AuthorJonnieComet

Reviewers' criticism of the 'woke' casting is well warranted but in all this is not a bad film. Whilst it is true that not many Asians (Indians) and black Africans turned in the upper society of 18th-C England, they were indeed very present and can and should be portrayed with some historical accuracy. The actor playing the footman absolutely should have had that role (and costume), but his name need not to have been John. Likewise, the Asian characters could very well have shown the common occurrence of those from far-flung colonies in commercial and social roles in London at that time, including as members of mixed marriages which though not always universally welcomed were more common that modern people might like to believe.

Otherwise the casting in fact represents a kind of racist 'blackface' that does no-one's appreciation of literature, history or society of the given time period any favors (for example at Colonial Williamsburg modern black interpreters proudly portray slaves, since that is who they'd have been, there, in like 1760 - and this enlightens us much more than if they played members of Virginia's colonial congress).

Most reviewers seem to agree that some sensitivity ought to be considered in casting actors who outwardly do not represent, or even suggest, the reality of the period they're meant to be depicting. Not everyone agrees with contrived principles.

All that aside, the story was actually very, very good, exactly like something Jane Austen would have concocted. Sure; it is somewhat predictable, almost trite - but so are Austen's stories. 'List' has all the right tropes and all the right devices, like the plotting, the use of period media, and the romantic entanglements that do not finish quite as neatly as one might expect. Done with a more realistic cast for the 1810s - or with any cast and set at the present time - it'd be vastly more entertaining.. and enlightening.

In an otherwise excellent, truly first-rate series, this episode is the one great glaring exception. It's got nearly all of the 'Inspector Morse' hallmarks but the plot is horribly lethargic and loopy.

There are at least two major plot holes. Without spoiling it - The first is that the first theft is never adequately explained. Oh; an explanation was posed by the characters; but in fact the reality we're expected to accept is actually counter to what's needed to support the characters' theory. The second is that the accomplice (and imagine what the accomplice must have had to do) is never adequately identified or punished but merely ignored at the end. Neither of these is in keeping with the overall reputation of the show. Compare 'Daughters of Cain' with the excellent one that follows, 'Death is my Neighbour', and see what I mean.

This is by far one of the BEST anime serials I've ever seen. It has humour, mystery, action, romance and terrific theme music. Most importantly it has at its core a significant ethical problem: given a world in which free people can develop supernatural abilities that can certainly, but not necessarily, be used for noble and unselfish purposes, is it justified for well-meaning third parties to deliberately deprive them of these gifts *just in case* the gifts can be used for socially-unacceptable or socially-harmful purposes? You just don't see anime shows that are this fun to watch and are addressing problems that so clearly parallel real-world issues.

The characters are all worth following, even the Americans (I'll say no more about that). The plot starts out as though it will be merely episodic (one self-contained story after another) but quickly an underlying, greater story develops to drive it towards an impressive (and possibly tragic) finish. Just don't ask why it's called 'Charlotte' till the end!

Not just for die-hard anime fans! It's a truly great series that entertains, without being childish or stupid, and on an adult level it makes sense.