| Partie 1 Entrée [Entrance] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name in Japanese | 入口 |
| Romaji Translation | Iriguchi |
| Release Date | July 3, 2011 |
| Production Staff | |
| Screenplay | Mamiko Ikeda |
| Storyboard | Kenji Yasuda |
| Episode Director | Kenji Yasuda |
| Episode Navigation | |
| Next | Partie 02: Fromage |
"Entrée" (French, Japanese: 入口, Iriguchi) is the first episode of the Ikoku Meiro no Croisée anime series, released on July 3, 2011. It was directed by Kenji Yasuda, who also handled the episode's storyboard, with screenplay by Mamiko Ikeda.
An unusual sight enters the Galerie du Roy: a Japanese girl named Yune. In her first day in the streets of Paris, she is welcomed into the metal crafts shop Enseignes du Roy.
Synopsis[]
19th century Paris.
Life goes on in this bustling city, and among the many places that spring into life at the start of yet another day is the Galerie du Roy, a shopping establishment in the city.
The day begins like any typical day for the people inside the Galerie du Roy. However, the clopping sound of wooden shoes takes their attention, and a girl dressed in a seemingly unusual attire walks with utmost curiosity. Meanwhile, an older-looking man and his porter looks on with relief in their faces.
Soon, the man calls to the girl with her name: Yune.
Yune is asked about how she finds Paris different compared to her hometown. Then, after being introduced to the place they are in at that moment, which is a shopping district called a galerie, Yune immerses herself once again in the sights and sounds of the Galerie du Roy. And her face shines with an expression of overflowing joy.
Yune, alongside the elderly man named Oscar, soon enters one of the shops in the Galerie, the Enseignes du Roy. Inside, they are welcomed by a young man who at first mistook them for customers. Oscar scolds his grandson Claude for being uninviting to customers, but soon focuses on unboxing his purchases from Japan. However, Claude's attention was shifted to a young girl wearing a set of clothes he is unfamiliar with. Oscar introduces Yune to him, to which Yune responds by bowing, and it is clear that Claude is flabbergasted by Yune's action.
Claude tells his grandfather that although he can accept his souvenirs, they cannot afford having another person in the house. However, Oscar refuses to back down on his grandson's response (and for Claude to reject as poster girl like Yune), so he decides to let Yune introduce herself to Claude. Claude is once more shocked when Yune performs a low bow with her head touching the floor. In response, Claude demands an explanation to her slave-like behavior, so Oscar decides to explain that her bow is a greeting, but can be used in other purposes as well.
Oscar also tells Claude that Yune can only speak French when introducing herself, and is instead judging the atmosphere and acting accordingly, most of the time nodding regardless of what the person in front of her is saying. Claude feels uncomfortable of Yune's culture, and leaves instead, confident that Yune wasn't able to understand a word he said. However, Yune lowers her head as if she knew what Claude said to her.
Oscar decides to take Yune upstairs and takes her to her personal room, where he tries to cheer up Yune by giving him flowers using a trick he has prepared for him. As the two enjoy the softness of the bed there, Claude continues to toil in the workshop. However, he would later be accompanied by Yune herself, who is now dressed in a more comfortable kimono.
After telling Yune to keep from disturbing him, she decides to help out in her own way: by wiping the dust and dirt off the workshop. She would then go to the front door, where she continues her cleaning job on the glass panels that keep the store's precious metal crafts and anything else that needs to be cleaned.
Soon, as Claude moves his latest work from the workshop, he notices Yune looking at something. Yune ends up being startled by Claude's sudden appearance, and soon notices the flower-and-butterfly-shaped sign on Claude's hands. Although Claude impulsively tells Yune to keep her hands off of his work, he decides to change his tone, and explains that the sign that he has been holding is his father's last work, and he, like his father and grandfather, has made their mark in the Galerie du Roy as the blacksmiths who crafted the signs in most of the stores there.
Although he is proud of his family's work, he points out that with his father dead and his grandfather no longer able to work like before, not to mention the financial difficulties the Galerie is experiencing, it would be a tough road ahead of him. Nonetheless, Claude is prepared to keep the store thriving, even if it would be a solitary journey. Claude, again, expects that Yune would not understand what he was saying to her.
Oscar soon emerges from the workshop and praises Yune for a job well done. With her work finished, he considers putting Yune in front of the store since it's a more appropriate place as a poster girl, but Claude again protests to it. Soon, a stranger comes in to their shop, his curiosity seemingly sated by Yune's doll-like appearance. Claude swiftly leads him to the door after telling him that Yune is not a doll, and Oscar, in response, sighs about Claude's inability to hold on to potential customers.
As grandson and grandfather bicker around once again, Yune notices a young boy in tattered clothes by the window. Yune, by impulse, tries to catch up with the boy, and as a result, her long kimono grabs on to the newly-repaired sign, sending it crashing to the floor.
Yune immediately goes to pick up the pieces of broken glass from the sign on the floor, but Claude tells her to stop. Yune then prostrates in deep apology, saying sorry as her forehead hangs low on the floor. Oscar looks on with concern as Claude tells Yune that it would be better for her to return to Japan as soon as possible.
Claude would soon toil over the sign once again as Yune looks at the Parisian sunset from her room. As Paris slowly prepares itself for evening, Yune and Oscar share their first dinner in Paris, although Yune is still too worried to eat. Meanwhile, Claude manages to finish the changes made to the design. However, he thinks that he owes someone a visit. Upstairs, he visits Yune, who upon seeing him quickly prostrates to show her apology for what happened earlier. Claude tells Yune that it would not really fix anything, but he assures Yune that he managed to fix the sign in time. Then, as he prepares to leave, he tells Yune to go to sleep as he will go to his customer to set up the new sign.
However, Yune did not follow Claude's request. Instead, she picks up something from her belongings and gives it to Claude: a lavishly decorated red-and-white kimono with lotus designs.
Characters[]
In order of appearance: