Ikoku Meiro no Croisee Final Episode

Sigh…another show reaching it’s end. Keeping it simple, this week’s episode starts with Claude and Yune walking together in the Galerie. Back at the shop, Claude is still visibly bothered by what Oscar said about Yune leaving in the last episode. Yune takes a glove, but Claude suddenly becomes angry at her for touching it. Oscar explains to Yune that the glove used to be Jean’s glove. Later, Yune hears a bell and concludes that it must be the cat that another shop owner, Yannick, had mentioned earlier. Claude comes out to see that Yune has gone, chasing after her. After running into Alan, he becomes worried that she has run away from the Galerie. He runs into Alice, who of course berates him for not knowing where Yune is, but she joins him in the search. Claude goes to see Yannick, who tells him that Yune has passed by, and Claude sees Yune on the roof. Claude tells Yune that the cat that she is looking for has been missing for ten years, having run away when Yannick put the bell on it. Just then, a strong wind blows, and Yune falls off. The glass below her starts to crack, and Claude is reminded of his father’s death, seeing an image of him falling. Claude is able to reach Yune, though, and pulls her back up. Yune apologizes again for the glove incident, but Claude tells her they weren’t that important. But Yune tells him that she has noticed that he treasures them. Claude then promises to take Yune to Grand Magasin, revealing that the reason he forbade it before was because it was where his father died. Claude then tells Yune that it would be enough for him if Yune just lives in peace, which was super cute, and Cluade carries Yune back due to her lost shoes (oh those two…I guess they couldn’t exactly kiss, so this works). The series ends with Yune returning to see everyone had come out to search for her, realizing that she’s become part of the Galerie’s family. Well, another one’s done. A review of this will probably pop up some time soon (I’ve got a lot on my plate now that stuff is ending). This series was pretty cute (if a tad predictable at times). I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. Yuru Yuri ends later today…look forward to it!

Ikoku Meiro no Croisee Episode 11

Alright, I’m tired of waiting for Ayako or IB…gonna have to suffer through Nemui’s strangely large subs. This week’s episode starts off with Alice inviting Yune to the Grand Magasin, where her brother will be hosting an exhibit on Japan. She refuses to go unless Claude gives the okay, but when they both ask, Claude refuses to allow her because the Grand Magasin is the rival of Galerie du Roy. Oscar wonders if it has something to do with the sign that he was trying to make for Gilles de Rais from last episode, but Claude shows him that Gilles de Rais bought his sign. Claude instead proposes that the three of them go out for a picnic in the park, which Yune happily agrees to. They end up having a pleasant lunch in the park (Yune’s reactions to Oscar’s “magic” are pretty funny). Oscar hands Yune a drink, which turns out to be spiked enough for Yune to get drunk (only hilarity can ensue). Later, when she sobers up, Yune randomly makes a prayer when she hears some bells ringing. When Claude asks, she reluctantly tells him that she is praying for her sister’s health. Claude doesn’t pry any further, but Yune starts to cry, which changes his mind. Yune reveals that her sister went blind, blaming herself because she prayed for it when she was little. Because of her blue eyes, Yune’s sister Shione was treated as an outcast. She hated seeing their faces when they looked in her eyes, so she and Yune begin telling others that she is blind, so she could close her eyes when others were around and they wouldn’t judge her. However, she starts to become frail and Yune fears that she has caused this. Oscar is able to cheer her up, though, by pointing out that before she “cast her spell” on Shione, Shione was suffering alone and that Yune provided a light for her. Later, Oscar asks Claude if he’s afraid of learning about Yune because he’s afraid of how he’ll feel when she leaves. Alright, another show on the brink of the end…Not sure how next week will turn out. Anyways…about iDOLM@STER…yeah, I’m just not feeling motivated to watch it.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisee Episode 10

This week’s episode starts with Claude looking at old sketches by his father, Jean. Oscar sneaks up on him and “catches him in the act”, showing the sketches to Yune. Later at dinner, Claude tells everyone that he’s meeting with a Gilles de Rais the next day, an old client who admired Jean’s work. The next day, Yune goes to see Claude off, and on the way back to the shop, many of the people she passes notice her and greet her. When she gets back, Oscar has her go clean up the storeroom a bit, but she finds a strange contraption. Oscar starts to set it up and Alice shows up (with her usual perfect timing). It turns out to be a projector, which Oscar uses to scare Alice and Yune with pictures of reapers and such. This reminds Yune of when she used to make shadow puppets with her older sister. Meanwhile, Claude is lectured by Gilles de Rais that he can’t always rely on his father’s reputation. With some help from Alan, Oscar puts on a show using the projector for everyone at the Galerie, during which Yune thinks she sees Claude. The episode ends with Yune finding Claude working late at night to come up with his own sign designs.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisee Episode 9

Well, this is super late. Anyways, back at the Blanche mansion, Alice takes Yune outside to show her that she has set up a Japanese style area for tea. Yune ends up having to show Alice how to prepare the tea, but Alice has trouble with the sugarless tea (just like I’d expect from a European). She also has trouble sitting in seiza, which brings some laughs. Meanwhile, Claude continues to flashback to his time with Camille. Although she’s very playful with Claude at first, Camille slowly starts to refuse his more childish suggestions (despite still being a child) and never leaves the house with him. Claude slowly takes on a similar attitude as well. Camille also flashes back to a time when she was anxiously waiting for Claude and went to the Galerie du Roy to look for him. She arrives at the Enseignes du Roy to find Claude working with his father, peering at them through a window. Claude notices her though and she runs off. Claude catches up to her, but she tells him that her nannies are keeping Claude a secret from her mother on the condition that she never leaves the house. After talking with Yune in the present, Claude realizes that Camille was carrying a burden as a child because she cared about Claude. Sigh…Claude is kinda dense, huh? This show is entertaining for a reason I can’t quite place.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisee Episode 8

We start this episode with Claude having a flashback of a time when he and Camille were kids and she told him that she loves him. Back in the present, Yune and Claude are getting dressed to go over to the Blanche household. Once there, Alice drags Yune off, and Claude sits down with Camille. Camille talks with Claude a bit about Yune and shows off how perceptive she actually is. Meanwhile, Alice and Yune are telling folk tales to each other. Alice shows Yune the childrens’ room that she and Camille used when they were young, and soon runs off. Camille shows up and shows Yune the dresses that they used to wear, asking her to pick one to try on. Yune picks one that she thinks Claude would approve of and Camille loses her cool for a bit, going on about how Claude would never notice. Yune simply responds that the two of them are the same, which shocks Camille and makes her smile. She ends up giving the dress to Yune.

Kind of a cute episode. It looks like next week, we’ll finally find out what happened between Claude and Camille.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisee Episode 7

The boy from a couple of episodes before returns at the start of this episode. Yune asks him for the candlestick back, but he tells her that he has traded it for bread, which prompts her to give him a piece of bread from her breakfast. In return, she asks that he stops stealing from other people, but he runs off without a response when Claude comes out. Claude lectures Yune for trying to forgive the boy, and ends up raising his voice at her naivete. However, Alice walks in having heard all of this and starts to get on Claude’s case. She then shows off her complete lack of understanding of Japanese items to Yune. Oscar notices that Yune doesn’t feel well, so he asks Alice to leave. The boy comes back again, but Yune is unable to give him more food because of Claude’s scolding before. However, she does try to comfort him, but is once again interrupted by Claude. Claude lectures her again and makes her promise not to get close to the boy again, which brings Yune to tears. She then collapses on her way up the stairs. Yune assures Claude and Oscar that her illness isn’t serious and that she doesn’t need a hospital trip, but Claude fears she is hiding something like she normally does. Claude returns to the front of the shop to find the boy again. He blames him for Yune’s illness, which causes him to run off. Meanwhile, Yune starts remembering a similar situation with her sister comforting her (her sister is basically Yune with longer hair). Claude finally realizes that Yune saw the boy as similar to herself as both of them were trying to find a place to be accepted in Paris. He wonders whether it would be better for Yune to return to Japan and goes to talk with her. However, he finds her collapsed on the floor again, this time grasping the book that he gave her. Claude rushes off to Alice’s mansion to beg her to call a doctor for Yune. He also asks her to teach him how to make rice porridge to give to Yune (lol…how cute). Yune starts to recover and Claude serves up his food and also gives her a flower left by the boy. Claude and Oscar tell her to rely on them more and stop worrying about being a bother so much, and Yune finally feels accepted at the shop.

So this episode. Corny?…kinda. Interesting, anyway? Absolutely! Alice seems to be making more regular appearances as the comic relief. Also, next week, it seems as though we may find out what’s going on between Claude and Camille.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisee Episode 6

The return of Alice! She has come to abduct…err, invite Yune to take a photograph with her. However, Yune insists on finishing her housework first, so Alice waits in the store. Like a standard rich girl, Alice is unable to comprehend Yune’s work ethic. After finally getting Yune back to her mansion, Alice shows her some photographs of her and her sister Camille. Then, Yune shows Alice how to put on a kimono, which prompts her to dress Yune up in her own clothes. After much frustration, Alice is able to get her photograph with Yune. Claude shows up to pick up Yune and Yune drags him to meet Camille, but she is no longer around. So, Camille and Claude clearly have something going on, but I guess we’ll have to wait and find out what it is specifically. Alice is pretty nice for comedic relief. Next week, it looks like we’ll find out some stuff about Yune’s own sister and the homeless boy.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisee Episode 5

I know I talked about dropping series this week, but this one’s definitely not getting dropped. Yune starts off this week by showing off her abilities as a customer magnet…or lack thereof. Claude informs her that she tends to make people suspicious because she acts too friendly (O.o). The strange boy from earlier once again appears at the window, but runs off when Yune waves at him. Also, Oscar randomly leaves the shop, saying he needs to travel and goes off…somewhere. The boy walks in again and grabs a lamp. Yune gives chase, but he gets away. She tries to ask passerby to help her find the boy, but they all ignore her. Then, Yune realizes that she is lost and runs around searching for Claude’s shop. Meanwhile, Claude is running around searching for Yune. A friend of Claude’s approaches Yune, recognizing her and realizing that she is lost. However, Yune remembers Claude’s words to her earlier and runs away in fear (way to make her paranoid, Claude). Finally, Claude manages to find Yune. Yune starts to freak out about the stolen item, but Claude reassures her that he cares more for her safety (awww). Claude’s friend later introduces himself to Yune as Alan. That night, Oscar returns, having been worried for Yune and unable to leave Paris. Looks like the boy’s gonna be a recurring character in this series. I’m afraid his background won’t be so interesting, though. He seems like the typical homeless orphan. Still, I liked the lost in a foreign country theme of this episode. Had a bit more substance than just Yune being cute (but seriously…how cute is she?). Looks like next episode is the return of Alice Blanche, as well as Yune in a dress (and by dress, I mean Western dress).

silly Yune...how's anyone supposed to believe you're mad?

Ikoku Meiro no Croisee Episode 4

This show is so amusing…Not gonna lie. So besides Claude walking in on Yune trying to take a makeshift bath, Alice Blanche comes over to try to convince Yune to join her (on the dark side). Claude refuses, though, knowing that Alice is just like any spoiled rich girl. Yune feels bad that Alice came all the way to invite her to her house, so she agrees to go, much to Claude’s dismay. After spending some time pampered by Alice, Yune insists on returning to Claude, though. Alice resolves to convince Yune to live with her, though (finally giving the spoiled rich girl laugh). This show’s almost turning into a guilty pleasure…seriously.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisee Episode 3

More Yune cuteness! Anyways, this episode, Claude learns a bit more about Japan. Also, we get to meet the new owner of Yune’s kimono, a girl named Alice. She looks familiar for some reason…I can quite put my finger on it. Oh, and she’s a total Japan fangirl for some reason. Anyway, Claude uses part of Yune’s name to make a new sign, which ends up being bought (woot). While he’s out, it starts to rain and Yune brings an umbrella. Claude then decides to show her around Paris a little, as Yune says earlier that she didn’t know what she wanted to see because she didn’t know the area well. Anyways, the escapade looks suspiciously like a date (and it would be consistent with the loli themes of this season). At the end of the episode, Alice finds out about Yune and resolves to meet her…wonder how that will turn out. Looking forward to seeing it, though!