talk more about the actual synopsis because that's on Mal. There is magic within a historic show (Remember, the characters in the show actually exist in real history, and their roles in the stories are pretty much mirrors of their characters in real history). Pretty weird, and sounds pretty pathetic (magic) and boring (history)... Well, I can assure you that it's neither. This show makes history intriguing to say the last. Go watch the show if you're up for a one way ticket to masterpiece-ville. The magic blends in perfectly with the ominous mysteries lurking within France, England and Russia during a dark era in history. The magic (power of the psalms) symbolize the power of religion and the church in Europe during the 18th century and it's influence upon all the tragedies that occur during that bloody era. The beginning of the French Revolution in France, rise of Catherine the Great in Russia, failure of imperialism in England during King George III's reign and the churches dark secrets that make everything happen.

The art and sound in this series is just the way it should be; it perfectly fits everything Le Chevalier D'Eon is meant to symbolize. The portrayal of the settings (Versailles, St. Petersburg Cathedrals,), the characters, the special affects designs, everything is so realistic! How I love this show's old/classic art. Perhaps they could have given the characters more distinct faces, because some of them do look somewhat similar... But that's okay, because the marvelous clothing covers for it. The budget for this show is close to $0, therefore the art isn't all that "beautiful" so don't expect too much of a modern clear HD vision attraction. The music, ah yes. Where to begin...? The opening is beautiful, see the lyrics to the song as well, not only are the lyrics touching, but it fits the anime perfectly. The ending is decent. But the soundtracks that play at each key moment is perfection itself. The low hymms of the church that brings mystical darkness over the audience. The climax hype theme that excites the audience for the answers up ahead. The sad flute pieces that bring the audience to tears. The music is at the heart of this masterpiece.

The only criticism I have to give this show is that although all the characters develop wonderfully in the end, no one is all that memorable and purely lovable or hate-able. I'm not sure that's a good thing or a bad thing actually. Perhaps some like it that way (ambiguous) but I'd like to have a character I can really feel attached to and feel for, but Le Chevalier D'Eon didn't have that. The character development doesn't happen until towards the end of the series either. Every characters secrets are revealed in the last approximately 6 episodes, but the first 18 episodes there wasn't anything key revealed really. A bummer for a mystery show. But as for the positives for the characters portion of the story is that everyone's quite realistic, their motives that is; they have something that they're fighting to protect and no bullcrap. No, although there is Psalms (super-naturalism), there is still realism. Secrets, companionship, betrayal, redemption and... death. Pretty much sums up the characters. But.. I did mention that this was a tragedy, so if all the characters that you cherish and pity end in a tragic way, then just remember, this is a tragic tragedy for the ages. I can assure you that you'll end up with teary eyes by the end. Especially for Anna. A tragedy for the ages indeed.

The most underrated anime series I have ever seen without question. Not only on Mal is it rated something like a 7/10, lower than most crap, but even outside of Mal, nobodies even heard of the title, "Le Chevalier D'Eon". Have you heard of it? Bet not... How depressing this world is. The world truly is a tragedy. Pointless crap like Sword Art Online becomes one of the most famous anime ever while Le Chevalier D'Eon, a true masterpiece of literature is buried in poop, pissed upon and then flushed away into the abyss. Please don't let our anime community rot any more, and do yourself a favor by watching this show. Brace yourselves for the tragedy that will have the world upon it's feet, weeping and applauding! Le Chevalier D'Eon! read more

Watching Le Chevalier De’on ended up being quite a saga for me. Back when it when it was initially airing, I was really enthusiastic about the series and was watching it as fast as possible - until AnimeYuki’s “as fast as possible” became slow enough to hamper my interest with signs of limping plot development. So I put the show on hold and recently decided to watch through it with a friend from the start again. At first, beyond the stunning first episode, I thought the show had some significant flaws. From the start it was immensely pretty, Production IG going all-out on the production, and the plot was original, well-researched and envisioned in amazing depth and complexity - however, this all seemed wasted by languid pacing and tepid characterisation. In short, despite having a great plot, for a long time the show alienated viewers with its verbosity, lack of humour and characters that were largely hard to sympathise with.

Even until the very end, the main character, De’on left little impact, and were it not for the eventual growth of his comrades the series would have been hard to finish. Durand is a warm, likable presence and easily one of my favourite characters; his plotline toward the end of the series was undoubtedly a highlight, being both gripping and intense. The youngster, Robin is ultimately transformed into a remarkable character as he battles with the emotional challenges of their journey - grief, betrayal, revenge. And last, but not least comes the conniving and bitterly honourable Teillagory, who is not as straight-forward as we are lead to believe. The majority of the cast really come out of their shells and reveal their true selves as the pressure of the plot-climax accumulates, which makes for a final run of about 7 episodes that are packed with emotion and poignancy.

Yes, the series well and truly redeems itself, trading slow-winded for brevity, and packing a really strong punch for the show’s climax. Those last 7 episodes are edge-of-your seat entertainment, and, quite frankly, exceptional in every way. I really mourn all those out there who dropped this show pre-emptively, as it truly teaches us the virtue that good things come to those who wait. Drawing from, and upturning the subtleties of the characters explored during the first half of the series, especially in terms of the ideology and approach to loyalty and patriotism, and slathering the audience with the answers to mystery after mystery, the plot explodes into a fiery culmination that extends to the very end of the last episode.

As if just to mock those who did not persevere, this final run is also blessed with the very heights of Production IG’s production efforts. The animation in this episodes is excessively good, and, in terms of the cel detail and fluidity of motion, up there with the very best of animation ever produced in an anime tv series, if not the best. But that’s not all; beyond a generous budget these episodes display a sense of artistry that most anime cannot even approach. The background art is, in typical IG fashion, excellent, and a number of background works later in the series depict some really memorable locales and scenes. Let us not forget to mention that drawing a building as a background is a lot different to trying to recreate early France - the detail in the architecture is supreme. The directing in Le Chevalier only really shines as it approaches its end and there is more striking content to present, but when it shines it really shines. Honestly, I find it difficult to praise IG’s work here enough, but I’ll say that it ranged from impressive to astounding - high quality through and through, and more attention to detail being payed than I’ve ever seen from an anime series before. Very rarely am I captivated by the aesthetic beauty of an anime tv series (as very rarely does it have it), but frequently was while watching this series - particularly in episode 18. Not to be outdone, the musical production is very much up to scratch, with a mature, classical composition that captures the spirit of the series very well, and grants it plenty of energy when it’s needed. The sound in general, was in fact very good, with good sound effects, and a nice OP and ED capping each episode - they kind of grow on you.

The plot is both a strength and a weakness of the show, its convoluted and complex nature meaning that it’s very easy to become lost or confused, and, towards the beginning, bored. However, the layered complexity of the plot is ultimately very rewarding, as the end pulls everything together and explains it all, making for very enthralling viewing (the kind that cannot be achieved with a simplistic plot). Furthermore, the way that it is interwoven into French history and the roots of the revolution is really very clever, and even more impressive that it was pulled off believably. There is a lot of dialogue, and a lot of step-based progression earlier in the series which can make it feel like it’s going nowhere. I do admit that some of the dialogue could have been trimmed here and there, but it certainly had direction, it just took time to build up a good momentum. I think the story is an ambitious one, in its scope and intricacy, the likes of which aren’t often pulled of well in anime.

IG have gone all out in bringing this ambitious tale of politics, knighthood and the supernatural to life, and came very close to making a masterpiece. The conclusion is wholly satisfying and thrilling, and the whole series is rendered with artistic flare and meticulous attention to detail. Its downfall rests with its first half, which doesn’t provide enough emotional attachment or solid plot direction to make it captivating. Nonetheless, I urge everyone to press on until the show hits its stride and recommend it to everyone who thinks they’re capable of this.
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Since this is from Production I.G., a studio which I like a lot, I had no doubt in collecting this. It is definitely a good quality anime but of course, its not perfect

Art/ Animation:
Seriously, can you go wrong with a studio that produced something like Ghost In the Shell? The building designs, settings are marvelous, although I admit I\'m not familiar with the French architechture, it still managed to capture the western feel. Characters were designed to look realistic and thus, would not appeal to audiences who want either \'moe\' or extreme cuteness. The swordfights were perfect, they were swift and clean, wasting no time in trying to bring down the opponent, without any extreme visual moves or \'powering up\' like in shounen animes. It is what you\'d expect real fencing to be like, fast, graceful but brutal.
Another important thing to note, the 4 musketeers actually looked tired near the last half of the series! This showed how much care the animators put into this, just to show that, well...they are human as well and anyone would be exhausted after the amount of horrid times they had to go through

Sound:
The opening song gives the hint of bravery and patriotism. The ending was beautiful\', it gave a melancholic but also with determined feel, which describes Chevalier D\'Eon\'s character perfectly. Not to mention the visuals that came along with the theme, it was a great idea to put the characters with their names and lifespans just in case the viewers get drowned in the sea of complicated french names.
The atmosphere of the anime was further enhanced by the rich orchestral music, composed by none other than Michiru Ooshima, the man responsible for Full metal Alchemist.
Some tracks, especially the one in the opening of the 1st episode \'Owari ni Mata Kotoba Ariki\' was the one that gave the most impact.
The voice acting was good, well, at least I couldn\'t notice any flaws, all their voices fit the characters really well


Story
This was what attracted me to watch this anime. A spy that lived his life half as a man and half as a woman? and that he was only discovered to be a man after his death?That was what happened to the real Chevalier D\'Eon. Tow Ubakata took the concept but changed it into an action fantasy novel, where vampires were involved and spells which are casts by \'poets\' are the main elements of the story. Also, D\'Eon didn\'t dress up as a woman like what history implied, but he was possessed by his sister, Lia instead and sets out to seek revenge. What impressed me was that even though this turned into a supernatural flick, he still managed to retain the important facts and elements of the actual person\'s history, plus making it seem logical in a way.
Even then, the story is rather slowly paced, and with the heavy amount of dialogue, it is easy for most viewers to get bored.
There is a twist near the end though which unfortunately, did not surprise me due to the mistake of reading a spoiler posted by another person....
Still, it concluded pretty well

Character:
There are a lot of characters in this anime, each with rather complicated names which does cause confusion eventually. The 4 musketeers are the main characters along with er... D\'Eon\'s sister Lia.
There isn\'t much to say about D\'Eon himself apart from his love for the country and people around him. Other sub-characters like Durand, Robin and Robbespiere were more interesting due to their complex or mysterious characteristics they gave out. They showed more development than D\'Eon himself, although this cannot be blamed due to the fact that he had to share his screentime with his sister
There were some underdeveloped characters too, like his fiance, Queen Marie, Madame Pompordour and the duke, but they did not affect too much of the story.
Since this anime focuses mainly on the plot and storyline, the character development pales in comparison, but they still have their own significant characteristics

Overall, this series is definitely a keeper.
I might even rewatch this because of some confusion during the later episodes. Since this has a western setting, japanese voices do not sound that suitable as well, although I don\'t think I\'ll watch dubs too since most of those I watched had disappointed me.
Nevertheless, its an excellent anime worth watching if you like a unique plot. But not recommended for people who just want to watch it for action.
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I am acutely aware that reviews that do not praise an anime are often flagged as "not helpful," so We expect some backlash here but onward We press, as Louis XV might say.

Le Chevalier D'Eon is an anime that tries to draw off a lot of people who existed in European History, including the main character and several other characters with large roles in the show. The main hero is based on a cross-dressing French spy from the 18th century, given an original backstory to explain his gender confusion. Other, more recognizable characters, include Maximilien Robespierre, Catherine the Great, King Louis XV of France, and King George III of England, among others. Being something of a history enthusiast, this new take on real historical figures was the main thing that kept me watching for most of the series.

I was more than willing to take historical facts with a grain of salt. I don't want to be such a stick in the mud that I'll get hung up on the fact that the real D'Eon wasn't really possessed by his sister's spirit or that one or two of the rules of Europe didn't die in exactly the same fashion, as long as the respectful nod to history was there. The problem is that Le Chevalier takes a larger and larger dump on history as the show progresses, completely perverting people and events while still trying to give us the hook of "This is history!" I won't spoil anything important, but let's just say that certain kings do not abdicate the throne voluntarily, the Seven Years War did in fact happen (whereas a peaceful preemptive resolution is introduced in the show), George III's wife was not Mary, Louis XV's uncle did not fight over him for the throne because he DIED 30 years before the anime takes place, and his son... well, you get the idea. And I can't even say the biggest offenders, because they're major plot points.

Yet, after resmashing history into something unrecognizable, they have the gall to give us a scene at the end of the show, showing "Robespierre" selling his revolution propaganda on the streets, as if to say, "Aha! See, it's just like history!"

History aside, let's say you don't care at all about history. Many people don't. Does the show entertain? Does it have redeeming qualities? Perhaps it does, but they are few and far between.

Briefly, let's talk about the characters. Most of them have very little personality and either come across as unlikable or cliches or both. I don't even know where to begin describing the main characters aside from what they look like or what happens to them. D'Eon, he... wants to find out why his sister died. He likes France. That's about it. Teillagory, he's an old knight. He basically does nothing for the first 21 episodes except be the prototypical soft-spoken old warrior. Lia, she dies before the first episode, usually manifests back in reality only to kill something, and yet I'm supposed to care about her. Oh, and we can't forget Anna. Anna is the biggest waste of screen time in the show. I don't know how anyone can care about this vapid woman and the way she just sits in Versailles, waiting for D'Eon to come back home the entire series. She has lots of thoughts about how she misses D'Eon, and you're going to hear a lot of them! None of them advance the plot either!

The pacing deserves special mention for being a downfall of the show. You can divide the show into two parts. The first 19 or so episodes, everything sluggishly follows your four heroes around Europe as they track down bad revolutionary people for King Louis, interspersed with scenes of Anna writing letters or something equally boring. Then in the last 5 episodes, all Hell breaks lose, at the same time making a lot of the crap you have to sit through in the first 19 episodes pointless. There is wanton borderline-tasteless violence, far too many ridiculous plot twists to take seriously, everyone turns on everyone else, and it is far more of a mess than a satisfying climax of plotlines. And why is Cagliostro there for the whole show, including the finale, when he never does ANYTHING?

The end leaves me feeling rather unsatisfied, even though that wasn't my biggest complaint. Still, I felt terrible for D'Eon's sense of identity. I felt terrible that they tried to turn some of the bad guys into sympathetic figures and the good guys into bad guys and... no.

I'm glad that an anime decided to do something that isn't Japan-centric. They really tried to make something sophisticated, and in some ways it is. In more ways, the show is incredibly tacky. I have to give it points for being original, but all in all, I cannot recommend it. If you want to watch it anyway, just keep expectations at a safe level. read more