Anime Romeo x Juliet

[Guest Pie_is_GOOD]

I love plays, especally Romeo and Juliet. It is so romantic.

[Dagger]

Episode 11 was so beautiful & wonderful & pitch-perfect that, in a way, it ended up being much more heartbreaking than any kind of tragic developments. You just [i]know[/i] that it's all going to be downhill from here.

My heart was pounding all (*´Д`)ﾊｧﾊｧ during the [spoiler]wedding[/spoiler] scene, which was just right even though (if you'd asked me at any point earlier in the series) I'd never have guessed it would happen. It more or less correlates to the play, and yet I'd totally forgotten about it until now.

I loved the [spoiler]soft comedic moments with Romeo & Juliet, especially when Juliet vowed to do a shirt next time! Romeo definitely has his hands full, haha.[/spoiler] It was also amusing to see them [spoiler]bond over beating up sketchy dudes. I like how they've snuck in proof that Romeo isn't a wimp (just look at him casually ninja-chop that guy--awesome!!) without contradicting what we've already seen of his peaceful nature. Also, Cielo kicks butt.[/spoiler] I fear that [spoiler]letting the men get away may come back to haunt them, though.[/spoiler] And who could be [spoiler]the old guy with the pipe? Is he in the OP scroll?[/spoiler]

My inner romantic is lying in a puddle of goo on the floor right now. Normally I disdain stuff like [spoiler]little girls dreaming of being pretty brides, and objectively speaking, the cheese factor for that last scene should've been off the charts,[/spoiler] but it hit all the right notes for me. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

omg omg omg. Just saw ep 10 (yes late for me) and I must say I absolutely loved the ending. [spoiler]The balcony scene was just brilliant. so romantic.[/spoiler] I fell in love with this series all over again.

[spoiler] I'd never realised Romeo's mother was Portia until this ep...lol. It's just that I can't read Japanese so those character profiles gave nothing away to me reagarding character names[/spoiler]. Though the coincidences were extraordinary. of course they're not really coincidences since it's a planned out story, but in a context they seem to be. In answer to what you though Dagger [spoiler] I didn't see Portia with a suitcase, though no reason is given for her exiting the Convent[/spoiler].

i do like however how they showed [spoiler] the sketchy side of Neo verona. And what the nobles get up to.[/spoiler]

Also they seemed to contrast [spoiler] the Duke with himself in this ep. I mean on one angle he seemed to be pleased to see Romeo's proposal being rejected. Just showed how far his power has reached, but at the same time How no one wants to show even the slightest bit of mercy for the Capulets with Montague around. But then when Romeo goes to see his mother the Duke almost seems as if he wants to hold on to at least his son after having lost his wife.[/spoiler] I could be wrong though.

Hopefully I'll see ep 11 soon.

[Dagger]

[quote name='Meggido] [spoiler]But then when Romeo goes to see his mother the Duke almost seems as if he wants to hold on to at least his son after having lost his wife.[/spoiler'] I could be wrong though. [/quote]
I'm glad you brought this up! I meant to mention it but forgot. It's really the first time they've given [spoiler]Montague any semblance of humanity,[/spoiler] although the events of episode 12 make me think that [spoiler]they'll have to try much harder if they want him to be anything other than a pure monster.[/spoiler] I would be pretty interested in seeing some solid backstory for him--what made him turn out the way he did, etc.

Now, as for episode 12:

- [spoiler]Romeo is so sheltered that he doesn't recognize potatoes.[/spoiler] :animeswea
- [spoiler]Hermione has accepted that Romeo cares for someone else, but she can see that he's still suffering. She declares that if it were her, she'd never do anything to hurt him. Even Mercutio is surprised by her intensity--so much so that it knocks the casual, sarcastic mask right off his face.[/spoiler] I liked this moment very much. I wonder if they're hinting at [spoiler]a future alliance--romantic or otherwise--between these two.[/spoiler]
- Still don't know [spoiler]who the old man is.[/spoiler]
- Juliet is drawn to [spoiler]a cave with Escalus' roots in it, and she reacts in shock at its presence. Did it just cause her discomfort, or did it show her scenes from the city? I half wanted to interpret the subsequent Neo Verona bits as something that Escalus was conveying to her.[/spoiler] Then again, [spoiler]if she saw all those terrible things happening, she'd want to rush back right away,[/spoiler] so maybe not.
- Speaking of which, [spoiler]whatever could the absent Tybalt be up to?[/spoiler]
- Ouch @ [spoiler]the last scene. I have a sinking feeling that this is the beginning of the end, so to speak.[/spoiler] My theory: [spoiler]Montague will use Juliet's life as bait for Romeo, forcing him into the crusade against her scattered comrades (and perhaps Tybalt!?).[/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

Just watched ep 11. So soon after having seen ep 10 may seem a bit odd but it did happen. :P Firstly however to remark on a point I made regarding ep 10. I rewatched it and when [spoiler]Portia and the other person exit the convent one of them is carrying a suitcase, however it's difficult to tell which one has it. I think it might be the other person though.[/spoiler]

Anyway on to ep 11. The calm before the storm would be the perfect way of describing this ep. however [spoiler] I still want to know what happened to Curio and Francisco after the fight at the end of ep 9[/spoiler]. This ep would have to be the first where Juliet could be herself as a girl in my opinion. rather then being caught up what others expected her to be [spoiler] i.e. posing as a boy or the heir to the Capulet family, etc[/spoiler].

[spoiler]The fight scene was nice, giving a very different approach to Romeo. Last 2 eps seem to be building him up as someone who acts when they have to rather then the wimp he seemed at first. But I must say I wasn't expecting him to release Cielo, that was a suprise, however I guess it would have changed the ep if he hadn't[/spoiler] :P

The [spoiler]wedding[/spoiler] was a nice touch. And the light comedic elements were great, fitting in nicely with the flow of the rest of the ep. However I think my own romantic side is still in overdrive after ep 10. This ep just couldn't beat [spoiler]the balcony sequence[/spoiler] for me.

Again in response to one of your questions Dagger....[spoiler]I've checked the montage scroll at the beginning 3 times now and haven't seen the guy with the pipe. However there has to be some reasoning behind them showing him. Maybe he'll appear again later.[/spoiler]

Edit: the Japanese DVD box for volume 1 looks beautiful. Went to look at the RxJ website and stumbled across the link for it. [URL=http://anime.goo.ne.jp/special/gonzo/romejuli/goods/dvd.html]click here[/URL]

[inactive]

[STRIKE]Grrrr... How annoying that the episodes aren't subbed faster...[/STRIKE]

Anyway, I just saw episode 11, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It was nice to have such a [spoiler]romantic, non-action[/spoiler] episode. I really like how they're portraying Romeo and Juliet's relationship. I think it's better than the original play, just because I think the relationship is pretty much improbable (in the play), but they still manage to maintain and depict the deep love that the two characters have for each other. I'm glad that they're not trying to turn this into one of those really dragged out relationships, where nothing happens for ages...

Awww... Romeo [spoiler]left Cielo behind[/spoiler]... I just hope that [spoiler]those thugs don't kill him and his new pegasus girlfriend[/spoiler]. :animeswea I also was really happy about and impressed by the fact that Juliet [spoiler]kicked thug-butt[/spoiler] just like Romeo. I hate it when the female is all weak and has to be protected by the male. :mad: Yeah Juliet!

And the curious [spoiler]pipe-dude[/spoiler]... I really wonder who he is. I liked how he completely blended in with the rocks. Stealthy [spoiler]pipe-dude[/spoiler].

The [spoiler]wedding[/spoiler] scene was adorable. It was so sweet. [spoiler]I'm wondering, though, whether this scene is replacing the actual marriage that took place in the play, meaning that these two aren't actually going to get married in secret.[/spoiler] I wouldn't have a big problem with that being left out, although I think it would be nice if Juliet's [spoiler]dream of getting married[/spoiler] were actually realised.

(That DVD set looks absolutely lovely.)

[Dagger]

RxJ rocked the [spoiler]aerial battles[/spoiler] in episode 13, but I totally cracked up when [spoiler]Romeo came plunging down out of the sky.[/spoiler] I half-expected [spoiler]Juliet to catch him bridal style.[/spoiler] :animeswea

ETA: Pretty banner/avatar, medafunk!

~Dagger~

[Rambling_soup]

I fear I'll die if this isn't dubbed this year. Unfortunately I wasn't able to see the trailer... (My internet provider's parental control blocks prevent me from doing so. AOL must hate anime.)

Looking at every single one of the spoilers has gotten me really excited about this!
It's cool that [SPOILER] They portray Juliet as a strong female character. I.E., as the Red Whirlwind and kicking thug butt.[/SPOILER]

This anime is too good not to get dubbed. (But if it doesn't I'll just watch it on You Tube next time I'm away from the PCBs.)

[Dagger]

There's a good chance that Romeo x Juliet will be announced as licensed very soon, actually. Maybe even at this year's Anime Expo. Special guests related to the show will be attending AX, and the production company is even screening two English-subtitled episodes. I seem to remember hearing about the ending theme's band playing at a different American con, too. I'd be surprised if all of this isn't building up to something.

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

well ep 12. Hard to cover stuff that Dagger hasn't already done so I'll keep it simple this time. good ep (won't explain as what i thought was good is the same as dagger explained), though I really want to know about [spoiler]the guy with the pipe. He is very mysterious and why is he helping both of them.[/spoiler] I do have to ask though, is it me or [spoiler]does Juliet seem a bit suicidal? I mean taking those vows a bit seriously, while it is being faithful, in this circumstances seems a bit stupid. She hasn't been one for thinking things through properly though. She does things spur of the moment and they get her in trouble.[/spoiler] However good to see that the other characters[spoiler] are all good and well. To an extent.[/spoiler]

[inactive]

[quote name='Meggido']I do have to ask though, is it me or [spoiler]does Juliet seem a bit suicidal? I mean taking those vows a bit seriously, while it is being faithful, in this circumstances seems a bit stupid. She hasn't been one for thinking things through properly though. She does things spur of the moment and they get her in trouble.[/spoiler][/QUOTE]
Yeah, I don't think that was exactly a smart move. A lot of the stuff in episode 12 really gave me the feeling that Romeo and Juliet's deaths were being foreshadowed. Juliet's [spoiler]determination to stay with Romeo no matter what[/spoiler] caused me to have flashbacks to the original play, since there was, I think, more than one time that she threatened to kill herself if she couldn't be with Romeo. I haven't seen a whole lot of similaties between the orginal characters and the characters in this series so far, but that would definately qualify as a similarity. Juliet's [spoiler]almost unreasonable (and dangerous?) devotion to Romeo, and determination to be together with him always[/spoiler].

Anyway, episode 12 seems to me to be hinting at a bunch of new developments, and has really gotten the ball rolling. I am similarly wondering what the heck is going on with Tybalt, and still waiting on something that will [spoiler]cause Romeo to kill him[/spoiler]... Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to happen next.

[quote name='Dagger']ETA: Pretty banner/avatar, medafunk![/QUOTE]
Thank you! That makes me very happy, considering that I've only been teaching myself how to use photoshop for a few weeks now. :animeswea

[Dagger]

Episode 14 brings in a character named Petruchio. At first I figured it was a Taming of the Shrew reference, but then Wikipedia told me that there's an extremely minor character called Petruchio in Romeo & Juliet. So maybe the anime writers read the play after all--not that his role here could possibly have anything to do with the original. :animesmil

[spoiler]Romeo definitely has a thing for saving people dramatically....[/spoiler]

It seemed like this episode was geared toward making him realize that his dad isn't the real problem--the entire system is at fault. And whereas he could theoretically fix the Neo Verona leadership issues by leading a coup or something, changing the structure of a whole society is nothing to sneeze at.

Also, no licensing announcement makes me sad, but I'll live.

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

Just saw ep 14 and I must say that it appears that this ep was a lot more somber then previous eps. As Dagger said [spoiler] it was probably to show Romeo that the entire system is at fault but I also have a very different view. I believe it wasn't just to show how at fault the system is but to give Romeo a wake up call regarding how the world is really like. He has spent so long sheltered within the keep and know's little outside his life as a noble. This ep gave a very different view to him.[/spoiler]

In some ways it could be said that [spoiler]Petruchio's role was only minor here as well, but his death could be defined as having a great resonance on what Romeo is going to do in the future.[/spoiler]

As for Juliet. I'm certain [spoiler]That she has said that she is resolved about her actions on at least one occasion and then panicked when the real thing happens. In some ways she also seems sheltered but not quite to the extent of Romeo. However as she has said again that she is not going to falter in her task I'm interested in seeing where it goes from here.[/spoiler]

Finally I must say that the beginning of ep 14 would suggest that it is the mid point of the series with [spoiler]Willy having his own monologue shown with clips from previous episodes.[/spoiler]

Edit: On a somewhat unrelated note, I've started a semester on Shakespeare as one of the last 4 subjects to complete my arts degree. Strangely enough we're not studying Romeo and Juliet.

[Dagger]

Quick thoughts on episodes 15 & 16:

- Love the new ending song (although the animation is repetitive, to say the least).
- There have been some unexpected developments, namely [spoiler]Hermione going psycho and meeting Juliet again[/spoiler] and [spoiler]Francisco pushing Curio to take Juliet's mind off of Romeo.[/spoiler] (The shot of [spoiler]the gaping hole in the mine leading down to the sky[/spoiler] was also a doozy.) Still, it feels like the story has been swimming in place. Hopefully [spoiler]Tybalt's return[/spoiler] will remedy that.
- Something is going to happen soon with [spoiler]Mercutio and/or his dad... I can feel it...[/spoiler]
- We meet a girl named Regan. At this point they're obviously just pulling random names out of their Shakespearean hat.
- Francisco and Curio are totally Fai and Kurogane (from Tsubasa).
- There's some hardcore budget-saving going on, especially in 16.

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

I can see why you only had quick thoughts on 15 and 16 Dagger especially after just watching 15. I'd like to say not a lot happened but that not a lot was slowly progressed up to throughout the whole of the episode. we did however [spoiler] get a nice reminder that Neo Verona and it surroundings are actually on a floating continent/Island.[/spoiler] It was something I had forgotten.

Mind you I think the current events are the anime's equivalent [spoiler] to Romeo's banishment from Verona in the play so the death count may end up being not what we expect in the end.[/spoiler] As for your point regarding them pulling names out of the hat I would have to say that this is not so much the story of Romeo and Juliet and is it a tribute to all of Shakespeare's plays with RxJ at the centre. On another note with the inclusion of Willy it gives the sense that it's following the notion that all of Shakespeare's plays were in fact based partly on his life experiences. I've read some very interesting thing regarding that concept and the play Hamlet.

Finally ep16 very much looks like they're budget cutting on the animation department just from the preview. Maybe they're saving for something big.

[Dagger]

There are some AMAZING revelations in episode 17.

- Regarding Tybalt: [spoiler]He's Montague's son (and therefore Romeo's half-brother) by a now-deceased woman of the Capulet family. Montague wooed her, got her pregnant and then ditched her in favor of Portia. Hence Tybalt's revenge-lust.[/spoiler]
- Regarding Montague: [spoiler]He's actually not a Montague at all. He's the son of a Capulet and a prostitute and appears to have been adopted into the Montague family as a young child--after his mother's tragic death--by a Montague pedophile (that's really what it looked like!!) who spotted him on the street. No wonder he hates the world so much.[/spoiler] Let me know if I got any of that wrong...
- Additionally, [spoiler]Montague's relationship with Tybalt's mother led him to discover something (?) about Escalus. It's purely visual, so one can only guess as to what it was, but we see him watching Ophelia talk with Juliet's father.[/spoiler]
- [spoiler]Titus dies, and very dramatically too.[/spoiler] It'll be fascinating to see what kind of effect this has on Mercutio.

[spoiler]Romeo looks and acts more like Portia, while Tybalt takes after his father (the family resemblance is very striking once you see Montague as a child and a younger man).[/spoiler] I admired the [spoiler]wordless parallels between them (i.e. Tybalt starting to turn around, then a cut to Montague turning around menacingly; shots of both of them working themselves into a fury).[/spoiler]

The amusing thing is that [spoiler]Tybalt and Juliet could be cousins[/spoiler] after all! Who knew? :p

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

so I'm amazed that you picked Regan out as the Shakespearean character after watching ep 16 Dagger. I mean Balthasar from "the Merchant of Venice" was the more obvious one for me there. At the same time Antonio...or at the least the name comes from the same play, Shylock is mentioned back in ep 3, and finally the doctor, Launcelot. I guess once I've finished watching the series I'm gonna go back through and pick out the names from Shakespeare plays and compile a list of the plays that get a gander via characters. Or at least of the ones I'll have read by the end of this semester. :P

On another note I could have almost seen Hermione pulling an Ophelia during this ep but alas [spoiler]it looks like it won't be so especially after she seems to loosely befriend Juliet.[/spoiler] However this ep was definitely a cut on the budget compared to the level of detail in all the previous eps. I have to agree however that Fransisco and Curio are very much Kurogane and Fai though I don't mind it as I love Tsubasa Chronicle.

On a final not (and I shouldn't have read your ep 17 synopsis as it gives away too much interesting info) I'm going to take a guess here and say that [spoiler] Titus dies when his wine is poisoned? Just a guess since he remarked at the end of the ep that his "drink never betrays him".[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

Aw, I'm sorry that was spoiled for you. :animedepr

With the characters [spoiler]putting on a play[/spoiler] (which looks like it'll also appear in 19), episode 18 is ve~ry meta. In many ways it seems reminiscent of the very earliest episodes, from the quirky style of comedy to the atmosphere of the lovely scene at the end. The animation continues to go back up in quality.

Also... [spoiler]so what the heck is with that Mysterious Old Man!?[/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

no not your fault. I'm just a curious young man, and when I see all those black bars curiosity gets the better of me. I've got to remember curiosity killed the cat.

[Dagger]

Or at least the cat's spoiler-innocence. :animesmil

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

Ah ep 17 finally. I have to say that the opening segment before the Op was quite intriguing. Having [spoiler] Willy stress over the fact that he is unable to create just a love story rather then a comedy or a historical tragedy. Considering William Shakespeare's love stories are either comedy or tragedy.[/spoiler]

As for the revelations kinda reading spoilers hurt as I was just counting them down as the came. I do have to say though that the pacing of the ep was nice. Also [spoiler] this has to be the first time we've seen Mercutio not as smug as he usually is. Such a nice change of pace and good to see him on the receiving end of something bad.[/spoiler] I do have to say however that in terms of Tybalt [spoiler]if the show is anything like a Shakespearean play, we can expect something bad emerging from his want of revenge leading into tragic dealings. Always seems in Shakespeare that revenge leads to tragedy.[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

No episode 20 until the end of the month. :animedepr I've put off watching 19 because of that. I did peek at the future episode titles (everything up to 23 has been announced). [I] Very[/I] suggestive...

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

give me time to catch up :D Got episode 18 ready to watch and my opinions on that will appear as an edit on this post...probably. Anyway I've seen titles for up to ep 21 Sadly AniDB doesn't have the names for 22 and 23. way things are going Romeo X Juliet might finish in time for EF in October since I only watch a few series at a time.

------------------------------------------------------------

Edit: or more like repost of first bit :P

anyway not much to say about ep 18 so I may as well just go on to talk about ep 19.

[LIST]
[*][Spoiler]Willy's play takes an unexpected turn in which we see the rebirth/return of the Red Whirlwind.[/spoiler]
[*][Spoiler]Juliet's motives are no longer the wishes of revenge as we found out in ep 17 but now are the wish to see the birth of a new government[/spoiler] (I guess).
[*][spoiler]We find out the reason for the original birth of the red whirlwind as well as how Curio obtains his scar.[/spoiler]
[*][spoiler]The revolution begins with the Red Whirlwind as the figurehead rather than the Capulets.[/spoiler]
[*][spoiler]Benvolio and Cordelia finally get a show in after being missing for a little while.[/spoiler]
[*][spoiler]The Red Whirlwind is unmasked to the general populace and to Montague.[/spoiler]
[/LIST]

On another note the preview for ep 20 looks like [spoiler]Romeo returns to neo-verona to confront his father and Mercutio.[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

Episode 20 gives us room for a lot of speculation about the end. I guess I'll throw a few possibilities out there:

- [spoiler]Juliet dies/is reborn as the second Escalus. Romeo takes on Ophelia's role for the next generation.[/spoiler] (Does that even make sense? I can't remember Ophelia saying what she really is or where she came from...)
- [spoiler]Both Juliet and Romeo turn into trees.[/spoiler] Very Grecian.
- [spoiler]Romeo finds a way to save Juliet at his own expense.[/spoiler]
- Or everyone lives happily ever after. :p

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

Well been a while since I saw an ep of this but I was finally able to see episode 20. Firstly in answer to your point about Ophelia Dagger. No she has never said what she is and apart from Monatgue's comment [spoiler]about her being his gardener[/spoiler] we don't have any clue. However after this ep I'm really interested to know what she is. was it just me [spoiler]or did her hands look like they were bark?[/spoiler].

I'd also tend to agree with your second hypothesis regarding the ending Dagger. Especially since the old unknown guy [spoiler]tells Romeo that he must take on Juliet's burden. Though he believes it's convincing his father to stand down I believe the connotations lead towards the ending. Also there are two trees keeping the land alive and the first already appeared to be dead. With ep20 it looks like Escalus is dying as well[/spoiler].