Ikoku Meiro no Croisée: Currently watching
Everything about this show charms and warms your heart, and it has definitely taken its place among my top anime for this season, if not the very top spot. I’ve always enjoyed period anime, and I have a special weakness for post-industrial French and English settings. I really love the idea of a “Japanese in Paris” representing the West’s growing attraction to the mysteries of the East. As a symbol and as a main character, Yune brings a burst of color to her surroundings, and her eagerness to please and wonderment at her new home make her all the more lovable. Fulfilling her family tradition of serving as an attendant for an unstated period of time, Yune follows Oscar Claudel from Japan to France to satisfy her desire to work in Paris. Upon her arrival, she meets Ocar’s grandson and succession to the family metalworking shop, Claude (Claude Claudel…hm). His initial impression is not a good one, as he rudely makes it clear that she is unnecessary and unwanted in the shop. But, as she so easily did to me as the viewer, she unintentionally wins her way into his respect with her guileless honesty and care. The closing scenes are reminiscent of a new family in the making.
Anime B&B 