Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kick Butt Manga!!!, May 8, 2005
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*
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You'd be crazy not to get this!, June 4, 2006
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 ^_^
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Love at First Volume?!?!, January 26, 2007
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+
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