Ikoku Meiro no Croise - Ep1

Episode 1 – Character

Yune – She is a young Japanese girl that Oscar brought with him from Japan. Although we don't know why she wanted to come to France to work as an attendant. Even if it is part of her family tradition.

Claude – Is the owner of the blacksmith shop that makes signs. Although it turns out that he has a very frank personality, or that he has too many rough edges that need to be smooth out.

Oscar – He is his grandfather, although he is too old to work as a smith anymore he still finds away to be helpful. However most of the time he is just enjoying his old age.

Episode 1 – Summary

The story here is mostly focused on the clash of cultures, this is a big point because it is in the late 1800's. This is important because at this time the Japanese as well as the rest of the world didn't have the exposure to the culture that they do today. Although once Oscar and Yune show up in Claude's shop he isn't too pleased with the idea of having her here because they are barley getting by as it is. However it is interesting to see his reaction to her formal bow. Things at this point get more less resolved by the fact that Claude can't really do anything about it, but the thing he can't understand is why she can just nod her head and just do as she is told.

Things get a bit more complicated when Claude finish a sign that he was requested to repair. While he comes out and has to deal with a customer thinking Yune is a doll, while he wasn't watching Yune's sleeves get caught on the sign causing it to fall to the ground and break. This cause Claude to become outrage and tell Yune that she understand nothing about this country that she shouldn't even be here. Although part of the reason that he says such harsh thing is that he believe that Yune can't understand a word that he says. Later that evening as when he finish the sign, but before he goes out Yune gives him her most valuable Kimono to sell for the sake of redeeming what she has done.

Although the next day when Oscar see the Kimono has been sold, he rush home to question Claude about what he has done because that Kimono is the only thing Yune has left of her mother. Once he realizes this he tries to get answers from Yune, when Yune responses it turns out that she could speak french all along. Once he continue with his questioning of why she did it, when it was so important to her. It turns out that she did it because she was worried he would be dishonored by what she did. Then with this he make her promise that she will never let something precious to her go again and he will do something to get her mothers keepsake back. Then things end on this nice note.