story: the romance between romeo and juliet proceeds very quickly, and the anime does well to portray the idea that beyond the chaos and deception that plagues their lives, they give their sanity away in pursuit of unrequited love -- bound for eternity. it is a very touching story given juliet's conflict between upholding her birthright and rejecting the one she desires most. romeo and juliet's will to compromise in order to be together no matter what circumstances is the idea weaved throughout the entire story. however, the ending is extremely bizarre and abruptly introduced. while it was hinted at several time, the sci-fi nature and awkward clash with the setting is very off-putting. also a few episodes are wasted on introducing characters whom are hardly important to the overall plot. 9/10
art: the art matches exactly what one might presume of "Neo Verona." it is very lavish yet the beauty lies with the simplicity. the art is clean and polished and definitely fits with the elizabethan feel the anime was going for. 10/10
sound: much like the art, the sound only further adds to the wonders of the anime. the orchestral music crescendos in suspenseful situations and decrescendos in moments of sadness; overall, the music dynamics are used sparingly but definitely when necessary. the soundtrack adds to the romantic feeling, and the opening song as the japanese version of "you raise me up" is fitting for the support that the characters provide for each other. 10/10
character:
despite juliet being the sole heir to the capulet name, she does not exhibit the stereotypical qualities of snobbishness and ungratefulness that one might assume of a noble. in fact, her humble upbringing is probably why she is filled with justice and valiance. when she meets romeo, at first, their relationship spirals into her constantly becoming dejected but at the end their bond only strengthens their willpower. romeo also at first seems to be passive with the situation with his father but the character development later on shows him to be a brave fighter. the "villains" of the anime aren't characterized as outlandishly evil; they all have an inner depth to them that justifies why they act the way they do. the only problem is that some characters are highly overlooked and neglected because of how much standing juliet and other characters have as the high-ranking leaders. there are also characters whom are introduced that do not serve any purpose at all but to fill the plot. 9/10
enjoyment:
i definitely enjoyed romeoxjuliet and sympathized with the romantic struggle that juliet and romeo suffered together because of their misfortune of being born on opposing sides family-wise. i rejoiced when the civilians got retribution for the inequities of their life and enjoyed the side banter and comedic relief that other characters provided. however, i was rather deterred because of the ending which took me by surprise in a "this is related to the story... how?" kind of way which made me leaving the anime a bit disappointed because the story thus far was stunning
overall:
9/10
it is a work of its own although it shares a common name with shakespeare's play.
