Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

Le Chevalier D'Eon

(French meaning: D'Eon the Knight) is a 24-episode anime TV series based on Tow Ubukata's historical fantasy novel of the same title, produced by Production I.G. It has aired in Japan on WOWOW and Animax, broadcast the series across its respective networks worldwide, including its English language networks in Southeast Asia and India, as well as other networks in Taiwan, Hong Kong and other regions. The series was originally licensed to the North American market by ADV Films; in 2008, it became one of over 30 titles transferred from ADV to Funimation Entertainment. The novel has been previously adapted as manga, written by Kiriko Yumeji and Tow Ubukata.

The story is loosely based on the historical figure Chevalier d'Eon, who lived in the middle of 18th Century, pre-revolution France under the reign of Louis XV.

Plot

In the beginning was the Word. Those were the days when King Louis XV ruled. Versailles shone in all its glory, and upon the course of the Seine, flourished the city of Paris, pervaded by beauty and chaos. Time changes everything. Only the words remain. That is why I, D'Eon de Beaumont, tell the story of myself, and my comrades who believed in the spirit of France. I shall relate the events which ended an era, and of the woman's body found floating in the Seine. Her name was Lia de Beaumont. My elder sister. - D'Eon de Beaumont (from the first episode of the series)

The story begins in Paris 1742, when the body of a woman named Lia de Beaumont is found in a casket floating along the Seine. The only clue regarding her death is the word "Psalms", which is written in blood on the lid of the casket. D'Eon de Beaumont, Lia's younger brother and a knight in service of King Louis XV, takes it upon himself to investigate his sister's mysterious death, along with the strange disappearances of a number of French women.

Key concepts

- A Poet is a person capable of casting spells and controlling gargoyles by reciting Psalms.
- Animated corpses that have mercury in their bodies instead of blood. The marking "H∴O is placed on the body or on a pendant worn by the corpses, which enables Poets to control them. These creatures are not referred to as gargoyles until after Robin mentions to D'Eon that they reminded him of the gargoyles found on buildings.
- One of the six thematic sub-categories of Psalms. These are a group of verses that deals with the idea of God and Kingship.
- Naqam (often abbreviated as "NQM"), meaning "vengeance" in Hebrew. One of the most quoted psalm of lament in the show is Psalm 35.
- The secret intelligence organization of King Louis XV, headed by Duc de Broglie.
- A group of Poets headed by the Count of Saint-Germain under the patronage of the Duc d'Orléans, speciffically Philip II d'Orléans, 2nd duc d'Orléans.
- The name Teillagory suggested the group formed when he joins forces with Durand, Robin, and D'Eon.

Main Characters

A list of supporting characters can be found at List of supporting Le Chevalier D'Eon characters.

; Old D'Eon
D'Eon is a member of the Secret Police, working in the shadows to keep the peace within French society. When his sister suddenly turns up floating down a river in a coffin with 'Psalms' written on it, D'Eon is thrown into a deadly struggle with revolutionaries and supernatural forces in order to uncover the truth behind his sister's death. D'Eon looks remarkably like Lia, which turns to his advantage whenever he needs to meet with a ruler who was once Lia's friend. He is loosely based on the historic figure, Chevalier d'Eon.

D'Eon's sister, and a skilled fencer. She was killed under mysterious circumstances and the story revolves around finding the truth. She was seeking revenge for unknown reasons. Despite flashbacks of her being a caring and considerate loyal young woman, her spirit was full of great anger and sorrow, and D'Eon is at first horrified by her emotions. She had a unique sword stance, which made it easy for Teillagory to identify her when the others are unsure. Later in the anime, it becomes more obvious to the four main characters that D'eon's sister was extremely connected to Maximilien Robespierre and the main poets in the anime. Many royals remember and looked up to Lia, such as Elizabeth from Imperial Russia.

The Queen's young page. He dislikes being treated as a child. Despite his age, he is earnest and resourceful, and his loyalty to Queen Marie and his companions is steadfast. Robin greatly looks up to the other three members of the Four Musketeers group, and prefers to wield a flintlock pistol in combat. Though the others often tease him for his lack of experience, he learns quickly, and actually questions the ideals they are fighting for. When Durand is killed by D'eon, Robin loses a lot of trust in D'eon. Robin thinks that it was wrong to kill Durand and cries when he sees Durand dead. When he watches himself shoot Teillagory, it is obvious that his character completely changes from the more innocent child he was at the beginning of the series to a more cold and distanced person. After witnessing Durand's death and the battle between Teillagory and D'eon, plus the murder of the Queen, he gives up all love of the King. Changing his name to Maximillien Robespierre at the end of the series, he is assumed to have become the historically renowned Maximillien Robespierre and suffered his same fate of execution by guillotine when he pushed the revolution too far.

A dashing young man whose fencing prowess may rival even that of Teillagory's. Durand is highly adept in the Florentine style, wielding a rapier and main-gauche at the same time. He treasures his antique pocket watch despite the fact that it does not work properly. Durand's loyalty seems ambiguous throughout the story, but he appears to have once had affections for Lia. He eventually develops a fondness for Robin, taking the boy under his wing and even bestowing upon him his treasured pocket watch. When he refused to join Maximillien's revolutionary order, the man turned him into a gargoyle, and he was killed by Lia/D'eon after begging him/her to kill him.

D'Eon and Lia's fencing instructor, Teillagory is a legendary knight in the days of Louis XIV, and many other characters respect him deeply for it. He carries an antique sword which was given to him by Louis XIV, and still holds onto the days of knighthood and honour. Teillagory lost his only son in a war several years prior to the start of the series. He betrays D'Eon and Robin very late in the series revealing that he was working under the Duke of Orleans, for he deems the current king weak. While fighting a duel against D'Eon he is killed by Robin after saving the Duke of Orleans from the boy's bullet. After Teillagory is shot, D'eon makes a point to tell Robin that even though Teillagory betrayed the Musketeers, he also showed loyalty to Robin by taking the bullet Robin intended for the Duke of Orleans.

Production

Staff

Produced by Production I.G, Shochiku
Script: Tow Ubukata, Yasuyuki Muto
Directed by: Kazuhiro Furuhashi
Character Design: Tomomi Ozaki
Art Director: Hiroshi Ono
CGI Director: Makoto Endo
Music: Michiru Oshima

Theme music

OP - "BORN" Miwako Okuda

Music: Hiro Oyagi
Arrangement: Hideyuki "Daichi" Suzuki
Lyrics: Chokkyu Murano

ED - "OVER NIGHT" Aya

Lyrics: Aya
Music: Aya & Dai Kasho

Reception

Media information

Episodes

Soundtrack

Track	Japanese Title	Transcription/Translation
1	"BORN" by Miwako Okuda
2	"PSALMS -パルムス-"	PSALMS - pamurusu - / PSALMS
3	最愛王	Saiaiou / Beloved King
4	カフェ -パリの喧騒-	Kafe -pari no kensō / Cafe - Paris' Tumult
5	革命前夜	Kakumei zenya / The Previous Night's Revolution
6	四銃士	Yon jyūshi / Four Musketeers
7	機密局 -NQM-	Kimitsu kyoku / Secret Channel (Secret du Roi) -NQM-
8	ベルミニョンヌ	Beruminyonnu / Vermillion
9	ガーゴイル -H∴O-	Gāgoiru -H∴O- / Gargoyle -H∴O-
10	剣閃のこだま	Kensen no kodama /
11	-リアの棺-	Ria no kan / Lia's Coffin
12	革命教団	Kakumei kyōdan / Revolutionary Brethren
13	詩人の声 -サンジェルマン-	Shijin no koe - sanjeruman - / Poet's Voice - Saint-Germain -
14	誓約交わせし者	Seiyaku kawase shi sha /
15	オーギュスト	Ōgyusto / Auguste
16	ル・アーブル港へ	Ru・āburu kō he / To Le Havre
17	-止まった時計-	Tomatta tokei / Stopped Watch
18	悲憤	Hifun / Resentment
19	女帝 -改革の志-	Nyotei - kaikaku no kokorozashi - / Empress - Will of Reformation
20	政変	Seihen / Coup
21	雨の聖都	Ame no hijiri miyako / The rain of the sacred capital
22	ロシアに死す	Roshia ni shisu / Russia's Death
23	メドメナム	Medomenamu / Medmenham
24	マクシミリアン	Makushimirian / Maximilian
25	忠誠ゆえに	Chūsei yue ni / In the cause of loyalty
26	隻腕の剣士	Sekiwan no kenshi / One-armed Swordsman
27	落日の騎士	Rakujitsu no kishi / Knight of the Setting Sun
28	アネモネ哀歌	Anemone aika / Anemone Lament
29	終わりにまた言葉ありき	Owari ni mata kotoba ari ki / In the end another word emmerges
30	OVER NIGHT by Aya

Manga

The manga, authored by and , was released on October 21, 2005. Currently, it has 6 volumes (the latest having been released December 2007) and is serialized in Kodansha's Magazine Z. It has also been released in the United States by Del Rey.