Ranked #355

Victorian Romance Emma

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. read more

Emma - A Victorian Romance is a series about a member of the gentry, William Jones, who who falls in love with a maid, and the hardships they endure due to the differences between the classes. As William's family stops at nothing to dissuade him from the romance, it comes off a little bit like Romeo & Juliet with all the external tribulations preventing the couple from realizing their love. Of course both William and Emma both have a central character that provides them with encouragement when the going gets tough.

It's a classic romance that seems to stray from the cliches that abound in typical anime, mostly because of the style and the setting. The series takes place in 19th century Victorian London and seems to be quite accurate in it's portrayal. You also won't find any green or blue hair here, many of the colors of the people and the setting are subdued with shades of tan and brown.

Emma took a couple of episodes to draw me in, but I was hooked after that. I found the historical context of the setting to be pretty intriguing, and mostly I just wanted to find out what happens between William and Emma and if they can overcome their obstacles.

I did have a little bit of difficulty finding something to like about Emma, she was a little too reserved and bland to warrant the attention that William gave her. The most interesting character imho, Hakim, could probably stand to have a little more scene time to liven up the series a bit. Animation is good, but nothing to write home about. As there really isn't any action going on here, there isn't much need for dynamic pans and ultra-fluid movement. DVDs are in subs only, which is perfectly fine with me as I always watch subs anyway, but it could pose a problem for dub fans. Finally, as this affects my review score, [SPOILER ALERT] the ending leaves a bit to be desired, I suppose they were paving way for the second series, but I didn't find it too satisfying after investing the time to watch the series. [END SPOILER] read more