Romeo x Juliet

Wow, it's pretty bad. There are 'fight scenes' (that last a few panels) that are very scratchy and hard to read/view. The characters, as expected in a 'Romeo and Juliet' knockoff fall in love, though the mangaka doesn't drive that plot at all. They meet, they fall in love, just because it's Romeo and Juliet. I finished reading it, but really only because it's the only thing in the store I haven't read yet.

I really like this manga. It talks about the "basic" plot of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", while in the story you see that it's not actually true. Although it does follow the most basic parts of the original play's plotlines, it's a little confusing at parts, especially if you consider the fact, when compared to the play, some dead characters are supposed to be alive and some live characters are supposed to be dead.

Overall, though, it's a great read, and I'd really recommend it to people who like romance manga.

... Please watch the anime!

I watched the anime long before I read this manga. I decided to read the manga because I heard that there were some differences, and there certainly were.

Though the manga came first, the anime expands upon ideas and situations and gives more insight as to what is going on. While reading the manga, I felt myself a little lost at times - and the only reason I knew what was going on at all was because I had already seen the anime.

The manga feels rushed. Scenes that should be very important are glossed over, and significant events are completed in a few pages when they deserve a little more than that. The manga did not leave me attached to any of the characters because they weren't as rounded as they were in the anime.

The artwork was beautiful, although at times the line work was difficult to make out; during close-ups, etc.

The story was good but it could have been phenomenal had it been pushed to its limits rather than rushed and tossed aside.

I certainly don't hate this manga, but I feel that the anime leaves you with a better feeling at the end.

Story-wise; Romeo x Juliet, is indeed another tale based off that of William Shakespeare's work " Romeo and Juliet ". There are quite a few factors, however, that claim difference between the two. Said factors are both unique and confusing. Towards various different aspects and events that happened, I was questioning myself and what I'd read, as well as rereading/glancing it over. In the very end, I found that the twists were interesting, but not enough to bring myself to a point that I found myself extremely fond of, nor completely understanding of, what happened. That was a turn off for me.

The artwork in this manga is fair. It's not very stunning nor breathtaking, nor anything that's very different from any other manga. In some places it looks odd or lacks details, or is just bland to look at in general. The style is nothing too amazing. It's nice to glance over, however.

The characters in this manga are actually quite a bit different than how Shakespeare originally wrote them! Which is something I enjoyed. I had put off reading this manga ( as well as watching the anime ), in spite of many people telling me of their enjoyment over both. Once I had actually read and finished, however, I was glad I did. The characters are different, and relatively unique. Not only from a majority of the manga I have read, but as well as what Shakespear wrote them as being originally. Some of the characters are a bit annoying, or perhaps too selfless. They`ve got a bit of depth and meaning to them, but they're not fantastic characters. As the manga was quite short, and followed a general track ( as it's a spin-off sort of thing ), it did an overall good job of working characters from base knowledge to having a bit of depth. I grew fond of Juliet and a few side characters from reading, which is enough for me with a work like this.

Overall, and my enjoyment of this manga, can be summed up quite simply.

It was a good and interesting read, but it was equally confusing. I found the romance portion to be just enough to be interesting, but not the entire main focus, nor so much that it suffocated someone like me - who does not enjoy romance as much as she probably should. I found the characters somewhat interesting to read about, though they did fall short compared to the story, which was by far more interesting than just them singularly ( which was interesting for me as well, considering most Romeo and Juliet stories are focused so heavily on the couple that it's hard to have your interest anywhere else ).

I think this would be a charming read for anyone, though only if they followed it up with watching the anime ( which is by far, much better, and is one of the few animes I will say -that- about ). If you're looking for masses of mushy romance, it might not be for you. If you're not looking for a more fantasy-based twist to your Shakespeare, this might not be for you either. Yet, give it a chance. The characters are interesting enough, and the plot does well enough on it's own.

I hope that, if you do read it, you find you've enjoyed it.