Alternative TitlesEnglish: Earl and Fairy Synonyms: Hakushaku to Yosei, Count and Fairy Japanese: 伯爵と妖精
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Sep 29, 2008 to Dec 24, 2008
Duration:
25 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.621 (scored by 17453 users)
Ranked: #10602
Popularity: #526
Members: 33,330
Favorites: 365 1 indicates a weighted score
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SynopsisIn the nineteenth century, we find Lydia Carlton living in Scotland, making a living as a fairy doctor. She is one of those rare humans who can see and communicate with fairies. But no one believes her. However, Edgar is in need of someone with a vast knowledge of fairy lore, and Lydia is just that person. After rescuing her, he becomes her employer, but there are many secrets and emotions that seem to follow Edgar, who claims to be the Blue Knight's Earl. |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Hakushaku to Yousei, Hakushaku to Yousei
Side story: Hakushaku to Yousei Specials
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Archaeon
151 of 199 people found this review helpful
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12 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
The one thing that always impresses me about anime and manga is the attention to detail that the japanese creators of individual stories have, especially when they utilise culture, history, folklore, etc, from other parts of the world as integral parts of their tales.
Hakushaku to Yousei (or Earl and Fairy in english), began life as a series of light novels written by Tani Mizue, which were serialised in Cobalt magazine. The novels proved to be popular given the japanese love of western folklore and mythology, allowing the novels to be adapted for two drama CDs and a manga which is currently serialised in The Margaret magazine.
Before I go any further, I should point out that the story is most definitely unfinished, so expect a second, and maybe a third season at some point. That said, this initial series was rather well done on the whole.
The story is set in Victorian England and follow the adventures of 17 year old Lydia Carlton, a "Fairy Doctor". She has the ability to see and communicate with supernatural creatures like fairies, pixies, brownies, and other members of the Seelie Court, and for this reason she is chosen to help one Edgar J. C. Ashenbert in his quest to become the legendary Blue Knight Earl, the human ruler of the fairy nation. He is accompanied by his servant, a boy of around Lydia's age simply known as Raven, whilst Lydia is accompanied by a talking cat called Nico.
The story doesn't follow a straightforward path though, as Edgar's quest is borne from a desire for vengeance, and he has some extremely deadly enemies to contend with, as well as dealing with fey creatures who can twist the meaning of words and promises to suit their needs. It's for this reason that he desperately requires Lydia's help, especially as he can neither see nor talk to fairies.
The art and animation for this series is very well done, especially if you like bishies. The animation is generally very smooth, however my one gripe with the character designs was that Victorian England had a lot more plain looking people than the anime portrays (it would have been nice to see this, but it doesn't really affect the story). The characters that are in the show are all well designed though, especially Tomkins, whose features hint at his ancestry as one of the Merrow (merfolk). The fairy creatures are also well designed on the whole, and the members of the Unseelie Court all possess a suitably ominous appearance.
The music throughout the series is actually rather well done, and generally matches the time period. However, there are moments when the music definitely spoils the mood of the scene, especially with the more tension filled moments where a more ominous piece of something classical would have served better than the J-rock/pop track from the OP. The VAs are generally very good, however there is sometimes a slightly one dimesnional note to the main characters because of a lack of emotion being projected through the voice.
On the whole the characters were fairly solid. I found Lydia to be quite likeable, although this may be because she reminded me of Kou Shuurei from Saiunkoku Monogatari. Edgar was also quite likeable, however I found the supposed lack of emotion to be odd, especially given his feelings for Lydia. This is something that, unfortunately, carries over to many of the other characters, especially the males. For some reason they all seem to be protrayed as cool, icy, bishounens, when it would have served the story better if they let loose once in a while. It could be argued that this is in keeping with the Victorian setting, but it's more likely to be because this is most definitely a shoujo anime.
I found this to be surprisingly enjoyable though, especially given it's flaws. I think that my enjoyment though, mainly comes from the fact that folklore is a hobby of mine, and I found that the numerous fey creatures and references were more closely related to what is in folklore than most people would believe (in other words, the old fairy tales where there's lots of blood, as opposed to the more modern version - the bedtime story). It shows that Tani Mizue actually referenced a fair amount of material during the writing of the light novels, and has used the information to good effect.
This isn't really a series that will appeal to everyone. It's not complete enough to be a true shoujo anime, however it does highlight the fact that fey creatures aren't nice on the whole. It won't appeal to action or sports junkies, and probabaly won't be liked by mecha and combat fans. Horror buffs may like it for it's portrayal of fairies and the like, but the ones who will probably enjoy watching it the most are fans of Angelique, Saiunkoku Monogatari, Gakuen Alice, etc, especially given the romance aspect between Edgar and Lydia.
If you do happen to like this because of the fairies though, then you may want to check out the following books:
"Faerie Tale" by Raymond E Feist
"Lords & Ladies" and "The Wee Free Men" by Terry Pratchett. read more
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miskat
57 of 80 people found this review helpful
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12 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
Hakushaku to Yosei is a delightful romantic shoujo fantasy. However, for one to enjoy it, expectations have to be set. The 12-episode anime is based only on a few volumes of the light novel series. Therefore, do not be surprised that at the end of the anime, there are still a lot of questions left unanswered. It is because the story still continues in the novels. Perhaps the producers are still planning or are leaving the door open for a second season.
The characters are beautifully drawn and the designs, in fact, are slightly better than in the manga. The music, on the other hand, is average. The opening theme is an upbeat rock song that is tolerable enough to listen to, but not very appropriate to the Victorian theme. The closing soundtrack is a sentimental love song that fits the mawkish ending sequence well. This gratuitous scene that features the male characters lying in bed half-naked is likely conceived in an effort to pander to young female audiences. They even made Edgar’s seiyuu sing it, even though his singing voice isn't as pleasant to hear as his speaking voice. (I may sound so negative, but I'm not exactly complaining).
The two main characters of this anime are quite endearing. Lydia isn't exactly an extraordinary character but she is enchanting, graceful and kind-hearted, unlike the stereotypical shoujo heroines who are plain looking, dumb, clumsy, shameless, and whose only merit is their genkiness. She is a female protagonist who has self-respect and will not immediately throw herself to the guy she likes.
Edgar is an intriguing character. While his bearing is not mysterious because of his rather pompous personality, everything about him is a mystery: his past and identity. But despite his shadiness, he is a sympathetic character. The others (including the villains), unfortunately, are somewhat boring and forgettable. They are incredibly generic and we get to know very little about them.
If the other guys weren’t so flat, the romance would have been a lot more exciting and complex. Unfortunately, it is so obvious who Lydia will end up with even though she is surrounded by hot guys who are all interested in her. Raven is too loyal to Edgar to be his rival. Paul is such a dull character and too passive to challenge Edgar. Kelpie, on the other hand, though handsome, is rather charmless. But it seems the question this story is trying to answer isn’t who Lydia is going to choose, but how Edgar is going to gain her trust and love.
Although this is definitely not one of the best anime I’ve seen, I truly enjoyed watching this series. It is a good romance anime: charming and entertaining enough to engage shoujo fans.
If you are already a fan of the anime, I suggest that you read the light novels (the translations), so you'll know what happens after episode 12. They are also detailed and therefore more satisfying. The supporting characters are also more fleshed out and not dull as in the anime. I also recommend reading the manga since it is a more faithful adaptation (than the anime which is so condensed). It's also darker, whereas the anime is a little too girly. read more
Recommendations
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A beautiful girl with magical powers accompanies a mysterious bishounen with a mysterious past and a dark agenda on a journey. Compared to the girl in Hatenkou Yuugi, Hakushaku's girl is a little more timid and her powers are more passive than active (she can communicate with fairies, but she can't cast spells--at least, not as of the first episode). Also, whereas in Hatenkou Yuugi, the girl is genuinely a companion for her two bishounen friends, in Hakushaku she is more a servant of the duke, and at his mercy.
Female leads have very strong personalities. Both series are specific comedies with a lot of magic elements, bishounens and of course both are romance.
Both stories mostly made of romantic line as a background to some adventures. The main heroine doesn't seem to be taken seriously by main male characters. Btw th romantic line is partially indefinite (no clear-cut love and kisses ending for you).
Both main characters are lovable, and in both you can find supernatural beings ang lots of magic. Not to mention similarity between main male characters, in behaviour and irony. Although romance in Hatenkou is more hidden, one can also clearly see it, Hatenkou is also a bit darker in themes and plot.
In both animes, the female (main protoganist) has a very strong personality, insisting to achieve her personal aims, heartwarming, not the typical disturbing high-school girl; more the thoughtful person.
The two main characters as well share their two bishounen-surrounders, with whom she experiences a lot of 'adventures' - also romantice situations, though these are unfortunately just hinted. Both Females own some sort of magical power, though one is more physical and the other rather psychic.
For short: Both animes, just like the characters have got quite the same feeling and share lots of simlitaries and share quite the same genres (comedy, adventure, fantasy).
The characters felt the same and both travel with two guys on a adventure out of the extraordinary. both are great anime to watch
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Set in 19th century England, both have bishounen, some supernatural and magic element. Both are comedy with a little bit of action (in Kuroshitsuji there is much more)
Raven and Sebastian are quite simmilar (something for "Yes, my lord." fangirls).
Earl and Fairy will make you smile and Kuroshitsuji will make you cry but both are worth watching.
Sebastian and Raven are both devoted butlers with demon-alike abilities, English nobility everywhere, XIX century setting and I guess that's all.
Raven and Sebastian are very similar. Both are butlers with demon-like abilities that are extremely loyal to their masters. Both of them are mysterious and 'cool' and are there to help whenever trouble arises.
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Opening Theme"FEELING" by AciD FLavoR
Ending Theme"my fairy" by Hikaru Midorikawa
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