STORY – Better than the first, containing risky twists and turns, the plot thickens.
As the story continues there are more twists and turns. The Duke is turned into the King after proof was found for his treason and he is stripped of his powers. The Russian escapes headed home after a close encounter with D’Eon and his comrades close behind. The king however asks them to start a new mission, one that could be deadly and to drop the case of the Duke, focusing on the escaped Russian. D’Eon, conflicted with his sister’s spirit enters the Queens lair to have a séance to bring forth Lia using his body as a vessel. In this ritual he is required to wear Lia’s dress.
HISTORY NOTE:
As we discover from the history files on the first DVD (Chevalier D’Eon de Beaumont (1728-1810) is based on a historical character that actually claimed to be a woman. The case was brought to court and favored D’Eon saying it was too crude to actually prove this fact. When he later tried to from a female army it was refused. Upon death an autopsy was performed to discover his true sexual identity, which turned out to be male.)
STORY…
This DVD gets much more involved with the conflict of male and female with in the same body as Lia’s spirit is brought forth. Her soul seeks vengeance and is often terrifyingly violent in the eyes of D’Eon. As the story continues we learn that it is possible that a member of Le Secret du Roi, the Royal secret police, may have turned on the group. There is a traitor within their midst. The Royal Psalms are at the center of the plot, and they have gone missing. It is said that if you recite these poems you will be given immense power. The group decides the best way to find more information would be to go straight to St. Petersburg, Russia. A member of the Royal court, Anna, loves D’Eon and claims that she is jealous of his dead sister who is always with him. Will D’Eon and his fiends are able to discover who used the Psalms, and the identity of Lia’s killer? A new enemy in League with ……. sends wild dogs under a spell, with the letters (H. O.) painted on their faces to track down the four Frenchmen. This stands for Hommes Optare, which can be reconfigures to spell Metamorphosis
PRESENTATION- Historically Researched
I am currently taking a costume design class in which we had to research eighteenth century clothing and I am happy to say that while there are simplifications this DVD did a good job researching France during that time. Most locations and characters are accurate and then altered to fit a fictitious plot. Rich scenes include the king’s quarters and Versailles to the countryside of Russia; even the cover is covered in a gold leaf pattern.
EXTRAS- Extremely Informative. These extras take a long time to get through if you look around at everything, so if you really liked the show, then you will love reading about all the background information.
OVERALL- Interesting historical and fictional mix. I haven’t seen much of this genera of anime. I enjoy the complex character development and the rich plot and scenery. I would not mark it as one of my favorites, just something very different.
Overall: 6.0