Animanga/Manga| Information
|
Animanga/Anime| Information
|
Animanga/Anime| Information
|
is a
Historical Romance Manga by
Kaoru Mori . It was published by
Enterbrain in the magazine ''
Monthly Comic Beam '' and collected in 7
Tankōbon volumes. An English translation is being published by
CMX . The series has been
Adapted as a
Anime television series, entitled .
Set in
Victorian London at the end of the 19th century, ''Emma'' is the story of a
Maid who falls in
Love with a member of the
Gentry . However, the latter's
Family disapproves of him associating with people of the
Lower Classes .
Both the manga and anime versions of ''Emma'' are unique for being set in a setting seldom visited by either medium without some , even going as far as having the official ''Emma'' anime
Website selling Emma's "costume" for ¥45 000.
1
''Emma'' is drawn in a meticulously crosshatched
Pen And Ink style, and Mori is noted for the depth and accuracy of her research in creating the characters and settings. A companion reference called the ''Emma Victorian Guide'' has been published to explain many of the unfamiliar and obscure historical references. Emma appears on all the cover of the volumes of the manga series.
From volume 3 of the manga on, Kaoru Mori hired a historical consultant, Rico Murakami, to ensure the historical accuracy of the manga. Murakami also became the historical consultant for the anime series.
''Emma'' was awarded an Excellence Prize at the 2005
Japan Media Arts Festival .
2
''Emma'''s serialization run in
Enterbrain 's ''
Monthly Comic Beam '' ended on
12 April ,
2006 , at 52 chapters. The author has since been creating further stories in the same setting, but focusing on characters beyond Emma and William. These "Further adventures" are also published in ''Comic Beam''.
#''Volume 1'' (
30 August 2002 ) ISBN 4-7577-0972-2
#''Volume 2'' (
24 February 2003 ) ISBN 4-7577-1312-6
#''Volume 3'' (
25 November 2003 ) ISBN 4-7577-1642-7
#''Volume 4'' (
26 June 2004 ) ISBN 4-7577-1887-X
#''Volume 5'' (
31 March 2005 ) ISBN 4-7577-2168-4
#''Volume 6'' (
31 August 2005 ) ISBN 4-7577-2403-9
#''Volume 7'' (
25 May 2006 ) ISBN 4-7577-2787-9
#''Volume 8'' (
26 March 2007 ) ISBN 4-7577-3449-2
#''Volume 8 Special Edition (DVD included)'' (
26 March 2007 ) ISBN 4-7577-3450-6
;Novelizations
The
Novelisations are written by
Saori Kumi , and based upon the original manga.
#''Volume 1'' (
22 March 2005 ) ISBN 4-7577-2209-5
#''Volume 2'' (
29 October 2005 ) ISBN 4-7577-2490-X
;Victorian Guide
#''Emma Victorian Guide'' by
Kaoru Mori and
Rico Murakami (
25 November 2003 ) ISBN 4-7577-1643-5
The manga was adapted into a
TV Anime series, entitled , directed by
Tsuneo Kobayashi and scripted by
Mamiko Ikeda , and produced by
Studio Pierrot and
Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS) . The first season of the anime series premiered between
2 April ,
2005 and
18 June ,
2005 across
Japan on several
UHF TV Stations ,
BS-i and the
CS TV Network Animax , who have also later aired the series across its respective networks worldwide, including
Hong Kong and
Taiwan , also translating and dubbing the series into
English for its English language networks in
Southeast Asia and
South Asia , and other regions.
The Japanese title of the anime is written using a couple of
Kanji from before the adoption of simplified characters after the end of
World War II , which reflects the usage of kanji in the time period the story is set in. In modern Japanese 英國戀物語 (Eikoku Koi Monogatari, lit. ''English Lovestory'' or ''Lovestory in England'') would be written as 英国恋物語, the characters for
Country and love being replaced by their modern variants. The series' official English title is ''Emma - A Victorian Romance''.
Pierrot's official English website
The series' depiction of
Victorian England was accurate, with locations such as
London 's
King's Cross Station ,
The Crystal Palace ,
Covent Garden ,
Mudie's Lending Library and such vehicles and applications of the era, such as
Henson 's
Aerial Steam Carriage , recreated in meticulous detail.
The anime series has been continued onto an ongoing second season, , which has continued the story and premiered in Japan on numerous television stations from
April 16 2007 . Animated by
Ajia-do Animation Works and directed by
Tsuneo Kobayashi and written by
Mamiko Ikeda , the second season was first announced by the anime's official website in August 2006 and the September 2006 issue of manga publisher
Enterbrain 's ''Comic Beam'' magazine, in which the original manga has been serialized.
''Emma Victorian Romance'' official website , August 2006.
See Also: List of Emma episodes
- Executive Producers: Kaoru Saitō ( TBS ), Michiyuki Honma ( Pierrot ), Hisato Usui ( Toshiba Entertainment ), Yōko Furukawa ( Pony Canyon ), Yukio Sonobe ( Fuji Creative Corporation )
- Series Composition: Mamiko Ikeda
- Character Design: Yūko Kusumoto , Keiko Shimizu
- Prop Design: Haruo Miyagawa
- Historical Consultant: Rico Murakami
- Layout Supervisor: Hirato Tanaka , Junichi Takaoka
- Art Director: Junko Sakurai , Yūko Yano ( Studio Easter )
- Art Settings: Chie Minakami
- Color Design: Yūko Satō
- Director of Photography: Atsuho Matsumoto
- Editing: Seiji Morita
- Music: Kunihiko Ryō
- Sound Director: Hiromi Kikuta
- Sound Effects: Eiko Morikawa ( Sound Garden )
- Audio Production: Gakuonsha
- Producers: Tetsuo Gensho (TBS), Kei Fukura (Pierrot), Naofumi Morishita (Toshiba Entertainment), Takashi Watanabe (Pony Canyon), Keiko Nakayama (Fuji Creative Corporation)
- Director: Tsuneo Kobayashi
- Production: TBS , Pierrot , Toshiba Entertainment , Pony Canyon , Fuji Creative Corporation
- "Silhouette of a Breeze" (composition and arrangement: Kunihiko Ryō)
- "Menuet for EMMA" (composition: Kunihiko Ryō, arrangement: Kenji Kaneko, musical performance: Tokyo Recorder Orchestra )
- Animax, who have broadcast the series across Japan, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Asia and other regions.
- Chiba TV, tvk Yokohama Kaihoku, TV Saitama, TV Aichi, SUN-TV, RKB Mainichi Broadcasting Corp., BS-i, and CS TBS Channel.
See Also: List of Emma episodes
#''Emma Animation Guide Vol. 1'' by
Kaoru Mori and
Rico Murakami (
4 November 2005 ) ISBN 4-7577-2446-2
#''Emma Animation Guide Vol. 2'' by
Kaoru Mori and
Rico Murakami (
10 February 2006 ) ISBN 4-7577-2597-3
#''Emma Animation Guide Vol. 3'' by
Kaoru Mori and
Rico Murakami (
6 June 2006 ) ISBN 4-7577-2788-7
;
:The main
Protagonist of the story. She falls in
Love with William Jones from the first time they meet. Originally from a poor
Sea side
Yorkshire village, she was
Kidnap ped as a young girl to be sold to a
London Brothel . She managed to escape, but became lost in London. She managed to work odd jobs for
Food , until she was taken under the wing of Kelly Stowner, as her
Maid . Under Mrs. Stowner, Emma was taught to
Read ,
Write , and a variety of other subjects. In later chapters of the manga, it was revealed that Emma could also read a bit of French.
:After the death of Kelly Emma fled away from London, intending to go back to her village, but she ended meeting with a maid who worked to the
Mölders family, a German immigrant, that lived in a castle in York, and finally Emma was hired as a servant in the Molders' household. There, she became quite a favorite because of her fluency in English, which made her mistress always brought Emma to accompany her on distant trips, e.g. the trip to Aurelia Jones' house and also the trip to London alongside few menservants who could also speak English.
;
:The
Male protagonist of the story. He is the eldest son of the "House of Jones", a very wealthy
Merchant Middle Class family that is attempting to rise into the
Gentry . As his father's heir, he is under tremendous stress to not only take over the family business but also
Marry into another wealthy family, preferably into the
Peerage . He developed feelings for Emma after their first meeting. He often intercepts her coming from
Covent Garden on
Regent Street . In the manga, William had told his father about Emma but his father had never seen Emma (different with the anime).
:After Emma's departure, William changed drastically. He began to work very hard, attending social meetings and took care of his family's business. In his own perspectives, he never stopped regretting losing Emma, but he would live his life in the 'upper class side' as his father expected him to be. His change affected everyone around him, including Hakim.
;
:Emma's employer and William Jones' former
Governess . She married at the age of 18, but lost her husband two years into the marriage, and did not have any children. Young and educated, Mrs. Stowner decided to become a governess, and tutored William and his siblings with an iron fist. Right before retiring, she met Emma, and took her in as her maid.
:Kelly was the one who taught Emma to do the household chores, to read, and to write. It was also Kelly who acted as a 'bridge' between Emma and William, although she realized that the relationship between Emma and William would never work out smoothly.
;
:William Jones'
Best Friend , who is a prince from
India , and acts as a
Foil for William. He and William both attended
Eton College . Somewhat of a
Womanizer , Hakim's straightforwardness and outgoingness is a clear departure from William's reservedness and dislike for social events. Hakim usually has his servant
Harem accompanying him and travels with a full complement of servants and
Elephant s. Like William, Hakim was captivated with Emma the first time he saw her.
:His stay in England was prolonged simply because he wanted to see how the relationship between Emma and William. Once he found out that Emma was in love with William, he tried to support encourage their relationship into something further, but he let go Emma when she said that she would go back to her hometown, and made no efforts to prevent her from leaving. When William finally proposed to Eleanor, Hakim finally said that he would go back home. To him, there was no more excitement seeing William surrender to the pressure of the society.
;
:The young daughter of a
Viscount who falls in love with William. Her feelings for William are often reinforced by misunderstandings from William's courtesy and accommodation. Though her family is of the
Peerage , her family's
Financial situation is deteriorating. Due to this, her father very much wants Eleanor to marry into the wealthier, but lower class, Jones family.
:Eleanor is a very shy girl, yet in the same time she always tries to catch William's attention, for example by inviting him into a tea-party in her mansion, and visiting to William's mansion for 'seeing the rose blooming'. She is very shy whenever William is around, yet finally she was able to tell him her feelings when they were watching opera. She is (almost) always accompanied by her faithful servant Annie, who takes care of her since she was a child (in the 4th volume of the manga, it was shown that since Eleanor was still a child Annie has been serving her.)
;
:A local Jack of all Trades who knew Kelly Stowner's husband, Doug, when they were children. She often calls upon him to fix things around her house and shares her concerns about Emma with him. His relationship to Kelly is ambiguous. Most times, their banter makes them seem like siblings.
;
:A minor character and the clerk at Leyton's, a shop in London often frequented by the characters of Emma. Like Emma, Sarah has come to the attention of many a young gentleman in local society. Unlike Emma, Sarah is less reserved and often puts her foot in her mouth during her scenes. This does not, however, detract from her charm. Often, her comments serve to spur the various characters of Emma to make decisions and take action.
;
:The Jones family butler. He is often a gobetween for William and his father, and his duty to the head of the house, Mr. Jones, often forces Stevens to seem uncaring of William's difficulties concerning his courtship of Emma. Several times, during the course of the series, Stevens has been at the sharp end of some gentleman's displeasure through no fault of his own, but his tact and devotion to the Jones family resolves every situation in a face saving gesture of servility.
