Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end. ~Author Unknown
Genre: Romance/ Fantasy/ Drama/ Action
Review Status: Full (24 Episodes/ 24 Episodes)
Licensed: Licensed in the US
Art/Animation: Fantastic! The character designs may take some time to get used to (they’re a tad on the long and lanky side), but the detail in the clothes, the backgrounds, the swordfights…. Yeah. Totally worth it.
Summary: “In the floating continent of Neo Verona, the Montague family seized control and murdered every member of the Capulet family with the exception of Capulet's daughter, Juliet Fiammata Asto Capulet. 14 years later, Juliet and the remnants of Capulet's retainers live hidden from the iron fist of the Montague family. Juliet has long forgotten the murder of her family or her identity, and cross dresses as Odin and the town's hero of justice, "Red Whirlwind". A sudden escape in her daily escapades leads her to meet Romeo Candorebanto Montague, the kind son of the tyrannical Montague. Destiny has been set as these two individuals soon to be "star-crossed lovers" are cruelly toyed with by fate in the midst of war. Loosely based on the play by William Shakespeare.” (MAL.net)
Review: When they say it’s loosely based on the traditional Romeo and Juliet, it’s pretty loosely based. From the Capulets becoming overthrown nobility, to being on a floating island, to various other things in the anime, this is not the Romeo and Juliet that you’re familiar with. Even so, this stands on its own merits. It’s truly a Romeo and Juliet love story- love at first sight, defiance of their families, and, well, the end…
The characters are wonderfully reimagined, with Juliet becoming not just someone who wants to avoid a marriage to someone she doesn’t love, but someone who must hide everything about her identitfy for fear of her life but willing to risk capture to ensure that justice is carried out against the corrupt officials. Romeo is now a prince who wants nothing more than the happiness of his people, and is watching his father descend into greed and politics, becoming nothing more than a tyrant, and even so is willing to defy his father for the woman he loves. Everyone else are characters, to say the least.
The anime itself has many things going for it, from beautiful animation, to lovely music. It has a number of shout-outs to the Bard himself, which gets a laugh from those familiar with his works, but even so some of them will be pretty obvious, and may bring a smile to the viewer’s face. There are themes of love, friendship, sacrifice, and standing up for those who can’t protect themselves, presented in a way that isn’t too obvious. This may not be the traditional story of Romeo and Juliet, but it’s a wonderful watch for those who are looking for some action and romance.
Overall, if you love a good love story, pick this one! It’s not one to regret!
Recommended: 13 and over. There’s sacrifice and death, sometimes fairly graphic and bloody, and one or two brief glimpses of dead bodies. One man throw himself onto a fire.
Other titles you might like:
5 Centimeters Per Second (anime),
Ef - A Tale of Memories and Ef- A Tale of Melodies (anime),
Air (movie and anime),
Kanon (anime),
Clannad and Clannad Afterstory (anime),
Wolf’s Rain (anime)
Spice and Wolf (anime)
Millenium Actress (anime)
Emma: A Victorian Romance (manga and anime)
The Place Promised In Our Early Days (anime)
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