“Never judge a book by its cover,” indeed.
I’m only human, though, so forgive me for my sins. The new anime season has gotten off to a smashing start, and I feel like writing about it…
“For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”
That’s what I expected, at least. I did my best to ignore Romeo x Juliet, but my weakness for pretty pictures got in the way (as usual). I won’t pretend to be hot for Shakespeare. My interest in classical literature has always been low, and I’m in no rush to experience yet another adaptation of one of his most popular works. I’ve read Romeo and Juliet. I’ve seen Romeo and Juliet. I’ve performed Romeo and Juliet. It’s a charming little tragedy, yes, but… it’s been done.
However, it turns out that Romeo x Juliet has little to do with its namesake. Juliet doing Zorro cosplay? Willy? Verona in the sky? Flying horses? The Shakespeare purists are crying, no doubt. I’m just a simpleton, though (although, this simpleton seems to remember something about Shakespeare’s works being notable for their versatility), so I have no reason to complain. If Juliet turns out to be a maid robot from the future, and GONZO can find a way to make it work, that’s great. After all, if it’s good, it’s good.
And, after watching the first episode, I think Romeo x Juliet might very well be something good. Junichi Sato has always been one of my favorite directors, and, even in the less conspicuous role of sound director, I can clearly detect his influence on the show. A touch of Kaleido Star here, a dash of Princess Tutu there… he’s an expert at balancing tension with humor. Director Oisaki Fumitoshi and scriptwriter Yoshida Reiko were also staff on Kaleido Star, so it’s a good crew.
And, of course, there are the pretty pictures. GONZO really knows how to do a first episode right (subsequent episodes are sometimes a different matter, unfortunately). The storyboarding is almost theatrical in appearance, the action sequences are fluid, and the backgrounds are exquisitely detailed. Even the musical score is of a quality not often seen in an anime production. Not a TV series, at least.
Ultimately, that’s how I see Romeo x Juliet: I know it’s a TV series, but it sure as hell feels like a film. For all I know, it might be a chameleon (I’ve been fooled before), but who cares? For the time being, I’m impressed.
I wonder when they’ll introduce the mecha, though… I didn’t see any in the OP (which is full of BURNING, I might add). Must have slipped their minds.
Ah, Set this aside to watch this weekend and am looking forward to it. The girl looks nice too ^^;
I have been practically burnt by every single GONZO series that I have watched since Last Exile. It is like they have this bad habit of blowing the budget on the first episode, and then have nothing left for the later episodes.
So yes, I actually expect the first episode of any GONZO series to be mindblowingly good, but what gives me pause is the thought of what is going to happen in the later episodes? It gives me trepidation about following this series.
At best, I will marathon it if it turns out to be good throughout after all, but for now, not at this point.
Cheers.
There are tonnes of great shows this season. Kinda makes up for the crap we’ve put up with over the past two seasons eh?
Spring season always seems to be loaded with great shows… I guess it’s when the studios pull out their big guns. It was like this last April, too, if I remember correctly.
Oh, and BURNING!!!
…chances are it’s no Gurren Lagann (or Hayate no Gotoko for that matter)
I’ll wait for subz :V
Only if Juliet also had big guns…
Erf. Need Hamlet x Anime. I guess I’m too purist, but I always thought while R&J is a story waiting to be told in its full set of glorious variation (of RomeoxJuliet may be a part of, dunno) it is one of Shakespeare’s lesser works.
And BURNING ftw. In fact, do me a favor and set RxJ OP to BURNING animation? :)
Woah. I didn’t even realize this was a Junichi Sato anime. I’ve watched the beginning up to the OP so far and thought it was fantastic. This is probably one of my most anticipated shows now.
I was probably going to check this show out, but I’ll have to now, especially after I watched the opening. I can’t legitimately turn down the chance to spend 90 seconds with a Josh Groban song once a week.
Yeah I’m waiting for the mecha too. So far I really love Juliet’s portrayal by the Gonzo team, she’s kinda…. cute :3.
I have to say I liked the music in this anime series very much, except for the ED song.
How truthfully you’ve expressed my opinions about the original Romeo and Juliet.
I probably should follow your footsteps and give the series a try. Thanks for reminding me not to judge a book by its cover :D
I don’t really like the real Rome and Juliet myself very much for various reasons.
However, this SPACE VERONA thing feels quite different, and I like it for that. Gonzo totally should start to do more adaptions of Shakespare works if they can move them to their own home turf as loltastically well and neatly as the two initial episodes of RxJ imply.
They really did the right thing when going for this ‘totally anime’ angle of approach with Romeo and Juliet.
…Also, where do I mail my application for the Juliet fanclub
It’s been a while since I saw a really good anime…
I’m sooooooo in love with this anime~~ the music the pictures the actions the plot…..everything seems soooo perfect……..
The anime looks pretty good, but it seems I downloaded a RAW >_>
So I watched it but only understood 90%…haha, that sounds weird.
Do you know who will sub the series?
Fly, horsey, fly! WTF? NEO VERONA? Magic? Juliet with a sword? (I’m no sexist, but I hardly remember juliet weilding a sword in Shakespeare’s play…).
This is BAD for culture. Shakespeare’s plays are studied a lot and with ths we have added a new mile stone around the neck of our already dying culture…
I guess globalization is due, after that and seiing Romeo X Juliet, nothing will surprise me anymore. Sheesh…
I’m not entirely sure if your post is just supposed to be total hyperbole, but…
Did you actually watch it, or are you just bashing it because it happened to take a new approach to the old and moldy cookie-cutter play that has only seen about half a million different ‘faithful’ incarnations?
Shakespeare was all about appealing to the masses, and It’s not like he didn’t have a habit of heavily borrowing the outlines to his plays from classic stories.
I suppose that was also ‘BAD for culture’ way back then, too, because no doubt they were also studied a lot, and were from a dying (dead) culture? :P
How do I see this show in English or subtitled?
Thanks,
Jennifer
I watched R&J!!! And I loved the OP so much that I;m going to finish the series just because of it~ I haven’t watched anime in a long time now, and Romeo X Juliet is the show that got me back on track again (^O^) I downloaded it because I was wondering what the anime adaptation of this classic would be like, and so far I’m impressed.
I wonder what the ending will be like though… Will GONZO stick to Shakespeare’s ending or make their own?? I hope Romeo and Juliet end up together…>
Well I seen the first three episodes of Romeo x Juliet and I Absolutely Loved it!!!! XD
THE MUSIC, THE PLOTLINE, THE CHARACTERS and of course THE TWIST with the magic and all is mind blowing….You forget is a Shakespeare play.
Gonzo definitely step it up this season….I worth your time…
Just remember that famous quote that says “Never judge a book by its cover” ^_~
Try it….You Will L.O.V.E IT!!!
I watched the first episode and it appears to be a beautiful anime. I’m compelled to watch more, but I’m afraid of the ending. I’m not really a fan of tragic endings as was the case with Chrono Crusade…ouch.. I was lamenting all that lost time spent watching that anime for…who am I kidding. I’m still sorry. It STILL makes me cry. So I’ll probably not touch it until I have a devoted anime-lover tell me “It wasn’t so bad. They died BUT…[fill in some epic flavor that makes their love last eternal or some-such-fluff]”
Until then.. I’ll be hiding from it. ^_^
I watched the first two episodes of this as well,and i must say, I highly recommend it!!(i haven’t seen too many good anime in a while–except blood+:)
Who says that directors can’t add new spins to old stories??
Take hamlet for example, the disney movie the lion king(one of my favorites) was actually loosely(verry loosely)based off(in my opinion) one of the best Shakepeare plays,hamlet, and look how that turned out!! classic movie!!Who knows,this could turn out really great,and thats alot for me because i never liked Romeo and juliet…way to throw the “dont judge a book by its cover” saying in meh face-
i do hope it doesn’t end tragic(but then again.some of the best endings are sad–or at least-bittersweet)Check it out if you havent!:)
I really do wonder if it will end up as the play did. Or will they do another massive twist? I hope so. ;-;
I like this anime!!!^^ (Im also an anime fan) and i must say Romeo X juliet is better than the normal romeo and juliet play! There are more twist and more!!!!!!!!But….. can anyone tell me when a new episode is come? For example:”A new episode every week!”
I wholeheartedly agree. I first saw the title on a webcomic forum, and I laughed, I truly did. A Romeo and Juliet anime = a naked attempt to shove shakespeare down the throats of otakus who gagged on the original play and wouldn’t be caught dead with it. And I was right. But I’m now captivated by the how they seem to be laughing in the face of Brit-Lit purists everywhere. Especially the characters being able to say ‘Neo Verona’ with a straight face. You start to love the plot twists and story until you realize… you know how it’s supposed to end. And then you cry.
I hope Romeo and Juliet have a different ending. Whenever I see the ending for Romeo and Juliet, I ball my eyes out. DAMNIT SHAKESPEAR!! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE ENDING SO TRAGIC??!! WHY??!!T____T i’m sorry, but when I see a couple I always hope that they’re going to be together forever and all that true love and stuff. And then it never works out. And when I saw Romeo and Juliet, the world’s two greatest lovers, just die in a horrible, tragic way I just give up; it seems hopeless for loveless people like me. Am I making sense?
For starters, I’ve seen the first six episodes of the series. :3 And absolutely love it!
Heh, same like with everyone else, I got hooked from the first episode, and I haven’t watched a new anime for a while. I looked at a couple of the intros/trailers on YouTube and figured I’d risk it having a sad ending to watch it all the way through.
After Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien, I don’t really like super sad animes anymore, but this one MIGHT be different - heck, they have flying horses and Juliet is a vigilante, maybe they wont die in the end =D And the music…the images…*SIGH* Definitely a different anime from the other one I’m taking a chance on (Death Note) - which has me addicted as well. Creeeepy.
Oh, and I downloaded the RAWs for episode 7 - ending is SOOOOO GREAT! You all get the song too, very romantic.
After watching the show, I’ve come huddled in the corner to cry. Shakespeare, must you write something so tragic?
if it is true to the famous play by william shakespeare, then there might be a sex scene…lol
This is a really great anime. I really feel for Hermione though.
I actually liked the OP and the first two episodes of Romeo x Juliet. I thought it would be like any other Romeo and Juliet movie and such, but it really isn’t. I mean, flying horses, an aerial city, Juliet the only sole survivor of the Capulet linage, you don’t see that everyday. I mean, this movie really changed the phrase a bit for “Dont judge a book by its cover” to “Dont judge a series by it’s title. It’s a twist of what we are not used to.
But yes, I went to the Anime Expo recently on June 29- July 2, and they were giving a showing of the first two episodes with subtitles on the 1st. I really didn’t want to go, but then my friend and I did since we had nothing better to do until later, and we were surprised at how great it was. I really can’t wait until it really airs in the States, and about how it ends, they’re still working on it, well that’s what the director of the series, Junichi Sato said, they’re not sure how they want to end it, and its only 24 episodes long, so the ending to Romeo x Juliet is a total mystery right now, since only 13 or 14 of the 24 episodes have aired in Japan.
how many epsoide is there?
hmm.. this is a really good one..
i really need to see the end!
ahhh!!! the perils of love!