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Victorian Romance Emma
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Animation - 8.3 |
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Sound - 8.0 |
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Story - 7.6 |
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Character - 7.8 |
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Value - 7.5 |
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Enjoyment - 7.8 |
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Average - 7.8 |
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isokana |
(2007-03-06 14:09:25) 2007-03-06 13:59:43 |
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| You know the standard formula of male-oriented harem shows where the nerdy main character and some beautiful and popular girl will fall in love? This time it's the reverse and it's Victorian!
It's really hard to believe that the original Emma manga was published in a seinen magazine. I could think nothing but all those novels my mom is always reading telling about romantic tales across class borders during Victorian or earlier ages. So in short, Emma is a story about Emma, a maid and William Jones, an heir to a wealthy merchant family. They meet, fall in love and struggle against the society. The battle is quite divided as William is more confronted by his family and their expectations and Emma is more perplexed about herself and her own feelings. To make this work, the society has to be depicted properly and that is the best part of the series. You can really feel the old London from the screen. With Emma and William we can see both sides of the society with the poor beggars on the street and the extragavant parties of the nobility. Well, I think there's too little smoke and horse dung, but thank god there's no smell vision yet. Anyway, the author has made his homework and the scenes are full of little details from the past making it quite rewarding to watch. The translator of the fansub I was watching had made some clarifying comments at the end of each episode for people like me, who don't know Victorian England inside out.
The characters act like people in a class society where your position and appearance means your life. It underlines the rebellious nature of William as he is serious about his love towards Emma. The main duo are very cute together because of the awkward nature of their relationship. Too bad that's all they are and despite William going over the top about loving her, I had hard time feeling the passion in this relationship. Blame the composed Victorians, I guess. As I said, the era is depicted very well. Other important characters are Emma's mistress Kelly, who is also William's old teacher. She has a very motherly relationship to Emma and encourages her in her romance when Emma's own feelings are mixed. William's family is the conflicting element. His father is very concerned about the future of the family and is strictly agains William's and Emma's relationship. Other family members offer common comments of the insanity of love crossing classes. The only backup for William is his Indian friend Hakim who arrives at London. This brings yet another element in the series as we can see the perspective of another, very different culture to this forbidden love. Unfortunately I couldn't see much development in the characters during the series nor do they have any remarkable depth. Everyone performs their function and in the end it seems they have just stayed the same. Luckily there's a second season coming and I hope to see some change in characters.
There's only one major problem in Emma: it's damn slow. As I have read the manga, I know the author is a real fan of Victorian age. This is apparent in the anime too. Most of the time I felt like I was watching some old travel guide or document of London. The mood is quite good, I admit, but you could put more than a couple dramatic scene in 12 episodes. Luckily there's Hakim, who brings humor and liveliness to the series.
The old London is depicted quite nicely in the background. Buildings look old and colors are subdued. Animation itself is standard and character designs follow a strange round form which makes them look quite appealing. Not much to say about the sound. The opening and ending songs are instrumental and the opening really reminded me off some Christmas jingle. Voice actors don't get to do any passionate work as Victorian age is the age of withheld emotions.
Victorian Romance Emma is exactly what the title says. Actually it should be 'Slow Victorian Romance Emma' to be more accurate. If you can bypass the slowness and the static characters, you can enjoy a spectacular tour in old London.
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Victorian Romance indeed. The anime is so slow. Even the love story is so slow just like the tittle, you can guess what kind of anime this is. Honey and Clover is slow but that hat lots of things in it. In this you will not get The Sound of Music, nor would you get good main characters to begin with. Emma is ok, but then she is so dull. As a maid, this anime shows how love between two classes would really be like few centuries ago. There is zero action and the love story is not anyhting like KGNE, or something like School Rumble.
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| Average |
6.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Can you fight the world for the sake of love? This is the question that will be answered at the end of the series.
The setting is 18th century England. William is a son of a wealthy business man while Emma is a maid of the former governess. These two fell in love with each other despite of the big gap in their social status. William's family is against their relationship of course, people of nobility think of themselves as high and will only socialize with people of the same rank in society. But still William prove to his family and to Emma his love for her.
More of my review, please read (^_^)
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|
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| Average |
5.3 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
4 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| Victorian Romance Emma, more than anything, has its heart in the right place. I can say without reservation that Studio Pierrot put a lot of love and care into the development of this anime (or at least the adaptation from the manga), creating an immersive and sincere world for our characters to mill around and fret in. The portrayal of London and its environs is one of the strongest aspects of Emma; it is always appropriate to its time period and historically accurate, which is sure to tickle any buff of this genre. The characters are dressed head to toe in periodical garments, some of the locations are ripped straight out of history, and of course the social hierarchy is in full roaring swing.
The latter of these facets is what creates Emma's plot. Like many, Emma is your typical "romance divided by the caste system" drama, which isn't seen so often in anime (and especially not in this setting). You don't have to look too far in Western entertainment to find tales of this nature, but in a media dominated by animes such as Naruto and Bleach, Emma's subject matter is a refreshing change for the diverse. There's a certain gamble to be said for creating an anime like this, with a shaky target audience and very little backing. Perhaps that's why the studio ran out of funding and discontinued the project after just 12 episodes of its projected 36.
That's really a shame, too. I wanted to see this anime succeed; I was hellbent on enjoying Victorian Romance Emma and bragging relentlessly about it on every message board I frequent. Unfortunately, this series is riddled with flaws that bring down the final product to its place in anime purgatory. First off, as many observe, this anime is S-L-O-W. Downright crawling, to be precise. There is a total of maybe three or four scenes pertinent to the overall plot in each episode. The rest of this time is spent in a dreamy haze, watching Emma tend to her chores, or wandering around the Jounes estate, or engaging in the spectacle of a friendly tennis match between minor characters. Dialogue is leisurely and rhythmic; Victorian Romance Emma knows there is no need to rush. Perhaps you may view this as an advantage in concept...but try actually watching it. If you're not thinking "get on with it!" during scenes like this, then you must be some sort of saint. These scenes add a lot to the atmosphere, but they just don't make for good anime.
See, that's one of the constraints of this media. While watching Victorian Romance Emma, I often asked myself "why the hell didn't they do this in live action?" Perhaps having a gaggle of Asian people act British would destroy the desired illusion, but this is the kind of plot that doesn't really fit well with animation. There are no hypertensive action scenes, no surreal psychological bombardments, and no meticulously-detailed character designs. Everything is so subdued. Subdued does often work in anime: look no further than Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou or even Maria-sama ga Miteru, for instance. Emma doesn't work as well because it has no hook. YKK was effective in its lethargy because it added the mystique of a half-submerged world. Marimite, between its dizzying social warfare and impenetrable drama, had energy. Victorian Romance Emma is a sloth.
The second egregious failing to be seen is the characterization. You know, if I cared about Emma as a character, I'm sure I could have suspended my lukewarm attitude towards the anime. If I could bring myself to give a damn about the goings-on that surround her life, maybe I wouldn't have been so lost in other thoughts about real life or -- sadly enough -- other anime I was keeping up with. Tragically, Emma is one of the most boring main characters to ever be committed to this media. It's not really her fault; Episode 12 provides a reason for her timid nature, but it's too little too late. You can cheat your way out of a compelling heroine all you want, Studio Pierrot, but I'm not buying it. Emma, a simple maid, has an average of ten lines of dialogue per episode. In a few, she has less or even none at all. Some characters speak more in one episode than Emma does through the entire series. Tell me, does this make for a good character? Maybe it might in a live action, where the actress is able to communicate a character far better through body language, facial expression and other things that don't cost more to animate. Victorian Romance Emma, once again, is trapped by its mode of presentation. Since our female lead is such a wet rag, that in turn brings us to wonder what her romantic interest sees in her. William Jounes, heir to one of London's most powerful and affluent estates, finds himself all ga-ga over Emma upon a visit to his old governess's house. No one can figure out why. Thus begins a torpid, sluggish romance with an ineffectual attempt at a love triangle and some unrealized convolutions thrown in. The one big problem, William's father complaining about him macking on a maid, is all that really matters here, and it doesn't come out in the open until episode 10. So basically, nine episodes are squandered with dead-end drama and undernourished plot threads. Great.
William himself isn't that bad of a character, but he's really not that good either. I can't think of any defining personality characteristics of his, except for "I! Must! Love! Emma! You! Cannot! Stop! Me!" and his woeful decrying of the social stigmas that burden him so. His three siblings are all insufferable craps, especially Colin; constantly ignored by family members, the little boy bursts into tears whenever he appears on screen. I would have thrown the little bastard out the window years ago if I had to live with him. The one interesting character is Hakim. A previous review hit it right on the head: his extravagance is the only thing in the anime that even hints at personality.
Wow...I sure have been merciless. It's sad, really. Victorian Romance Emma was just a noble experiment, with no ill will and no classless aspirations. It just set a low standard for itself, failed to meet it and then petered away into relative obscurity. I can't really recommend this, unless you're a big fan of the time period or just into really slow drama. I feel sorry for it, in a way. Not even the ending is complete. ...At least the manga succeeded.
(Jeez, this is the driest review I've ever written. I think the anime is getting to me.)
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Something different from most anime series, it takes you to a different era when society and class were major factors in deciding who to associate with. It's the story of two people that love each other but can't be together according to the rules of their society. I was surprised that it was so short, I wish it could have expanded and had a better ending.
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|
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Like the previous reviewer, I had never seen a victorian anime before. In fact, this one is very very different from anything I've ever watched before. It is definitely slow paced, so many people might be turned off.
As for me, I felt that the story was better being slow paced because it reflected the overall society at the time. The characters were all pretty interesting, and it was very unusual to know so little about the main character until the very end. This just adds to the unusual nature of this anime.
The ending was disappointing, but I have yet to find an anime that has a completely satisfying ending. It would be interesting to see if they ever do a second season, because the ending could be added upon.
Overall, excellent - slow but still engaging.
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|
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| I've never seen a victorian romance anime, and I don't believe there are many, but this sure was a pleasant experience that i came to enjoy very much.
This anime target a certain niche of of viewer who would enjoy a slow paced, stylish, and real romance story. This isn't overly hyped and overly-emotional roller coaster (KGNE), but this anime has a feel more like a quite cup of tea with a news paper in the morning.
The anime is about two individual struggling with the standard of society. This reminded me of another great romance anime "Koi Kaze". Though subject is different, the storyline is, in a way, similar. However this anime concentrates muchmore on the romance and the relationship between two main characters Emma and Mr. Jones.
The pacing is indeed slow, and this can be a big downside to some viewers who might want lots of thing to happen quick. I personally liked this slow pacing, because it allowed everything to develop rather naturally. This anime does not pull any punches at us to sway our emotions (KGNE), but it does provided us with fair share of emotional moments in a very natural manner.
The characters i found were surprisingly interesting, mainly emma, due to the character background this anime gives. I thought this anime would just cover the romance and leave the background alone but a whle episode of character background sure helped me to appreciate the character more and provided us with more insight to Emma's behavior. William Jones is a bit cliched main character, but works well in this context. I believe a character background on the jones family would've helped with some of the comments that William threw out occasionally, which seemed to have more meaning than the attention it received.
One big disappointment for me, however, was the ending. I knew that this anime is only a part of the manga, but it wasn't satisfying enough for me. I guess it a good thing that sequel CAN be made, but I have no idea if it will be made.
The animation I found it to my liking but it isn't anything spectacular. One reason for that would be the fact that this anime does not require spectacular animation. The detailed design of the setting and the usage of color were very appropriate and set the old London mood perfectly. The character designs, at times, I found it a bit unnatural.
The music i found to be very plesasant. OP was an appropriate piece that set the mood perfectly and the piano pieces throughout were perfectly placed. I also found ED to my liking. If there was one flaw i thought some of the music were overused a bit, but that isn't a big problem.
This anime targets viewers with more acquired taste of slow paced, and stylish anime and I fit that niche perfectly. I do understand some might find this rather slow and boring, but this anime realy deserves some more appreciation in my opinion. I ran into many good romance animes recently (Koi Kaze, Kare Kano) and this anime is one of them.
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| This one will you give the soothing feeling, it take you back to the day where everything go slowly and you just watch the bird fly above the sky.
The romance story is uqine in a way. 2 differnt class fell in love together but the gap are too wide in the real world. Emma really a beautiful lady( in that time period) and her personality is really lady-like. Althou She might be a bit slow but I like her a lot. William Jr. is a dork and always follow Emma around shy away to express his feeling. Then there's weird prince that came from india, I like that guy a lot(he got load of girl too hehe). They slowly made a moves through the out ep, so it's not really boring but it's kinda nice to take thing slow. Can Love conquer all, or is just a dream? Watch this classic love story.
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|
aldat |
2005-08-11 20:34:13 |
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Sweet. That is probably the best word to describe this series. The characthers are very likeable and realistic in a way, that makes one sympathize with almost everyone in this anime. The setting is refreshing and charming with its small details.
So, in a way, I liked this anime very much. Just...it was somehow very small. I'm not talking about the amount of episodes, nor the pace of things,but, well...How should I say it. Somehow I got the feeling, that the anime never really got into saying anything. Nothing really changed. No character developement.
Well, overall this was enjoyable and definitely worth watching. It just isn't anything to be remembered.
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Maddy |
(2005-08-01 17:54:36) 2005-08-01 17:51:40 |
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| Average |
6.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Emma is one of those animes that you rarely come across. It is by all means not a masterpiece but it has something special to it. The show is settled during the Victorian Era and gives you quite a ride. It is nowhere near actionfilled but the deep relations between the main characters and the dilemma they find themselves in are more than enough to glue you to the screen.
If you like quickpaced animes with action, lots of comedy and a little ecchi move along, this is nothing for you. Although if you really like drama and romance you should by all means read on...
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| The setting of this anime has got to be one of it's strongest points. It's set in the Victorian Era. Though I'm sure some other animes may have had the same, but what really is the best part of the show is the story. The 12 episodes can be seen as short and sweet or simply too short. Personally, I think it's a combination of both. ^_^
Even though there's no gripping action sequences, no spectacular fights whatsoever, the story is more than enough to keep you wanting for more. The dilemma that William is put in keeps viewers glued to expecting the next episode. His inaction and hesitations to confess to Emma in the beginning kind of make the pace of the story somewhat slow. But towards the end, as time is running out for him, things prove otherwise.
There were also flashbacks here and there of the characters and their past, it serves to help viewers have a little insight. Emma's past has got to be the most sad one, and it also got the most airtime. (Can't expect anything less from the main character.)
The episode that I liked best was the Crystal Palace one. Well I don't like giving spoilers to ruin your experience, so give it a watch and write a review here! (Hopefully it's a good one too.)
The animation may not have been very good, nonetheless it captures the essence of the show.
The music consists mostly of piano sounds, which is rather soothing and yet sad, because the most heart wrenching moments play it as the background music.
I was surprised that there weren't any singing for the OP and ED initially, but still the emotion captured in each piece is more than enough for it to get a 10.
The characters were pretty memorable, each were drawn in a unique way.
This anime is definitely a must watch for anyone who likes a storyline that's all about romance.
The ending was somewhat a surprise for me. I hope there's a second season.
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| Average |
5.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
4 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| When I saw this anime was going to be released I was really excited. It hasn't really lived up to expectations. It's true that it is a very detailed and realistic world that has been created. BUT I think someone forgot to write a storyline. The title character has NO personality. NONE. Makes it very hard to believe that little master Jounes (or any other spelling) could find anything to fall for. Only really interesting thing is the Indian prince. A least his arrogance and extravagance hints at a personality. I know that the time period did not allow for much in demonstrative emotional displays, but please... I think Emma has said ten words in six episodes.
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| So far I have incredibly enjoyed this anime. As other reviews have said, it is nothing like other animes out there. They do a really good job of getting a LOT of the historical aspects of the time period right on, which made me really respect it right off.
If anyone is expecting this to be like Jane Austen's Emma, then you will be dissappointed, but only for a split second. This is set in a time period right around the industrial revolution, a little while AFTER the time of settings of Jane Austen's novels. The only thing it has in common with the book is it's name, nothing more. However, I do agree that if you like Pride and Prejudice and other Jane Austen novels, you will surely like this anime. Highly recommended!
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|
|
| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| This is a very good period piece anime, something that you don't see too often. The story is told in a very realistic fashion, with believable characters and situations. If you're into any of the Jane Austin books/movies, as my wife definitely is, then you would probably enjoy this anime a lot.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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|
|
| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Emma is a real winner for all you folks who like romance with a little 19th century atmosphere. When times were simpler and innocence was still a virtue. First off, the backgrounds and characters are very detailed. It looks like the animators really did their homework to make this anime look like 19th century London. The characters themselves are diverse and with an abundance of charm. What surprised me about the show is that it is quite funny at times. Maybe not lol funny but it makes you smile and feel good inside. Everyone should take a look at Emma if you like drama, history, and romance.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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|
|
|
| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| To that other reviewer what are you smoking?
The backstory is from Jane Austen's novel of the same name, in fact if you seen Pride and Prejudice the movie you know not all her works are wonderfully adapted to feature length films or animation.
The animation is again fitting for a series such as this, similiarly Agatha Christie's Hercules Poirot anime has much the same treatment, you really can't use Gonzo, Madhouse, Bones or big extravagant animation studio for a anime where it's strength lies in story telling.
Much like Alexander Duma's Count of Monte Cristo turned anime it really is driven by character's, the class depiction, customs and mannerisms.
Emma like Poirot and the Count keeps true to it's literally counterpart and adds maybe another dimension or two. In telling of this Victorian age where women were treated very badly, where classes were so divided and no greater symbol of that was evident that this period.
For the anime to work you would have to feel like you somehow time travelled back to that era and feel how social structure dictated who they marry, who they associated with, who they were...
This anime is truly amazing and along with SOC (Secret of the Cerulean Sands), Great Detectives Poirot and Marple it ranks up there are animes that have merit and substance.
Maybe that's what you should look for in an anime.
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