LE CHEVALIER D'EON

Versaille’s got a new rose!



Review by: M.H. "Purse doesn't match his belt" Torringjan

Length: 24 episodes
Genre: Action, historical, fantasy
Watched: Entire series, subbed

It’s been a long time since an anime series focused on French politics and history. Very possibly, the reason for that is it’s difficult to make a 26-episode series about running away (unless it’s Monster). I’ve wanted for a long time to watch the spiritual predecessor to this series, Rose of Versailles, but haven’t yet. When I heard about this series, though, I figured I’d put RoV on the backburner. And I’ve gotta say, I don’t think that a series has ever made crossdressing as exciting as this one did!

Plot: Based (loosely) on the historical figure of Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée Éon de Beaumont, or the Chevalier d’Eon (go ahead, tell me that shortened version isn’t better!), very likely history’s most famous transvestite aside from J. Edgar Hoover, Eddie Izzard, and Tim Curry. D’Eon de Beaumont was a member of the aristocracy, in line to move to Versailles until his sister, a well-trusted spy, turned up dead in a casket floating down the river Seine. He joined the organization of his sister, the King’s Secret, in an attempt to find her killer and gain peace for her soul (which decided to take up residence in his body), and was sent with three comrades to hunt nobles set against Louis XV in Russia. He soon would find himself knee-deep in a conspiracy that could threaten the stability of the French royalty and send the country into revolution.

Artwork: While the artwork isn’t necessarily the focus of this series, it makes a very strong showing, with vivid colors, distinctly-drawn characters, and a nice attention to some details. The facial features and outfits are particularly well drawn and add to the high quality of the art. Particular attention was paid to making D’Eon look as much like a woman as possible without making him one, which is to their credit. There are some times, however, where the artwork looks much lower definition than normal, which feels slightly jarring when it occurs. Overall, though, I.G. did a very high quality job, as always.

Music: The producers did a good job of matching basic instrumental tracks to the action of the scene. While the music is mainly meant to set mood, the production is high quality, and could be good music to study to. The opening theme is basic J-pop, and nothing particularly special. The closing theme is a much more slow, Engrish-ridden ballad that serves as a cool-down after the intense action in some episodes.

Characters: While the cast is standard size for an epic series like this, most of the action centers around the four comrades of the King’s Secret. And there’s surprisingly few dresses involved for a series based on the life of a transvestite. D’Eon de Beaumont is a loyal servant of the king, a loving brother, and a strong gentleman (who likes rhinestones a lot). His single-mindedness to find the killers of his sister is rewarded with a post in the king’s secret police, as well as her soul resting in his body and occasionally taking over his body. When he is in danger, or when he confronts someone involved with her past life, her rage will rise, and she will emerge to deal with the problem. Durand is a longer member of the King’s Secret, one who worked with Lia de Beaumont and has served the King unquestioningly since then. A pretty boy and skilled swordfighter, he will always do what is necessary to complete a mission. Teillagory is the sword master who taught D’Eon and Lia, who volunteers to travel with D’Eon’s company. While his background is unknown, he is a great aid in completing the group’s orders. Robin was formerly an aide of the queen until she told him to travel with D’Eon and serve him. His youth often shows in his understanding of issues, although he values his comrades and their group above all else. Maximillien Robespierre is a mysterious, quiet fellow who used to be a member of the King’s Secret and now acts against the Royal court to bring about revolution. Anna is D’Eon’s sweetie back home who waits calmly for his return, and generally acts like a wet rag whenever she’s on screen. The characters undergo extreme changes as the series goes on, though, which speaks greatly to the character development of the series. They react appropriately to the circumstances and display dynamic personalities, which makes the story all the more interesting.

Plot: The quasi-historical account of the life of D’Eon de Beaumont was spiced up, similar to how the Count of Monte Cristo was spiced up in Gankutsuou. The normal tale of a transvestite-spy for the French government got a touch of magic, intrigue, and sword-fighting that makes a normal history lesson into prime-time gold. On the one hand, I love the exciting and interesting story with plot twists aplenty that they’ve presented here. However, I also can’t help but think that the plot is some big ploy to justify D’Eon’s love of crossdressing. Ladies and gentlemen, you really don’t need to do that. If the man loves wearing a dress and a corset, then more power to him, I say. You don’t need magic and the soul of your sister to enjoy a little bit of comfortable clothing sometimes.

CHICKS!! While there’s very little of tasty chicks in this series (the four main protagonists make it into a bit of a sausage-fest), there are still a couple of side-dishes to be had. Anna is D’Eon’s fiancé, who was willing to wait for him years upon years, not knowing where he was or what he was doing, and displaying great understanding for him when he was around. Her soft-spoken personality and care for D’Eon, paired with the hot body that not even Victorian clothing could hide (which is a rare thing) really make her a prime candidate for lusting after. However, I have slight issue with one of her features; if you look at her face from just the right angle, she looks somewhat like a frog, which could lead to some uncomfortable moments in the early morning light. Another hot chick that we don’t know much about is Lorentzia is a poet who works under Maximillien who appears to be present mainly for eye candy purposes. These purposes, she serves very well, as she spends much of her time lounging around with her short unbuttoned or off entirely. While this might not be the greatest pick in terms of productivity or financial prospects, she is extremely hot, which is a desirable trait for the post of trophy wife.

Summary: While the story may start out kind of slow and at times seem circuitous, the series has enough action and is strong enough, technically speaking, to keep you interested until things start to liven up later on. The deep and intriguing plot are more than enough to carry this series, and I would recommend checking out at least a few episodes when possible.

In a Nutshell:
+ Exciting action
+ Enthralling plot
+ Technically smooth
+ Transvestites finally get good publicity
- Slow start to the series

Final score: 8.5/10



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