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Yousei Florence or The Journey to Fairyland is an enchanting and colourful experience. It is, or I believe it to be, an abstract depiction of Michael's thought process at a cross road during his life.

Michael, the main protagonist, is a kind-hearted character who enjoys gardening but has passion for music too. This film feels like a slow discovery of his forgotten feelings for music and a compassionate departure from horticulture. The premise is interesting and is brought to life in a fantasy setting with the use of colour and music to give off a fairy tale vibe.

I particularly liked that mostly everything was referring ... to Michael's decision, it felt like everything had a purpose. From the character designs to the way they were animated. For example, the MokiMoki were all liquid-like substances which represents how lazy musicians go with the flow due to properties of liquid. Although the visual connotations were intriguing, I was entranced by the wonderful tunes that blended in with each scene and mood.

However, the editing was unnatural due to some scene transitions. The Fairyland section was nice but the real world setting appeared to be of minimal interest: characters shown for no reason, the area felt too quiet (perhaps due to fairy-like aspect of Michael's life) and some peculiar lifestyles (living in a greenhouse). Also, the story played out in a typical fashion albeit tailored for kids.

Despite some peculiar references to Hello Kitty among others, though I don't know why, it was a beautiful experience for a 1.5hr film. It felt like a dream due to the contrasting of the two worlds and it was worth a watch. If not for the story and themes at least watch it for the cohesion between music and animation.

Rose of Versailles is set during the 18th century, with the main focus being around Oscar François de Jarjeyes. She is brought up as a man although actually being a woman, causing her to have a strong and dignified persona. The other focus of the story is the princess of Austria, Marie Antoinette. Her character is childish, carefree and naive. When put under unforeseen circumstances she reacts unpredictably with disregard to the consequences of her actions.

This dramatic tale about the state of France includes the rich nobles, poverty within the country and the over ruling monarchy. Interestingly, the plot wasn't simplified or dumbed-down, handling ... mature topics such as suicide/murder and how the country should be ruled. Even though some plot points where over/under exaggerated and some were forgotten by the next episode, the story was developed steadily. Although, towards the end the story was rushed and some was left to be narrated. This could have been used as an effect to make more of the drama seem intense but I see it as unnecessary since it would have been more interesting otherwise.

The art was glamorous during the palace scenes with sparkling lights and shimmering jewels. The importance of the extravagant clothes and accessories was displayed, as well as how people would be viewed among others. Even though some of the characters had nearly the same face and some didn't age, the characters expressions seemed realistic and weren't too over dramatic.

The characters were developed naturally and were shaped by the situations they were in, the story had an ending and art was reasonable for a anime made in the 70's.