Le Chevalier D'Eon

Le Chevalier D'Eon, Volume 1 is undoubtedly bewildering and absolutely breathtaking. The story is set in France in the time of Louis XV - the story's historic references are plentiful and double meanings are scattered throughout the story and its characters.

D'eon de Beaumont discovers the body of his sister, Lia, in a coffin with only the word "psalms" on the cover. Set to uncover the mystery behind her death, D'eon joins the secret police to the king. They come across other victims that have received similar fates as his sister. As the story and mystery unravels, the search for the truth gets even more sinister and intricate as connections with some dark occult organization, Le Secret de Roi, and D'eon's sister, Lia, as well as other prominent members of royalty are revealed. Metamorphesis seems to be one of the overlying themes as the conceptes between vengeance and happiness are intertwined.

Volume 1 starts out very strong and maintains that edge till the very end leaving you exasperating for more. It is nicely paced and perfectly balanced with all the elements we love best -- the animation, plot, and character development are all stunning. The musical score definitely plays a huge role in the total ambience of the story. The prospects of this series are extremely high as I have yet to find any "weak spots."

I've only said this to one other anime title (Tonari no Totoro), but the english dubbed version actually does some justice. I am still squirmy about the actual voice characters, but I think the translation is superior as poetry and verses are significant in the series. I'd recommend Le Chevalier d'Eon to all anime fans. I'm sure the levels of appreciation of the minute elements, etc. will vary, but the level of entertainment is sure to be high for all.