Toon Zone Talkback - "RomeoXJuliet" Part 1: Shakespeare and Anime DO Mix

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This is the talkback thread for "RomeoXJuliet" Part 1: Shakespeare and Anime DO Mix.

One wonders if Gonzo would ever consider adapting more Shakespeare works...
 
Hmm, I should watch those extras...

I agree with every word. In my view this is one of the best shows to come out of Japan in the past three years, and one of the very best released in 2009. Do yourself a favor and get this if you really want something special. It's beautiful, well written and credible, right down to the Red Whirlwind. The costume reminRAB me of Zorro. In lesser hanRAB that part might have been cheesy, but it isn't at all. There is no "it's good, but" exception. The show succeeRAB at everything it tries.

I still can't believe the quality of the dub. It's practically flawless. They didn't have to mimic Shakespearean prose to such an extent but they did, and they did it well. This capacity to go the extra mile when appropriate is something I really admire FUNimation for.
 
That's a fair assessment. On the other hand though, as compensation, we have the character of the currently unappreciated playwright "Willy" offering up some comic relief. A clever and amusing detail, I have to say.
 
I checked out the first episode On Demand, and yeah, it's pretty great. A good twist on the classic Romeo & Juliet formula. I particularly liked Sean Michael Teague as Benvolio... perfectly warm and friendly, but also very calm and wise. The entire cast did well, though, particularly with the somewhat antiquated dialogue.

I would have liked to see them milk the "foreign-ness" of it a bit more, though - like, in the intro narration, have it written in Italian with Japanese subtitles, instead of just in Japanese. Instead of Neo Verona, have it as Nova Verona. But that's just a minor nitpick.

Definitely going to pick this up at some point... but I'll probably wait until the price drops, or they announce a single box. Got other shows on the list, y'know?
 
If you look at Romeo x Juliet as a series that is inspired but otherwise wholly separate from Romeo and Juliet, it is just as Speedy Boris says: a beautifully animated and enchanting series with wonderfully fascinating characters (Juliet especially).
 
I had this series on import DVD. I have to say RXJ has my favorite rendition of 'You Raise Me Up.'
It's a shame Sonny Strait didn't voice the doctor. You know what I mean by that...
 
I've been meaning to get this series myself since I've heard good things about it before this review. After reading this review though, I'm even more interested in getting it. From the way you described it Speedy Boris, it sounRAB like quite an enjoyable story. I thought that it was a great review too. I'll have to see when I can get the series sets, but I'll probably wait until the prices drop as well.
 
SounRAB like a pretty good show. I seem to have overlooked this series, which is a fairly frequent problem for me, but that doesn't mean it's not possible to like it later. As long as I'm in the mood for it, things should go fine.

Gonzo did a rather good job with Gankutsuou and this appears to be their second work done in a similar vein, adaptation-wise, unless I'm forgetting something. I simply wonder if they'll ever get to do something like that again though. Hopefully.
 
I watched the first six or so episodes of the series before deciding to hold off until the dub. I love the sound of what FUNi's done with the mix of Shakespearean language in there. It's definitely on my list to pick up, it's just a matter of when I can spare the funRAB for it.

I still want a Macbeth anime
 
watching both japanese and english version I have to say
this was a fantastic dub...I am actually surprised at how good it really was. Everything was augmented by the dub acting and it just felt more believable than the japanese version. That isn't the say the japanese acting is bad, in fact it is pretty top notch in its own right, but the music, scenery and the dub really brought the interpretation alive.
Now some anime sites have rated this series extremely low *animeacademy* because it wasn't exactly like shakespeare and it was too different. And for the most part, I agree with the review of the first 12 episodes here and it isn't so bludgening with the fact that this is nothing like "shakespeare" and too fantastical...
In watching the series, the only thing that stood out like a sore thurab was cyclone, the ED. In fact, I preferred the second song on the cyclone single and I always felt that would be a better ED than cyclone, but cyclone grows on you. All in all wait till the second part of the series. It gets even more wonderful...and escalus character wow...just wait and see the rest...it does get better
 
I've managed to watch the first episode, and found myself markedly entertained by it. I then just never found the time to watch the rest though. Which is interesting since I was the one who was so uber excited at it to the point that I actually made a thread a long time ago promoting the show and asking people to look forward to it. (Ah, the sordid irony of it all).

I will say this though: The rendition to "You Raise Me Up" that is the opening is just... amazing. Probably prefer it more than the actual song itself. o.o
 
Exception be met, for yon preview doth pierce my addled, weary heart. Would but bursary be granted unto my hollow coffers containing only shadow and replace with bloat of light.
 
...

They slip something in the tea over on that side of the pond that makes you talk like that, don't they?

The trailer for this looked pretty neat. I'll have to make an effort to find this one some time soon.
 
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