Emma by Kaoru Mori
Posted on | November 20, 2006 | 8 Comments
Emma by Kaoru Mori 
(amazon
In many ways, Emma is unlike many of the other manga I’ve been reading recently. It is set in Victorian England during the industrial revolution. The relationships between characters are hampered by the social constraints of the British class system. Emma is a beautiful maid who serves Mrs Stownar, a former governess to a wealthy merchant family. William is a former pupil, and when he comes to pay a long overdue visit, he is struck by Emma’s beauty. Because of the difference in their stations, they can’t openly express their emotions. Much is conveyed through stolen glances as Emma serves tea and goes about her household duties.
William is impetuous, seizing any opportunity to run into Emma so he can spend a little time with her. Emma is more reticent, but she doesn’t immediately reject William as she has done in the past with other suitors. Mrs Stownar is a benign and watchful presence in the background of the budding romance. Prince Hakim of India, an old friend of William’s, appears as a rival for Emma’s affections. While the reader learns a little bit about Mrs Stownar and William, Emma’s past remains mysterious. I look forward to learning more about her in later volumes.
The setting of London serves as an additional character in the story, and it is fun to see Emma negotiating the city she goes on errands for her mistress. Mori uses grey tones to make the art in the book look antique. Mori’s author notes show a genuine enthusiasm for her subject, which is evident in the care and attention to detail that can be seen throughout this manga. It seems like CMX knew they had something special when they were putting out the manga when they decided to package the work- Emma has a matte cover that adds to the historic feel of the book, although I still don’t think the paper quality from CMX measures up to the offerings of other manga publishers. This is one of the best mangas I’ve read this year, and I strongly recommend it.
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8 Responses to “Emma by Kaoru Mori”
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November 21st, 2006 @ 7:24 am
[...] Reviews: Comics-and-more says volume 8 of Death Note is the worst volume so far—but it’s still pretty good! Pata’s latest Right Turn Only column features Cromartie High School, Emma, and Love Roma. At AoD, Jarred thinks Freaks is OK despite the lack of novelty. Tangognat strongly recommends Emma. Zyl likes volume 4 of the anthology Yuri Monogatari. Jog has an in-depth review of Ohikkoshi At the Star of Malaysia, Christina Koh reviews Bus Gamers, Cheeky Monkey checks out The Good Witch of the West, and Kitty Sensei is intrigued by After School Nightmare. [...]
November 21st, 2006 @ 11:16 am
This title has been on my radar for a while, it certainly looks interesting. What’s the dialogue like? The title makes me think of Jane Austin and while I wouldn’t expect the dialogue to try to mirror how her characters talked, that’d be a neat bonus.
One thing I’ve been trying to figure out about this series — when it was first announced I saw a few people wondering if CMX would “dare” to leave Emma unedited after the way they handled Tenjho Tenge. I’ve tried to figure out what they were talking about but never found an explanation.
November 21st, 2006 @ 1:59 pm
The dialogue is a little formal, but more on the contemporary side of things than being full out Jane Austenish. The first volume of Emma doesn’t have any Tenjho Tenge-like content, I can’t imagine what anyone would need or want to edit out.
Anyway, check it out if you can, it is very very very good!
November 21st, 2006 @ 4:43 pm
I like the dialogue a lot. It is a bit on the modern side, but when I think of the book, it’s more about the silences, which are lovely. (If you’re worried that it’s a Godchild-like mangle, don’t, because it reads really well.)
November 23rd, 2006 @ 3:18 pm
Havent’t read it yet but after reading your post I am going to. I really like the fact that it is set in Victorian England because that is a fascinating period for me.
November 25th, 2006 @ 12:57 am
Great! I hope you enjoy it.
December 12th, 2006 @ 11:09 am
[...] Emma vol 3 (p. 99) – Although volume one of this intrigued me, I ultimately passed on it, until I read a review of it on Tangognat’s blog. I grabbed volume one but haven’t read it yet. If me like, volumes two and possibly three will get on the shelf. [...]
October 14th, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
I love to read it..dn’t you think Kaoru Mori is an interesting person?
As an illustrator,I love her picture and the artwork in EMMA..subarashi!!!