Anime Romeo x Juliet

[Meggido]

If I remember rightly Mercutio made a short appearance in the first ep. Very short but from that he almost [spoiler]seemed to have a demeanor that was more directed to "sucking up" to Montague rather then being good friends with Romeo.[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

Oh, he does? My bad. :animeswea

And yeah, episode 3 reinforces that impression. This is probably a spoiler for future episodes, albeit a vague one, but there's some RxJ material (either on the Web or from a magazine; I can't remember) which states that Mercutio [spoiler]resents Romeo for being Montague's heir.[/spoiler] That could lead to some interesting situations.

~Dagger~

[eleanor]

[color=dimgray] Hermione's hair annoys me. :/

The first two episodes were of mid-interest, but what first two episodes aren't? Looks like it's heading in a good direction, and the aesthetic appeal is down pat.

This show has great quality! Everything seems to be made elegantly, and the fight scenes are a bit of a level higher than what you'd normally see. And of course, Romeo and Juliet are very cute as naive teens. :D Also, flying hybrid horses. I want one.

My only miff (from what I've read in this thread) is that Mercutio isn't the charmingly witty close friend of Romeo. It's sort of disappointing to learn that he might become a bitter acquaintance, which is probably why I was so turned off by his character design.

Which brings up another point. Character designs are overall bland and very standard anime style, but I really can't complain since the entire series is sort of low-key and sweet. [/color]

[Astraea]

I've just read the preview of this on ANN. This sounds like it could be very entertaining. I'd love to see what this anime can do with Shakespeare. I'll definitely be checking it out.

[Meggido]

Just finished watching episode 3 and I must say that you are very right about Mercutio, Dagger. He is really being set up as more of a villain rather then who he was in the play. I'm really looking forward to them showing Tybalt though, can't wait to see what they do with him.

Anyway onto my thoughts. I have to say that [spoiler] the fight between Romeo and Juliet was indeed well set up especially how he uses it to save her[/spoiler]. I also think that he may have figured out that [spoiler]she is the red whirlwind just from the scent of Irisis[/spoiler]. I'm also amazed by the introduction of [spoiler]Romeo's mother, and I feel she might have the idea that Romeo thinks she abandoned him by leaving the keep[/spoiler]. On another note I'm not sure what's a bigger cliffhanger. [spoiler]Ep 2 where Juliet finds out she's a Capulet, or Ep 3 where she finds out Romeo is a Montague, her enemy[/spoiler]

As for the preview, [spoiler] looks like we're gonna have a fairly romantic episode between the two, and so far the romantic scenes have been quite nice[/spoiler].

On a different note I applaud Gonzo on they're artwork for Juliet. She's absolutely beautiful in my opinion. I think the fact that she seems plain and isn't all done up in the regalia of the upper classes accentuates her beauty. And I must admit even when dressed as a boy she is quite beautiful :animeblus

[inactive]

As others have been, I have to say that I'm quite disappointed with Mercutio's portrayal in this series. :animesigh He isn't even remotely comparable to that original life-of-the-party character. But I guess that's just the way it goes...

Anyway, the [spoiler]Romeo vs. Juliet battle[/spoiler] certainly turned out differently than I expected. I'm glad that it went in that direction, though. It certainly seems as if Romeo has his suspisions about the [spoiler]Red Whirlwind's identity[/spoiler].

And now Juliet knows that [spoiler]Romeo's Montague's son[/spoiler]. Of course, now things are going to get rather complicated.

Mysterious [spoiler]glowing tree to represent the prince[/spoiler]? Shweet. Didn't catch on to that right away... :D

I wonder... will Romeo and Juliet [spoiler]die before the Capulets get their "revenge"? Since it seems as if it would be rather difficult for Juliet to do this, considering her situation... Or will something COMPLETELY crazy happen, like the two of them staying alive at the end?!?[/spoiler] I highly doubt that... :animeswea

I simply love how pretty this show is. The action scenes are also amazing. Can't tear my eyes away from the screen with this one. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing!

[Dagger]

Heh heh heh. Episode 4 made me quite giddy. I'm happy about the fact that [spoiler]Romeo now knows Juliet is the Red Whirlwind--there was no reason to drag that plot point out for much longer.[/spoiler]

In lieu of battles, we get a lot of nicely done character interaction scenes. And in spite of that, they didn't skimp on animation for this episode. [spoiler]Romeo's rescue at the end[/spoiler] was too grand (and endearing and silly) for words. :animesmil

The absolute best part? They broke out the [spoiler]rose/name[/spoiler] line!!! Slightly changed, of course, and [spoiler]Juliet-sama[/spoiler] is the one who says it. [spoiler][i]Tatoe kono hana ni namae ga nakutemo, amai kaori ni kawari wa nai no ni...[/i][/spoiler] In translation I'd phrase it as something like, [spoiler]"Yet even if this flower had no name, the sweetness of its scent would never change."[/spoiler]

It looks like [spoiler]some bad/sad stuff is gonna go down[/spoiler] in episode 5. This may have been the lull before the storm, but what a lovely [spoiler]and surprisingly sexy[/spoiler] lull it was.

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

I have to say I love the way each ep ends. I mean lets end with a completely new discovery each time which suprises the characters. It's an awesome plot mechanism and usually keeps the viewer wanting to watch more to find out how he characters react.

Anyway just got round to watching ep 4 and I must say it was a nice ep. As for your translation of that line dagger, you pretty much got it spot on for the way the fansub group got it (yes I watch fansubs cause my knowledge of Japanese is extremely limited). Anyway I think these types of episodes are great especially in this type of series, really set the mood between the two characters.

On another note I love the preview for episode 5. looks like [spoiler]the hunt for the red whirlwind is about to really heat up.[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

Regarding the end of episode 5... [spoiler]I'm pretty sure that a) the doctor will die, and b) his death will be what forces Juliet to make her decision about launching a real rebellion. She'll have to recognize that half-hearted measures and indecision will only lead to greater suffering.[/spoiler] I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.

And [spoiler]Romeo didn't make the connection between Juliet and the Red Whirlwind, amazingly. I guess he's not quite the sharpest knife in the drawer, after all.[/spoiler] :animeswea On the other hand, the persistence of [spoiler]mistaken identities[/spoiler] [i]is[/i] a very Shakespearean theme.

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

On ep 5 I think Curio seems to know a lot more then he seems to let on. then again he seems to be a man who hides in the shadows. However [spoiler] his comment about Juliet being besotted by a noble man was only known by Cordelia before, so how Curio knows is a complete mystery.[/spoiler]

On the starting I have to say it was very much a cliche reaction to that sort of situation but then again it seems to be common in this sort of show/story. On romeo though [spoiler] I think it's more that in his own mind he doesn't want to put the connection together in his mind bout Juliet being the Red Whirlwind. I mean him having dueled with the Red Whirlwind he should have seen the similarities between Juliet as Odin and the Red Whirlwind[/spoiler]. The final point with the end of ep 5 [spoiler] if the doctor does die in the next ep then it could help dissuade Romeo of any notion that Juliet is the Red Whirlwind. At the same time it is likely to set the wheels in motion[/spoiler] and maybe we'll see Tybalt soon :D

I do however have to say that I had to laugh at [spoiler]Juliet's embroidery of an iris on the handkerchief. All beginners are like that but it's worth the laugh.[/spoiler]

[inactive]

[quote name='Dagger]Regarding the end of episode 5... [spoiler]I'm pretty sure that a) the doctor will die, and b) his death will be what forces Juliet to make her decision about launching a real rebellion. She'll have to recognize that half-hearted measures and indecision will only lead to greater suffering.[/spoiler'] I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.[/quote]
I agree. I guess it seems pretty predictable, but who knows, maybe we'll all be surprised. :animeswea I could tell from the way the doctor was talking to his wife and whatnot that [spoiler]he was planning on doing something noble and rather stupid[/spoiler]...

It's good that Romeo knows about [spoiler]Odin being Juliet[/spoiler]. At least that bit of confusion is out of the way.

[quote name='Dagger]And [spoiler]Romeo didn't make the connection between Juliet and the Red Whirlwind, amazingly. I guess he's not quite the sharpest knife in the drawer, after all.[/spoiler] :animeswea On the other hand, the persistence of [spoiler]mistaken identities[/spoiler] [i]is[/i'] a very Shakespearean theme.[/quote]
It's funny that you mention that about the whole [spoiler]mistaken identities[/spoiler] thing, since I was just thinking about that today while watching the Twelfth Night movie (we've just finished reading it) in my English class, and I couldn't help but be reminded of this anime. For those of you who're familiar with the story, you know how complicated and confusing the identites get in that story. :animeswea Similar to this show, Twelfth Night has that whole [spoiler]cross-dressing[/spoiler] thing going on, but in [I]that[/I] play it's actually supposed to be there. :animeswea Anyway, there are definately similarites between that play and this anime, which I found interesting. Yes, very much a Shakespearian theme.

On that topic, [spoiler]the doctor sure looks different than the Red Whirlwind/Odin/Juliet[/spoiler]. But I don't suppose anyone will notice that either. :animeswea

[Dagger]

Oh yeah!! [spoiler]Tybalt is here and ready to kick some ***![/spoiler]

Anyway, [spoiler]the doctor went out with a bang,[/spoiler] and most of episode 6 was spent dealing with the aftermath of that.

~Dagger~

[Guest Apeiron]

Yeah, I kind of love that play, considering that was our fall drama this year. I was Mercutio (BEST CHARACTER EVER IN ANY PLAY/MOVIE/BOOK/ANYWHERE) and our play was AMAZING. We had punk rock music play during scene changes, Nurse wore MAD leather and crazy awesome costumes... Romeo was half naked for half of the play and so was Tybalt... there was sooooooo much sexual tension between Romeo and Mercutio it was hilarious (which isn't so funny to you, but the actor who played Romeo was actually gay... so I felt wierd coming on to him and him turning me down. LOL :animeshy: ) So yeah. Romeo and Juliet rocks [u]completely[/u].

[Meggido]

I have to say YAY [spoiler]TYBALT[/spoiler]

On another note the [spoiler] doctor went out a lot more heroically then I expected. And that was definitely a bang.[/spoiler] They are also setting up the audience's hate for Montague extremely well. [spoiler]Especially after removing Benvolio's family from a position of nobility. That was a major suprise to me since they didn't even have direct knowledge of the martial law.[/spoiler]

can't wait for ep 7 [spoiler]more Tybalt.[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

Oh man, [spoiler]Tybalt pwned so hard before the opening credits.[/spoiler] I admire characters who can use two swords. Other than that, it was a fairly light episode, with some rather funny parts involving [spoiler]Cordelia trying to manage Benvolio and Willy being his amusing self.[/spoiler] And they played an English vocal version of You Raise Me Up! That made the [spoiler]chase scene[/spoiler] a lot more effective.

Next episode: [spoiler]Tybalt's return, Juliet + a sword...[/spoiler] This can only be a good thing.

I really liked the use of a deeper, more manly voice for Tybalt, so I looked up [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=718][u]his seiyuu[/u][/url]. He's a veteran who has also played Scar in FMA, Shigure in Fruits Basket, Treize in Gundam Wing and Tezuka in Prince of Tennis.

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

I have to say that it was a very nice ep. The start with [spoiler] Tybalt was awesome. Can't wait to see more of him [/spoiler]. I have to say that I also really enjoyed the end of the episode. [spoiler]The chase scene was great and the song playing just seemed to emphasize the romantic qualities of it. And omg I was not expecting Romeo to kiss Juliet. not with the way the eps had been going so far.[/spoiler]

As for the ep 8 preview [spoiler]looks like the priest is finally going to get what he deserves. At the same time I wonder what Montague is talking to Romeo about.[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

[I]"Shall I tell you, clueless little lady?"[/I]

Tybalt is totally stealing this show. :animesmil

One thing that surprised me about episode 8 was how fast Romeo [spoiler]came clean with Hermione.[/spoiler] That automatically makes him more forthright than most other male leads, especially young ones.

I'm guessing that Tybalt and Juliet aren't cousins in this version--after all, there's the issue of the entire Capulet family except for her having been wiped out. Although [spoiler]it wouldn't be the first time that there have been romantic undertones between cousins in anime.[/spoiler] I'm betting that [spoiler]he'll look at Juliet as a kind of inconvenient younger sister at first but develop respect & other feelings for her as she proves herself in battle.[/spoiler] Speaking of which, episode 9 looks very promising. Juliet's rocking that ponytail--that plus her sword and her hair color remind me strongly of Youko in Twelve Kingdoms... another female leader/warrior who starts off humbly but develops great strength & capabilities.

Also, Francisco is hilarious.

~Dagger~

[inactive]

Awww... Ep. 7 was so sweet! :animesmil

I have to say, I'm glad that they're getting on with Romeo and Juliet's relationship in this series. I'm glad they're not stretching it out too much.

I really lliked the [spoiler]chase scene[/spoiler], and I have to agree about the English version of "You Raise Me Up". Very effective.

I did feel a little bit sorry for Hermione, but she did kind of force the whole thing onto Romeo... He never really [spoiler]agreed to meet with her[/spoiler]. And that hair... *shudder*

Plus, Tybalt is pretty darned awesome. I'm very impressed by his [spoiler]shweet sword skillz[/spoiler]. :D

[Dagger]

Wow. I'll be very impressed if they can keep this kind of momentum going for episode 10. I had trouble understanding the details of the [spoiler]conversations between Montague and Escalus' caretaker/priestess/whatever lady,[/spoiler] but the big picture was clear enough. It felt as if they put a lot of love and care into episode 9, with a lot of smaller motions even during quieter scenes.

The [spoiler]battle[/spoiler] scene was superb, both in how it portrayed [spoiler]Juliet's trauma[/spoiler] (without overdoing it) and her [spoiler]inexperience with this kind of free-for-all scenario (contrasted with the experience shown by Conrad, Curio and Francisco).[/spoiler]

My opinion of Conrad has gone down. He clearly doesn't [spoiler]have very good trustworthiness radar.[/spoiler] Meanwhile, my opinion of Francisco just keeps going higher. [spoiler]Both he and Curio are obviously much better advisors for Juliet than Conrad, but going even beyond that, Francisco demonstrated the best sense for what needed to be done to get them out of a pickle. And it he did it--by going to Tybalt without hesitation.[/spoiler] As we say in my family, "Nice play, Shakespeare." :animesmil

Willy is beginning to act more and more like another eccentric storyteller: Drosselmeyer in Princess Tutu.

~Dagger~

[affection]

[SIZE=1][FONT=Georgia]I absolutely fell in love with this series.
I've only watched 3 episodes but so far it's great
Thank you so much for telling (us) me about it :catgirl: [/FONT][/SIZE]

[Dagger]

I'm happy you're enjoying it! Keep watching--it gets better.

On a speculative note, I am really curious about what the death toll for this show will be like. First of all, we don't even know if they're keeping the classic ending--and even if they do keep it, there's no guarantee that they'll kill the same supporting characters along the way. [size=1]Or maybe I'm just saying this because I don't want the curtain to fall on Tybalt...[/size]

If they're going to go down the dark & twisty path, someone will have to die pretty soon to kick things off. Probably someone nice and innocent. :animedepr

One thing I appreciate about RomeJuli is that it's found the perfect medium between having blood squirting all over the place and not showing blood at all. Very few anime are able to reach that. And the blood is a bit of a surprise each time, if only because the characters are so sweet and fresh-faced.

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

Oh my god. i need to see ep 9 now. I just saw ep 8 and I can see so much confusion from Romeo over what happened. [spoiler]I was so not expecting Romeo to see Tybalt comforting Juliet as she cried.[/spoiler]

I do have to say that it was [spoiler] a very fitting end for the Friar.[/spoiler] This ep also didn't help my appreciation of Mercutio or Montague. [spoiler]I still want to kick Mercutio in the face especially after pretending to be all chummy with Romeo, but the duke nearly ordering the death of Cielo was just cruel.[/spoiler] Hopefully he gets it by the end. I have to say that I couldn't help but laugh at [spoiler]Conrad's face when Juliet announced she would follow her destiny.[/spoiler]

In response to your post Dagger. To an extent the death count has already started. [spoiler] The Doctor and the Friar being the first two casualties, even as supporting characters.[/spoiler] However I also have to say that no matter how much I'm loving Tybalt it wouldn't quite seem like Romeo and Juliet without having Romeo killing Tybalt. In fact I could almost see it happening over something such as [spoiler]the imminent misunderstanding at the end of ep8 and Tybalt's hate for the Montagues.[/spoiler]

I have to say that ep 8 for me has to be one of my favourites though with ep 4 being my favourite...what can I say, for a guy I'm a sucker for romance.

[Dagger]

Re: Death... Oh, good point. That'll teach me to type faster than I think. :animeswea

And you really do need to see episode 9. :)

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

just saw ep 9. I have to say that I can't stop laughing at Conrad as he gets teary eyed every time Juliet commits herself to the cause. Though it did feel slower then last week the ep still revealed a lot of important stuff. hmm [spoiler] Ophelia, Montague's gardener,and Escalus' nurturer...wonder if she'll drown herself[/spoiler]:P

Curio really makes things interesting though I still suspect that he knows more then he is letting on, especially when they keep cutting to him at important times. though Curio [spoiler] with a battleaxe seemed cool though I preferred him in ep 2 with the daggers.[/spoiler] Francisco made the right choice though. [spoiler]Going to Tybalt was the right thing and I could see the nobleman betraying them straight away.[/spoiler]

I'd also agree with you Dagger. Conrad is a horrible mentor for Juliet.[spoiler]I mean he let his need for revenge get the most of him and wanted to jump straight into action before sussing things out was stupid. And it rubbed onto Juliet, though her prerogatives were more into not having to hurt Romeo. Oh and Juliet finally has some blood on her hands.[/spoiler]

As for ep 10 really no idea what's gonna happen there from the preview. maybe we will find out more about Tybalt.

Edit: No ep run down this week Dagger?

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=Meggido]
Edit: No ep run down this week Dagger?[/QUOTE]
I could've sworn I posted. I think my brain is leaking out my ears.

Luckily, episode 10 can be summed up in two easy words: [spoiler]BALCONY SCENE!!11!!![/spoiler] Music to the aforementioned ears. :animesmil

Perhaps not as much happened as I expected--[spoiler]Tybalt tells Juliet that he'll do things his own way[/spoiler] (phrasing which reminded me very much of Mello from Death Note, haha), [spoiler]she wanders around in depression and gets rescued from the rain by Portia, etc.[/spoiler]--but I enjoyed it very much because of the above.

I hope they come up with a good explanation for [spoiler]Juliet running into Portia (or vice versa), since a) didn't Portia have a suitcase or something at the time? and b) I am so willing to forgive coincidences, especially in Shakespeare-related stuff, but it would be nice if there were a greater framework behind it.[/spoiler]

I have no idea how the writers will [spoiler]get Romeo and Juliet to fight one another now, knowing each other's identities and what Montague has done. I assume they'll go for that angle eventually... it makes for a rather more compelling story than the young lovers eloping to overthrow Montague.[/spoiler]

On the plus side, I think we are now guaranteed that future conflict will have to be [i]real[/i] conflict, not something derived from mistaken identities or a misunderstanding. Which can only be a good thing.

~Dagger~