Customer Reviews

Le Chevalier d'Eon: The Complete Series (Viridian Collection)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I finally finished this series a few months ago after beginning it over a year ago, and overall I'm glad I took the time to see it through, despite some major flaws that were primarily towards the end. It's an above average anime series, and it could have been a 5 star show, but somewhere after the middle the story becomes too convoluted for its own good and the various explanations for why certain events crucial to the core story occured do not make any sense, and after volume 6 there are still several unanswered questions.

Without spoiling anything I'll say that the ending felt rushed and seemed like a really lazy way to wrap up all the various characters and arching plot lines. I really enjoyed the first half of this series, which was full of intrigue, espionage, great characters, clever dialogue and excellent blend of CGI and hand drawn animation, but unfortunately in the end the build-up of such an interesting story falls far short of expectations and the potential of what this series could have been. For those with an interest in European history, I recommend watching it, since the architecture, clothes, mannerisms and so on are incredibly realistic and well done, plus the mysticism of it keeps the plot moving at a steady pace with enough action to keep it from becoming dull, but again, after the middle it begins to meander aimlessly and culminates in a less than satisfying conclusion, so be prepared for a letdown.

Ultimately I'd say it's a disappointing show because of the unanswered questions and uninspired ending to what was an otherwise superb show with a highly unique premise. Having said that, however, I still recommend watching it because despite some of the major letdowns, this show is a classic example of the journey being more important than the destination.

If someone would have told me that an anime that can best be described as Alexandre Dumas meets George Romero could be this good, I would have been sceptical to say the least. But after caving in after reading so much positive buzz, I am very glad to have this in my collection.

Mid-level French spy d'Eon de Beaumont, based on a real-life 18th century transvestite, is devastated when the body of his beautiful, talented big sister Lia, a fictional hardcore superspy, is found floating in a coffin on the Seine pumped full of mercury. Naturally, he wants to find out the details behind her death and puts the rest of his life on hold, including his engagement to his fiance Anna - but things get more than a little odd when he starts being chased by Gargoyle zombies and his sister's spirit starts posessing him when he wavers in battle. He is soon approached by three other males in Lia's life who also claim to have cared enough about her to want to avenge her when they hear of her death: the Queen's page Robin, a very young friend of both Lia and Anna who d'Eon wants to protect due to his age but allows to come along because he can handle a pistol well enough to hold his own; Dumond, a dashing spy who often co-worked with Lia and had apparently been in love with her; and legendary swordsman Teillagory, d'Eon and Lia's aging but still fit former fencing instructor who has come upon word of his protege's fate.

The "Four Musketeers" will have their work cut out for them as they travel across Europe to discover the truth, though. Lia was not the kind of spy to botch a job - and considering that spies know what they're getting into and what will happen to them if they're caught the fact that her soul is not at rest suggests an alarming betrayal..

The highlight of the series is undoubtedly the phenomenal artwork. Everything from the Palace of Versailles to Cologne Cathedral and the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is rendered in loving detail, as are the period costumes. It's also just plain fun to watch, if fun is the right word for a story with such a serious tone. The swordfights, battles against the Gargoyle zombies, supernatural trappings and of course the intrigue surrounding Lia's death keep things jumping. Lia herself is posthumously one of the story's most interesting elements, as she seems to waver between a thirst for vengeance at all costs and desire to protect four guys she cared for very much in very different ways until we finally get her whole story. The relationships the guys develop with eachother and their posthumous bond with Lia give the story emotional depth - especially in the final episodes. Aside from people who just aren't into period pieces or stories with occult elements, the only people who I would advise to stay clear are history buffs who would go into apopleptic fits at the sometimes broad liberties taken with tweaking history.

The bit about the Gargoyle zombies should clue everyone else in about that though, and this is otherwise a great choice for adult viewers who want a dark action anime that doesn't involve mecha.

I fell in love with this series from just the intro animation. Gorgeous animation, with a strange, twisted revenge mystery tale that's a little historical but all intriguing. For anyone interested in the time period, I would recommend giving this a go. There are parts in France, Russia, and England, so you get a little snapshot at the time from those countries.

Le Chevalier d'Eon is set in pre-revolutionary France and is based off of an actual French spy for King Louis XV, d'Eon de Beaumont. He is involved in solving the mystery of the death of his sister, Lia, sending him from one end of Europe to the other, dealing with secret societies, the living dead, and dealing with the soul of his vengeful sister, who resided inside of him after her death in order to kill whoever was responsible for her death.

The series will have you hooked in the first episode (what better way to start than with a mysterious coffin?) and the mystery is built up so carefully that you expect the ending to be just as spectacular as the rest of the series. But when I got to the last DVD, I was let down. The ending was very rushed, and new information was thrown at me so quickly, I was in a whirlwind by the end, wondering what happened. What would have been a wonderful series ends up falling flat in the end. And unfortunately, the ending of a series means much more than the rest, a build up without answered questions. It was a series that had major potential, but it just didn't get there.

Historical fiction at its finest, Le Chevalier d'Eon is a fantastic series. Set slightly before the French Revolution, d'Eon focuses on d'Eon de Beaumont, an aristocrat living in Versailles whose sister's body is found in a coffin on the Seine River. Unable to be put to rest, d'Eon and his sister's souls merge into one in the body of d'Eon. Given the greenlight to investigate her murder by the king, d'Eon's adventures will lead him to Russia, England and then back to France as he searches for the perpetrators. Along the way, he meets up with Durand, a fellow aristocrat, Tellagory, an old soldier and friend, and Robin, a young boy who although a commoner lives in Versailles and is extremely intelligent for his young age. The "Four Musketeers" get involved in various political intrigue plots in the countries they visit as well as the inner workings of Versailles, where their fate ultimately lies. Opposing them are an occultist group lead by a mysterious man named Maximillian Robespierre, who wants to destroy the monarchy of France and bring about revolution. Filled with fantastic subplots, great animation, and intriguing characters, Le Chevalier d'Eon is one of handful of excellent Anime series that have come out in recent years and should not be missed.

The setting for this anime is refreshingly different. Visually the anime is amazing with the details on the background, clothing and acuracy of fencing movements being superb. The story does get kind of rushed especially on the last disc but it does not take too much out of the whole experience, although it is so good they should have made a longer ending to give it the ending it deserved. This combines international espionage, history, and some fantasy. There are also no goofball characters which to me are usually annoying in some anime plus the tone of the series was not favorable for that. You should definitely buy it or you can buy the first DVD if you like that you will love the series. I might even buy this again as a set, anybody knows if there are any extras besides what is on the individual DVDs. Oh by the way the packaging is usually extermely nice as well and so is the soundtrack.

Im sure anyone who has ever looked this anime up have seen the rave reviews about the animation and I whole heartedly agree so I'll skip that part of this review.

Plot-wise this was a great piece of work, a great historical fiction story. French history is intruiging and the events leading up to the revolution in France and in other countries are an interesting time period and a great setting for an anime. There are many reviewers who say it had a dull ending but I, for one, did not see this as the case. The ending was very much like that of a tradgic play which coincidentally audiences have a hard time accepting. Also, alot of the twists and suprises happen in the last 5 or 6 episodes and the whole story leads up to the begining of the revolution.

Anyone who enjoyed animes such as Rurouni Kenshin, Peacemaker, or other historical fiction animes will enjoy this and especially the well done fighting scenes. This ending is not a let down, its realistic and is what really would happen in the politics of hte 1700s

this anime is very great, combinging history, an fiction together, "Le Chivalier d'eon" is the story about deon de balmounte a french solider for king louies the 15th, when the body of his sister leia is found dead in a coffin, with the word "psalms" on the cover he will risk everything to find who murdered her and why, he travles from different locations, france, london, russia, with new friends and gaining alot of enemies, but the soul of his sister lia is unreastded and to find the true muderer he sister will come to take over his body!

10/10 a masterpeace! it's spectaculer!

This is one of the better Anime that I have seen in a long time .The visual look of this Anime feels as you are in France,with the play of historical real people and fiction you get a history lesson in a Anime.I recommend this to anyone its more of a adult Anime but anyone who has to take world history may enjoy it it made me go back and do some research on France.

The other reviewers went into great detail about this anime so there's no need to follow a trail that's already been walked. I will say that this was a different anime that the typical stuff we get from Japan. This anime is pretty much historical fiction. A tale about real people who existed in a story that sounds like something Stephen King came up with. I could honestly see this being a movie and doing well.

There was some confusion with the story though. It follows a pretty heavy outline and you better pay attention to whats going on. What confused me though was the girl Lia and her Brother Deon. For one thing they look just a like...as most of the men in this anime are drawn very femininely. The plot has this strange affection with cross-dressing and gender swapping. Which was quite odd at certain moments.

Other than that this anime is a pretty good watch. My only complaints about it are how depressing it becomes. The ending is pretty hopeless and not very satisfying. I didn't walk away with a jolly feeling exactly. If the purpose of this anime was to show just how ruthless Monarchy's are it's mission accomplished.

Well worth picking up and checking out if your looking for a change of pace.

The Le Chevalier d'Eon anime is something that you should really consider getting.

If you are a manga/anime lover, then you should consider adding this to your collection.

Believe me, it is worth the money! :D