Le Chevalier D'Eon: Book 5

Introduction

Mysteries are hard to judge, especially in serial anime. You have a set number of episodes in which to tell your story, and you usually have sufficient time in advance to plan the story out. You don't want to give the game away too early, and then have to fill the subsequent episodes with inconsequential diversion before you can polish things off. While by the same token, you don't want to leave everything too late, so that you have to cram in all the exposition, plot twists, and revelations into the last couple of episodes, barely having enough time to tie up the loose ends before the end credits roll. But the latter happens far too often for my liking in anime, with conclusions to series that often feel tacked on and little more than an afterthought. Le Chevalier D'Eon has been setting up a doozy of a storyline, with each subsequent plot twist and revelation simultaneously revealing and obscuring the mystery. It's been masterfully done, but we've now reached the penultimate volume, there are only eight episodes left to go, and this would be the ideal time to start the endgame. I have high hopes for volume 5.

For d'Eon de Beaumont, it should have been the culmination of his ascension to the highest levels of nobility, but the day he was elevated to the Royal Court at Versailles, was the day that his sister Lia's body was fished out of the river, in a coffin with the word Psalms daubed on the lid in blood. Since then, he's spent more time away from the court than not, searching for his sister's murderers, haunting the Paris back alleys, and prowling the city streets at night. But his investigation leads to a dark conspiracy indeed, one that reaches to the highest levels of European royalty, involving the invocation of dark and mysterious powers by arcane spell-casting Poets. Fortunately, d'Eon is not alone, he has allies, and chief among them is Lia's soul. She's come back from the dead to avenge her murder, although to do so she has to possess her younger brother's body.


The next four episodes are presented on this disc from ADV.

17. Medmenham Abbey
Queen Charlotte points d'Eon in the direction of the ruins of Medmenham Abbey, headquarters of the Poets. She also arranges for the temporary release of Durand into their care, long enough for the four Frenchmen to clear their names. But their personal liberties are insignificant compared to the grand conspiracy they are uncovering. They've learned of the Comte Saint-Germain and Madame de Pompadour's complicity, but they can't get a message to the king. All they can do is to head to Medmenham in an attempt to recover the Royal Psalms. Robespierre is already there, meeting with the leader, Francis Dashwood. He's about to put his own plans into effect, but he's walking straight into a trap. But the question is, just who is the trap for?

18. The New World
It seems impossible odds for d'Eon and his companions when they reach Medmenham, with Gargoyles on one side, and the Earl of Sandwich's forces on the other, they are surrounded. But Lia takes control when she senses Robespierre's predicament, and in her distress starts reciting one of the Royal Psalms, endangering them all. Meanwhile in France, Madame de Pompadour is urging the king towards declaring war on England.


19. Toward a Bloody Red
They have retrieved the Psalms, but the danger hasn't passed, in fact it's getting worse. Will Durand carry out his final orders? Suspicions arise within the group when Durand takes the Psalms and sneaks out into the night. He's looking to arrange safe passage for him and his friends back to France, but when he meets with Guercy, Robespierre is there waiting for him. And nothing is certain where Robespierre is involved.

20. Ready to Die For…
The threat of war between England and France recedes, but that only means that Madame de Pompadour's attention turns to a target closer to home, the Dauphin Auguste. The Queen arrives at the docks to see off d'Eon and his friends, but it's a sorry farewell. Robin no longer trusts his friends; d'Eon is dreaming of Lia's death, while elsewhere, Robespierre swears vengeance in blood against Louis. Yet betrayal waits for d'Eon in France.

Picture

The 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer is clear and sharp, although there is the usual smidgen of NTSC-PAL conversion issues to put up with. It's nowhere near as bad as it could be though, and by and large this is in the top range of anime transfers. It needs to be good, as it's a Production IG animation, with all the attention to detail and reputation for excellence that implies. The character designs are realistic rather than stylised, the costume designs are astounding, and Europe of the eighteenth century is brought to vivid life. The final result is a very high budget look. The animation is top-notch as well; it's worth seeing some of the fencing sequences as an example of the research and veracity.

Sound

You have a choice of DD 5.1 English and Japanese soundtracks, along with an optional translated English subtitle track, or simple signs to accompany the English track (The signs more often than not translate French text onscreen, not Japanese in this case). The surround is very impressive, certainly working well in the action sequences, and also conveying the orchestral music with a suitable level of grandeur. My choice as always was for the Japanese track, but from what I sampled of the English dub it is exceptional, well cast and well performed. The 5.1 Surround is also a tad more expressive in the English dub, so that may swing it if you waver over which language to listen in.

Extras

There are extras to appreciate with this disc, if significantly fewer than in the first half of the series' run.

There are sleeve notes offering more on Louis XV, Queen Marie, Madame de Pompadour, and Le Duc d'Orleans, with respect to the meaning of their appearances in the closing credit sequences.

The booklet slipped inside the Amaray Case, entitled Chapter 5 runs to 16 pages, and offers character designs and info for Maximilien Robespierre. There's also a look at the Royal Psalms and Teillagory's Sword There is an interview with Megumi Matsumoto, the Japanese voice of Robin, and part five of a prequel side story presented in the form of a script.


On the disc, you'll find the preview for volume 6, the textless credits, and trailers for 009-1, Kurau Phantom Memory, Pani Poni Dash, Utawarerumono, and Red Garden.

There are also historical notes to peruse, offering articles on the Hellfire Club, Medmenham Abbey, London, and Walpurgis Night.

Conclusion

This bit's going to be short. It's hard to talk about this disc without spoiling it, and I would be a cad of the worst order if I did that. Put it this way, I wanted volume 5 to be the point where the endgame for Le Chevalier D'Eon began, and the plot started being resolved. It does that and more, much more, as this volume delivers 4 episodes of revelation, plot twist, and drama. If I did have an issue with the earlier volumes, it was the emphasis on politicking and exposition. There was an emphasis on enriching the narrative at the expense of the central character arcs. However that does pay off here when the tensions between England and France take centre stage, while at the same time, the personal stories of d'Eon, Durand, Teillagory and Robin in their search for Lia's killer come into greater focus.


This is also where much of the Poets arc is resolved, but it still leaves the enigmatic figure of Robespierre to be dealt with, and as the story progresses and his strength of purpose remains constant, our perceptions of him vary between hero and villain. His is a well-crafted and rounded character that is an example of the excellent writing in this series. It seems an accurate observation that the larger, political story is completed in this volume, but it does leave the main figures on all sides still active, and with the return of the Royal Psalms to France, it looks as if the story conclusion will be a much more personal affair, as we finally learn the truth behind Lia's murder.


An interesting aspect in this volume was the change in d'Eon's personality, as his soul merged more and more with his sister's, and the switch between identities during moments of crisis almost seamless and instantaneous, as opposed to the painful trauma from earlier volumes. There is also a wonderful touch on the part of the animators, as they subtly alter d'Eon's character design, giving him softer lines, fuller lips, and a more graceful gait, indicative of Lia's influence.


That's all I'm going to say. Le Chevalier D'Eon is still top class, smart and stylish anime. It's the sort of show that comes along once in a blue moon; an example of what the medium can truly be capable of. I'm on tenterhooks for the final volume. It's a good thing I already have it on my to-watch pile.