Romeo x Juliet
Encyclopedia
is a TV anime
series, loosely based on William Shakespeare
's classical play, Romeo and Juliet
, along with numerous references and characters from other Shakespearean plays. Though the anime borrows mostly from Shakespeare's story, the manga adaptation differs extensively from the original. Romeo × Juliet was broadcast in Japan on Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting from April 4, 2007 to September 26, 2007. In 2009, Romeo × Juliet was dubbed into English and released by Funimation Entertainment
.
. Dragon Steeds are capable of transporting people on their backs and are handled using reins in the same way as normal horses. More than a means of transportation, a Dragon Steed can be considered a symbol of status as they are not something that common folk can own, and are only seen ridden by members of the aristocracy or nobility. Dragon Steeds with degenerated wings, thus unable to fly, are often owned by commoners. - A huge and enchanted tree inside the Montague's castle, that gives support to Neo Verona. According to its caretaker, a woman named Ophelia, it gives blessings to people, but it also weakens if that person does not have love in their hearts. When it is thriving, it drops a shining fruit from its branches. Since it has been in Montague's care, the tree has noticeably begun to wither. In the end Juliet had to sacrifice her life force to support Escalus.
on Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting
from April 4, 2007 to September 26, 2007. It was later broadcast by other Japanese television networks such as TBS
, KBS Kyōto
and SUN-TV
. It was broadcast in Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia by Animax
and in Italy by Rai 4. The 24-episodes anime was produced by Gonzo and SKY Perfect Well Think
. It was directed by Fumitoshi Oizaki
. The chief screenwriter for the series was Reiko Yoshida
. The music was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto
and performed by Eminence Symphony Orchestra
with Tomohiro Yoshida as sound director. The series used three pieces of theme music
. The opening theme was by Lena Park
. by 12012 was the ending theme for the first 14 episodes. "Good Bye, Yesterday" by Mizrock
was the ending theme for episodes 15 to 23. "Inori~You Raise Me Up〜 (English version)" by Lena Park was used as a special ending for episode 24. The anime is licensed in North America by Funimation. The complete North American series was released in two sets, with the first half of the series, the Romeo Collection released on June 23, 2009 and the second half of the series, the Juliet Collection released on August 11, 2009.
series, serialized in Kadokawa Shoten
's Monthly Asuka
shōjo
magazine since March 24, 2007. The manga is licensed in North America by Yen Press
and was released on July 2010.
series, entitled , has been streaming on Cospa
's internet radio channel Onsen since April 13, 2007. It features the seiyū of Juliet, Fumie Mizusawa
, and the seiyū of Cordelia, Miyu Matsuki
.
reviewed the first DVD set, and enjoyed the musical score, but felt the story made use of too many 'saved-at-the-last-moment' scenes. He noted a drop-off in animation quality in the second half of the series, and was disappointed at the change in the tone of the ending. He later chose it as one of the best anime series of 2009, citing Gonzo's preservation of the overall tone, and the addition of "great action" scenes. Bamboo Dong described it as "absolutely wonderful, both aesthetically and also narratively", and praised the reinvention of the tale. Todd Douglass Jr. described it as "The characters, animation, and story all come together for one heck of an experience", and felt that the love story did not become "too cheesy". He cautioned that the series' divergence from its source and the fantasy elements involved may make the series not ideal for everyone, but that overall it was a "great series". Chris Beveridge of Mania noted the addition of characters from Shakespeare's other plays "may either please or annoy the hardcore fans", but enjoyed the adaptation, although he noted it was not particularly "revolutionary or challenging". He later noted that in the first volume, the use of the fantasy setting was understated but was used more in the second part of the series and enjoyed the "focused" narrative, which he attributes to the "energy and enthusiasm" of the young production team. Daryl Loomis of DVB Verdict enjoyed the balance between the romance narrative and the action narratives in the first part, describing it as "breezy fare". He later sums it up by saying, "in spite of its many little faults, it is good, angst-y teenage fun", and that it "doesn't set the world on fire, but there's quite a bit to like about this series". He felt the "wild, logic-defying climax" added to the series, making it feel "less contrived". Holly Ellingwood of ActiveAnime felt the choice of opening and closing songs was "unusual", as one was an already-existing song, and the other was a rock song which she felt contrasted with the mood and overall score of the anime. She also praised the English adaptation as it incorporated an older style of language and many more Shakespearean quotes than the Japanese language voice track.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series, loosely based on William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's classical play, Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
, along with numerous references and characters from other Shakespearean plays. Though the anime borrows mostly from Shakespeare's story, the manga adaptation differs extensively from the original. Romeo × Juliet was broadcast in Japan on Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting from April 4, 2007 to September 26, 2007. In 2009, Romeo × Juliet was dubbed into English and released by Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
.
Plot
Fourteen years ago in the floating island of Neo Verona, Leontes Montague and his men led a bloody coup and murdered all of the members of House Capulet, the rulers of Neo Verona. However one survivor, Juliet, was able to escape thanks to a group of Capulet loyalists. Fourteen years later, Leontes, the new Prince of Neo Verona, rules the land with an iron fist and crushes anyone who opposes him. Juliet, now a sixteen year old girl, fights against House Montague's oppression by becoming a masked vigilante known as "The Crimson Whirlwind". While attending the Rose Ball hosted by the Montagues with a friend, Juliet meets Romeo, Prince Montague's son and both of them fall in love at first sight. Unlike his father, Romeo is a kind and humble man who is opposed to his father's cruelty and shares many ideals with Juliet. Unfortunately for them, Capulet loyalists are planning a rebellion to overthrow House Montague while Leontes is obsessed with destroying the threat of House Capulet permanently. As these star-crossed lovers face many challenges and adventures together which will strengthen their love, an ancient secret hidden within Neo Verona is slowly revealed.Main characters
- Juliet Fiammatta Ars De Capulet is the last member of the Capulet family. She disguises herself as a boy, Odin, in order to avoid being caught by the usurping House of Montague, who still actively look for the Capulets. An excellent swordsman, she also masquerades as a vigilanteVigilanteA vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
, the , in order to aid the people oppressed by the rival Montagues. She unwittingly falls in love with Romeo, which leads to several complications for her in the series.
- In the series, Juliet is presented as a strong and intelligent young woman, she is loving, with a strong sense of justice and determination to lead the Capulet faction against the oppression of the corrupt Lord Montague. She falls deeply in love with Romeo and is stricken with the decision of being with Romeo or destroying Lord Montague. In the original play Juliet is shown as a shy, meek, and emotional young woman who immediately falls in love with Romeo when she meets him and does not care that he is a Montague. Her series counterpart backs away from Romeo after learning who he is, despite being deeply in love with him.
- Romeo Candorebanto De Montague is the son of Lord Leontes Montague and Lady Portia and heir to the throne of Neo Verona. For political reasons, he has been forced into an unwanted engagement with Hermione, a young noblewoman. As a nobleman, he rides and owns a ryūba named Cielo whom he later freed. In contrast to his father, he is obedient and kindhearted, often disapproving of his family's tyranny. He is ostracized by the nobility save for his friend, Benvolio. He falls in love with Juliet at first sight.
- In the series, Romeo is the crown prince of Neo Verona, and a confident, polite young man. He has little respect for his Montague heritage because of his father's tyranny. Unlike his counterpart in the source material, Romeo first encounters Juliet at a party hosted by his family, whereas in the play, he had secretly gone to a Capulet party in hopes of seeing Juliet's cousin, Rosaline. He holds nothing against the Capulet family and falls in love with Juliet, wishing only for them to be happy and safe.
Terminology
- A winged horse with the tail of a dragon, similar to the PegasusPegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
. Dragon Steeds are capable of transporting people on their backs and are handled using reins in the same way as normal horses. More than a means of transportation, a Dragon Steed can be considered a symbol of status as they are not something that common folk can own, and are only seen ridden by members of the aristocracy or nobility. Dragon Steeds with degenerated wings, thus unable to fly, are often owned by commoners. - A huge and enchanted tree inside the Montague's castle, that gives support to Neo Verona. According to its caretaker, a woman named Ophelia, it gives blessings to people, but it also weakens if that person does not have love in their hearts. When it is thriving, it drops a shining fruit from its branches. Since it has been in Montague's care, the tree has noticeably begun to wither. In the end Juliet had to sacrifice her life force to support Escalus.
- CarabinieriCarabinieriThe Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
- The Military Police of Neo Verona.
Anime
Romeo × Juliet was broadcast in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting
Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting
is a regional radio and television service serving Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Its radio service is affiliated with the Japan Radio Network and its television service affiliated with the Japan News Network and the TBS Network.-Radio:Frequency...
from April 4, 2007 to September 26, 2007. It was later broadcast by other Japanese television networks such as TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
, KBS Kyōto
Kyoto Broadcasting System
is a commercial broadcasting station headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It is doing business in Kyoto Prefecture as and in Shiga Prefecture as Its radio station serves Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures and is a member of National Radio Network . Its television station serves Kyoto Prefecture and is a...
and SUN-TV
SUN-TV
is a commercial television station headquartered in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and a member of the Japanese Association of Independent Television Stations .-Office:...
. It was broadcast in Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia by Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
and in Italy by Rai 4. The 24-episodes anime was produced by Gonzo and SKY Perfect Well Think
SKY Perfect Well Think
is a Japanese content production and development enterprise, owned by SKY Perfect Communications, established on July 29, 2004. It is involved in the production, development and distribution of several feature films, anime series, television programs and numerous other media...
. It was directed by Fumitoshi Oizaki
Fumitoshi Oizaki
' is a Japanese anime director, character designer, and animator. He is primarily associated with Gonzo, which produced his series directorial debut, Romeo x Juliet, and with Sunrise, where he serves as series character designer of the Sgt. Frog franchise...
. The chief screenwriter for the series was Reiko Yoshida
Reiko Yoshida
is a Japanese screenwriter and manga author.-TV anime:*Angelic Layer - Script *ARIA The ANIMATION- Script*ARIA The NATURAL - Script*Ballad of a Shinigami - Series Composition, Script...
. The music was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto
Hitoshi Sakimoto
is a Japanese video game composer and arranger. He is best known for scoring the games Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII, though he has composed soundtracks for over 70 games and arranged music for more than 40 others. He began playing music and video games in elementary school, and began...
and performed by Eminence Symphony Orchestra
Eminence Symphony Orchestra
- Piano Stories :Alexey Yemtsov performed the first Piano Stories concert on 15 April, at Verbrugghen Hall. Featuring work from Studio Ghibli, Yoko Kanno and Shirō Sagisu, Piano Stories marked the beginning of a series of concerts celebrating piano scores from a selection of anime and gaming...
with Tomohiro Yoshida as sound director. The series used three pieces of theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
. The opening theme was by Lena Park
Lena Park
Lena Park, also known as Park Jung-hyun, , is a Korean-American R&B singer. Early in her life, Park showed talent for singing, mainly in the choir of her father's church in Downey with her siblings Brian and Uriah. She also learned to play saxophone and piano...
. by 12012 was the ending theme for the first 14 episodes. "Good Bye, Yesterday" by Mizrock
Mizrock
Mizrock is Miz's second Japanese album and contains the a-sides and b-sides to the last three singles before it: In The Sky, Backseat Baby, and Bittersweet. This album revolves more around rock and jerkier tunes...
was the ending theme for episodes 15 to 23. "Inori~You Raise Me Up〜 (English version)" by Lena Park was used as a special ending for episode 24. The anime is licensed in North America by Funimation. The complete North American series was released in two sets, with the first half of the series, the Romeo Collection released on June 23, 2009 and the second half of the series, the Juliet Collection released on August 11, 2009.
Manga
Romeo × Juliet was also adapted into a mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series, serialized in Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
's Monthly Asuka
Monthly Asuka
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten, aimed at teenage girls. Much like its sibling publication Shōnen Ace, it places some emphasis on anime tie-ins and spinoffs...
shōjo
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
magazine since March 24, 2007. The manga is licensed in North America by Yen Press
Yen Press
Yen Press is the manga and graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group. In addition to their regular book releases, Yen Press produces a monthly anthology called Yen Plus. The company's varied list demonstrates an interest in publishing a wide variety of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and other...
and was released on July 2010.
Radio
An internet radioInternet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
series, entitled , has been streaming on Cospa
Cospa
is a Japanese clothing company specializing in the production of cosplay costumes and other apparel for the otaku fan base. The company started in May 1995 as the child company of Broccoli. The name "Cospa" comes from an acronym for .-External links:* **...
's internet radio channel Onsen since April 13, 2007. It features the seiyū of Juliet, Fumie Mizusawa
Fumie Mizusawa
is a Japanese voice actress. She is represented by Sigma Seven.Fumie also announced that she got married on April 16, 2011, in which her new husband is not even an actor...
, and the seiyū of Cordelia, Miyu Matsuki
Miyu Matsuki
is a Japanese voice actress. Her hometown is Hiroshima Japan.-Anime cast in:*Ayakashi as Hime Yakushiji*ARIA The NATURAL as Ayano *Binchō-tan as Pukashuu*Claymore as Flora*D.C. ~Da Capo~ as Yoriko Sagisawa*D.C.S.S...
.
Soundtrack
The original soundtrack for Romeo × Juliet was released in February 2008, bearing a catalog number of COCX-34784. It contains Hitoshi Sakimoto's music score, as well as the opening and closing songs for the anime.Reception
Theron Martin, of Anime News NetworkAnime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
reviewed the first DVD set, and enjoyed the musical score, but felt the story made use of too many 'saved-at-the-last-moment' scenes. He noted a drop-off in animation quality in the second half of the series, and was disappointed at the change in the tone of the ending. He later chose it as one of the best anime series of 2009, citing Gonzo's preservation of the overall tone, and the addition of "great action" scenes. Bamboo Dong described it as "absolutely wonderful, both aesthetically and also narratively", and praised the reinvention of the tale. Todd Douglass Jr. described it as "The characters, animation, and story all come together for one heck of an experience", and felt that the love story did not become "too cheesy". He cautioned that the series' divergence from its source and the fantasy elements involved may make the series not ideal for everyone, but that overall it was a "great series". Chris Beveridge of Mania noted the addition of characters from Shakespeare's other plays "may either please or annoy the hardcore fans", but enjoyed the adaptation, although he noted it was not particularly "revolutionary or challenging". He later noted that in the first volume, the use of the fantasy setting was understated but was used more in the second part of the series and enjoyed the "focused" narrative, which he attributes to the "energy and enthusiasm" of the young production team. Daryl Loomis of DVB Verdict enjoyed the balance between the romance narrative and the action narratives in the first part, describing it as "breezy fare". He later sums it up by saying, "in spite of its many little faults, it is good, angst-y teenage fun", and that it "doesn't set the world on fire, but there's quite a bit to like about this series". He felt the "wild, logic-defying climax" added to the series, making it feel "less contrived". Holly Ellingwood of ActiveAnime felt the choice of opening and closing songs was "unusual", as one was an already-existing song, and the other was a rock song which she felt contrasted with the mood and overall score of the anime. She also praised the English adaptation as it incorporated an older style of language and many more Shakespearean quotes than the Japanese language voice track.
Further reading
External links
- Romeo × Juliet official website at gooGoo (search engine)goo is an internet search engine and web portal based in Japan, which crawls and indexes primarily Japanese language websites. goo is operated by the Japanese NTT Resonant, a subsidiary of NTT Communications.-External links:* *...
- Romeo × Juliet official website at Funimation EntertainmentFunimation EntertainmentFunimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...