Jun 14, 2011
As an English Major in University, I would be the first to say that Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is far from the masterpiece many think it is.
The original play is rushed, unbelievable and ultimately the characters themselves are most at fault. Romeo and Juliet are nothing more than lovestruck teenagers, who cannot stop thinking about their libido long enough for the play not to end in tragedy. That being said, Romeo x Juliet is an inventive interpretation of one of the worlds most famously known plays.
Story:
The story of Romeo x Juliet, is thankfully, a pretty big departure from the original. Adding in a
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flair of fantasy while keeping the true essence of what Shakespeare was supposedly trying to achieve in telling a tragic love story. What falls flat ultimately though is the pacing of the story and parts of its presentation. The introduction of Escalus and Juliet's true destiny should have been introduced much sooner, as well as a lot of the development that worked to make the love between them more realistic broke the pace of what could have been a true masterpiece. 6/10
Art:
I quite liked the art of this adaption, the contrasting images of Montague Blue and Capulet Red was nice along with the bright colours and flowers that populated Neo Verona. 8/10
Sound:
When I first heard the intro song I was off put by how familiar it was. It wasn't long until I realized it was a cover of You Raise Me Up, and while at first I wasn't too fond of it, I'm not too fond with most versions of it to be fair, it grew on me and ultimately fit well with the story. 10/10
Characters:
The characters of Shakespeare's play are ultimately its downfall. Romeo and Juliet are basically moronic teenagers who get themselves killed, while it may be romantic, the pacing would show that it was nothing more than momentary lust and you lose a lot of the sense of tragedy or romance that would normally be perceived. Romeo x Juliet does a lot to alleviate this, however it still falls short. Romeo is honestly a bore and Juliet is the clichéd mold of a anime heroine, but both are huge steps in the right direction in comparison to Shakespeare's version. The twists that were added to such characters like Tybalt and Mercutio were wonderful delights and if only all were utilized in such a fashion this could have been so much more. 7/10
Enjoyment:
Like I stated before I am an English Major in University, so coming across Shakespeare's work is pretty much unavoidable. I've never been much of a fan, but do enjoy some of his plays, unfortunately Romeo and Juliet is not one of them. After having to recently right an essay on it, I remembered this adaptation and low and behold, honestly and truly loved it. 10/10
Overall:
Except for a few misteps, this is definitely an anime worth watching. If you know the original at all, it is almost a crime not to watch this just to see it in a different light. I give this anime 8/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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