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Emma
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Design - 9.0 |
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Story - 6.0 |
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Character - 9.0 |
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Value - 8.0 |
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Enjoyment - 9.0 |
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Average - 8.2 |
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petran79 |
(2006-12-02 05:00:45) 2006-06-07 03:18:55 |
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Design |
9 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| (all 7 volumes by Iichan and Request)
When a manga author puts so much care into his/her work and when he/she consults so many books and other references to make the work as good as possible the result shows itself. Such is the case with Victorian Romance Emma. Though it took a volume to really get used to the settings and the characters, once I did that the reading of the manga created a unique atmopshere.
First of all the design. This is one of the best designed mangas I read. Not only are the victorian settings acurately portrayed but the characters are realistic too.
The dresses are exceptionate, the buildings, the villas, London, the working classes and the bourgeoisie, the means of transport etc.
The characters looks and expressions are also impressive. Both adults and children come to life in a way that will make the reader read the manga till the end.
Usually when a manga or anime takes place in European settings the characters feature oriental traits, not so much in appearance as in behaviour. I wouldnt mind but in this case the mangaka put much effort into making the characters as Victorian as possible and you'll not read many mangas so close to European personalities. That makes the manga even better.
Another thing I liked was that the manga avoided being too melodramatic. All the touching moments were as realistic and simple as in real life situations. The pictures are portraying the characters feelings so well that one picture is enough to convey the feeling of a character for an entire volume.
Basically it feels like reading a novel. Not as good as a novel but thanks to the marvelous design it comes close at some points.
The story isnt anything special as it is too familiar for those who've read or watched similar novels or movies. Emma is an orphan who finds shelter as a maid in the house of a former governess and is educated by her. Then an acquaintance of the governess, a young noble named William, falls in love with Emma. But many factors prohibit this romance from going further. Especially after Emma's tutor dies, she abandons London and gets another job in the countryside in a villa owned by a rich German family who recently moved to England. In that household there are also many other maids and servants, some of them British, others German. William on the other hand is forced to engage to a lady, named Eleanor. But fate has other plans for them as the reader will find out while reading the manga.
Overall this is one of the best mangas I've read not in terms of action, violence and blood but in terms of characters and realism. Not the kind of realism of a psychological thriller but the realism of a victorian novel. If the famous Victorian novelists could draw comics I'm sure they'd approve of this design.
Also some history facts are in the appendix of every volume and it is fun to learn 1-2 things while reading the manga. Also a Victorian guide was published for the manga.
Recommended reading if you like Victorian novels and movies. And... a must read for those with a fetish for maids and maids costumes....
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