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LE CHEVALIER D’EON: PSALM OF VENGEANCE (VOL. 1) [ADVANCE REVIEW] |
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Wednesday, 07 February 2007 |
 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | ADV FILMS | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 5.1 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 100 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | TV 14 | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 12/20/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 02/08/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
In the precarious years before the French Revolution, a murder most foul of a beautiful young woman will bring her brother, an idealistic young knight, into the bowels of a macabre mystery in order to find her killer.
The shock of his sister’s murder rocks D’Eon to the core. But it is what he will discover in trying to uncover her killer that will shake his very faith in man, God and country. A secret world of spies and the occult exists in the underbelly and catacombs of France. It is a secret world of Poets who wield arcane powers through the use of Psalms to turn enemies into puppets and monsters for their own evil bidding. Entrusted by the king, driven by his need for answers and his loyalty to king and country, D’Eon seeks the truth. What he could never have been prepared for was that the truth could be the deadliest thing of all when the vengeful soul of his sister claims him to seek death on those who have wronged her…
Le Chevalier D’Eon is a captivating new series. The anime is decadent with lethal political intrigue, supernatural horrors and a mystery involving vengeful ghosts, possession, and arcane cults. On one hand it is an immersing period piece set in a richly historic time with memorable characters, many of whom really existed, including D’Eon. The imagination with the existence of the cult, the use of Psalms and the intrigue of espionage is riveting. The anime boasts an intricate story with complex characters and mature themes. The series succeeds at capturing deft sword work, suspenseful action sequences and tense dramatic evolution of the characters.
The anime is directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi who also directed the internationally renowned Rurouni Kenshin TV and OVAs. Fans of Kenshin will recognize a voice actor or two from Kenshin as some of that cast is also voicing the original Japanese dialogue here. For the English production, ADR Director Steven Foster again shows his dexterous ability to choose interesting and appealing talent for the English voice cast. He seems to be developing a habit for taking chances on complex and mature anime that show singular originality in their stories and art work such as Gilgamesh and now Chevalier.
The animation holds fantastic backgrounds with details towards authenticity and supernatural intrigue. There naturally exists some strong Christian themes in the art and the story due to it being set in 1700s France. The sword fights are arresting and the suspense of the show is addictive. The character designs are more intricate and the facial features look more Westernized than the average anime. It gives it a more sophisticated and mature look to the characters and overall feel of the anime itself. Even the orchestral score is superb and matches the period of the anime well.
The fact behind the fiction is just as intriguing. D’Eon was truly a spy for the king of France. He did travel in women’s garb and pose as a woman to meet with Russian royalty and political contacts in service of the king. In real life he managed to have the French government officially recognize him as a woman. His life as a woman was convincing enough that there was an inquest at his death to ascertain if he was indeed male, female or a hermaphrodite. For some he is considered the saint of transvestites. I find this curious because it raises the issue of whether he was a transvestite for the reasons of espionage or if he truly always felt he was a female in a male body. The latter would make him transgender rather than a transvestite which could possibly make him the first transgender person in recorded history.
The innovative twist in the anime is that he was neither, but instead a man possessed by the restless soul of his sister. The series’ re-interpretation of the characters and events is simply enthralling. The conflict that evolves between D’Eon and his sister’s bloodlust is compelling as it also puts him at odds with his faith, his fellow man, and possibly his king and country. The supernatural intrigue is further layered by the rise of rebellion in France at the time. Put all together it is heady stuff and makes for an incredibly mesmerizing and mature series to watch.
EXTRAS:
Le Chevalier hosts a plethora of extras. This first disc comes with a handsome black marbled slip cover with gold foil filigree. The insert is a booklet that contains credits of the cast and crew, a character relationship chart, character sketches and character background notes, accessory design sketches such as the sword used by D’Eon, key words used in the anime, text interviews with Yasuyuki Muto (Chief Writer), a few pages of Yasuyuki Muto’s script translated into English, and Director Kazuhiro Furuhashi‘s storyboard analysis of two animation sequences taken from episodes in this first volume.
On the actual DVD bonus features include previews, clean opening and closing animation, fascinating Historical Notes, original Japanese trailers and promo video, and two sets of commentary from the English cast and crew. The first commentary is on episode 1 with voice actor David Matranga (D’Eon de Beaumont) and the irrepressible Steven Foster (ADR Director). The second commentary which is on episode 2 is introduced by Steven Foster and commented on by Janice Williams (Media Coordinator) who provided the historical notes and Amy Forsyth (translator). This last commentary is particularly interesting as it provides all sorts of historical and background information about the life and times of the actual historical figures the anime is based on.
IN SUMMARY:
Le Chevalier D’Eon is a macabre supernatural mystery drenched in deadly politics and fascinating characters. It will keep you guessing. It captures your attention and doesn’t let go. It is a sophisticated story riddled with secrets, politics and the supernatural set against the backdrop of a pivotal time in history. |
