 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 5.1 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 600 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | TV 14 | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 12/02/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 12/01/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | DAVEY C. JONES |
SYNOPSIS:
Paris, 1742. A coffin floats in the shimmering Seine. On the lid, a word written in blood: "Psalms." Inside, the body of a beautiful woman: Lia de Beaumont.
Now her brother, D'Eon, seeks the reason for her mysterious murder and uncovers an evil that casts shadows in both the palaces of kings and the dark alleys of Europe. A power wielded by spell-casting poets and manipulated by royalty. A force so powerful it brings Lia's soul back from beyond to seize the only weapon she can possess to avenge her death - her own brother.
The complete 24 episode TV series on 5 discs in one slim box set!
REVIEW:
Le Chevalier is an intense wicked cool period piece horror that loves to mess with your head! Bad enough the guy lost his sister, but now D’Eon has his sister’s vengeful spirit possessing him! Which is worse – the blood lust to kill or being turned into a woman? He gets onboard with the Secret du Roi, basically France’s secret service back in those days, and goes with his fellow musketeers into the danger zone and a murder mystery that’s a mix of horror and politics. The search for his sister’s killer drags them all over Europe. They go to Russia where he has to pose as his sister in order to enter the royal court. A double-agent and politics as deadly as the monsters after them force the group to seek refuge in England. But they’re not safe anywhere. The Queen Mary has a special interest in D’Eon…and Lia. They battle against Poets and the monsters they create with the Psalms, and those creatures are some horrific things. The undead and demons come to life in this horror extravaganza! Supernatural enemies and political ones threaten France and D’Eon. Each step he gets closer to the truth might bring him on step closer to his own death! The show builds up to the final moments when D’Eon at last learns for certain who murdered his sister, the truth behind the Royal Psalms and Lia’s bond to the dangerous Maximilien. It’s tragedy, awesome sword duels and a conclusion that tells us the final fate of Lia and D’Eon when the end comes. The story is based part on fact and a whole lot of creepy fiction thanks to the imagination of Tou Ubakata who wrote the original story the anime is based on. The animation has impressive cast and crew. Kazuhiro Furuhashi is the director who also directed Rurouni Kenshin, both the TV and OVAs. Kenshin fans might even recognize a voice actor or two from Kenshin because some of them are also cast in Chevalier. The animation production is done by the same talented cats who did Ghost in the Shell SAC so Chevalier kicks serious visual imagery. The buildings and settings are historic and period piece looking, bringing the France of the 1700s alive. The horror aspects with the people victimized by the Psalms are properly grotesque and freakish. The show has a lot of sword duels and they’re awesome! The character designs have a mature, almost Westernized look, so don’t expect any cute anime characters in this bad boy of an anime! It’s an anime for the mature connoisseur!
EXTRAS:
The 5th DVD is where the extras are at! It has previews, clean opening and closing animation, original Japanese trailers and promo video, and tons of Historical Notes.
IN SUMMARY:
Le Chevalier is a historic horror anime that will knock your socks off! |
