Kingbeast's Lair

-== What is it? ==-

Le Chevalier D’Eon (LCDE) is a drama period piece set in the middle of the 18th century. LCDE is a 24 episode television show that originally aired from August 2006 through February 2007. It was directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi and was originally produced by Production I.G. The title has been acquired by FUNimation.

The main protagonists in LCDE are agents of the King Of France Louis XV. The main thrust of the story is the search by D’Eon de Beaumont for the killer of his sister Lia. While searching for his sister’s killer D’Eon encounters revolutionaries, zombies, and evil magicians known as “Poets”.

There is very little nudity and only light sexual references. Several of the sword fights have some bloodshed but it is not too extreme. The movie is rated “14+” at RightStuf.com and I think that rating is accurate.

I purchased the original boxed set version of the DVDs. There are 6 DVDs as part of the set. There are 24 episodes making up roughly 600 minutes of content.

-== What I Like ==-

The four main characters in LCDE are all very strong. They have fantastic motivations and each gets several dramatic spotlights over the course of the series. D’Eon de Beaumont’s search for his sister Lia takes a lot of screen time. One really cool thing that happens during the course of the series is that Lia takes over D’Eon’s body in moments of stress or combat. The animators show when Lia is in control by softening D’Eon’s features and having his hair come untied. Even though having a story with an effeminate lead may seem strange it actually comes off pretty nicely. In one scene D’Eon even uses this to disguise himself as Lia! Durand is the second of the four main leads. Durand appears to be Lia’s former lover and firmly believes in her loyalty to the King during the course of the story. The aged fencing master, Teillagory, is the third main character. He holds the days of the old knights in reverence. We learn a lot about Teillagory over the course of LCDE. The final main character is one of the Queen’s young attendants Robin. Robin matures a lot emotionally during the series and the others can always be sure that his pistol will be at the ready.

I loved the fact that real historical figures were used as the basis for most of the important characters in LCDE. Some historical characters that came to life in the series include Louis XV, Queen Marie, Maquise de Pompadour, Queen Mary Charlotte, King George III, etc. Even D’Eon is based on Chevalier d’Eon a cross dressing historical figure. These ties to real figures makes the characters feel deep and real.

Over the course of the 24 episode run the group is led through several story arcs. The first story arc in LCDE that really caught my attention occurred in episodes 7 through 12. During this time the group travels to Russia in an effort to find Lia’s killer and recover a set of Royal Psalms. While away they meet with Empress Elizaveta (based on Empress Elizabeth). On her death the crazy Pyotr (based on Peter III) becomes the emperor until he is quickly overthrown by Ekaterina who is based on Catherine II (aka Catherine The Great). This story arc is very strong, full of fantastic political maneuvering, and full of surprises. Episode 13 of LCDE is the start of a trip that takes our group to England on the trail of Lia’s killer,Maximilien de Robespierre, and the Royal Psalms. During episode 19 the first of the main characters falls. It is a really powerful episode in the run. Episode 21 and 22 of LCDE have the trio returning to France where things really start to heat up. The last thread is very emotional and closes out the series. The ending of LCDE is very strong.

The art style of LCDE is superb. The detail in the characters and their emotions is very well done. The costuming is very authentic and really adds to the story. The period architecture shown in the backgrounds is beautiful. It is blatantly obvious that artists did a lot of research on the period and it really shows. The art is the best thing about LCDE.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

My biggest problem with LCDE is the very slow start and the erratic pacing throughout the series. It is not until episode 7 that things really start to get interesting. During the 24 episode run they really needed to add more tension so the watcher is on the edge of their seat.

The minor story arc climaxes during the series also feel cut short. Even though I really enjoyed the trip to Russia the climax of that series felt truncated. I think the entire thing wrapped up in literally 2 minutes of screen time. I would have like to see it play out a bit more. The final episodes of LCDE do not have this issue.

-== Summary ==-

LCDE is a great period piece with an engaging ending and superlative artistry. I could look at the backgrounds and costumes all day long. If you watch LCDE stick it out to the end. The strong finale changed my rating on this product from a 7 to an 8. 😉

You can get a copy of the S.A.V.E. edition on RightStuf.com at this URL for $22.49. Amazon has the set for $26.99 at this URL.

I give it 8 out of 10 paws.