many recent shoujo works I saw/read are all too sweet and... false? imposters? I almost forgot that the genre is not guilty for this fact. 'twas Izumi-san's 'Himegimi no Tsukurikata' described when someone said - 'this is a shoujo manga, but there is no romance in the traditional understanding'. there was no romantic relationship at all in that manga, and this time we do have a romance, but again - not a traditional one. it has all the attributes of a usual shoujo romance - characters loving each other have obstacles, doubt themselves, sacrifice themselves, and so on and so on, but after many days of constant thinking of how to call this work I finally found a good word. 'Emma' is straightforward. sincere and straightforward. yes.
Plot and characters
There are two seasons in this work. And there is a reason why there are two seasons, not one long series. The first one has a bit different feeling from the second one. The first is SLOW, as 'twas created for admiration - of the scenery, of London, of Englishmen of the late 19th century. And one should be prepared before he starts watching it. Well, not he - she, of course. I highly doubt any guy would be happy to watch this work. Still, this is not a shoujo.
The second season is much faster and portrays much more personalities, deepening the ones who were already present in season 1 and introducing new ones. One should be aware of this change. She, not he - and still this is not a shoujo.
If I am in any position to compare, then I know what I want to describe.
Fortunately I was brought up in a family where reading was encouraged. My parents had nice bookshelves full of nice books. Still those were not enough. They purchased a series of books entitled - 'collection for young princesses' or something like this. Among them are books you have hardly ever heard of, but some world-famous masterpieces also - such as 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott, 'A Little Princess' and 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and many others. Well, I could recall reading 'Jane Eyre' as well. The same historical period means the same setting, but also - the same type of the story. 'Emma', being close to the books I mentioned and the likes, is not a 'romance novel for women', 'tis for much younger girls. Why? Well, for me - novels for women contain more of an emphasis on the characters' inner feelings in terms of doubting, mistrust, constant quarrels between the lovers or endless row of misfortunes, and usually the plot never sways from the main 2 characters, as their romance is the most important thing, if not the only reason for the novel to exist. 'Emma' is different, as the other books I mentioned are, it describes the epoch, it describes people and places, and it never crosses the line between the subtle and the vulgar. In the end, I was almost unhappy with the fact that 'Emma' resembles Western books more than a Japanese anime. however, there is no point for been upset. there is a very Japanese idea in it - as long as you do whatever you can, as long as you do your best, with all your might, until the end - there will be people who believe in you, help you and even save you, and those who doubted you can change their mind, and those who wish you evil will be defeated. look how William's brother gave him the list of people to appeal to, how Hakim persuaded a rich gentleman to participate in the project, look how Mrs Molders who had nothing else to wish for in her life listened to Emma when she was too straightforward, notice how the maids and other servants who first disliked Emma finally understood her feelings - 'you have to go, don't you?' says Mrs Wieck, the strict house keeper in the last episode and Nanette adds 'we will cope here, go'
oh, since I mentioned Nanette, there is another important thing. look how everyone is brilliantly portrayed - the servants in Molders estate, every one of them having his special features of character - caring Hans, having an unrequited love Nanette, feeling suspicion and being a bit egoistic Polly, loving Emma with no doubts clumsy Tasha, cold blooded and experienced Adele, young and free boys
Eleanor - an example of a usual 'maiden in love' who dedicates herself completely to the man she chose but who is mistaken in her feeling - she is not forgotten in the end and is hinted to have a chance of finding a person who would truly love her in the future. her maid, who understands everything and understands as well that she cannot do anything but to serve faithfully as before. and Monica, a character with typical features of a comic role, but so very real. her love for her sister never seems hypocritical, and at the same time she is a wayward capricious woman - momentarily fascinated by Hakim's look and starts wearing Indian clothes and smoking hookah. notice how her husband comes to get her home during the last row of images in the last episode - I LOLed
Hakim himself - though not the main character, the story would never be the same without him, combining serious moments with entertaining ones. and of course, his 4 companions - they 'made my day' every day I watched 'Emma' ^.^ I loved them, even though they never uttered a word
remember Al, so supporting and understanding. and of course, Mrs Stownar, strict but caring about Emma and William almost as if they were her own children
William was also an example of combining English with Japanese. while he was a true English gentleman - hard-working, determined and considerate about his nearest and dearest, he didn't fail to reveal what so special there was about him - a thing that most shoujo really lack, where the main heroine's love interest often goes no farther than being attractive and strong. Emma answers properly why she prefers him to anyone else - 'He is not asking me simply 'yes' or 'no' like others do, he only enjoys talking to me'. William is, on the other hand, not a fragile young guy, he never hesitated to take the basket with vegetables out of Emma's hands and walk her home. he never hesitated to stand in front of Emma to protect her when his father approached them hugging and then try to follow her when she run away. his problem was that he stopped every time in the last moment - and that is what Hakim blamed him for, absolutely fair thing. another noticeable thing is that instead of a shy sullen guy with a 'childhood trauma' William is a positive and nice young man, though a bit straightforward. 'I will buy you new spectacles! because, birds are flying, flowers are blooming... and children are falling, isn't that so!'
Emma herself - reserved and emotionless outwardly but sensitive inside, able to have deep feelings, loyal to people who are kind to her, helping and understanding. when she spoke for Nanette asking Mrs Molders to let her stay I was not surprised, but when she rushed after Nanette and saved her I was deeply moved. not that the others didn't care about Nanette, but only Emma was able to feel that Nanette was capable of committing suicide
seiyuus
I don't want to make this post even longer. the seiyuus are all brilliant. this is the case when the seiyuus work not only suits the anime perfectly, but also enchants you so that you cannot tear yourself off the screen and want to hear more lines of that character, and that, and that one too...
probably the middle of 00s was such a wonderful period when the 'elder' seiyuus were still active and the young ones were less simple and more hard-working (than they seem to me nowadays) to make this anime superb
music
the main themes like 'Emma', 'Menuet for Emma', 'Silhouette of a Breeze', 'Rondo of Lilybell' which were used as OPEDs and insert instrumentals are unforgettable, of course, but even minor melodies that weren't constantly repeated are of astonishing good quality. my favourites are 'love at first sight', 'Separation', 'Repose' and 'Purity'. all the melodies are both English and 19-century-ish. a perfect OST which I can name an example of what an anime OST should be. not only it suits the anime itself, 'tis also great to listen separately. one can hardly imagine what it feels like - sitting near the sea and listening to the sounds composed by Kunihiko Ryou-san while looking onto the blue waves and blue summer sky, or sitting near the country house inhaling fresh air and drinking hot tea
graphics
let me be honest, I am not really fond of the way the faces are drawn. on the other hand, I got used to this eventually. the setting is pretty good, buildings and streets are all admirable. the creators really loved what they were doing
my favourite place was, of course, the Crystal Palace. I really admired it, and who wouldn't? not only we see William and Emma enjoying their 'date', but also get to know pretty much about the place, as William tells Emma about it
conclusion
only a week and a half have passed since I finished watching the anime, but it has already stable and 'unerasable' image in my mind. this summer became memorable, not without several animes I watched, and 'Emma' is an essential part of it
Plot and characters
There are two seasons in this work. And there is a reason why there are two seasons, not one long series. The first one has a bit different feeling from the second one. The first is SLOW, as 'twas created for admiration - of the scenery, of London, of Englishmen of the late 19th century. And one should be prepared before he starts watching it. Well, not he - she, of course. I highly doubt any guy would be happy to watch this work. Still, this is not a shoujo.
The second season is much faster and portrays much more personalities, deepening the ones who were already present in season 1 and introducing new ones. One should be aware of this change. She, not he - and still this is not a shoujo.
If I am in any position to compare, then I know what I want to describe.
Fortunately I was brought up in a family where reading was encouraged. My parents had nice bookshelves full of nice books. Still those were not enough. They purchased a series of books entitled - 'collection for young princesses' or something like this. Among them are books you have hardly ever heard of, but some world-famous masterpieces also - such as 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott, 'A Little Princess' and 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and many others. Well, I could recall reading 'Jane Eyre' as well. The same historical period means the same setting, but also - the same type of the story. 'Emma', being close to the books I mentioned and the likes, is not a 'romance novel for women', 'tis for much younger girls. Why? Well, for me - novels for women contain more of an emphasis on the characters' inner feelings in terms of doubting, mistrust, constant quarrels between the lovers or endless row of misfortunes, and usually the plot never sways from the main 2 characters, as their romance is the most important thing, if not the only reason for the novel to exist. 'Emma' is different, as the other books I mentioned are, it describes the epoch, it describes people and places, and it never crosses the line between the subtle and the vulgar. In the end, I was almost unhappy with the fact that 'Emma' resembles Western books more than a Japanese anime. however, there is no point for been upset. there is a very Japanese idea in it - as long as you do whatever you can, as long as you do your best, with all your might, until the end - there will be people who believe in you, help you and even save you, and those who doubted you can change their mind, and those who wish you evil will be defeated. look how William's brother gave him the list of people to appeal to, how Hakim persuaded a rich gentleman to participate in the project, look how Mrs Molders who had nothing else to wish for in her life listened to Emma when she was too straightforward, notice how the maids and other servants who first disliked Emma finally understood her feelings - 'you have to go, don't you?' says Mrs Wieck, the strict house keeper in the last episode and Nanette adds 'we will cope here, go'
oh, since I mentioned Nanette, there is another important thing. look how everyone is brilliantly portrayed - the servants in Molders estate, every one of them having his special features of character - caring Hans, having an unrequited love Nanette, feeling suspicion and being a bit egoistic Polly, loving Emma with no doubts clumsy Tasha, cold blooded and experienced Adele, young and free boys
Eleanor - an example of a usual 'maiden in love' who dedicates herself completely to the man she chose but who is mistaken in her feeling - she is not forgotten in the end and is hinted to have a chance of finding a person who would truly love her in the future. her maid, who understands everything and understands as well that she cannot do anything but to serve faithfully as before. and Monica, a character with typical features of a comic role, but so very real. her love for her sister never seems hypocritical, and at the same time she is a wayward capricious woman - momentarily fascinated by Hakim's look and starts wearing Indian clothes and smoking hookah. notice how her husband comes to get her home during the last row of images in the last episode - I LOLed
Hakim himself - though not the main character, the story would never be the same without him, combining serious moments with entertaining ones. and of course, his 4 companions - they 'made my day' every day I watched 'Emma' ^.^ I loved them, even though they never uttered a word
William was also an example of combining English with Japanese. while he was a true English gentleman - hard-working, determined and considerate about his nearest and dearest, he didn't fail to reveal what so special there was about him - a thing that most shoujo really lack, where the main heroine's love interest often goes no farther than being attractive and strong. Emma answers properly why she prefers him to anyone else - 'He is not asking me simply 'yes' or 'no' like others do, he only enjoys talking to me'. William is, on the other hand, not a fragile young guy, he never hesitated to take the basket with vegetables out of Emma's hands and walk her home. he never hesitated to stand in front of Emma to protect her when his father approached them hugging and then try to follow her when she run away. his problem was that he stopped every time in the last moment - and that is what Hakim blamed him for, absolutely fair thing. another noticeable thing is that instead of a shy sullen guy with a 'childhood trauma' William is a positive and nice young man, though a bit straightforward. 'I will buy you new spectacles! because, birds are flying, flowers are blooming... and children are falling, isn't that so!'
Emma herself - reserved and emotionless outwardly but sensitive inside, able to have deep feelings, loyal to people who are kind to her, helping and understanding. when she spoke for Nanette asking Mrs Molders to let her stay I was not surprised, but when she rushed after Nanette and saved her I was deeply moved. not that the others didn't care about Nanette, but only Emma was able to feel that Nanette was capable of committing suicide
seiyuus
I don't want to make this post even longer. the seiyuus are all brilliant. this is the case when the seiyuus work not only suits the anime perfectly, but also enchants you so that you cannot tear yourself off the screen and want to hear more lines of that character, and that, and that one too...
probably the middle of 00s was such a wonderful period when the 'elder' seiyuus were still active and the young ones were less simple and more hard-working (than they seem to me nowadays) to make this anime superb
music
the main themes like 'Emma', 'Menuet for Emma', 'Silhouette of a Breeze', 'Rondo of Lilybell' which were used as OPEDs and insert instrumentals are unforgettable, of course, but even minor melodies that weren't constantly repeated are of astonishing good quality. my favourites are 'love at first sight', 'Separation', 'Repose' and 'Purity'. all the melodies are both English and 19-century-ish. a perfect OST which I can name an example of what an anime OST should be. not only it suits the anime itself, 'tis also great to listen separately. one can hardly imagine what it feels like - sitting near the sea and listening to the sounds composed by Kunihiko Ryou-san while looking onto the blue waves and blue summer sky, or sitting near the country house inhaling fresh air and drinking hot tea
graphics
let me be honest, I am not really fond of the way the faces are drawn. on the other hand, I got used to this eventually. the setting is pretty good, buildings and streets are all admirable. the creators really loved what they were doing
my favourite place was, of course, the Crystal Palace. I really admired it, and who wouldn't? not only we see William and Emma enjoying their 'date', but also get to know pretty much about the place, as William tells Emma about it
conclusion
only a week and a half have passed since I finished watching the anime, but it has already stable and 'unerasable' image in my mind. this summer became memorable, not without several animes I watched, and 'Emma' is an essential part of it
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