Emma, Volume 1

William is the eldest son of a wealthy family. Emma is a former street urchin raised to be a proper British maid in Victorian England. Will they find a way to bridge the gap of class distinctions and recognize their true love?

The plot of Emma vol. 1 (CMX, $9.99) by Kaoru Mori sounds like the typical setting for yet another shojo manga. Except it's not; Emma is seinen, manga intended to appeal to young men. I find it interesting that there's an entire subgenre of manga that are essentially romance comics for boys & young men, and Emma is a stellar representation of that genre.

Mori's art and storytelling in Emma are astounding, the attention to detail, lush background, and sense of place and space all contribute to making Emma a winning show more reading experience.

I won't say any more of the plot so as not to spoil your enjoyment, except to mention that there are elephants...

Of course we know that William and Emma will somehow end up together when the manga finally ends; it's the journey that makes all the difference, and in Kaoru Mori's Emma it's a journey well worth making.

Rating: 4 (of 5). show less

I must say that I loved this story - it's beautifully drawn without the huge exclamations I've seen in other Manga, the pacing is very even and calm with a story-arc like a regular period novel, and, so far (I've only read the first two in the series yet), there are no peculiar supernatural events. The characters are easy to sympathize with and the period is presented with loving detail - it's obvious that Kaoru Mori has done her homework! Admittedly, I probably enjoyed this more than other Manga because it's similar to Western graphic novels, but I that's only to be expected, I think. I will definitely read the whole series (at this time, nine have been released and number 10 will be released next month).

Emma is a romance novel with a Victorian London housemaid as its protagonist. In the first volume, Emma is working for a widowed former governess who receives an unexpected and long-overdue visit from one of her former charges, William Jones. The young man is smitten by Emma, but their difference in class doesn't provide him with many opportunities to see her. Then there's the problem of William's father, who has a suitable match already picked out for William.

This was my first experience with manga. I love historical fiction, and particularly fiction set in England, so this series seemed like a good fit for me. I love the detail in the drawings, which are clear and expressive. I didn't notice any problems with the English translation. show more I knew that I needed to read this volume from back to front (from my perspective) and left to right, but I was never quite sure what was the right order for reading the panels when two shorter images are stacked to the right of a longer image on the left. I turned the last page to find a diagram illustrating the order in which a page should be read. It was placed there for first-time readers who are used to reading from left to right. It would have been more useful to me if it was placed at the beginning of the book as well as at the end. Emma's story isn't complete in this volume. It's only the beginning. Emma's story continues in the next several volumes of the series. I don't know if manga on other subjects will appeal to me, but I did like this series debut well enough to seek out the rest of the volumes in order to find out what happens to Emma and William. show less

The lovely drawings of Emma and William and scenes from Victorian England made this beginning of an upstairs/downstairs romance something quite special. Emma is a maid living with and working for Mrs. Stownar an elderly lady who was widowed at age 20 and then worked as a governess for well-to-do families for many years before retiring. William Jones seems to be the only son of a wealthy English merchant family that hobnobs with the aristocrats, and Mrs. Stownar used to be his governess when he was a boy. One day he comes to visit his old governess and meets Emma, and the romance begins. He seems immediately attracted to her, but social conventions against relationships between classes prevent him from furthering their acquaintance. show more Things get more complicated when his visiting friend from India, Hakim, is also attracted to Emma, and when his father starts plotting for him to meet and hopefully marry a pretty young lady from the gentry class named Eleanor.

The story is very subtle, and much is deduced from the detailed drawings. I especially loved the drawings of Mudies, the great lending library in London. In the short story at the end of the book where Kaoru Mori writes and draws about the making of Emma, she complains about the tediousness of drawing all the books in the library. It may have been very tedious, but the result is amazing.

I am drawn into Emma and William's story now and have already started reading Volume 2. show less

I decided to read Emma because it combines an old love of mine (English period novels – I love Jane Austen’s Emma) with an intriguing format I had not yet explored (Manga). I was drawn into this story of forbidden love through Kaoru Mori's beautiful drawings, which bring 19th century England to life. On the first page the reader is dropped into this setting as the view descends in each panel from a map of England, map of London, bird’s eye view of the city, and onto the city street that bustles with horse drawn carriages. Mori's depiction of Victorian architecture and clothing show her careful attention to detail. Even when the text moves along slowly, the art keeps it ever interesting. Telling this period romance in Manga format show more makes it fresh, and readers who might quickly reject Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte might actually give this one a shot. They might even enjoy it; I certainly did. show less

Emma Vol 1 by Kaoru Mori was my first manga and I wasn’t sure this format would work for me. I surprised myself halfway through when I realized I was quite comfortable reading the book back to front, and each page from right to left.

Emma is a classic story of the upstairs/downstairs genre. Set in England during the late 19th century, Emma is a lovely young woman who happens to work as a housemaid. She attracts a number of admirers, but she appears to be turning in the direction of William, the scion of a rich family that her employer had worked as a governess for . Of course in this period, class distinction plays a very important role and I can see there will be rocky road for these two along the way.

I love the setting of this show more story but the language is not authentic to the period, which is only a small quibble as I am sure the target audience for these books prefers today’s language style. The drawings are charming and easily pull the reader into the story. Emma and William I found to be a little bland, but the story is peopled with some interesting secondary characters like Emma‘s employer and William’s Indian friend Hakim. I know there are a number of books in this series, so I hope both Emma and William develop as the books continue. Although it won’t be a priority, I expect to continue on with this series. show less

Subtle and deftly told, this well-crafted historical romance defies stereotypical conventions about manga and graphic novels in general. The artwork is so incredibly detailed and authentic that readers will feel as if they have been transported back to Victorian England. The gradual, unhurried pace of the story may be frustrating to some readers, but those looking for a character-driven, romantic story will not be disappointed.