Eikoku Koi Monogatari Emma

Title: Victorian Romance Emma

Manga/Novels: Victorian Romance Emma began as a manga by self-professed Anglophile Kaori Mori, and ran in Monthly Comic Beam from August 30th, 2002 to April 12th, 2006. The manga won an Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2005. CMX has licensed the manga Stateside, and the fourth of eight volumes was released June 20th of this year. The manga has ended its run in Japan, but Kaoru Mori continues to publish side stories (known as Emma Bangaihen), and is set at eleven side stories, the ninth of which was released recently. The manga is known ... to have something of a cult following and apparently has an Emma-inspired/themed café in Shibuya to it's name.

Saori Kumi has also done novel adaptations of the manga, and two volumes were released in 2005.

The anime was done by Studio Perrot (famous for Bleach, Midori no Hibi and Blood+) and directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi (who also directed The Twelve Kingdoms), and ran on TV from April 2nd, 2005 to June 18th, 2005. The Right Stuf International announced its Stateside licensing of Emma and it's second season (Victorian Romance Emma: The Second Act, which is not covered in this review) on June 30th, and plans to release it solely with subs and in a box set; a release date has not been announced at this time.

Story: The story kicks off with William Jones, a member of the gentry, visiting his old governess unexpectedly. Because he stands almost right in front of the door, he gets knocked off his feet (literally and figuratively) by the governess' maid, Emma, when she opens the door. And I'm betting that you can probably guess what happens based on the series' title, albeit with some added angles.

But one of the many things that makes this series stand out is the slow pacing of the romance. For some, it's going to be agonizingly slow (it takes William half the series to offer to take her out somewhere, and just over that for him to actually do so and kiss her while he's at it, which, at that point, is considered leaps and bounds), but for me, it's just right, especially with the sweetness and fluffiness of it all. I guarantee that you will be grinning like an idiot as you watch it develop.

With regards to faithfulness to its manga source: I've only got the first volume of the series to my name at this point in time, but from what I saw, the series was extremely faithful to the source, down to the angles of certain scenes.

Another thing that makes me absolutely adore this series is the way that the series invests you in every single one of the characters. It's a rare series that actually makes you feel - really, honestly care -- for characters that are clearly supposed to be "in the way". One of the best examples of this is Elanor, a girl of the gentry who is clearly meant to be "the other woman", and one of the the odd ones out in the triangle... square... thingy. But you honestly feel sorry for her, because she's just as much in love with William as he and Emma are with each other, and it's her first love, and it just absolutely sucks that it's unrequited on her end, and that she's clearly wasting her time with William. And the way that it does Emma's past would have seemed Sue-ish and annoying in any other show, but doesn't here.

But the thing that makes this series absolutely shine is the historical accuracy. Apparently, Kaoru Mori hired a historical consultant (Rico Murakami) from the third volume of the manga on to ensure accuracy; Murakami was also hired for the anime, and it shows. The subs I watched also included little historical notes at the end of each episode to explain unfamiliar/obscure things to the average viewer. Murakami and Mori released a companion guide (Emma Victorian Guide) that does the same thing.

And this historical accuracy holds, even in the resolution of the show. Shoujo diehards are probably going to absolutely hate the ending (don't worry; there's the second season if you dislike the ending that much), because it doesn't hold to shoujo standards. But you know what? After how historically accurate the series was, it wouldn't have seemed right for things to turn out any other way.

Art: This is one of the places where faithfulness to the manga holds. Pierrot's animation, which is beautiful in and of itself, is barely different at all from the art style that Kaoru Mori used in the manga. As such, it's just like watching the manga come to life in front of your eyes. Even details down to the angle of certain scenes from the manga hold, which makes seeing your favorite scenes from the manga that much more awesome.

Music: Emma has a unique OP and ED, in that none of them have any vocals to them; it's all just instrumentals. But the thing is that they're still very memorable, even without lyrics. I prefer the OP (which is so calming that I've been using to get to sleep lately) over the ED (which sounds fairly circus-y).

The music for the series itself consists of a lot of variations on the OP and ED, but has its share of original music, too. And every bit of it is beautiful, especially in the way that it uses strings and piano. And I'd be willing to bet that every bit of it could easily fit in the Victorian Period.

Seiyuu: There aren't any particular standout roles in this series, but on the other hand, there aren't any that suck terribly. Just a fairly standard set of voices. No problems on my end.

Dub: N/A

Length: Twelve episodes seems like a perfect length for this series. There's not any push to rush the series along, and it doesn't plod along, even though the story goes at a slower pace than most series. It's at just the right pace.

For those who didn't like the ending, or want more Emma, there is the second season that I've mentioned throughout this review (Victorian Romance Emma: The Second Act). However, know going into it that subs only go up to the ninth episode, because of its licensing.

Overall: This is far from your standard shoujo series. The historical accuracy, which adds in a defiance of typical shoujo standards, and the way it invests you in every one of its characters make it shine. The slower pacing of the episodes and the romance feels just right, and the faithfulness to the manga source in story and art style are a real treat. The music and seiyuu add the icing on the cake.

This is one of my top five recommended series. See it. NOW.

Story: 10/10
Art: 10/10
Music: 9/10
Seiyuu: 8/10
Length: 10/10

Overall: 47/50; 94% (A)


(l to r) Hakim, Emma, William, Elanor

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.

I don't watch romance animes too much. Usually only when I get tired of animes with too much testosterone (shounen animes). But I can safely say of the few romance animes I've watched so far, Victorian Romance Emma is my favorite of them all.

Story: 9
The story is really simple it reminded me of Cinderella with just some alterations. Rich young man meets beautiful maid, falls in love with her and goes after her. Due to the difference in their statuses, various problems arise. One thing I liked about the story is that it didn't feel like your typical japanese anime. I felt that ... it had a more western feel to it which was refreshing. The situations in the story are not far-fetched and are believable that it can happen.

Art: 9
Since I'm fascinated with culture, this anime impressed me because its depictions of London during its time were accurate. For its kind of anime, the creator did a good job of depicting Victorian London.

Sound: 9
The music suits the anime well. Nothing too fancy about it. Just like the laid back atmosphere of the anime, the music is also laid back and supports the scenes well.

Character: 9
The characters are the foundation of a great story. The 2 main characters are what made this story great because its a romance story. The reason that I said earlier in my review that this had a western feel to it is that in this anime, the man courts and asks the woman out. So far, in most of the romance animes I've watched, the girl confesses to the guy she likes (which I think is very wrong). In my opinion, a guy should be the first to make the move to a girl he's interested in. The male main character did this and this is why I admire him.

Enjoyment: 10
I really enjoyed this anime. It's unlike any other animes I've seen so far. Even with its simple premise, it was still interesting for me. Another factor that made me enjoy this anime was the accurate and detailed depiction of Victorian London. It gave me an idea of what life was like during the Victorian era. One of my favorite scenes in the anime was when they went to the beach (I forgot if it happened in this season or in the sequel). It was a learning experience to see what nobles usually do during their era when they went to the beach.

Overall: 10
I gave it a 10 because this anime was worth watching and was memorable. I highly recommend it for a change of pace of what you normally watch.

I'm too lazy to write another review for its sequel so here's a short review. The sequel was also very good and a little better than its predecessor because new characters were introduced. Since its a sequel, you must watch it to conclude the story. I felt very satisfied after watching this anime.

*Review is for both seasons of 'Emma'*

Stop me if you've heard this one before: a boy and a girl from different social classes fall in love, but find the path to happiness will not be easy. OK, not the most original premise, but combine Mori-sensei's lovely artwork, a good sense of atmosphere, a thorough lack of pretentiousness, and general lack of melodrama and we just might have an anime thats worth a watch.

'Emma' is licensed by Nozomi Entertainment and can be watched for free on their YouTube channel. Nozomi also produced a 2-part US DVD release.

-Story-

It's 1890's Victorian Britain. Class divisions are so rigid that ... the various levels of the social order are practically different worlds. So when the son of a prosperous merchant falls in love with a maid the road is bound to be rocky. The story is full well-known tropes, it's hardly a genre-buster. But these tropes are played so earnestly straight that it's hard to hate them, even if the next event isn't exactly unpredictable. It's simple, it's sweet, and it doesn't pretend to be anything more than that. ( The series even lampshades its well-worn formula during one scene in a bookshop when a couple of background characters talk about a book telling the story of a maid and a noble who fall in love- as if to subtly acknowledge how long the basic plot has been around ). Most importantly, the central conflict of the series is very believable, rooted in the main characters' personalities and the world they inhabit- that's not always a given in this genre.

-Art-

Karou Mori excels at drawing two things: 1) Beautiful women 2) Historically accurate and highly detailed costumes. You'll see plenty of both here. Emma's design is particularly pleasing (although I must confess a preference for meganekkos, so my bias is likely at work). The aesthetic is pleasant to look at, using lots of lighter pastel colors to create a relaxing atmosphere. The animation quality is good, but nothing particularly special. This isn't an action series, so it doesn't have to be.

-Sound-

Little to say here. The soundtrack is relaxing, never overbearing, using lots of flutes. It goes for a period-appropriate sound and sets the mood, but none of the tracks made me want to look it up on YouTube. The show is English sub only, and the Japanese voice actors do their jobs fine without standing out. Emma's voice was above average, as her actress managed to convey her shy, quiet personality. Sound does its job with no significant problems.

-Characters-

Again, the show sticks pretty close to formula here. Shy female lead, shy male lead, male lead has an outgoing best friend, etc. What most impressed me were the antagonist characters, nearly all of them behaved in a believable way and had reasonable motivations to inhibit the romance given what they knew (and they knew as much as they could reasonably be expected to know- no convenient ignorance just for the sake of drama). There is one antagonist who isn't exactly subtle, but he shows up fairly rarely and never goes to full-scale 'Rose of Versailles' melodrama, so it's bearable.

-Enjoyment-

An anime to watch if you want something sweet that isn't saccharine, while also being pleasant and relaxing. Each episode is fairly light without feeling empty and pointless, meaning you're probably going to want to watch several episodes in a row. What else can I say? It's enjoyable.

-Overall-

This anime knew it was a straight-forward old-fashioned romance and didn't pretend to be anything else. It came, it did what it meant to do, did it well, and it left before the audience got tired. There's no shame in that, especially in a genre with no shortage of shows that sink into melodrama and pretentiousness in a failed attempt to do too much.

I love this show, it really does it in for a complete romantic like me. I can agree with some that say that the show is VERY slow, but that was sort of the point in my opinion. Love is rarely a fast affair, it takes time to blossom. I agree that with the ending it left a little to be desired, but for a two season series it couldn't have ended better.

One thing I loved about the show was it captured Industrial Revolution Era London so well. The landscapes were great, the culture and population were diverse. It really put you in the time ... period.

The music was pretty solid in my opinion, I liked the opening. The animation looks a little dated for over 10 years old, but I was not bothered by this.

All in all, a great romance anime and a true hidden gem. Recommended to all romance lovers.

Emma - A Victorian Romance is not your typical anime about maids. There's no ecchi, no randomness, no sweat drops, and no high school shenanigans. It is a serious romance-drama, which is a welcome change from the usual anime subject matter. It is set in a realistic interpretation of Victorian Britain, with many historical allusions that only add to the depth of the world. Overall it feels like a bit of a mash-up of Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella and Pride and Prejudice: typical forbidden love plot between members of opposite social classes. Yet, while the story might be often told, the characters are lovable enough ... to make the story seem fresh and enjoyable!

For anyone who loves a period-romance (or costume-drama) I'd highly recommend Emma - A Victorian Romance!

Emma: A Victorian Romance. The title of the anime speaks for itself. This anime is in fact an anime about romance blossoming in the Victorian age. Or the reign of Queen Victoria to be more specific.

As said already, this anime's title is literally the summary of everything this anime has to offer. If you do not understand then allow me to explain :

In the reign of Queen Victoria. Rich people are only allowed to marry with rich people. And poor people are only allowed to marry with poor people. All British people unite under one country, England. However, England is separated into two ... sub-countries. The rich and the poor.

^ So following that. The story is about a rich man falling in love with a maid. Will their love ever bloom so much that it'll overcome the cruel laws & obstructions of the world? Find out by watching, lmao.

I...I don't really have a comment for this anime.. Other than the fact that watching this show feels like I'm watching an animated reality romance from the 80s.

Because it feels like reality. Sometimes it just feels bland and doesn't really give you the "Ooh!" reaction. Be that as it may, I never got tired from watching this anime. It was uniquely tranquil in its own way like Kino no Tabi. But better of course. If it wasn't then I would've not given this anime 10/10!

For those seeking for a romance drama anime that doesn't really have any climax but is still outstanding. This is the anime, my lads.

i was kinda hesistant about watching it cause in my mind i was like this is gonna break my heart, but the more i watched it the less i cared about that and more for them. its a classic love story (like romeo and juliet) you sometimes wonder about some of the characters cause you dont find out too much about them , the story dreally focuses on their difficult romance but i still found it very heart wrenching.

Romance, yes it is. Emma, clearly says, what is love? How to confess and show affection? I'm wandering, where to start and how to describe! Before moving to the core, I want to convey this, "Emma - Victorian Romance is not for those who love action or comedy. The story moves like a gentle breeze but it have enough stuff to bring to the edge of your seat while watching". Let me describe one by one.

First, the character designs are exceptionally well. Particularly, Emma, Eleanor, Vivi, William and Hakim and their expressions. Apart from that, the designers perfectly re-created the Victorian era.

Second, the narration and ... dialogue are simply awesome. The dialogues like "He didn't ask simple yes-no questions like others, but just seems to enjoy talking" and "I'll be waiting. Even if it isn't today nor tomorrow, I don't mind that". The story tells about the man-made classification between people based on their possessions and what'll happen, if someone dares to cross. The story starts with the visit of William Jones to his Governess Mrs.Stowner residence where he met Emma, maid to his governess and gets attracted to her then the rest are follows. Finally, an incident occurred which separated Emma and William.

Finally, the most important thing, background score does well its part. Especially, the tracks, Emma, Menuet for Emma and the piano versions of Emma, Menuet for Emma, Silhouette of a Breeze are irresistible. Emma is one such anime that I recommend everyone must watch at-least once and feel the happiness and pain in love.

Sigh, Now, that's how you make a romance anime, I'm sick and tired of the crappy cliché high school romance stories, this one is gold, It was painful to see them part ways, I literally loved the show, I don't know what took me so much to start watching this, It was on my 'To watch list' for ages now that it collected dirt,

-Story 9/10
As simple as it sounds, a love story between two people from totally different social classes in a world where states matter the most, the story stayed true to itself all the way long, the comedy was on point and not ... too forced, and that's where most of the romance anime fail.

-Art 8/10
The art style was weird at the beginning, but now I don't know if it was changed in these last episodes or I just got used to it,

-Characters 9/10
So many good characters, and of course annoying little brats (VIVI), there are lots of variety of different people, like Stevens, for example, although he's (what most people would say) a side character, I didn't view him as such, he stood out to be a great character, one of my favourites, lots of character development happened to all our main and support characters, the back stories were as tragic as they come,

-Music 10/10
Wow, just wow, never would have thought I'd ever enjoy Music from the Victorian era, appropriate music for it fitting scenes, the emotions were so true and relatable

Overall, It's a golden solid 9/10, I'm curious what the second season has in store, I hope It stands out for an eligible sequel,

First things first. My "reviews" system is explained on a blog entry. Which can be found through my profile.
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✦Story
What can I say. Victorian era London lovestory of clash between social classes. Workers and aristocrats. It was a sweet but tragic story, mainly as usual, because of a stupid cultural growth where Aristocrats think of themselves so much that worker class are disgrace. And thus the whole drama of this series. An aristocrat and maid fall in love with each other, but because of how world is built and how different classes relationships are frowned upon, their love story becomes challenged.

This season felt somewhat of a ... introduction and growth for characters. We learned about various characters, world and as well a little bit of their love story. It was a very sweet and classy path, but sadly enough in the end, didn't lead or branch as much as I hoped for.

✦Art & Sound
Art and animation was good enough, but gotta say faces did look a bit odd. But on the other hand, I really did enjoy soundtrack in this Anime, it has presence, weight on emotions and simply well put. It was quite good, but nothing too amazing.

✦Character
Main guy, the Aristocrat who is quite kind, but whipped to traditions and slowly struggles with them and attempts to change things. He is a kind character, but his kindness is also a bit of a problem at times.
Main girl, the Maid who is as well kind, caring and generally quite a good woman. But on the other side, she is a bit too caring about everyone good will and should be a bit more selfish for her own happiness.

Aside that, we have bunch of caring, supporting and in general quite nice characters. Including Hakim, who is oddly enough like some sort of a old wise sage that gives small push towards his friend.

As well we have bunch of more stoic stereotypes, selfish aristocrats, greedy people and so on. So in a sense most of the characters very pretty enjoyable, fitting and almost all of them gave you sense of emotions and eventually as plot progressed, weight of emotions.

✦Enjoyment & Overall
I did like it, sweet, sad, romantic and hopefully story will end well. Biggest complaint would probably be a bit odd art and a little bit annoying setting. Not been ever fan of selfish Aristocrats, but they are useful as plot device. As well I felt that a bit more romance and less slice-of-life would been much more enjoyable thing to have. But in the end, it was very good Anime, that I binge watched in one go with only 1 break inbetween.

I really struggled whenever give it 7 or 8, but as usual, I have weak spot for romance and Anime. Thus I gave it higher praise.

Point being, story is pretty emotional, calm, sad and sweet. It's a enjoyable ride of slice-of-life romance. Whereas touch of Victorian era is a nice thing to have.

There is a lot of love stories that are set in XIX century. Some of them are good, other not that good.Japan also has a lot of stories that are set in this period of time. This is one of my favorite anime and manga and I want to share my opinion to you.


Talking about the character development we can meet the main cast in this first season. What they do for the living and the environment they are: family, social status, etc. All characterrs are important and they are for something, no filler.


This story develops in some point in XIX century, where customs, social ... labels and even religion are very strict. If you weren’t born with money, at an early age you have to work, and if you are a woman… well, you know. Emma was very lucky to escape to this fate. Thanks to her guardian, Kelly, Emma can work and dedicate her life being a maid. Also, Kelly teach Emma how to read and write.

The anime takes its time to develop the story and the characters in order to know each other and what they want. With the music and the good animation this anime is a piece of art. a hidden jewel you have to watch at least one time.


Based in the manga of Kaoru Mori, the manga was animated by studio Pierrot. And the work made is really perfect talking about the setting of time, costumes, political and religious context, etc. Talking about the political and religious it isn’t that obvious but its not coincidence that we are talking about England of 19th century that is named after the queen Victoria.


This anime is perfect if you like romance stories in this period of time. I won’t lie, the story is predictable about how the main couple will end. This first season ends in a really sad point, but a second season that promises us a continuation of the story of William and Emma will have a happy end.

This anime is a relaxing historical, slice of life romance. It's historical because you'll see how gentry society worked in the old England. The plot is easy to follow. It's about two people from vastly different social classes fall in love with one another, but this kind of romance is forbidden in a wealthy society. What I liked the most is the slow pace of the story. In a slow paced romance, you'll see the how the characters develop, and this series invests you in every single one of the characters. 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. Overall its a very enjoyable anime.

Emma, A Victorian Romance is a series with a very simple yet classical romantic premise of lovers from different social classes. With a setting and characters more akin to a Jane Austen novel than to a typical shoujo manga, the first season of the Emma anime is a charming adaptation of the beginning of Kaoru Mori's beautiful manga.

Being very faithful to the manga, the anime follows the same beginnings. We are introduced to Emma, a beautiful and polite maid to the retired governess Kelly Stownar. Her introduction is slightly expanded upon in the anime, setting the mood and atmosphere of Emma's surroundings and lifestyle with ... Mrs. Stownar. Her first fated meeting with the enthusiastic yet naive William Jones is extremely charming and romantic, their subsequent interactions are also far better represented in the anime with some additional scenes and dialogue. With awkward yet heartwarming interactions, William's infatuation with Emma is very endearing.

The side characters, namely William's father, siblings and prince Hakim, are also given additional scenes and dialogue. Their peculiar personalities and character, especially of the eccentric Hakim, make the characters and their interactions with William fun and interesting. Their divergent opinions about Emma and William's romance also communicate the themes of classicism and social disparity that the main couple will start to encounter.

Eleanor, a young woman of aristocratic lineage who's romantically interested in William, is also introduced during the first half of the series and a key character to the main conflict in the relationship. Given that William's family hopes he will establish a relationship with Eleanor to upgrade their societal status, his love for Emma is immediately frowned upon. Unlike in other series and dramas with similar premises, Eleanor is portrayed as a sheltered and fragile woman with pure feelings, making her character and unrequited feelings relatable.

While Emma's and William's relationship is very charming, Emma's introverted personality and mysterious past makes her character and personality feel underdeveloped at times. The relationship doesn't feel forced but if Emma's personality was less dull, it might have been easier to understand William's strong feelings for her.

Regarding the technical aspects of the anime, Kaoru Mori's artstyle is faithfully reproduced, her attention for detail and historical accuracy of the era's aspect (clothes, transportation, technology) are represented within the animation. While sometimes the characters may look off model, the details are polished enough to convey the feeling and atmosphere of the original work. The wonderful English dub, with a cast of British voice actors, is full with brilliant performances with accurate accents and dialogue corresponding to Victorian England, immersing the viewer completely into the setting and plot. The music is also extremely fitting, with beautiful instrumental tracks according to the mood and scene.

The first half of Emma, A Victorian Romance is definitely a great watch for fans of period dramas and classic romantic stories alike. While the story is nothing groundbreaking, the endearing characters and great atmosphere will definitely pull the viewer to the story. Definitely recommend watching the English dub version if possible!