Mori Kaoru - Emma, vol. 06-07 (Eng. trans.)
Wed, Mar. 26th, 2008 12:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterAwwwww!
So, I'm still not a complete believer in the happy ending, but I like Emma and William enough to handwave.
I was really skeptical at the end of volume 6, which made me want to shake William, his father, and the viscount, and the kidnapping in particular seemed over the top. And I just feel so bad for Eleanor.
On a side note, I guess I need to read Prisoner of Zenda some time, huh? I like how it was incorporated into v. 5 and 6; it reminded me a lot of "The Swordsman Whose Name Was Not Death" in Ellen Kushner's The Privilege of the Sword. Much like Kushner, I liked how Mori looks at melodrama and romanticism and how it affects women -- both authors acknowledge the starry-eyed romanticism involved, but also don't mock it, and in fact note its importance. The other bit that reminded me of Privilege was the look at an intensely female world within a male one. Monica and Eleanor's relationship doesn't quite approach Katherine and Artemesia's, but it's very similar, and I love love love the acknowledgement of female friendship.
Also, I just heart Monica like mad, in all her melodramatic glory.
Aside from the Monica-Eleanor relationship, there's Emma and Tasha, Aurelia and Mrs. Meredith, and Eleanor and Grace. I'd love to get more of Aurelia and Mrs. Meredith's backstory, and I am handwaving the coincidence that leads Emma to the Meredith household. I also like how Vivian is affected by all this; she clearly likes Eleanor and can't understand William's choice.
In fact, I just really liked how the entire situation ended up playing out. Having Aurelia and Mrs. Meredith on William and Emma's side may have been too much, but it wasn't for me, because we got to see how William's decision to break up his engagement affects everyone, from Eleanor to all his brothers and sisters. I like that Emma isn't welcomed into the Jones family with open arms, how William's choice has some very real and serious consequences, particularly for Grace and Vivian, who have less options in terms of supporting themselves outside of a good marriage.
Of course, I do want everyone to love Emma, because I love Emma, but having the family fall into line would have been too much, particularly given Grace's friendship with Eleanor and Mr. Jones' own experience with a slightly unconventional romance. I was glad we got the Jones' backstory in v. 5; it makes Aurelia's decision to help the two out much more believable. And I love the gentle acknowledgement of regret and love from Mr. Jones, re: his decision to marry Aurelia.
I almost rolled my eyes at the entire America subplot, but it was saved by the sweetness of both Emma and William. The scene in the forest! And I love all the epilogues involving William's hat, despite some of my issues with the somewhat rosy view of class in the series.
Oh! And Hakim returns! I feel I should be a little annoyed with the exoticism, but Hakim is so funny and awesome that I am not. I want him to get his own series, ditto with the dancing girls. Also, the author's notes at the end seem to say that Monica's attendants are different from Hakim's? I feel bad for not having realized this.
I feel I should also be more annoyed at how the dancing girls are voiceless, but I love their scene with Eleanor too much!
And Mori is just so very good at portraying delicate little character moments, from the girls consoling Eleanor by imitating her expression, to Emma's delight and regret at having working glasses and having to leave behind the pair Mrs. Stowner gave her, to that last moment of William correctly placing Emma's hand in his arm. Awwwwww!
Overall, the series makes a slight dip into melodrama midway through, but Mori handles it so well and so delicately that I don't mind. She even makes me not mind the love triangle! And I just love her focus on detail and intimate character moments, along with the time she spends on all the side characters. This series is a wonderfully solid, quiet romance.
Thankfully, CMX has licensed Shirley, which I like, and I hope they end up publishing the Victorian guide from Mori as well, which seems to be fairly well researched and full of neat illustrations.
So, I'm still not a complete believer in the happy ending, but I like Emma and William enough to handwave.
I was really skeptical at the end of volume 6, which made me want to shake William, his father, and the viscount, and the kidnapping in particular seemed over the top. And I just feel so bad for Eleanor.
On a side note, I guess I need to read Prisoner of Zenda some time, huh? I like how it was incorporated into v. 5 and 6; it reminded me a lot of "The Swordsman Whose Name Was Not Death" in Ellen Kushner's The Privilege of the Sword. Much like Kushner, I liked how Mori looks at melodrama and romanticism and how it affects women -- both authors acknowledge the starry-eyed romanticism involved, but also don't mock it, and in fact note its importance. The other bit that reminded me of Privilege was the look at an intensely female world within a male one. Monica and Eleanor's relationship doesn't quite approach Katherine and Artemesia's, but it's very similar, and I love love love the acknowledgement of female friendship.
Also, I just heart Monica like mad, in all her melodramatic glory.
Aside from the Monica-Eleanor relationship, there's Emma and Tasha, Aurelia and Mrs. Meredith, and Eleanor and Grace. I'd love to get more of Aurelia and Mrs. Meredith's backstory, and I am handwaving the coincidence that leads Emma to the Meredith household. I also like how Vivian is affected by all this; she clearly likes Eleanor and can't understand William's choice.
In fact, I just really liked how the entire situation ended up playing out. Having Aurelia and Mrs. Meredith on William and Emma's side may have been too much, but it wasn't for me, because we got to see how William's decision to break up his engagement affects everyone, from Eleanor to all his brothers and sisters. I like that Emma isn't welcomed into the Jones family with open arms, how William's choice has some very real and serious consequences, particularly for Grace and Vivian, who have less options in terms of supporting themselves outside of a good marriage.
Of course, I do want everyone to love Emma, because I love Emma, but having the family fall into line would have been too much, particularly given Grace's friendship with Eleanor and Mr. Jones' own experience with a slightly unconventional romance. I was glad we got the Jones' backstory in v. 5; it makes Aurelia's decision to help the two out much more believable. And I love the gentle acknowledgement of regret and love from Mr. Jones, re: his decision to marry Aurelia.
I almost rolled my eyes at the entire America subplot, but it was saved by the sweetness of both Emma and William. The scene in the forest! And I love all the epilogues involving William's hat, despite some of my issues with the somewhat rosy view of class in the series.
Oh! And Hakim returns! I feel I should be a little annoyed with the exoticism, but Hakim is so funny and awesome that I am not. I want him to get his own series, ditto with the dancing girls. Also, the author's notes at the end seem to say that Monica's attendants are different from Hakim's? I feel bad for not having realized this.
I feel I should also be more annoyed at how the dancing girls are voiceless, but I love their scene with Eleanor too much!
And Mori is just so very good at portraying delicate little character moments, from the girls consoling Eleanor by imitating her expression, to Emma's delight and regret at having working glasses and having to leave behind the pair Mrs. Stowner gave her, to that last moment of William correctly placing Emma's hand in his arm. Awwwwww!
Overall, the series makes a slight dip into melodrama midway through, but Mori handles it so well and so delicately that I don't mind. She even makes me not mind the love triangle! And I just love her focus on detail and intimate character moments, along with the time she spends on all the side characters. This series is a wonderfully solid, quiet romance.
Thankfully, CMX has licensed Shirley, which I like, and I hope they end up publishing the Victorian guide from Mori as well, which seems to be fairly well researched and full of neat illustrations.
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Thu, Mar. 27th, 2008 12:15 am (UTC)It's been a long time since I read the later volumes, but I decided that my Emma ends at the end of vol. 2, when Emma leaves London. I felt that up until that point, it was adorable and perfect and true to the time. After that, it was mostly adorable and lovely, but not Victorian anymore. (Then again, the Jones family is a family of merchants, but… )
(no subject)
Thu, Mar. 27th, 2008 12:27 am (UTC)And the dancing girls are just so cute! Did you read the Yuletide story on them?
(no subject)
Thu, Mar. 27th, 2008 11:33 am (UTC)I didn't read it, no. Yuletide was a little overwhelming.
(no subject)
Thu, Mar. 27th, 2008 09:11 pm (UTC)Mely wrote it! It is awesome!
(no subject)
Thu, Mar. 27th, 2008 11:03 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Sat, Mar. 29th, 2008 08:39 pm (UTC)What are the chances that they'll release Emma, Further Tales in English? If you haven't found them as scanlations online, please do! The Further Tales don't focus much on Emma and William, but the rest of the cast. We find out what happens to Elanor, we get more Hakim and William friendship, and more Doug and Kelley. There's even an entire chapter dedicated to the Young Master's pet squirrel.
(no subject)
Mon, Mar. 31st, 2008 05:42 pm (UTC)