Name: Romeo x Juliet
Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Drama
Year: 2007
Rating: Must See
Neo Verona is a city that was once ruled by the Capulet family. However on one stormy night the Montagues overthrew the Capulets with their brute force. The Capulet family was slaughtered and the only surviving member was Lord Capulet’s daughter, Juliet. For fourteen years Juliet has escaped capture by disguising herself as a boy known as Odin. As a skilled swordsman and a person who desires whats just she masquerades herself as a vigilante known as the Red Whirlwind (Akai Kaze). Although she is satisfied with helping those in need in the dystopia ruled by Lord Montague as the last hope for the Capulet family she has a much heavier burden to bear. Although she has no memory of her past the truth is soon revealed to her along with the responsibility of reclaiming Neo Verona and freeing the people from suffering. Romeo on the other hand is the son of Lord Capulet, he has enjoyed the extravagant life of a noble however unlike those who surround him he has a strong sense of justice just like Juliet. Once the two cross paths they both instantly fall in love and hence comes the tale of history’s most famed star crossed lovers.
The series is based on the famous play by William Shakespeare, however there are many differences with regards to the plot and the characters. The major difference would be the dystopia ruled by the Montague family. In the original play the two families were more on even grounds with regards to power and furthermore both families were portrayed as the wrongdoers. However in this play it is shown that the Capulet’s who once ruled were righteous whilst the Montague’s who stole the right to be ruler are quite the opposite. The play also holds several references to Shakespeare’s other plays which is quite interesting and enjoyable if you are able to pick them up as they appear. They also managed to integrate the Shakespeare into the anime as a character named Willy. I found that this was quite well done, as an observer he does not have much influence in the events that unfold but its quite cleaver that with the inclusion of this character it plays on the idea that the story of Romeo and Juliet was actually witnessed by Shakespeare. With the inclusion of awesome sword action and several flying Pegasus this adaptation is defiantly worth having a look at. I’m sure some of you have hated studying Shakespeare in your school life however this is one of the examples of how an contemporary adaptation of old literature can actually be interesting and enjoyable to view. There is a fair amount of symbolism and meaning within the scenes of the series, you may want to look at these aspects but as for me I just simply enjoyed the series. After all Shakespeare’s works were originally meant for entertainment not to bore and confuse people. Romeo and Juliet is probably known and most likely will be known as the most famous love tragedy. With nice orchestral background music played by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra this series certainly lives up to the reputation of one of the greatest love stories of all time.
