We descend from the clouds and hear the sound of a siren. The 20th century has just begun, and Lili Ichijoin is arriving in Edwardian London on an elegant steamboat after a long journey. Lili is a painter, and she’s here to represent Japan at the prestigious St. Thomas Art Academy. Starry-eyed, determined, and perhaps a little clueless, the maiden in the pink kimono gets lost in the busy streets, and asking strangers for directions proves to be a thorny process, too. Luckily, a local artist, Kit Church, happens to be drawing with charcoal as he sits on a London bridge. Lili decides to ask him for directions, then is astonished by the beauty of his drawing. When her stomach makes a noise, Kit offers her the blackened bread he’s been using as an eraser, much to her horror. With his instructions, Lili finds her destination, where she meets two professors with strikingly different outlooks, as well as Dorothy, a classmate who thinks all Japanese people are samurai and use shurikens. But Lili doesn’t have time to wander around asking questions. Unbeknownst to everyone, Lili has six months to become the top student of this prestigious academy; if she does not, she’ll go back to Japan, where her controlling mother will arrange her marriage. The problem is, the person in her way happens to be…

Now that was a breath of fresh air! What an enjoyable little episode! I love the premise of a young Japanese artist discovering Edwardian England, and I love the execution even more. The episode takes the time it needs, and thus lets this little story breathe properly, so we can discover the setting with Lili, one piece at a time. I was inspired by the way the peaceful, luminous soundtrack accompanies the scenes. The sight of our protagonist looking at the sea. The snippets of the London of a hundred years ago, from Covent Garden to Westminster Abbey. Lili’s unusual adventures in the greatest city of Europe, the cultural clashes she experiences, and her resolute yet naive stance all made for a very interesting watch. The humor is quite good, the art the students make looks like the real deal, and Kit Church looks quite intriguing (to the point that we haven’t seen his eyes). He doesn’t act like a real person, but the show seems to be on its way to fix that. On the other hand, our protagonist has a very unique, relatable personality, and St. Thomas Art Academy looks incredibly suggestive. I want to see more of it. My mind is not blown just yet, but I had a great time with this episode, and I will certainly continue watching.

Love Through a Prism (the entire show!) is available for streaming on Netflix.