The premise of a mysterious girl secluded atop the immense library of St. Marguerite Academy who forms a bond of convenience with a marginalised exchange student promised interesting things. The choice to weave history elements into the main story right from the start was also a surprise. The show delivered almost everything I could want too.
Victorique is a highly intelligent, beautiful but initially glacial girl surrounded by a myth. The exchange student from Japan, a boy named Kazuya Kujo, while scholarly is not exactly a genius who is also weighed down by a myth of his own. What sets him apart from Victorique however is his sense of justice and compassion. They complete each other while they solve intricate mysteries. Their personalities differ but at their core they are kindred spirits which is portrayed in many situations, many of which end up being funny or touching. The generally collected Victorique betraying emotions like excitement over sweets, embarrassment over day to day mishaps or genuine affection towards Kujo made me melt. The supporting characters are also very good. Probably the best in my opinion was the girl from England, which unfortunately was introduced way too late into the show. Although there are quite a few of episodic characters, some carry over significant pieces of the plot forward. And the story is not exactly rosy. There is quite enough sadness but it's usually bittersweet.
However sometimes the gloomy mood is artificially altered. Also, victims of circumstance are spun into villains and vice versa. These are the critical failings of this show. In a few episodes the spotlight was shifted from atrocious actions to trivial ones. Making a big deal about the theft of priceless objects but mentioning the perpetrators also made countless girls' lives hell for profit only as an afterthought made me sick. At the end of the show quite a few of the villains, except the main one, are miraculously redeemed. The one that genuinely made me furious had his murderous jealousy filtered thorough rosy glasses to make it look like love.
The good elements of this show still manage to not be overshadowed by the bad. The episodic cases are intelligent and provide a firm foundation for a good main story. The characters involved, despite what some might say, develop nicely. Although in some cases that happens a bit erratic. But the most important aspect of this show is the messages it's trying to relay and their corresponding emotions which are, for the most part, truly wonderful.
