Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Ulysses Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight – The Complete Series (2018)

I did enjoy “Ulysses Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight” for trying something different with the Jeanne d’Arc character and other characters affiliated to her, but while I found it entertaining, for the most part, the overall anime series is average at best.

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TITLE: Ulysses Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight – The Complete Series

ANIME RELEASE DATE IN JAPAN: 2018

DURATION: Episodes 1-12 (300 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 16×9, Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English Dolby TrueHD 2.0

COMPANY: Funimation

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: October 15, 2019

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Originally Created by Kasuga Mikage

Directed by Itagaki Shin

Series Composition: Kingetsu Ryunosuke

Music by Iwasaki Taku

Character Design by Sawada Jouji

Art Director: Kikuna Kaori

Anime Production: AXsiZ, Millepensee

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Featuring the following voice talent:

Aaron Dismuke/Ohsaka Ryota as Montmorency

Bryn Apprill/Ono Yuko as Jeanne d’Arc

Amber Lee Connors/Onishi Saori as Charlotte

Daman Mills/Majima Junji as Alençon

Dani Chambers/Takada Yuki as Philippite

David Matranga/Takahashi Hidenori as Xaintrailles

Dawn M. Bennett/Ishigami Shizuka as LA Hire

Hayden Daviau/Kuwahara Yuki as Batard

Leah Clark/Tojo Hisako as Astaroth

Madeleine Morris/Numakura Manami as Richemont

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Montmorency, devoted to the study of alchemy and magic, hoped to end the currently escalating Hundred Years War. However, his hope shifts to a young girl named Jeanne after infusing her with the power of a Philosopher’s Stone. With a mighty Ulysses and his fairy companion Astaroth by his side, Montmorency sets off—turning the tides of countless battles and reuniting with beautiful childhood companions along the way.

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Back in 2015, writer Kasuga Mikage and illustrator Meron Tomari created the light novel series “Yurishizu Jeanne D’Arc to Renkin no Kishi”.

With a total of seven light novels and one prequel volumes published since 2015, a manga adaptation titled “Ulysses: Jeanne d’Arc to Hyakunen Senso no Himitsu” was serialized in 2018, followed by an anime adaptation courtesy of AXsiZ.

And now the anime series will be released on Blu-ray courtesy of Funimation.

The series begins with four friends: Montmorency, Charlotte, Richemont and Phillipe.  Each were students at Paris Knights School and the four make a promise to be together and do their best to end the Hundred Years War (a war between France and England).

But when the French army is defeated in Azincourt, Richemont is thought to be killed during the battle, Charlotte has become the heir to the throne (after her brother’s death) and Philippe’s household surrenders to Burgundy to the English.

As for Montmorency, always interested in alchemic studies, feeling he has failed his friends, he performs a ritual to call a demon to make him find out the secret of the stone in exchange for his soul.  What he ends up calling is the Queen of the Fairies, Astaroth.

Astaroth in return teaches Montmorency to creat the Elixir, which power will allow him to swallow the stone and gain the power becoming Ulysses.

But while being taught the ritual, he doesn’t realize that seven years has passed.

As Montmorency travels along with Astaroth around France, searching for a way to complete the ritual and become Ulysses, he visits the small village of Domremy and meets a kind 12-year-old girl named Jeanne and her friends of fairies.  But while working on alchemy, an explosion takes place and somehow makes his body capable of producing an endless amount of elixir (which is in his saliva).  But due to this explosion and this new skill, he is unable to swallow the sorcerer stone as the elixer in his body could make him berserk and destroy him.

While meeting with a few of his new associates he met during his travel, a commotion takes place outside as Jeanne screams at English forces who killed her fairy friends, who end up stabbing her.

As Montmorency and Astaroth arrive to late, they see a near dead Jeanne and Montmorency vows to save her and be by her side and breaks the Philosopher in two.  Inserting the half of the Philosopher’s Stone into Jeanne’s wound, granting her life, but no longer will she be human again.

In addition, Jeanne will receive the power of Ulysses (and transforming to a killing machine) for three minutes if she is given Elixir.

What will happen when Montmorency, Astaroth and Jeanne arrive to Chinon to meet With Charlotte and eventually reuniting with Richemont and Phillippe?

And for Montmorency, how much have changed with Charlotte, Richemont and Philippe in the last seven years?

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VIDEO:

“Ulysses Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight” is presented in 1080p High Definition and 16×9 Widescreen. As expected from a TV series, there is slight softness, but the for the most part, it’s a much better animated job by AxsiZ Co., Ltd., as this is the studio’s sixth animated work.  Art backgrounds are well-done.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Ulysses Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight” is presented in Japanese Dolby True HD5.1 and English Dolby TrueHD 2.0. The series is primarily dialogue-driven with music coming crystal clear through the front channels. But both soundtracks are well-acted.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Ulysses Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight” comes with the following special features:

• Episode 2 Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary by Anthony Bowling, Leah Clark (voice of Astaroth), Bryn Appril (voice of Jeanne) and Aaron Dismuke (voice of Montmorency).
• Japanese Promotional Video
• Textless Opening and Ending – Featuring 10 unique versions of the closing song

EXTRAS:

The Blu-ray release comes with two Blu-rays and a Funimation Digital Copy code.

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I’m always up for interesting adaptations of the character Jeanne d’Arc, the heroine of France during the Hundred Years War.

Back then, for generations in France, it was told by prophecies that the nation would be saved by a virgin from the “borders of Lorraine” and how she disguised herself as a male soldier, as she claimed that the voice of God was instructing her to take character of the country’s army and lead it to victory.  Her army achieved success.

But years later, she was captured and imprisoned by the Burgundians and the English paid to have her transferred to their custody and she was tried for heresy (cross-dressing was a capital crime back then).

At the age of 19, Jeanne d’Arc was executed by burning.  Nearly 25-years later, she was acquitted posthumous by an appellate court who declared her innocent.  And became a symbol of the Catholic League during the 16th century and was a canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in 1920.

This leads us to “Ulysses Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight”, an loose anime adaptation of events relating to Jeanne D’Arc but with an alchemic and fantasy spin based on the light novels by Kasuga Mikage and Meron Tomari.

Jeanne D’Arc has been featured on anime series numerous times before, may it be “Fate/Apocrypha”, “Shingeki no Bahamut”, “Nobunaga the Fool”, “Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne” to name a few.

What’s rather interesting is how characters from the past are utilized for the series.

The protagonist is Montmorency, a young man who wants to make sure he carries the promise made by his female friends.  A practitioner of alchemy and the person who resurrects 12-year-old Jeanne and becomes her knight and protector.

In reality, Montmorency (Gillese de Rais) was a leader in the French army, a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc but is best known as one of the most sadistic serial killer of children.

Montmorency is given the power in the series by the Queen of Fairies, Astaroth who helps Montmorency.  But Astaroth is known as the Great Duke of Hell and a demon.

In the series, Richemont is one of Montmorency’s childhood friends who is feared dead.  She ends up being taken captive by the English and serves Brittany, becoming a knight of the English. In the anime, Richemont is a young woman, in reality, he was a leading military commander who fought alongside Jeanne D’Arc.

In the anime series, Philippe is Montmorency’s childhood friend and the heir of the Burgundy household.  Her family betrayed the French and sided with the English.  She holds a secret that her friends do not know about her.  In reality, Philip was the Duke of Burgundy and his troops are responsible for catching Jeanne.

Charlotte in the anime series is a young woman who inherited the throne of France after the death of her brother.  A young woman who has saw nothing but death but is helped by Montmorency and Jeanne.  Charlotte is in reality is Charles VII, the King of France who gave the go ahead to Joan to lead an army and be equipped for war.

La Hire in the anime series is the commander of a mercenary unit sent by Charlotte to protect Domremy and the rest of the region of Lorraine. She loves cute things and loves Jeanne and Astaroth.  Often showing up to save others.  In reality, La Hire is a military leader and close comrade of Jeanne.

Batard in the anime series is Charlotte’s illegitimate cousin and her bodyguard.  He was raised to dress like a girl, and is considered cute.  In reality, Batard is Jean de Dunois, known as the “Bastard of Orelans”, the illegitimate son of Louis I, Duke of Orleans and a French military leader who fought alongside Jeanne d’Arc.

So, I found it rather interesting to see a story crafted among the characters, granted many are loosely based on their original counterpart but it’s an interesting one season anime series storyline.

It’s interesting to watch as the character of Jeanne D’Arc is now possessed by a half of the Philosopher’s stone and can be this supernatural warrior for three minutes, who goes wild and demented.  And in the case of heresy, she is called a witch by society because of rumors of her power.

Possibly what was uncomfortable to watch is seeing this 12-year-old girl wanting elixir from Montmorency and knowing Montmorency can give Elixir through a French kiss and thus, seeing Jeanne doing this and it portrayed almost sexually is bit wrong.  Especially in context of knowing Montmorency/Gilles de rais targeted children sexually before he tortured and killed them.

But I can see some seeing how the characters are portrayed in this anime series to be rather blasphemous.

Because the anime series is only 12-episodes long, it didn’t get the chance to focus much on character dynamics and relationships.  In some ways, the anime wants to venture into a harem-style anime series but because of Montmorency’s nature of wanting to do the right thing, he decides to be a celibate knight protecting those he cares about, especially Jeanne.

Overall, I did enjoy “Ulysses Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight” for trying something different with the Jeanne d’Arc character and other characters affiliated to her, but while I found it entertaining, for the most part, the overall anime series is average at best.

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