Ikoku Meiro no Croisée

[Buffalobiian]

I really want to know what went on between Claude and Camille now, though the general gist must be that Camille ended up choosing high-class society over Claude. She sees her dream in Alice, who is both in a position to do as she wishes, but also has the guts and spunk to do what she wants. Camille on the other hand chooses the safe side and decided to be the classical eldest daughter over the radical one. From what she says, she must think that "suits" her the best, but she's not at all happy about it.

[Kraco]

Camille is sure full of melancholy and regret.

I don't know if she had that much choice, though. Likely she didn't just realise that when she was as young as in the flashbacks. But it's true that she no doubt partially bent and conformed to the expectations willingly. And now regrets it yet still thinks it was the only way. Pressure on Alice was likely a lot lower, so I don't think Alice being more free is only due to their personal choices.

Growing apart from Claude was perfecly natural development when they grew up following their respective ways. In the end Claude is worlds apart from the Blanche family. I'd actually like to know what kind of circumstances allowed Camille to play with Claude at all. Camille and Alice's parents must be fairly progressive.

[David75]

Camille is sure full of melancholy and regret.

I don't know if she had that much choice, though. Likely she didn't just realise that when she was as young as in the flashbacks. But it's true that she no doubt partially bent and conformed to the expectations willingly. And now regrets it yet still thinks it was the only way. Pressure on Alice was likely a lot lower, so I don't think Alice being more free is only due to their personal choices.

Growing apart from Claude was perfecly natural development when they grew up following their respective ways. In the end Claude is worlds apart from the Blanche family. I'd actually like to know what kind of circumstances allowed Camille to play with Claude at all. Camille and Alice's parents must be fairly progressive.

I wonder if Camille thinks she could have a chance going to Japan with Alice and Yune like in Alice's story.
It sure is a fairytale, but Yune appearing in their lives at a point when Camille destiny is to be sealed through marriage must really have her dream again. But it will remain a dream as she clearly understand the rules of her culture and accepts them.
The cat example shows that eventhough she prefers stray cats, she can accommodate having her house cat...

Little details:
As free as Alice is, I very much doubt she's have the right to climb on her bed shoes on. She probably wouldn't even think of doing it.
When Yune changed footwear, I realized she doesn't change goind outside/ coming back. We did not have a scene when she would find that strange.

Windows open in the inside in France, you wouldn't imagine how strange it is to see windows open the other way

[Ryllharu]

I don't know if she had that much choice, though. Likely she didn't just realise that when she was as young as in the flashbacks. But it's true that she no doubt partially bent and conformed to the expectations willingly. And now regrets it yet still thinks it was the only way. Pressure on Alice was likely a lot lower, so I don't think Alice being more free is only due to their personal choices.

In that flashback where Alice was telling her story, I felt that Alice seemed to actually be the more mature of the two. Considering their age difference, it seemed very odd. Camille was very much entranced by the concept and idea of Alice's little story. I wonder if the harsh truth about her social position hit her not soon after.

It's rather startling to see someone who was so very much like Alice was when she was younger turn into someone so bitter and spiteful. The way she holds her fan makes it even worse, like she's always sneering behind it. I was frankly stunned at how cruel she was being to Yune when the two of them were alone. Claude has been brusque or blunt with Yune before, but he's never cut her down the way Camille was doing. Of course she was just as sarcastic and disparaging to Claude when the two of them were alone.

[Kraco]

Despite those moments, I still can't see Camille as malicious. She's just so full of regret and the dualistic envy I believe I mentioned earlier that she can't help but utter those cruel comments every now and then. I think she was even taken aback just a little after some of the things she said to Yune, who is so innocent and shows nothing but goodwill. It's also rather interesting she was giving Yune the same advice Claude did, but her reasons might be the opposite: Not to protect Yune but to crack a little Yune's freedom and happiness to bring her closer to Camille's (and actually Alice's as well) own level.

[shinta|hikari]

I think your description of her is pretty malicious already.

[Kraco]

Perhaps, but if I judge her character correctly, there's still the difference that for a wholesome person her words and actions wouldn't really mean that much, at most they would just alienate that person from her, making Camille herself the only victim. She has shown no indication she would actually be plotting against someone. She's simply so sad and weak she lashes out at people she's envious of.

The more I see of her, the more I'd like someone to save her. Naturally I don't expect that to happen; this is a historical show, after all, and history is full of shitty human destinies. But on the other hand, she's apparently old enough to join the high society, which means she'll soon be old enough to get married. Her own children might be her saviors.

[Buffalobiian]

IB - Episode 09

[Kraco]

I think it's pretty hard to say exactly how Camille views Claude. Did she really like him, or was it all due to the fact Claude was likely the only playmate she had and thus beyond precious. Not to mention those aspects don't need to be mutually exclusive. What's a bit more puzzling is how their relationship became more rotten. Was it only due to growing up and adapting more to their roles in the society, further separating them. What's undebiably true is that their relationship now is a lot worse than it was at the end of the flashbacks, and not only in the sense of growing apart and becoming strangers - in fact it didn't seem like that at all.

But then again, nothing can really happen between Camille and Claude, so in the end it's all the same.

[Buffalobiian]

[Nipponsei] Ikoku Meiro no Croisee Original Soundtrack.zip

[Ayako]_Ikoku_Meiro_no_Croisée_-_04.5_[H264][400p][B8BCFBA2].mkv

[David75]

You've seen that place numerous times in the anime, now you get a glimpse of what it looks like nowadays:
http://maps.google.fr/maps?hl=fr&ll=...251.3,,0,-6.84

Ep 4.5 was nice.

[Buffalobiian]

Ayako - episode 10

---------------------------------------







Episode 4.5 was indeed nice. It pretty much confirms that Claude/Camille's attitude at each other largely results from each believing that the other wasn't prepared to move out of their own "zone" to further their relationship, even though they themselves refused to budge.

I suppose the thing that interested me most there was that Yune's sister had the same sky blue eyes as most French depicted in this anime. Yune herself doesn't have "pitch black" eyes, though it's still a dark green that might as well mean black by anime standards.

[David75]

Well, for some reason you get lots of blue eyes in that show, when France really is more of a melting pot and has always been since it borders so many countries/regions filled with so many cultures and phenotypes.

But I admit I did not pay much attention to that detail, and should have as your point may lead to the idea that Yune's could be the daughter of a foreigner (or grandchild). That would explain their open-mindedness towards foreign culture and why Yune would come to Paris. That added to the songs they share with Anne (or was that Annette?), which doesn't sound like a common name for European Gypsies btw.

[Kraco]

Episode 11 - IB


- - - - - --




Claude certainly has more than one man's share of personality issues on the human relationships front. He's lousy at business and probably only able to continue running a shop due to inheriting his dad's name and customers, in addition to the artist's skills he obviously has. It also seems like he has huge troubles dealing with women - and perhaps even any strangers. He also seems very unforgiving and prejudiced. At least he does have an ability to reflect on his own behavior if really pushed and he's not inherently wicked.

Luckily Yune seems to bend easily without cracking. She surely needs that attribute to live with Claude.

[Buffalobiian]

A large part of that was supposedly due to his dad, and they never even got around to talking about it this episode.. it makes it feel half done.

[Ryllharu]

I never have an urge to watch an episode until I actually start watching it, then I do ultimately enjoy it. But it isn't like the other series I'm following where I really look forward to them each week. I don't hate the series...but I'm not excited by it either. It's weird. I sometimes feel like I'm only watching Ikoku Meiro for Alice. Her crazed behavior always brightens up her segments of the episode. It's clear why Camille lives vicariously through her.


Regarding this episode, I'm glad that Yune's behavior keeps shaming Claude into becoming a better person, someone ultimately less bitter than his past had made him.

He disallows Yune to go places that he finds distasteful (I mean it was a stretch for him to even allow her to initially visit Alice) and then implies that she should stay out of his past, only to turn around and demand she tell him about her own tough memories.

I've had a feeling for a while that something bad happened to Yune's sister, and I'm glad that she hadn't died. Fittingly, Shione's even more selfless behavior shamed Claude even further. Enough that he might open up to Yune about his father.

Perhaps in doing so, his change in attitude will also soften the relationship he has with the Blanche family. Alice technically owns his gallerie after all, doesn't she? Even if Camille stays cold toward him, perhaps he can at least enjoy a friendly adversarial relationship with Alice.

[David75]

The "Assemblée Nationale" (~Parliament) in a google street view:
http://maps.google.fr/maps?q=Assembl...181.53,,0,5.32

Again, I do not feel much from that ep. Still I'm watching.

[David75]

[IB] Ikoku Meiro no Croisée - 12 END [720p] [10bit] [5D5FDC63]​.mkv

[Buffalobiian]

Ah.. at least they got around to a bit of explaining before they finished the show.

[David75]

So Claude's father died working on the Galerie Lafayette Cupola. Now you have pics some posts before