I continue to be impressed by the quality of Le Chevalier d'Eon. This series is now on my 'must watch' list; I greeted the arrival of the review copy of the third disk with a little squee of joy.

Disk number three did disappoint my expectations; if anything, it exceeded them. Le Chevalier is proving to be a tightly written fantasy series with more than a wink and a nod to real European history. The characters are appealing, the intrigue is fascinating, and the writers really did their research on the background.

I would say that this series is probably my favorite of everything I've seen this year. It's an absolute standout, and it is pure joy to watch. With the caveat that it has a little bit of a shaky start in the first few episodes I heartily recommend it to anyone who loves good historical fantasy.

In these four episodes d'Eon meets with the Russian Empress and wins her favor. However, a plot to assassinate her is soon revealed, and the Four Musketeers find themselves smack in the middle of the intrigue -- and they are being framed for her murder! Mistakes and missteps are made, foes are underestimated, and we learn more about the villains of the series as the story unfolds.

I don't have a lot to say about this series which would be negative except that the animation has some issues. It's the same nit I've had all along: I do not particularly care for the character design. The backgrounds are frankly gorgeous, and often based on real places. The people, horses, and other figures have some serious anatomical problems. Proportions are often off on the horses (and there are a lot of horses in this series) and mouth movements feel wrong for the people.

But other than that, the series is excellent and highly recommended. I eagerly look forward to the release of disc number four.