Romeo no Aoi Sora

Romeo is a kindhearted and courageous boy living with his family in a small village in Switzerland. Unfortunately, Romeo becomes the interest of a man named Luini, known as "The God of Death," who is infamous for buying children and selling them as chimney sweeps in Milan. While visiting the village, Luini burns down Romeo's family cornfield in an attempt to have Romeo as his own. With the cornfield gone and his father sustaining a head injury trying to put out the fire, Romeo bravely sells himself to the God of Death in order to help his family afford a doctor.

On his way to Milan, Romeo meets a boy named Alfredo Martini and they quickly become friends. Just as Alfredo is sold to a different master, the two boys swear eternal friendship and vow to meet again. As a chimney sweep, Romeo faces many hardships and abuse, especially from his master's family and a gang known as the Wolf Pack. But after reuniting with Alfredo, the two form a fraternity of chimney sweeps called "The Black Brothers," who will learn to fight against the Wolf Pack and help each other in times of need.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Martini, Alfredo Main

Fujita, Toshiko Japanese

Romeo Main

Orikasa, Ai Japanese

Nikita Supporting

Ishizu, Aya Japanese

Giovanni Supporting

Hiyama, Nobuyuki Japanese

Montovani, Angeletta Supporting

Kawamura, Maria Japanese

Dante Supporting

Ishimura, Tomoko Japanese

Casella Supporting

Arimoto, Kinryuu Japanese

Rossi, Marchelo Supporting

Anzai, Masahiro Japanese

Martini, Bianca Supporting

Okamura, Akemi Japanese

Matteo Supporting

Nishimura, Tomomichi Japanese

Kusuba, Kouzou Director

Fujino, Sadayoshi Sound Director

Miyashita, Shinpei Episode Director, Storyboard

Nishida, Kenichi Episode Director

Reviews

Jul 27, 2011

Lynchan

Recommended

I never get tired of watching this anime series even for a hundredth times!!
For me., Romeo no Aoi Sora is one classic series.
Romeo's life was full of hardship and tragedy., that's why I was very keen on watching this. His life was just so heartwarming.

I adore and love all the characters here., and aside from Romeo., Alfred and Bianca are just among my all-time favorite anime characters.,
Gosh! Oh Alfred!! He never failed to make me cry a river of tears!!

This classic tale of love and friendship will always remind me of my childhood memories :DD

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Nov 20, 2007

Anomalous

Recommended

Romeo no Aoi Sora is one of the last World Masterpiece Theater anime that was made before their nearly ten-year hiatus. WMT fans already know what that means about the series, non-fans should be told that it already tells us three things: 1. It is based on a foreign book for a young audience, this one from Switzerland; 2. It may be considered old in modern otaku terms but has aged well; 3. It's awesome.

Like most of these types of anime, Romeo no Aoi Sora begins with a tragedy. In this case, Romeo, an 11-year-old boy, leaves his small village with the God of Death, ... a frightful man who buys children to sell as chimney sweeps in the city, in order to support his family. Soon, Romeo meets Alfredo, another chimney sweep who will become his best friend, as well as many other boys who share the same fate as him. As the series goes on, Romeo adjusts to his new life, including a family that is not quite kind and a dangerous job.

For the most part, the pacing of the series is perfect: things happen at a fairly slow rate, but it is always interesting and there is always just the right amount of conflict. Beginning at episode 24, however, the pacing becomes very rushed. Since the TV ratings of this show were quite low, the show was cut short from what was probably set to be about 50 episodes down to 33. The change is awkward and brings the overall quality of the plot down a few notches, but that does not keep the heart of the story from being both sweet and exciting. Sure, it is for kids, and it shows in the blunt narration, and some painfully straightforward episodes. . . but it made me wish that I grew up in Japan just so I could have watched such a wonderful show in my childhood.

If you have not been informed yet, there is one thing you should know about the show visually: the only English-language fansubs out there are VHS rips. This should not, however, hinder you from enjoying a visually stunning show! Even through generations of VHS copies, it is still apparent that it is very pretty, to say the least. The character designs in particular are very nice looking: truer to life than most anime yet very cute; fitting for a show for kids yet functional in the most serious of situations. The backgrounds, something I rarely notice, are equally impressive. They are very immersing and really show the viewer that the setting is a real place and not some made-up cartoon setting. Quite frankly, if you pass over this series just because it is from the 90s or because of the nature of VHS releases, you are missing out on something beautiful.

Sound is another thing I tend not to notice, but I noticed it in this series. And believe me, that is a good thing. The background music is beautifully fitting of the situations it is used in. Meanwhile, the opening theme song, "Sora E...", is gorgeous as a standalone song and even better when paired with the opening animation. Furthermore, the lyrics and the mood fit the series well. Finally, the closing theme song, "Si Si Ciao", is a peppy and happy tune, unusual of EDs and probably the least interesting piece of music in the show, but it is still solid.

The cast, like other elements of the series, is extremely likable. Romeo is one of the sweetest children ever to grace anime, and quickly won my heart. The rest of the cast is similarly sweet and likable, but to a realistic degree. Alfredo is selfless; Angeletta is kind... I could go on and on listing the good qualities of the characters, but I will leave it at this: the only flaw most characters have is that they take their good qualities too far (Romeo, for instance, is honest even when dishonesty would be more logical). While sometimes this is a bit much, it largely gives us a unique and endearing cast.

Romeo no Aoi Sora is frequently overlooked for shows that look better, sound more exciting, seem more mature, or are simply newer. The few fans that do decide the try out this series, however, will be rewarded with an amazing show. No matter how you look at it, the series is marvelous in every way. If you already like adaptations of books for a young audience, older series, or obscure series, Romeo no Aoi Sora is perfect for you. Even if you do not, however, it is still a miraculous series, one that is highly recommended for anyone who wants something with real heart.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jun 24, 2023

whiteflame55

Not Recommended

Funny

A production by World Masterpiece Theater, a company know producing stories that take place outside of Japan with a classical book/story vibe (often adaptations of said books), this was their last project and, much as I’ve been told they have other great works, this was pretty underwhelming and drastically overrated.

There's a good deal of charm to this anime, not just in its animation but in its almost storybook telling. The plucky protagonist bonding with friends along the way to some potentially dreadful adventure and managing to make the most of a difficult situation is always going to be a good time.

That being said, this series ... seems to be of two minds about how it wants to present itself. Part of that is the relation and departure from the source material. As long as the two are in parallel, the story is decently dark and has some strong plot progression. When they do depart, though, there's a dramatic shift towards something that looks a whole lot more fantastical than its setting should allow. I almost want to imagine much of that portion as the titular Romeo's retelling of the events to the kids in his classroom, sanitized for their benefit. But it's not just about the changes. Tonally, the story is all over the place, and in some cases, it just leaves whole plot threads dangling for no reason.

Long story short, it's a charming mess of a show. Even given no background on the source material or other adaptations, it's a frustrating watch. The early story and some elements of the later story are strong enough to give it a bit of a boost, but it joins a set of anime that just didn't work for me overall, despite having some strong moments.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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	Poll: Romeo no Aoi Sora Episode 23 Discussion Hias - Jul 15, 2012	14 replies	by Chinomi-san »» Nov 15, 8:16 PM
	Poll: Romeo no Aoi Sora Episode 21 Discussion stand - Sep 7, 2013	6 replies	by Chinomi-san »» Nov 2, 1:45 PM
	Poll: Romeo no Aoi Sora Episode 20 Discussion stand - Sep 7, 2013	6 replies	by Chinomi-san »» Oct 28, 8:31 PM
	Poll: Romeo no Aoi Sora Episode 19 Discussion stand - Sep 6, 2013	11 replies	by Chinomi-san »» Oct 18, 6:40 PM
	Poll: Romeo no Aoi Sora Episode 18 Discussion stand - Sep 6, 2013	11 replies	by Chinomi-san »» Sep 20, 5:46 PM