「迷子 Perdus」 (Maigo)
“Lost Child”

It’s hard to imagine that anyone could get upset with Yune when she tries so hard to be helpful, and while Claude didn’t really get mad at her, he did inadvertently make her feel like her Japanese sense of hospitality is a bad thing. She was like an innocent girl thrown into a labyrinth full of Parisian “wolves” and told to suspect everyone before trusting them. It’s always a shame to see a kindhearted person’s outlook on the world suddenly shattered by the harsh reality of it all. Instead of being told that they’re good Samaritans, they’re told that they’re naive and will be taken advantage of. For most people, it usually only takes one incident for them to lose faith in the kindness of strangers too, before sending them down a spiral of distrust. In Yune’s case, her innocence was clearly shaken after the homeless boy stole a candle holder, but luckily not completely lost thanks to the reassurance Claude gave her.

He could have easily been upset with her and questioned about exactly which piece was stolen. I don’t think Yune would’ve minded either, since she was more concerned about the candle holder than her own well-being too. Because of that, it was awfully sweet for Claude to be worried about Yune more than anything else, and didn’t make her feel any worse than she already did on top of being afraid of all the strangers whom she couldn’t talk to while she was lost. I really liked the sentimental moment in that scene and was happy to see Yune in better spirits at the very end. She’s clearly not the type of person to forget about a mistake like this, so the last thing that she needed was to be reminded of it. It also made a point of how children as well-mannered as Yune should be showered in affection and not cornered with blame. When you get older, you can really appreciate why people love well-behaved kids.

Content-wise, one thing that differentiates Ikoku Meiro no Croisée from ARIA is the small bits of emotional turmoil that the characters go through. Unlike the water planet Aqua, not everything is rosy in 19th century France, which is why I like it when things don’t go completely smoothly like they didn’t here. It’s not that I want to see the characters go through hardships; it’s just that I want to see them grow closer because of them. Oscar always tends to bring everything in perspective for us as well, so it’s always nice to hear his grandfather-like input on any situation, whether he’s fully aware of what happened or not. Then there’s Alice of course, who will always have a place if she can get Yune to dress up in cute outfits. She really is like a doll that you want to dress up. That’s definitely something to look forward to.

 

Preview

24 Comments

  1. cuteness.. overload… T.T

    it’s unfortunate that Yune’s kindness resulted in the candle holder being stolen, but i admire how claude handled the situation, and did the right thing to reassure her. just… adorableee <3

    Amiena
  2. I noticed that Claude told her quite clearly that
    she’s precious – twice in this episode, if I’m not mistaken.

    Never a work about how it happened; no scolding at all.

    Claude showed some character in this episode – an understanding
    and concern for Yune. At first I though his search was solely
    based on his responsibility for her safety, but it proved to be
    based on a much deeper concern and affection for Yune, IMHO.

    This series is great and I look to what’s next…

    mac65
    1. Hm. I actually saw this not as romantic, but as an extension of the Western idea of ‘Individuality’. There is nothing more precious than yourself, your health and your safety.

      If you are are healthy and safe, those are the most important things.

      I can definitely see where the romantic undertones can come in. Have to wait and see how this develops.

      Delwack
    2. Yea, too bad it seem that Yune didn’t catch it until after she got lost. However I’m glad it happen anyway, since I can see them hug which in my book is a very high rating.

      Like most people, I really enjoy the romance brewing between them(at least I hope so).For now I just satisfied with this almost touch

      lkaze
  3. This show is amazing cute, and I love how it does a decent job at exploring the different values systems.

    Perhaps this is just modern values dissonance living in a more multicultural society, but I find it really, really hard to believe that anyone would just ignore a child who is lost and alone, regardless of the situation.

    I know they were trying to make a point and yes it made it more emotional, but it really bothered me and no one would even talk to Yune when she was trying to find her way back.

    Delwack
  4. Now for an important announcement:

    YUNE KAWAII

    @Divine
    I don’t think we can think of Yune as a children, I mean she already 13 years old during the 19th France. I believe many would consider she as adult, she only look small because she is japanese while other are parisan.

    lkaze
  5. When Alan shook hands with Yune her hand was lost in his. It was like Andre the Giant (for those who don’t know Andre was a 7′ 5″ pro wrestler that weighed 525 lbs) shaking hands with a normal sized person’s hand.

    Karmafan
  6. lol My friend from a very good neighborhood somewhere is Europe came here to new york. When we passed by a homeless person around times square, she ran to the homeless lady and asked “whats wrong, do you need help.” lol even the homeless lady thought she was strange. Funny when you have to change how fast you trust people when your in a new foreign place.

    MrBrownSound
  7. Telling yune she is more precious than the items in the store is nice and all.
    But i thought it might also trouble her. Seeing that the shop isn’t doing that well and now she takes priority over the store. And her priority is the welfare of the shop.

    Also next ep preview. Yune in a dress. Can’t believe that is all that it takes too make me want to next the next episode.

    outcast
  8. I don’t think Claude likes her and vice versa. They’re just friends (:

    Actually, Show Spoiler ▼

    Choco
  9. Though Yune is older than she looks, I think Claude can’t help but see her as a child that needs guidance. They can be good friends, but I think that is as far as it will go.

    x
  10. I don’t think anyone expect Yune and Claude to get together the next week or something like that. But a couple of years in the future with Yune perhaps growing a little bit as well.

    znail
  11. It’s has special episode 4.5 added in BD vol.3 .But if you pay for 315yen you can see it.Someone already uploaded to himado but that link was deleted now…

    EP4.5 was nice episode. It’s has a clue about Claude’s first love too.

    wahahahahaha
  12. On the part where Yune was getting annoying I was like, NOOOOO I WONT GET ANNOYED WITH YUNE! Fortunately it was negated with the “romantic” moment when Claude found Yune and “KYAAAAA” was all over the place.

    Nice episode and nice review!

    nagi

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