History Anime / LeChevalierDEon

* ImplausibleFencingPowers

* PatheticCharacterPatheticDeath: Peter

Loosely inspired (''very'' loosely) on the historical spy [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eon_de_Beaumont D'Eon de Beaumont]], whose crossdressing (in retrospect, s/he was probably transgender, and s/he insisted for the latter half of his/her life that s/he had been a woman all along and had been disguised as a man previously) and extraordinarily half-hearted attempts at espionage caused a major international incident.

The show itself is based on a series of novels by Tou Ubukata; a manga was released at around the same time as the show, but is completely different, being described by Ubukata as "a humorous attempt at combining d'Eon de Beaumont, eighteenth century France, and a superhero story". While the anime is a serious historical drama with mystical elements, the manga is a {{Seinen}} action series similar to ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''. Despite being a completely different animal, it's definitely worth a look.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''RoseOfVersailles''

** The thing about this show is that you're meant to take it seriously, but it does not take ''itself'' seriously. Which accounts for the immense historical inaccuracies.
*** Or rather, it takes itself seriously as an alternative history. It just doesn't seem like one at first.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chevalier_deon_0021.jpg

* DownerEnding: Considering it takes place right before [[FrenchRevolution Maximilien Robespierre's Reign of Terror]], it was a ForegoneConclusion that it would end this way.

** Though things ''do'' get bleaker and grimier towards the end. Especially considering that the story ultimately leads to the FrenchRevolution.

* CatherineTheGreat

Late 18th Century France: a time of great trial and turmoil -- and for none moreso than French Secret Police member d'Eon de Beaumont, whose older sister Lia has just been found floating in a coffin in the Seine River. Lia was an accomplished spy for the French Court, which recently sent her to faraway lands on a mysterious assignment. But now she's turned up murdered, and it's up to D'Eon to find her killers. No sooner has he stumbled upon the AncientConspiracy that might be responsible for it, than he, [[DoomedHometown his comrades, and his entire household all fall victim to a vicious attack]], which [[EverybodysDeadDave only D'Eon himself manages to survive]]. The King of France, Louis XV, graciously allows D'Eon to retrace his sister's steps and investigate her murder, and to that end he gives him a new set of comrades; all of them are Chevaliers who, like D'Eon, have vowed their unswerving loyalty to the King, even unto death...

Of course... this isn't the ''only'' help D'Eon will receive during his investigations.

It seems the angry soul of his murdered sister, Lia, has decided ''not'' to pass onto the next life just yet. She has some unfinished business to attend to. And [[GrandTheftMe she has found the perfect vessel through which she can carry out her revenge]] -- D'Eon's ''own'' still-living body....

The show itself is based on a series of novels by TouUbukata; a manga was released at around the same time as the show, but is completely different, being described by Ubukata as "a humorous attempt at combining d'Eon de Beaumont, eighteenth century France, and a superhero story;" where the anime is a serious historical drama with mystical elements, the manga is a {{Seinen}} action series similar to {{Hellsing}}; despite being a completely different animal, its definitely worth a look.

The show [[SpiritualSuccessor noticeably draws from]] the 1970's {{shojo}} {{anime}} ''RoseOfVersailles''.

'''This show provides examples of:'''

Loosely inspired (''very'' loosely) on the historical spy [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eon_de_Beaumont D'Eon de Beaumont]], whose crossdressing (in retrospect, s/he was probably transgendered, and s/he insisted for the latter half of his/her life that s/he had been a woman all along and had been disguised as a man previously) and extraordinarily half-hearted attempts at espionage caused a major international incident.

Late 18th Century France: a time of great trial and turmoil -- and for none more than French Secret Police member D'Eon de Beaumont, whose older sister Lia has just been found floating in a coffin in the Seine River. Lia was an accomplished spy for the French Court, which recently sent her to faraway lands on a mysterious assignment. But now she's turned up murdered, and it's up to D'Eon to find her killers. No sooner has he stumbled upon the AncientConspiracy that might be responsible for it, than he, [[DoomedHometown his comrades, and his entire household all fall victim to a vicious attack]], which [[EverybodysDeadDave only D'Eon himself manages to survive]]. The King of France, Louis XV, graciously allows D'Eon to retrace his sister's steps and investigate her murder, and to that end he gives him a new set of comrades; all of them are Chevaliers who, like D'Eon, have vowed their unswerving loyalty to the King, even unto death...

* BrotherSisterIncest: D'Eon and Lia are close (''uncomfortably'' close, now that they have to share the same body), but they've never felt anything improper towards each other. [[spoiler: However, the relationship between half-siblings Lia and Maximilien Robespierre ''was'' almost consummated, although neither of them knew they were related to the other at the time of their romance.]]

* OurZombiesareDifferent: they're called "gargoyles," their blood is mercury and they are controlled by a Poet and can be killed by destroying a rune somewhere on their body

* CoolDownHug: Teillagory gives one to Lia [[spoiler: after she thinks Maximillien is dead.]]

* BrotherSisterIncest: D'Eon and Lia are close (''uncomfortably'' close, now that they have to share the same body), but they've never felt anything improper towards each other. [[spoiler: However, the relationship between half-siblings Lia and Maximilien Robespierre ''was'' almost consummated, although to be fair, neither of them knew they were related to the other at the time of their romance.]]

* DidNotDoTheResearch: While the series is pretty accurate in its building designs, clothing style, and some of the history behind this period, there are still a few glaring errors before the series became AlternateHistory near the end. In particular, a shot in England shows the houses of Parliament with Big Ben as they are today, even though these were not fully completed as late as 1870, when the series takes place probably in the 1760's.
** Also, there is a scene in which Peter, his guards, Bestuzhev, and the Revolutionary Brethren are assembled in Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, with Peter examining [[spoiler: Empress Elizaveta's corpse]]. Kazan Cathedral wasn't built until the 1800s to celebrate Russia's defeat of Napoleon.
** Similar to the examples above, some scenes show the Arc de Triomphe du Carroussel (the smaller of the two, located in front of the Louvre) and the Obelisk on the Place de la Concorde. The Arc was built in 1809 to commemorate the battles won by Napoleon's Grande Armée, and the Obelisk was brought in 1836 as a gift to France.
** On the other hand, the trope is VERY cleverly played with in the case of [[spoiler: Robespierre. The series takes place in the 1760's, when the real Robespierre would have been just a child, but the show's version of him is in his early 30's. The viewer goes through the entire series thinking they're seeing an example of this trope, until the last five minutes, when we learn that Robin, who IS a child, is the "real" Robespierre who is remembered by history, having taken his name from the other one.]]
*** It still doesn't quite work. [[spoiler: The historical Robespierre would be about 3-5 during the time the series is taking place, while Robin is clearly 12 or 13.]]
** Also, the bridge across the Rhine into Cologne wouldn't be renamed "Hohenzollern Bridge" as it is called in the series until 1907.

* FridgeBrilliance
** When Telliagory [[spoiler: dies from a bullet wound he makes a comment about the irony that he lived too long to "die by the sword," since he had lived by one for so long. It seems like another example of his gently dark sense of humor, until you realize what he said to Durand's corpse: "I hope I die like you." Durand died in a swordfight, like an old-school knight. Thus Telliagory's last words are actually a lament for the end of French chivalry.]]
** The opening sequence [[spoiler: shows Robin shooting through the royal crest. This seems like it was done simply because it [[RuleOfCool looks cool]]; but in the final episode, Robin changes his name to Robespierre and becomes the leader of the French Revolution. Only after seeing the entire series do you realize what that scene was actually symbolizing.]]
* FridgeLogic: [[spoiler: So if Maximilien and Lia are half-siblings because they share the same father and Max's father was Louis XIV, does that mean D'Eon is also the son of Louis XIV and is thus the remaining heir to the throne after Maximilien dies?]]
** History would disagree, unless Prince Auguste/eventually Louis XVI does not have younger brothers in this timeline. (After the fall of Napoleon, Louis XVI's younger brother Louis XVIII comes onto the throne, followed in turn by his younger brother Charles X.)
*** [[spoiler: But honestly how are D'Eon and Lia connected? Did Lia's and D'Eon's mother become Louis XIV mistress, birthed Lia, been wedded to some backwater knight called de Beaumont and had D'Eon with that knight? I mean this is really the only sensible explanation, because otherwise either D'Eon has to the son of Louise XIV or he's not connected by blood to Lia, which by the way has some other fridge logic implications.]]

* DownerEnding: Considering it takes place right before Maximilien Robespierre's Reign of Terror, it was a ForegoneConclusion that it would end this way.

* AffablyEvil: The Count of Cagliostro and Lorenza

* ICannotSelfTerminate