Emma: A Victorian Romance is the tale of two lovers across social divides trying desperately to overcome prejudice and social constrictions of 19th century London. Sure the story has been done countless times in books, films and television shows and yet never once does it feel forced or fake. They could have taken this in a trashy romance novel direction and yet they deliver a great deal of honesty and accuracy. I really don't want to say any more as that would spoil the plot but I will say that the show kept my interest throughout.

For someone who appreciates antiques and Victorian fashion in general the show is a plethora of Victorian fashion and stylings. To do such a show in live action would require either an astronomical budget or fall into the anacronism trap that many period pieces fall into. Still, it would be nice to see.

RightStuf (aka Nozomi Entertainment) did a great job on this DVD set. The picture and sound are excellent and the extras are nice. I try and support every release of Nozomi as they tend to listen to the fans the most. In fact I already have Season 2 of Emma and Season 1 of Maria Sama ga Miteru ordered.

In short it is simply one of the best anime releases this year.

Labels: Anime, Classics