Emma: A Victorian Romance

Story: VRE's story is very simple and easy to follow, two people from vastly different social classes fall in love with one another and throughout the series we get to see their trials and tribulations while dealing with it. Forbidden love is nothing new, but that doesn't mean this series is bland in any respect, there are plenty of dealings to keep the story lively. The nice thing, too, is that there is a lot of historical accuracy in the details, it keeps true to the time and doesn't pull any weirdo stuff for gimmick appeal. The story neither drags nor goes by too fast,it's paced perfectly. Art: The character designs are cute and some of the scenery is nice, but this is definitely one of the drawbacks. The animation wasn't done that great, it's kind of grainy and basic. It's not something I would expect for when it was made, but we can't always get what we want. Honestly, you won't pay too much attention to the art anyways, you'll be engrossed in the story and characters. Sound: The music is just quaint. It goes really well with the story and pretty much always fits the scenes. The opening and ending themes are especially cheerful and fun. It would have gotten a 10 from me, but it wasn't amazing music, it just fit really well. Characters: The characters are one of the strongest points of the series. They've all got their different motivations and cover a wide variety of types so it's always fun. The two main characters, Emma and William, are very laid back characters, they're not hyper or weird at all... which is very nice. They are extremely interesting people with a multitude of layers behind them. There are a few characters that feel a little out of place for their time, but they are smaller roles so it won't affect much or be that noticeable/detracting for the story. Enjoyment: Simply put, it's a really fun series. It's great watching the characters change throughout the story while dealing with their feelings and society. Everything is just done right, it's not over the top or lacking at all. I'm not one for romances usually, but this one could hook anybody I believe. ... first review, be gentle. When I write more I'll try to write better.

I don't watch romance animes too much. Usually only when I get tired of animes with too much testosterone (shounen animes). But I can safely say of the few romance animes I've watched so far, Victorian Romance Emma is my favorite of them all. Story: 9 The story is really simple it reminded me of Cinderella with just some alterations. Rich young man meets beautiful maid, falls in love with her and goes after her. Due to the difference in their statuses, various problems arise. One thing I liked about the story is that it didn't feel like your typical japanese anime. I felt thatit had a more western feel to it which was refreshing. The situations in the story are not far-fetched and are believable that it can happen. Art: 9 Since I'm fascinated with culture, this anime impressed me because its depictions of London during its time were accurate. For its kind of anime, the creator did a good job of depicting Victorian London. Sound: 9 The music suits the anime well. Nothing too fancy about it. Just like the laid back atmosphere of the anime, the music is also laid back and supports the scenes well. Character: 9 The characters are the foundation of a great story. The 2 main characters are what made this story great because its a romance story. The reason that I said earlier in my review that this had a western feel to it is that in this anime, the man courts and asks the woman out. So far, in most of the romance animes I've watched, the girl confesses to the guy she likes (which I think is very wrong). In my opinion, a guy should be the first to make the move to a girl he's interested in. The male main character did this and this is why I admire him. Enjoyment: 10 I really enjoyed this anime. It's unlike any other animes I've seen so far. Even with its simple premise, it was still interesting for me. Another factor that made me enjoy this anime was the accurate and detailed depiction of Victorian London. It gave me an idea of what life was like during the Victorian era. One of my favorite scenes in the anime was when they went to the beach (I forgot if it happened in this season or in the sequel). It was a learning experience to see what nobles usually do during their era when they went to the beach. Overall: 10 I gave it a 10 because this anime was worth watching and was memorable. I highly recommend it for a change of pace of what you normally watch. I'm too lazy to write another review for its sequel so here's a short review. The sequel was also very good and a little better than its predecessor because new characters were introduced. Since its a sequel, you must watch it to conclude the story. I felt very satisfied after watching this anime.

*Review is for both seasons of 'Emma'* Stop me if you've heard this one before: a boy and a girl from different social classes fall in love, but find the path to happiness will not be easy. OK, not the most original premise, but combine Mori-sensei's lovely artwork, a good sense of atmosphere, a thorough lack of pretentiousness, and general lack of melodrama and we just might have an anime thats worth a watch. 'Emma' is licensed by Nozomi Entertainment and can be watched for free on their YouTube channel. Nozomi also produced a 2-part US DVD release. -Story- It's 1890's Victorian Britain. Class divisions are so rigid thatthe various levels of the social order are practically different worlds. So when the son of a prosperous merchant falls in love with a maid the road is bound to be rocky. The story is full well-known tropes, it's hardly a genre-buster. But these tropes are played so earnestly straight that it's hard to hate them, even if the next event isn't exactly unpredictable. It's simple, it's sweet, and it doesn't pretend to be anything more than that. ( The series even lampshades its well-worn formula during one scene in a bookshop when a couple of background characters talk about a book telling the story of a maid and a noble who fall in love- as if to subtly acknowledge how long the basic plot has been around ). Most importantly, the central conflict of the series is very believable, rooted in the main characters' personalities and the world they inhabit- that's not always a given in this genre. -Art- Karou Mori excels at drawing two things: 1) Beautiful women 2) Historically accurate and highly detailed costumes. You'll see plenty of both here. Emma's design is particularly pleasing (although I must confess a preference for meganekkos, so my bias is likely at work). The aesthetic is pleasant to look at, using lots of lighter pastel colors to create a relaxing atmosphere. The animation quality is good, but nothing particularly special. This isn't an action series, so it doesn't have to be. -Sound- Little to say here. The soundtrack is relaxing, never overbearing, using lots of flutes. It goes for a period-appropriate sound and sets the mood, but none of the tracks made me want to look it up on YouTube. The show is English sub only, and the Japanese voice actors do their jobs fine without standing out. Emma's voice was above average, as her actress managed to convey her shy, quiet personality. Sound does its job with no significant problems. -Characters- Again, the show sticks pretty close to formula here. Shy female lead, shy male lead, male lead has an outgoing best friend, etc. What most impressed me were the antagonist characters, nearly all of them behaved in a believable way and had reasonable motivations to inhibit the romance given what they knew (and they knew as much as they could reasonably be expected to know- no convenient ignorance just for the sake of drama). There is one antagonist who isn't exactly subtle, but he shows up fairly rarely and never goes to full-scale 'Rose of Versailles' melodrama, so it's bearable. -Enjoyment- An anime to watch if you want something sweet that isn't saccharine, while also being pleasant and relaxing. Each episode is fairly light without feeling empty and pointless, meaning you're probably going to want to watch several episodes in a row. What else can I say? It's enjoyable. -Overall- This anime knew it was a straight-forward old-fashioned romance and didn't pretend to be anything else. It came, it did what it meant to do, did it well, and it left before the audience got tired. There's no shame in that, especially in a genre with no shortage of shows that sink into melodrama and pretentiousness in a failed attempt to do too much.

I love this show, it really does it in for a complete romantic like me. I can agree with some that say that the show is VERY slow, but that was sort of the point in my opinion. Love is rarely a fast affair, it takes time to blossom. I agree that with the ending it left a little to be desired, but for a two season series it couldn't have ended better. One thing I loved about the show was it captured Industrial Revolution Era London so well. The landscapes were great, the culture and population were diverse. It really put you in the timeperiod. The music was pretty solid in my opinion, I liked the opening. The animation looks a little dated for over 10 years old, but I was not bothered by this. All in all, a great romance anime and a true hidden gem. Recommended to all romance lovers.