Emma: Volume One

By Nadia Oxford     October 09, 2006

It's not often a manga makes you say "Oh my goodness, this is so cute, I could just eat it up." Even the stuff for kids with cute fuzzy fantasy animals has something darker behind it, such as evil organisations, controlled cockfighting, and stuff like that. But Emma, a manga by Kaoru Mori and published by CMX, is a guiltless, unadulterated dose of cute with no baggage.

That's not to say it's shallow or lacking in substance. It's cute in the same way an old couple holding hands on a beach is cute: There's depth and emotion involved that's more than what it seems on the surface. Emma is a love story, and not one that necessarily takes place in a unique locale (Victorian London). Even the plot runs along the beaten path. Emma is a maid in the service of a retired Governess in London. She meets William, the son of a wealthy family, and he's smitten. A tentative relationship begins to bud between the two of them, but is stunted by other family members, interested suitors, and The Great Lovekiller, Victorian class distinction.

But Emma's story doesn't try to be unique and striking. Kaoru is trying for sweetness, and at that she definitely succeeds. The subject matter isn't unheard of in other instances of media and literature (the most famous example of upper and lower-class worlds colliding being "Pygmalion" / "My Fair Lady"), but the pains Mori went through to make Emma as historically accurate as possible are still evident, even going as far as consulting an expert on Victorian times to go over her work.

Sometimes when an artist or writer attempts their take on another culture, especially a historical era that's come and gone, the results make readers squint and say, "Uh, okay. I guess." But there's never any mistaking Emma for what it's supposed to be. The problems of life in 19th century England are presented in the story: Short lifespans, sickness, inheritance and sudden, sad reminders of mortality for even young men and women. Emma's problems revolve around her personal security as her benefactor slowly dies, whereas William must deal with problems typical in a wealthy family: Marriage has nothing to do with love and everything to do with business, and friends prove to be frivolous, with too much time and money on their hands.

Great love stories often subscribe to the formula of class distinction. Modern readers, raised in a society that tries to teach children everyone is equal, are crushed as relationships fail because meddlesome family members can't accept the burning love between two individuals from what may as well be different sides of the world. Some readers might decide the pages on that particular story are a little worn, but for every other romantic sucker, Emma will prove a favourite.