Review - Le Chevalier D'Eon livre I - Psalm of Vengeance
Reviewed by Richard Brownell on 8.25.2007.
Score: 9/10
The periods preceding, during, and following the French revolution were quite turbulent. They've been written about by countless authors and historians. They've been made into plays, musicals, and movies. But rarely are they ever made into an anime. And if they ever were before Le Chevalier D'Eon, there was probably no supernatural element added in to spice things up.
Le Chevalier D'Eon sits in the genre of historical fiction, but it certainly has a fair bit of fantasy in it as well. It tells the story of D'Eon de Beaumont, a knight in the king's service. He was a person in real life but this story is only very loosely based on the real D'Eon. Many of the other characters in the story are real as well, but the intricacies of how well they are represented is best told in the extras that come with the DVD. Suffice it to say that it truly seems like this story could have actually happened...except for the spellcasting parts.
The anime opens with D'Eon's sister's body washing onto shore in a casket with the word "Psalms" written on it in blood. This gloomy image really sets the tone for everything that is about to take place. Lia was a woman of the court and it seems her work put her on somebody's hit list for her to have been killed. D'Eon, being an angry brother, vows to find her killer.
As a member of the king's secret police, D'Eon sees all the crime that goes on in the streets of Paris. It isn't long before he finds clues to murders that were just like his sister's. But investigating too deep has a price. There's a religious cult that is behind everything. And just as D'Eon is uncovering the tip of the iceberg, the secret police are attacked. This is where Le Chevalier D'Eon shows its true colors.
D'Eon is attacked not by a normal man, but a man turned mad and ghoulish. To make matters even weirder, D'Eon becomes possessed by his own sister's soul to destroy the demon, or gargoyle as they're called in the show. His sister's body is not allowed to be buried by the church due to it being filled with mercury and it seems this gargoyle was as well.
This is also where we meet what seems to be the main crew for the show. D'Eon is joined by one of the Queen's assistant's, Robin, a mysterious swordsman named Durand, and a fencing master named Teillagory. One of the most memorable scenes of the first DVD shows Durand and the elder Teillagory fighting. It's not a serious fight to the death of course, but it shows how well each of them can fight. While Durand was just able to fend off several police, a very skilled old man gives him trouble. The really interesting part is not just the well animated sword fighting, but the footwork shown. I'm not fencing expert, but even if the footwork is not perfect, it's so well done and appropriate that it makes the scene perfect.
Not only am I not a swordsman, but I've never been to France, and obviously not in the 18th century. But the scenery in Le Chevalier is both appropriate and stunning. The detail put into the outside shots that you may only see for moments is tremendous. And inside you may be tempted to pause the DVD just to get a good look at the King's desk.
What's really exciting about Le Chevalier is the feeling of excitement and mystery that is present in every scene. It can be a bit confusing at times, particularly when you are bombarded by French names and don't know who is who, but there is a deep and intriguing mystery at play. And as D'Eon struggles to find out who killed his sister and why, you are with him every step in the way wanting him to succeed.
As he uncovers the strange religious cult casting spells on people as they die to serve their will, things just get that much more interesting. I went into the show not sure what to expect, perhaps a simple historical drama. But the story is deeper than many I've seen. After the four episodes on the first volume, we seem to know hardly anything. Even the true motivations of each of the hero characters is just revealed. If you aren't merely interested in the standard fare in anime, this is one show that cannot be missed.
Dub Quality
The dub of Le Chevalier is one of ADV's better works. They've taken great pains to get the translation done well which can be tricky when dealing with biblical passages translated from its original language to English to Japanese and now back to English. The pronunciation of all the French names and places to my non-French ears appear to all be correct, something that isn't even done with the Japanese names of characters on some shows. One actor I feel should be mentioned is Tyler Galindo as the teenage Robin in the show. He does a great job and should hopefully be an inspiration for more shows to use actual young males to play young male characters.
Special Features
· English and Japanese 5.1 Audio
· Booklet with Character Info & Relationships, Interviews and More
· Historical Notes
· Commentary with ADR Director & English Voice Actors
· Japanese Promotional Video & Trailer
· Clean Opening and Closing
The extras here are fantastic. The Historical Notes probably shouldn't be read before watching because you'll just end up confused, but after watching it's a great way to see what parts of the show are real and what parts are fabricated. There's a lot of learning to be had. In paper form is a booklet describing the characters and their relationships, aspects of the show, and has interviews and part of the script. Also, the first two episodes include commentary. The first episode has commentary from David Matranga, the lead actor, and Steven Foster, the ADR director. This is an amusing alcohol-fueled look at doing voice for the show and in general, including their complaints about middle-aged women voicing young male parts (I'm with you guys!). The second commentary is from Janice Williams, media coordinator, and Amy Forsyth, translator. This one is largely historical commentary and is a great compliment to the historical notes.
