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Aug 19, 2011 10:16 AM
#1

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Jun 2007
2253
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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A satisfying conclusion to the first quarter of Les Mis. The web of tragedy had continued to grow larger and larger until this episode; everyone good gradually losing what they held dear. Cosette's mother's transformation was harrowing and made the actions of the Thenardier family even more despicable. The greed of the family becoming their undoing as Valjean managed to take Cosette away without paying a penny was pleasing.

What I like about this series, ignoring the fact it's a rare non-moe, non-school girl mature title, is the characters believability. One could argue that Cosette's strength/happiness in the face of misery wasn't portayed as realistically as it could have been, but the rest of the cast have come across as very human. For example, Thenardier's children act the way they do because of terrible parenting; the small sister copying her parents/elder sister further emphasising this. And, of course, Valjean's selfless search for redemption puts him in the 'best character ever' category.

I'm re-watching 1-23, at the mo, and I remember my interest waning as the series progressed, from this point, but I'm still looking forward to getting to what my eyes have yet to enjoy. Roll on episode 24!
Jan 1, 2012 7:58 AM
#2

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Oct 2007
3471
Nicely putted there, AironicallyHuman.


"A Legend is but a tale of a beautiful lie."
Oct 2, 2012 6:06 PM
#3

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Feb 2010
34607
I agree with Aion here for the most parts. Even Gavroche being so attached to Cosette despite the atmosphere in that household makes sense when you think about that one scene in the beginning that hinted that Cosette would be bringing up Gavroche for the most part, her mother being too busy fawning over her daughters.

I do have a couple of problems regarding the actions of her mother that led to her final misery.

First of all, and that may just be my lack of historical knowledge, it was never properly explained why she had to hide that she had a daughter in the first place. Sure, when she was traveling together with Cosette it would have been a turn-off, but just saying that she has a child she'll send money to - she can't be the only one working for the sake of a family member in that factory.

Secondly, I can't help but partly blame her for making the relationship with the other women at work as bad as it was. If you want to live undisturbed and be left alone the first thing you do is blend in as little and as much as needed. Sometimes it even seemed she was purposely antagonising them, which led to her being fired. Not that it was justified, but she could've been a bit less passive-aggressive to avoid the situation.

And lastly, if she was really so serious and desperate to work at the factory she should have just accepted that the mayor didn't have time that day and returned at the next day. Or said she'd wait until he had time, even if it took overnight. But she immediately went all hysterical making it impossible for bystanders (in this case the guy who told her the mayor didn't have time today) to understand her.

It could be just a case of not-so-great adaption (I already heard in the novel the mother had to go as far as to prostitute herself), but in any case those were some elements that majorly bugged me at one point or another.

Overall this has been very good though, but it also has shown me that in terms of sheer enjoyment Iget more out of optimistic and lighthearted series. After all the tragedy it was at least twice as rewarding to finally see Valjean take her away, and even without paying even 1 franc.

I wonder how long that will work out though, considering the density of drama until now probably not long. I'm also hoping we get to see a backflash of Valjean's past in full detail at some point. The OP hints at it so maybe I'm right.
I probably regret this post by now.
Oct 18, 2012 11:27 AM
#4

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Jan 2012
1981
minor hiccups here and there but the positives outweigh them by a mile
Jan 2, 2014 11:45 PM
#5

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Jun 2009
5404
Fucking finally Cosette gets out of there. I wonder what will happen next (never read the book).

But there is one thing...HE DIDN'T PAY HIS BILL!!!
Dec 13, 2014 12:27 AM
#6

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Dec 2012
16125
This episode plastered a big ol' smile on me, talk about getting owned! Madeleine is an awesome guy, but I wonder how he'll break the news to Cosette about her mother.

Higashi_no_Kaze said:

First of all, and that may just be my lack of historical knowledge, it was never properly explained why she had to hide that she had a daughter in the first place. Sure, when she was traveling together with Cosette it would have been a turn-off, but just saying that she has a child she'll send money to - she can't be the only one working for the sake of a family member in that factory.
Just going to answer this quote by saying that back in those times, women's options were usually limited to prostitution or marriage and women independently scraping out a living to raise a child was shunned and unheard of as they technically still didn't have the same rights as men.
ZekkenshinDec 13, 2014 12:41 AM
Oct 21, 2018 5:07 PM
#7

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Nov 2016
31878
Yes, she was finally taken away from that hell. The best part was probably when he took the 1500 francs would've been even better if Valjean beat the shit out of that midget and his wife

Well, the most important part is that Cosette is in safety(for now)

One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron


Jul 21, 8:00 PM
#8

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Jun 2022
3881
Enough For Me , She Got Together With Her Guardian & There's Just No Point In Expecting Any More Redemption From The Writer . Just One Thing To Do With All The Sly Peeps In This Anime...




C Ya Cosette! Take Care Girl.

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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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