Ikoku Meiro no Croisée (異国迷路のクロワーゼ, Ikoku Meiro no Kurowāze, lit., "Crossings of A Labyrinth from a Foreign Land"), entitled in French as La Croisée dans un labyrinthe ètranger, is a manga series with art and story by Hinata Takeda and published by Fujimi Shobo. The series tells the story of a young girl from Japan who works on a shop that is facing the problems of the competitive economy of late 19th century France.
Fujimi Shobo's Dragon Age Pure magazine released the manga series on December 8, 2010, but has been released on Monthly Dragon Age magazine, also from Fujimi Shobo, since last year. A TV anime adaptation of the series has been green-lit, with release date to be on July 2011. The manga has been adapted into an anime television series by Satelight which aired in Japan between July 4, 2011 and September 19, 2011.
Plot and Settings[]
The story is set in the latter part of the 19th century. Japan emerges from its isolationist ideals, and has developed an interest in Western culture. Likewise, Europe was intrigued to know more about Japan. The incoming exchange between Japan and Europe, not to mention the advancement of Europe to modernization, has dragged the lower classes into a worse economic status. One of those affected is Galerie du Roy, a once-popular shopping establishment in Paris now endangered to close down.
Enseignes du Roy, a metalworks shop located inside Galerie du Roy, is soon taken by surprise by an unexpected visitor: a Japanese girl named Yune. As she becomes the newest addition to Enseignes du Roy, she explores both Paris and the culture of the French, while she shares her part of the Japanese culture to the people she meet.
Characters[]
Media[]
Manga[]
The manga ran from 2006 until its discontinuation in 2011 with only two volumes released and a total of 11.3 chapters. The mangaka went on hiatus during the latter half of 2011, causing her main series, Ikoku Meiro no Croisée, to be suddenly discontinued. Fujimi Shobo (Monthly Dragon Age) did not formally announce this news to the public and simply ceased serializing it after the November 2011 issue.
Anime[]
The anime starts at vol.1, chapter 1 and ends at vol.2, chapter 7. The anime did not follow the manga's sequence, instead mixing chapters around.