Ultimately this is a satisfying piece of shoujo-angst, but
to enjoy it requires a toleration of hoary old anime conventions, the kind ruthlessly
parodied in newer shows. There are lots of dramatic shots of monotone-haired heroes
with black lines radiating from them. The animation is sometimes dire, such as
in the fencing scenes, which appear to be modeled on the movements of drunken
marionettes. The show itself takes place during the years that lead up to the
French Revolution. The main character is Lady Oscar, a noblewoman more than capable
of holding her own amongst men. Oscar is assigned to protect Marie Antoinette,
a naive girl who happens to be the new Queen of France. It's obvious things will
come to a tragic end, but this is a terrible, multifaceted tragedy greater than
any I've seen in anime. On the one side we have the nobility and on the other
the impoverished peasants, and this class divide makes the cruelties and torments
of the characters all the greater and gives the show an almost Dickensian atmosphere.
This is costume-drama anime. The court intrigue produces such intense scenes that
when we finally get to the violence of the revolution it proves less harrowing
(and therefore less addictive) than what has gone before. The relationships are
more interesting early on as well, with many potential partners and the gender-bending
Oscar, before things descend into a conventional tragic love story. The ending
itself is overwhelmingly complete.
