A Charming Culture Clash
Croisee in a Foreign Labyrinth is a very laid back series filled with warmth and well developed characters. While it may look like a silly piece of fluff from the cover art and character design, it is extremely well written. The main character is Yune, a teen from Japan sent out to learn more from Western countries. Japan had gone through a profound upheaval in the late 1800s and had turned to the West for technology, fashion, and ideas. Likewise, France was dealing with the disillusionment with the revolution while undergoing the Industrial Revolution. It is against this backdrop that the series takes place, so subjects like class differences, starving children, xenophobia, and the timeless difference between the sexes are all covered. Tragedies lurk behind the pasts of some of the characters and you eventually understand what motivates them.
Despite that, you will find yourself smiling after watching an episode and a warm feeling in your heart. I really can't think of...
Thumbs Up*
Well the story takes place in the second half of the 19th century, as Japanese culture gains popularity in the West. A young Japanese girl, Yune, accompanies a French traveller, Oscar, on his journey back to France, and offers to help at the family's ironwork shop in Paris. Oscar's nephew and shop-owner Claude reluctantly accepts to take care of Yune, and we learn how those two, who have so little in common, get to understand each other and live together in the Paris of the 1800.
The sound contributes greatly to the setting and I found it adding to an already wonderful experience. Even the opening is an instrumental piece. The show could have abused the setting and sound to create a very pop soundtrack to sell to the masses, but it didn't and I have great respect for that. The one thing I regret this anime did not do, was include more French words into the script. Though that is understandable, as there is a large challenge in overcoming linguistic barriers. Luckily, as a...
Haiku Review: Croisee
A review of Croisee in haiku meant to capture the essence of the story (blah twenty word minimum blah):
Cherry blossom song
Sung beneath the Eifel's gaze
Sings of gifted smiles
Click to Editorial Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment