Just Kira’s Weblog

No, not the novel by Jane Austen, though I will be reading that sometime soon. This is a  7-volume manga by Kaoru Mori. I did think at first that it was just like a Jane Austen novel, though. Set in Victorian London, it’s the story of a Emma, a maid who falls in love with a member of the gentry, William Jones.

Up til now, I’d always avoided this manga, because to tell the truth, it didn’t look like something I would enjoy. But the other day, I found it in the library, and spontaneously took it out. And was rather pleasantly surprised. The art is amazingly intricate and skillful. The plot was actually pretty interesting and even had a couple of twists. I would actually go so far as to say that the plot and the characters’ reactions were quite realistic. Of course, that didn’t mean I liked the plot all the time.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Like when Mrs. Stowner died, in like the second volume. That was quite necessary for plot development, but still. Or when William RANDOMLY proposed to Eleanor. Another event somewhat necessary if you think about it (I try not to) but at the time I felt it was just sort of oddly placed. There was no reason for it when it occurred.

But the characters were what attracted me the most, I think. Even in this setting, their emotions felt real to me, in the 21st century. They had good points and bad points, and the author chose not to go for fluffy love scenes, opting for realistic ones. I loved that scene where Mrs. Trollope (Mrs. Jones) asked Mr. Jones something along the lines of “Did you ever regret marrying me?” and he answers “I have and I haven’t.” Actually, besides Emma, I think Mrs. Trollope (Mrs. Jones) was my favourite character. She epitomizes the result of the pressures of that society, and I loved that she had this inner strength as a result of it. But of course, I liked each character for their unique personalities.

And the random addition of the dancing Indian girls who accompanied Hakim (who was an awesome ‘potentially the other guy’) and, later Monica, was pure genius.

The one-page epilogues at the end of chapters were highly appreciated. Also, the ending was realistically satisfying.

All in all, I might actually buy this series next AN.