This series is set in the time of Musketeers and Kings, of slow travel and careful political spies, and of course, in a time when revolutionary thought quietly threatens from beneath the exterior of peace. When his sister’s body is discovered, D’Eon is elevated by the king to become a member of the le Secret du Roi (Literally, “The king’s secret”, or secret police), and embarks on a journey throughout the back alleys of France, to Russia, and even to England to retrace his sister’s steps and find and return the Psalms to his liege. However, politics are never a gentle sport, and betrayal from all sides seems to loom over the French government, and even the secret police. Who can D’Eon and his companions trust when they are met at every turn by loyalties that feign kindness while seeking to kill?
As they uncover plot after plot in this web of schemes, Lia’s spirit seems to linger, seeking vengeance. However, her lack of a physical body prevents her from reaching our world, so she is forced to seek another weapon to contain her thirst for the truth: Her brother.
The superhuman power in the series is especially intriguing. Wielded by Poets, the Psalms contain not only a raw power that can be used to heal or harm, but also seem to operate around a form of alchemy that can metamorphose humans into fearsome weapons (filled with mercury, obviously). The characters are rich and their plight evokes the classic style of Dumas’ well-known setting with an obvious magical bent. Honor and loyalty are key themes in the series, and even those evolve to show the contrast between sworn loyalty to a physical person and the honor to be had when you rise above earthly promises and hold tight to higher ideals.
A beautifully animated, wonderfully scored, and brilliantly detailed series, my only desire could be to include a French audio track with English subtitles to emphasize the setting further. The voice acting and script were extremely well done, and do an excellent job of setting the tone for the mysteries of both the human heart and political machine. The box set includes 4 DVDs with episodes 1-24, as well as an additional disc crammed with extras ranging from the mundane (clean opening and closing, trailers) to the specific (Footage of the Japanese promotional event, interview with the Japanese cast, and a special profile of swordplay and cross dressing.)