Customer Reviews

W Juliet, Vol. 1 (v. 1)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

OH YEAH!!!! I LOVED this manga from the very start!!! W Juliet by Emura is about a sixteen-year-old tomboy named Ito Miura and a guy named Makoto Amano who just transfered to Ito's school from a very famous prestigious one. Ito literally looks, talks, and acts like a boy and if you didn't know you would say she was one. From the first day Makoto transfered Ito and Makoto have been drawn to each other (in a will you be my best friend type of way). Very soon Ito finds out that Makoto is a boy! Later on he tells Ito the whole story. Makoto wanted to be an actor, but since he is also the first born son of a dojo master it is practically impossible that his father would give him up. Since Makoto was so determined to become an actor, his father makes a bet with him. If Makoto could go to a school dressed up as a girl and acting like one it would prove that he is a good actor and his father would let him go do whatever profession he wanted (obviously acting). Needless to say Makoto agrees and goes off on what is to be his greatest act ever. He looks very girly and ironically Ito looks manly. *lol* the guy looks like a girl and the girl looks like a guy. In book 1 they actually have the play romeo and juliet. Then there are close calls, martial arts, Makoto's fiance?, and a little event of "who can get to romeo first?" (you'll see what I mean). Personally there is a part where I think is a little off. You see Ito in a bikini!!! Looks like a guy in a bikini, but it's funny none the less. W Juliet also has a touch of romance here and there and Makoto shows a strong manly side too (when they are alone). HA! If you haven't read this manga already I strongly suggest.... YOU GO READ IT NOW!!!!! (you won't regret it) *wink*

Emura quickly flings you into the world of W Juliet from the very beginning. You can not help but curious as you enter a world were everything isn't as it may seem. Full of comedy and a dash of romance it's a very awe-inspiring story of two people trying to reach their dreams of performing. Even if it means facing an angry father, fiancee, school obssessed girl and whatever may be thrown their way.

If that doesn't convince you to buy this manga then maybe a description of the two main characters will...

Entering the stage is the tomboy Ito Miura as Romeo. At first glance by anyone would be mistaken as a guy but our other main character Makoto finds otherwise when she starts taking off her top.

Strong willed, hot tempered, and a bit naive Ito finds herself becoming the obsession of almost ever girl at her school. And no matter how talented she may be she finds herself being cast in male roles. Though then again she's not exactly the 'dress or skirt' type.

Next coming to the stage to take a bow is Makoto Narita better known as Makoto Amano. Stoic, beautiful, a natural on the stage are just the tip of the iceberg that is our character Makoto. She's a transfer student with a past that no one really knows about. That is until Ito stumbles on her changing to find that they are more different then she had first believed.

Who would believe that the person who seemed the spokesperson for feminity is actually a...

Read to find out ^_^

I read volume 1 of this series a long time ago and I snubbed the series. To me it was just another boy goes to all girl school fiasco. I didn't like the main male protagonist (Makoto) very much and I liked main female protagonist (Ito) even less. In the first book, Makoto comes of cold and Ito comes off immature so I really wasn't interested, it took me months of hearing great things about it to actually pick it up and try again. I am SO glad I did!

W Juliet is about Makoto, a bishonen boy who is also the heir to a prestigious dojo, but his real dream is to act. His father, a control freak whose reasons are explained in depth much later on in the series, gave him an ultimatum. Basically, he said that if Makoto was serious about acting he would be able to pretend that he was a girl for the last 2 years of high school and graduate as a female student. And, if Makoto were to succeed, he could pursue whatever career he wanted, and not have to take over the family dojo. Because Makoto's future and his happiness are riding on keeping his true identity a secret, he comes off kind of cold and guarded in the first volume. Because of his emotionless, sort of dead-pan attitude it was easy to be turned off from this series, but I stuck with it anyway.

Ito, in contrast, was everything Makoto was not. She was extremely boyish where Makoto was extremely feminine. She was more of an open book, full of millions of trivial emotions and a ridiculously bad temper. Ito was very child like, and this is a theme that plays throughout the entire series. Ito is the only female in a family of five; she has one younger brother, two older brothers and a father that (coincidently) owns a dojo. I'm sure the similarity of the two families was intentional since Makoto has three female siblings.

Because this is a Shoujo, I do not feel like I'm ruining any huge surprise when I say that Ito and Mako fall in love. Their love struck me as surprisingly deep and pure, so at times the cynic in me balked at such a corny display of affection while it brought tears to the eyes of my romantic side. The author adds cute little fantasy stories at the end of some of the mangas, during which their love is put to the test and always conquers over evil . . . The real shock to me was that the characters actually realize their feelings for each other early in the series, any one who is tired of romantically confused characters who take an entire manga to decipher their feelings has got to read this book.

There is also a lot of comedy, which helps progress the story line and makes it a fun read. The facts that they have to hide their love and no one knows that Makoto is a man often provide hilarious situations. And Ito's temper which seemed shallow and unnecessary becomes vital and cute. She grows on you, bit by bit, until you see her exactly the way the author intended. Makoto opens up a lot more and turned into my favorite character.

The underlying theme of following your dreams is evident throughout the whole series, made prominent by stories that focus on Makoto keeping his secret despite adversity, thanks to Ito of course, and being determined to succeed despite the crazy things his father throws at him.

The Verdict:
14 Volumes of a great shoujo, that is as romantic as it is inspiring. B+

It was with this series that I began to notice that manga is changing, thankfully for the better. One of these refreshing changes is that Ito and Makoto are characters that have traditionally been supporting characters in manga. (You can even check this for yourself! For example, Makoto's character has appeared in other manga like Magic Knight Rayearth and always as a supporting character) I also like the fact that, although this is essentially Ito's story and how her relationship with Makoto changes the both of them, there are short breaks that delve into her relationship with her brothers and their own budding relationships.

Perhaps one of the most unexpected things about this series is the art: traditionally, you could pick out the crossdressers fairly easily. Even if a boy is pretty and dressed like a girl, manga's visual language has strong demarcation lines that denote male and female characters. However, Emura swapped not only the clothes, but the visual gender clues themselves (e.g. Ito is drawn in "boy-style"), and this dissonance continues through almost the entire series. It's this visual disconnect that allows you to see the changes Ito goes through from a true tomboy (let's face it: she's probably the first *real* tomboy in a manga) to a young woman.

The downside in terms of story is Emura's overuse of automobile accidents as a literal deus ex machina, even though she is hardly the only mangaka guilty of this. (This overuse is so rampant, in fact, that an episode of South Park parodied it) You would think no one in Japan knows how to drive with this many auto-related accidents. However, the biggest problem of the manga overall and the only reason I can't give it a full five stars is the absolute crap translation. It seems as if Viz didn't expect the title to do well and so didn't bother cleaning up the scanlations they were cribbing. While these kinds of glaring spelling, grammatical, and translation errors are to be expected from scanlation groups, from a long-established company such as Viz, it's inexcusable.

But don't let these flaws stop you from checking out this series if you're a fan of shoujo manga. It's worth a read.

I don't normally read manga, as I prefer not to read about highschool antics, but W Juliet was really a cute story. The story basically is a role-reveral book with the girl (Ito), portrayed as a mannish tomboy, and the boy Makoto, playing the female role. The reason for the role reversal is that Majoto's father is very strict and refuses to let him become an actor, unless he proves himself to his dad by going to a highschool and playing the part of a girl. This he does, fairly convincingly also falling for the Ito in the process. When Ito discovers his secret, she helps him all the while pursuing their dreams of becoming actors.

There is nothing deep or complex about W Juliet. The art is well done, and the romance is adorable. I found myself entertained by the story despite my reservations. I cannot wait for volume 2.

I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!!!
Im so far on volume 5 and I love it completly, I swear manga has corupted my guy ideals. *sigh*
W Juliet is such a sweet story with loads of comedy, Romance, and Drama (well they are actors) I cant wait to read what happens next

Ito Miura, is tall, with short hair and nice features. And she is a tom boy. Because of that she gets a lot of male parts in the plays and she hates it, but what can she do? Nothing, but shut up and be Romeo.
Makoto Amano, a transfer student, has been selected to be Juliet and Tsugumi, a lovely, but vain female student at the school, wants the part to be close to Ito. Or maybe just because she is vain.
That sounds normal, but there's more. One of them is not a girl. The only problem I have with this manga is that I'm not sure there IS going to be a volume two, three or four. Besides that, it's funny, has great artwork and good character designs.

I love this series! The characterization is excellent and the plot achieves a sublime balance between drama, humor, and romance. The art conveys emotions excellently and it has somewhat softer, less "digitized" looking style than alot of newer mangas; it looks like it was drawn with love. That sounds weird, ^^;; but I mean that it doesn't look generic and the style conveys a certain warmth that isn't found in a lot of mangas. And again, the characters are great and the plot is superb!

I love this book actually i read it three times before returning it to the library. Then i went and bout the next three then had to wait for the next. But i dont mind i love these kinds of books they are so cool to read and it is just soo much fun reading a new book. So if you love romance and comedy make sure you pick this up or maybe my other fav fruits basket. ^_^ Pz

Makoto Amano wants to act more than anything; his dad wants him to take over the family dojo. So in order to settle things, his dad strikes a deal: Go through high school disguised as a girl and graduate without anyone finding out. If he can pull that off, then he can do whatever he wants; otherwise, he has to quit being an actor and manage the dojo.

Everyone seems to be fooled until Ito Muira, the drama club's female president, walks in on Makoto while he's changing. Ito decides to keep Makoto's secret and help him to succeed. This starts a great friendship that develops very quickly into love, but they can't have a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship (it's an impossible option if the secret is to be kept!) Because of their closeness, almost everyone in their drama club thinks they're "lesbians". Some other classmates are convinced that Makoto is a guy, and as a result, Makoto and Ito have to come up with some pretty clever ways to avoid the traps these students set up to "expose" Makoto. Like all good actors, they use the tricks of the stage to convince those doubting few that Makoto is all-girl.

Makoto and Ito, on more than one occasion, get the starring roles of Romeo and Juliet. The only problem? Makoto is cast as Juliet, and poor Ito, a shorthaired, athletic 5'9" girl, is Romeo, which only exacerbates Ito's insecurity about being un-feminine. Ito soon discovers as long as she’s Makoto’s Juliet, it doesn’t matter if everyone else thinks she looks better as a Romeo. You'll laugh often when reading this delightful manga!