Les 24 Chevaliers Part XXIV: Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Director) (04)

Welcome to the fourth and last part of our exclusive interview with director Kazuhiro Furuhashi.

Part XXIV (04)
Kazuhiro Furuhashi's In principio erat Verbum: "Patience"

Kazuhiro Furuhashi Born on June 9, 1960. Director. He's known among anime fans worldwide for his TV series, Getbackers, Rurouni Kenshin, Hunter x Hunter, and Zipang. These works illuminated his realistic story structures and meticulously detailed rendering of the characters, which are also profoundly evident in Le Chevalier D'Eon. Furuhashi is currently working on his new series, Real Drive based on an original story by Shirow Masamune.

PART 04: Le Chevalier D'Eon is not a success story

What is the best part of the story?
We do have highlight scenes, but it would not be fun to watch them alone. This is because we didn't go for a showy presentation. And also this is a TV series, so it's more like a cumulative work.
But I wouldn't use the typical comments you hear that the work is full of must-sees from the start to the end. It has a matter-of-fact storyline - it might even be described as lacking highlights. I wouldn't recommend it to an impatient viewer. But those who have enough patience to watch it with perseverance might get a treat. You might as well think patience is the correct viewing style. There is no scene that's unnecessary. Twenty-four episodes seem like not enough for this sort of intense content. I can guarantee this.

What kind of concept are you trying to convey to the audience?
This is not a Bildungsroman kind of story. D'Eon appears from the very first episode as a fully developed adult human being. This is the story of a man who tries to keep his determination right through a series of events that deeply shake his beliefs.

It is not an impromptu drama that arises from the creator's unintentional mistakes or by coincidence. Rather, this is an "inevitable story" that is necessary for him to maintain his determination. It would be very hard for people who surround him and that would make the story even more realistic.

Because of his determination to find the truth behind his sister's death, D'Eon steps into the dark side of history. Because he pledges his allegiance to France, he gets involved in games greater than him in many parts of the world. So the focus of the story is whether he can keep his determination and allegiance, correct?
Correct. If he compromises in his interactions with others, there would not be any conflict. Of course peace is the most important thing, and D'Eon is an extremely intelligent person, so he should be more than happy to avoid conflicts. But in order to live a life full of turmoil as is recorded in history, he must have had a very strong will. We can appreciate this strong will in his persistence to become a leader of the Dragoons, according to his biography. His aspiration is understandable for us in the 21st Century and we can identify with him. Although he accomplish this initial aspiration, the latter half of his life is utterly unfortunate. And that is another aspect people can empathize with. But if I put it simply, I think the message is, "France is wonderful." That's it. And Japanese people would agree too, don't you think?

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© Tow Ubukata · Production I.G/Project Chevalier 2006