“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.