Romeo x Juliet eps 1 to 2 review

When I first heard the name of this series, I thought “Wow, an anime version of a Shakespeare play? This I gotta see!” But then after reading the synopsis and finding out that it wasn’t really a rendition of the play, rather, it just used the same general setting and characters, I still figured it sounded interesting enough to check out. And surprisingly, out of the three new spring ’07 series’ I’ve been watching so far, I think this one is my favorite ^^

First of all, the animation is absolutely gorgeous. You can tell it’s pretty high-budget and Gonzo (the animation studio) really took great pains to make the setting, character designs, and background images portray a realistic feeling of Neo Verona. There aren’t very many series’ in which every scene is a work of art, but I think this one may be one of them, or at least it comes close. The music is also beautiful, especially the song and the images used in the opening. The fast-paced, rock music of the ending song doesn’t really match the gentleness of the series though. Oh well…

As for the characters, so far they seem a little on the bland and archetype side, but I’m sure they’ll get better later on. At least our two main characters, Romeo and Juliet of course, are likable enough. They seem to be the only really important characters that we’re made to focus on, so if their relationship is given proper development as the series’ progresses, it won’t really matter too much if the other characters get pushed into the background. A few of the “anime-only” characters, like Cordelia and Antonio, may get more screentime and development as the series progresses. But for now, they also seem to be mostly undynamic, supporting characters. One other character that really sticks out is “Willy,” who’s obviously a comical, anime characterization of Shakespeare himself. I think it was a pretty clever idea to throw him in for parody and comic relief’s sake ^^

So far, what I like about the story/plot of the series is that it seems to only be focused on the relationship between Romeo and Juliet, and how they will (or will not) eventually end up together and possibly unite their feuding families. I don’t think the series is going to bombard us with a lot of complex fantasy elements and endless subplots, ’cause like other alternate fantasy world stories, it definitely has the potential to do so. But it seems to be character-driven above anything else.

I think another thing that’s driving me towards the series is that I’m curious as to exactly how many aspects of the Shakespeare play Gonzo will put in. Obviously they have no intention of making it a definable animated version of the story since there are just way too many differences in just these two episodes; lots of new characters, the dialogue is totally different, the Montagues are the ruling upper class while the Capulets are the persecuted lower class, Juliet lives in hiding disguised as a man named Odin and masquerades as a caped hero of justice for the Capulets, there’s fantasy elements like the flying horse-dragon creatures – all of these things are completely different compared to the play. They did keep the part about the mask-wearing ball intact (though no balcony scene). Pretty much the only similarities between the anime and play is the ancient, whimsical feel of the setting and a few of the characters, though their personalities aren’t quite the same. LOL, I thought the part where Romeo and Juliet met in the field of irises was kind of funny. When they were talking, they acted like typical anime characters, blushing, stammering, and acting all flustered. Then I thought of the actual play, in which the two of them are the total opposite, never shutting up about how much they love each other and just plain want to get in bed together. The contrast is quite hilarious XD Anyway, I wonder if Gonzo will add more or less things from the play as the episodes progress. I also wonder if the anime, like the play, will end in the tragic deaths of our star-crossed lovers…

Well, that’s all I’ve got to say so far about Romeo x Juliet. If you’re looking for an anime version of the classic work of literature, you’re gonna be disappointed. But if you’re just looking for a beautifully designed fantasy/romance series, that also has some familiarity from the famous Shakespeare play, then you should check this series out!