What They Say
As Neo Verona suffers under the thrall of its new masters, the fates of two star crossed lovers are about to become tragically entwined... As the citizens of the city suffer, the Capulet clan struggles to strike a blow against their enemies, and the Montagues tighten their grasp on power, an unlikely love blossoms between Romeo and Juliet - but in the face of such adversity, this ill-fated love may be doomed from the outset.
Episodes Comprise
7 - Warmth ~Just for Now~
8 - Presumption ~Justice~
9 - Rise to Action ~Hesitation Quelled~
10 - Tears ~To Have Met You~
11 - The Vows ~The Blessing of the Morning Sun~
12 - Solace ~To Stay This Way~
The Review!
With the rebellion that Juliet's supporters had been planning crushed before it even begins, Juliet finds herself with time to ponder other things: just what she's been doing with her life, the effect she's having on others.. and, eventually, the love that she knows should never be. Although that's not going to stop her from trying.
Audio:
Audio for this release comes in Japanese 2.0 stereo and English 5.1 surround versions - I listened to the Japanese track for this release. The soundtrack is clean and clear, with no obvious problems or distortions, but neither does it go out of its way to do anything particularly flash - it's simply competent and does what it needs to do, which given the profile of the series could be a little disappointing.
Video:
Video comes in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, and for the most part looks very good - there's an almost pastel touch to the colours used that give the setting a bright feeling without being too brash, animation is fluid, and there are no obvious encoding problems. Definitely nice to look at.
Packaging:
No packaging was provided with our review copy.
Menu:
Menus follow the usual MVM pattern - static main screen, this time featuring the show's logo underlaid by a faded-out image of the star-crossed lovers, with options for Play All, Episodes, Setup and Extras running along the bottom of the screen, while the opening song plays over the top. There are no transition animations between screens, making it all quick and easy to use.
Extras:
None.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review will contain spoilers)
This volume brings us six more episodes, with the third being a major turning point in the series so far the Capulets' abortive rebellion against the Montagues. Even outside this, though, there's still plenty going on, including a few indications that all isn't right behind the scenes, as the (failing) source of the power behind Prince Montague is revealed. All this is spread out through three main plot threads, so let's take a look at them in turn.
First up is the appearance of Tybalt, and the role he takes on as something between Juliet's mentor and tormentor - he's presented in the series as a character who very much deals in shades of grey, who knows a lot about the ins and outs of Neo Verona, and who knows whose palms to grease with coinage to find out the things he doesn't know. He sees the need to persuade Juliet to lead the fightback against the Montagues, but he can also demonstrate that - at this stage, at least -she lacks the willpower to do the things that need to be done to free the city. He's a truly interesting character, and in giving Juliet something to think about he also leads her towards making some rash decisions. While all this is happening, the story leads you to believe that the coming uprising will see the Capulets emerge victorious - but that's just the rise before the fall.
Come the middle episodes on the disc, betrayal becomes the order of the day as Juliet's plans fall apart around her and leave her wondering what to do next. While she's able to escape her pursuers, she's left in no fit state to think straight about what to do next and finds herself aimlessly wandering the streets of the city -" and eventually into the care of an unexpected ally, who - aware of the relationship between them - alerts Romeo to her presence. The following morning, rain has given way to sunshine, and a day that allows the star-crossed pair to feel a freedom they've never known, as they spend the day in each others' company. Using Romeo's dragonhorse, they're able to travel far beyond Neo Verona's boundaries and, on the way, learn more about each other than they've ever had the chance to. This segment, to me, is the real highlight of the disc, as thoughts of Neo Verona are left far behind and they can finally be what they really are: kids in love. The whole segment, stretching over two episodes before reality comes back to bite them, has a wonderfully light-hearted and innocent feel to it and is one of those passages of storytelling that's sadly over far too quickly. At least they get the balcony scene in along the way.
The final - and shortest - story thread was also the one which I suspect may turn out to be the most important, with Prince Montague visiting a chamber deep beneath his palace to visit a strange woman, Ophelia, and the object of power that she tends - Escalus, which appears to be a giant tree but that clearly has a greater significance. It also appears to be the last of its kind, although Romeo and Juliet coincidentally encounter a dead counterpart of it on their own travels. Escalus has problems of its own, too, problems that could signal the end of Montague's reign if he's not careful. There's very little information given about Excalus or Ophelia, but the implication that they'll come into play in a big way later in the series is unmistakeable, and my curioisity as to just what they represent has been well and truly piqued.
The only downside, really, is that unless you lived under a rock during your school years, you'll already know roughly were the story is ending - you want to see the happy ending, but you know that unless GONZO really messed with the story, you're not going to get it, and the jaws of disaster await. Depressing as that may be, though, the tragedy lurking in the shadows only adds to the show's appeal.
In summary:
The more I watch of Romeo x Juliet, the more I'm enjoying it, and it's hard to put a finger on any aspect of it that's out of place or not enjoyable, other than some places where the pacing doesn't feel quite right. Overall, though, it's simply a well-presented, well-told story, and is well worth getting.
Features
Japanese Language 2.0, English Language 5.1, English Subtitles
Review Equipment
Toshiba 37X3030DB 37" widescreen HDTV; Sony PS3 Blu-ray player (via HDMI, upscaled to 1080p); Acoustic Solutions DS-222 5.1 speaker system.
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