Shakespeare: Quite possibly the most influential and, some would say, the greatest playwright that ever lived. His plays are near legendary for the impact they had upon drama and literature. Among those plays is what many think of as the quintessential love story, Romeo and Juliet. The classic tale of two "star crossed" lovers caught between their families' feud. So why did it take this long for such an influential play to be adapted into an anime?
The result of this adaptation is the very creatively named Romeo x Juliet, a 24-episode series that originally aired in Japan in 2007. The key point to keep in mind with Romeo x Juliet is that it is merely based on Shakespeare's play, not just "an animated Romeo and Juliet" - the show does a great deal to differentiate itself from its roots. The setting is still based largely on Renaissance-era Italian culture, with some fantasy elements worked into it. The bulk of the story takes place in a city called Neo Verona, which inexplicably floats in the air. For transportation, more affluent nobles use flying horses called "dragonsteeds," and the city conceals some sort of secret magical tree that apparently sustains all life on the planet. Despite that, the action is still very much like that of the play - don't expect anyone to be throwing around fireballs or summoning monsters - all of the characters' abilities are restricted to those of normal humans.
The story is also different enough that you'll never really be sure what's going to happen next. The Montagues and Capulets are still at war, and their respective children Romeo and Juliet still fall in love, but that's about it. The Capulets had been the ruling house of Neo Verona, and within the first two minutes of the series, the Montagues completely overpower the house and slaughter them in a bid for power, leaving only Juliet to escape.
Romeo x Juliet has a bit of everything - drama, romance, action, humor - and it's paced well enough that there never seems to be too much of one thing. Much like the original play, the anime spends a good deal of time (but not too much) developing minor characters, leading to a deeper background for the series. To be honest, there isn't much I can think of to not like about Romeo x Juliet. The animation is top-notch; all of the sequences - action or otherwise - are animated both smoothly and vividly. The English dubbing is also above average, and the English dub is even written with some early modern English that makes it sound that much more Shakespearian.
Romeo × Juliet tries to shines itself among the other adaptations by recreating its world. Romeo × Juliet takes us into a fantasy world where mythical beings exist and laws of science are defied. A floating land, Pegasi and enchanted trees that flourish the land enliven the world of Neo Verona where the stage of this romantic tragedy is set. The skillful utilization of fluid animation and crisp computer graphics further enhances the aesthetic prowess of the series. Furthermore, Korean veteran singer Lena Park lends her voice to sing a cover of Josh Groban’s famous sing, “You Raise Me Up”. She does so with such immaculate grace that it help shape the dramatic scenes and ambience.
Gonzo dared to make an adaptation of a literary work that many others have fallen into obscurity. While it did put up a brave fight, the weak plot and angst-driving characters dragged the series into mediocrity. True, there were shining factors about the series such as animation and music, but they are just secondary to what make or break a series - the plot, story and cast. Most significantly, Romeo × Juliet retells its ending from tragedy to fairy tale, which was what defines the original Romeo and Juliet. In the end, Romeo × Juliet is just an anime suited more for the orthodox viewers rather than the contemporary. “For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo” is how the original play ended. It’s too sad it didn’t end like this in the series.
Overall It is an anime worth watching !! so all anizone members watch now to find out the real beauty of the plot of this anime!!! YA HA!!!!!!!!
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