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]
