9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
This series has nothing to do with Jane Austin! Jun 13, 2007
reviewed by boukie.bree
I would have never thought that a period manga set in England could be so good! It's a very sophisticated story. I really enjoy this series and I'm not even a romance manga aficionado. It starts out slow, but stick with it and you'll be rewarded. Reading the manga-ka's notes at the back of the books is really fun too. She's a nut!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
The beginning of a love story... May 13, 2008
reviewed by LutePlay (Emma Vol. 01)
Emma: Volume One, chronicles the meeting of William, the son of a rich merchant (the new upper-class) and Emma, the mild-mannered and charming maid of his retired governess. But rather than the cheesy love-at-first-sight crazy-in-love sort of thing, we get the very well thought out beginnings of romance. The characters both exemplify love and getting-to-know-each-other newness, and show simultaneously as products of their time- and slowly charm in you the process.
Obviously the Britain of Victorian-times was researched extensively for this manga- and it shows. We are from the start immersed in their world- which is more exciting than you'd think! Library porn! Elephants!
Kaoru Mori's greatest strength is her expressive faces, displayed wonderfully in William and Emma’s shy flirtations. This manga is drawn fairly realistically (no slapstick here), and the characters often do not freely verbalize their thoughts- but Mori clearly displays them in concise strokes. (The retired governess, Kelly Stowner really steals the show in this aspect with her playful faces as she observes the blooming crush between the two leads.)
A smart historical manga!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
The Romance for people who don't like standard anime romance. Sep 24, 2008
reviewed by TheRedArmy
Emma: A Victorian Romance is an amazing anime. I first saw it at an anime convention in Louisiana (Mecha-Con 2007) and even though I only saw about half an episode, I was completely sold. I soon after bought season 1 on DVD and haven't regretted a cent spent. Completely believable, and it's set in a new setting, rather than the same old story: You know...the dark slightly spikey haired male high-school protagonist, who gets love at first sight with 1 or more girls...and all at the same time. And set in Tokyo. Always Tokyo.
Emma takes place in 18th Century London, which looks completely real, as if you could step into it at any time. The story itself consists of a young maid who serves a retired governess of the time. The governess was the Nanny-type figure of one Mr. Jones, who is the oldest son of a wealthy merchant family. The obvious class barriers here come into play often, but that doesn't stop Emma or Mr. Jones from slowly falling in love with one another. Some may say that the simple plot makes it uninteresting, but in fact the simplicity of it is it's greatest strength. You don't need to memorize that Aya, Setsuki, and Yuri all have a crush on Junpei, but Junpei has only told Setsuka that he loves all of them, and that Aya also enjoyed her time with the head of the literature club, and that Setsuki is waiting for Junpei and is now acting kinda slutty around him, and that...
You get my point.
With an amazing story, great artwork, a clear deep understanding of the time period, and good music, this anime is a great one, so good that it'll have difficulty topping itself in season 2 (Which I've already pre-ordered). I'm not a big nut for romance manga or anime, since it always seems unrealistic to me. (Hot Gimmick and Strawberry 100% anyone?) This one seems completely believable from the first episode to the last. Even if you've given up on Romance anime, get a friend to buy it for himself, and then watch it and give it a shot. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
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