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R2 DVD Reviews
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Thursday, 11 March 2010 00:00 |
 There's something a little out of place about seeing the name "William Shakespeare" in the opening credits of this one, but given the underlying inspiration of the story it's no real surprise. As with GONZO's previous adaptations, though, "inspiration" is definitely the right description...
1 - Two People ~When They Met~
In the aerial city of Neo Verona, the feud between the houses of Montague and Capulet has dragged on for years - but now, the Montagues have seized power in the city and ordered the killing of every last member of the Capulet clan. Juliet, daughter of the clan, manages to escape the slaughter, but in the years after her escape there's a city-wide search for her, with anyone resembling her liable to summary execution. Fourteen years after the killings, the mysterious Red Whirlwind and his allies fight against this reign of terror, saving more than a few innocent girls in the process. It's a noble fight, but one that doesn't go down well in all quarters. In the meantime, Romeo - heir to the Montague family - is looking for a way to break free from the plan that his family have made for his life - could a chance meeting with Juliet be the trigger..?
2 - Promise ~The Fragrance Of Memory~
Romeo and Juliet have had their first meeting, and her head is full of thoughts of him and his name - love at first sight, if ever such a thing existed. Romeo's equally enamoured, but his evening's about to be ruined by the announcement by his father that he's to marry Hermione, the daughter of another grand house - something he had been neither warned about nor asked about. The next day is Juliet's 16th birthday - the day when she's finally to learn about her family history and why she's been forced to masquerade as a boy for so long. But learning of her royal origins, and having supporters of the family declare loyalty to her, may be too much for her to handle...
3 - Love ~Cruel Mischief~
The surviving former servants of the House of Capulet have made it very clear to Juliet what they expect her to do: to lead the revolt against the House of Montague, and to do to the Prince and his family what he once did to Juliet's. All this is too much for her to process, though - all she wants is a normal life, and there's the small matter of her new-found love for Romeo: the heir to the family that she's now expected to destroy. Meanwhile, the Red Whirlwind's actions are beginning to draw unwelcome attention...
4 - Shyness ~Stuck In The Rain~
Somehow, the small detail that Romeo was a Montague had managed to escape Juliet's attention: until now. That realisation is playing on her mind, making the telling off she's getting for playing vigilante again something that barely even registers with her, and it's gotten her to thinking: after all the time that's passed, what purpose will it serve for her to visit vengeance on the Montagues? Isn't it too late now to avenge her family, and won't others suffer needlessly if she mounts some sort of crusade? Romeo, meanwhile, realises that the Red Whirlwind is someone that Neo Verona needs at the moment - a view that the rest of his House, unsurprisingly, doesn't share...
5 - Cold Whirlwind ~Burning Resolve~
Juliet's secret is out, and Romeo now knows that Odin (a man) and Juliet (clearly not) are one and the same. But trying to figure out why Juliet's passing herself off as a man? That's a little more difficult, and as a result Romeo has a few questions he'd like answered. Juliet's absence, meanwhile, hasn't gone un-noticed, and her guardians are beginning to worry as she hasn't returned home, while the Prince is preparing to declare martial law until such time as the Red Whirlwind is in custody...
6 - Desire ~Entrusted Tomorrow~
Juliet can do nothing more than watch as the Doctor plays the part of the Red Whirlwind, making a sacrifice that must be made if her true identity is to remain a secret - she's insisted on playing the part of the masked crusader, and now she's having to pay the price of that, in the form of the guilt that goes along with seeing an innocent mad killed on her behalf. Prince Montague, meanwhile, makes moves to consolidate his control over Neo Verona...
Like Samurai 7 and Gankutsuou (The Count of Monte Christo) before it, Romeo x Juliet is based on a well-known work of fiction, in this case the Bard's famous tale of love and tragedy. But rather than being set in middle-ages Verona, the story has been transplanted to an alternate world, where the city of Neo Verona floats on air and the better-off residents get around on flying horses. The Montagues in this telling have also resorted to somewhat more drastic ways of dealing with their Capulet rivals than Shakespeare ever put on stage, with the result that Juliet is left orphaned, in hiding, and living the life of a young boy, all in the name of keeping her identity secret - as long as she's alive, the Capulet clan lives with her, and it's the threat that this poses that has caused the Montagues to embark on their ruthless search for her.
Juliet (now using the name Odin) doesn't initially know the full details of her tragic past, and during the opening episodes, many of those around her appear similarly unenlightened. She's accepted as a boy, carries out her heroic escapades as a boy, and tries to help those who are being accused of being Juliet escape their fates – an all-round honourable hero(ine). Romeo, meanwhile, is having his life micromanaged by his father and just wants to break free and be his own person, should he ever get the chance. In short, both of them are living a lie, albeit for very different reasons - but they're about to be brought together, and anyone with even a passing knowledge of English literature should know what happens next, as a nobles' ball brings the two momentarily together and sets events on what should be the road to disaster. I'm assuming that whatever other changes GONZO have made to the story, they won't mess with the ending…
Most of the other characters that appear in the original story make appearances here, although they don't necessarily fill the same sort of place in events. There are also a number of new characters added to the mix, including playwright Willy. I can't think who he may be intended to represent…! Outside the core of the Montague family – the Prince and his loyal servants, who are painted as true heartless tyrants – most of the characters come across as people who are simply trying to make the most of a bad situation, as the Prince's rule becomes ever more deadly to those who live under him. This is where Juliet will face a dilemma: she's a girl with a strong sense of right and wrong, but when her past is revealed to her you don't get any sense that she's all that interested in reviving the Capulet line. Fighting against injustice, yes; fighting for vengeance, no – especially when it becomes clear that any search for vengeance would bring her into conflict with Romeo, who otherwise seems quite inclined to help her. So, does she do what feels right to her, or does she let those who remain loyal to the Capulets control her actions? That's something for future volumes to address, but the possibilities are certainly intriguing, and this volume had no problems in keeping my full attention.
GONZO's adaptations of well-known literature works usually gain them a lot of credit - they're lavish productions (of the sort we probably won't be seeing many more of while they're in their current financial state), with high animation standards and enough tweaks made to the base story to give them a feel all their own, and Romeo x Juliet is no exception. It looks impressive, with Neo Verona beautifully detailed and the character designs very easy on the eye. The setting works well, too, and the ways in which the main characters are introduced quickly give you a feel for the lives they're trapped in. The idea strays very far from the source material, though, so if you're a stickler for accuracy in adaptations, then this won't be for you. For those more forgiving of all the changes made, though, there's plenty here to enjoy - well worth seeing.
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