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Romeo X Juliet (Collection 1):-

 

One thing to remember with these reviews I'm doing is that I'm looking at sampler DVDs, which are not the finished product which you, the consumer, will see when you purchase a copy. These samplers lack the final touches and also lack anything other than an English dub soundtrack. That's a shame, because ideally I'd like to look at each episode twice: once in English dub and then with subtitles, so that I can listen to the Japanese voices. Never mind. A free DVD is always good

If you're over the age of 15, you almost certainly have studied Bill Shakespeare's plays at school, and probably hated them. I'm not too sure why WS's plays are required reading at highschool, but, if you ever get the opportunity, try to see the plays being performed in a theatre. It really does make a huge difference to your understanding, and possibly enjoyment, of what he wrote.

If you don't have some vague idea of the storyline of Romeo and Juliet, then you have probably been living in a hole in the ground for most of your life (or maybe you are under 12 years of age, which is OK too). A story of revenge, of young love, of actions and consequences, with most people dying at the end - most of the major themes which William explored in his vast writings. But, how about a version of R&J where WS is a co-star? Sound intriguing? Then step right up and have a look at Gonzo's take on this fabulous story.

Romeo is the heir apparent to the kingdom of Neo-Verona (a nice anime touch). This sounds like a good career choice, but unfortunately for the young man, his father, the Prince of Montague, is a total bastard who had the previous rulers, the Capulets, put to the sword 14 years earlier. Only the 2 year old Juliet survived, and she has been hidden, dressed like a man, for all these years. Now, on her 16th birthday, she learns the truth about her family and her destiny, to restore the Capulets to the throne of Neo-Verona.

Juliet hasn't been idle in the past 14 years though. She has an alter ego, the "Red Whirlwind", who rescues villagers from the oppressive henchmen of the evil bastard, Prince Montague. Like all anime characters, she can jump off a ledge and land 100 feet below without even cracking a toe nail, which she does on a regular basis. Juliet has also been a character actor in William Shakespeare's theatre, playing roles as a man (her pseudonym is Odin when she is dressed as a man). As the Red Whirlwind, she is rescued by Romeo, who happens to be passing, flying on his favourite dragon stead (another nice anime touch).

The two characters meet at a ball, and it's love at first sight. Despite the fact that Romeo has been forcibly engaged to Hermione (not the Hermione from the Harry Potter stories - what would Ron Weasley say?), Romeo yearns for the fair Juliet. And Juliet, even after learning the fate of her family and that Romeo is the heir apparent to the mob that killed her family, loves Romeo. So is the tragedy set in place.

This is Collection 1, so you won't see the entire series, but it goes for 150 minutes, which immerses you in the world of the ill-fated lovers. The production values are high. Rich, detailed backgrounds, which add great atmosphere to the story. Director Fumitoshi Oisaki and the team at Gonzo has approached this most famous story with great respect, and full marks also to the four writers, who have managed to adopt and adapt a classic tale whilst still maintaining the essential themes of Shakespeare's tragedy. It would have been so easy to turn this tale into a parody, with a big-breasted heroine and the usual likeable-but-dumb hero. Not the case here: both the main characters show intelligence, integrity and a level of maturity which would shame most of us. They should marry, have lots of kids, and jointly rule Neo-Verona for many years, but of course, we know that they are doomed to die.

Sadly, this anime will disappear with hardly a trace. It doesn't have enough mindless violence and action scenes for the young male audience; it doesn't have any cute characters or talking animal mascots; no weird sex scenes or even kissing (not in the first collection anyway). All it has is a great story told with respect and sincerity. Who's going to buy that? Kudos to Gonzo for bothering to make a series which they must have known would never make them any money. This is a labour of love.