Review: Emma, Vols. 1-2

In London of the late Victorian period, a young woman named Emma is the maid for a retired governess named Mrs. Kelly Stownar. Though she is definitely a servant–the only servant–to the household, the relationship between mistress and maid is very affectionate and close. The tale begins when one of Mrs. Stownar’s former charges, a young gentleman named William Jones, comes to call. He’s immediately taken with Emma, and she him, though they come from different classes.

Emma paints a deep, loving picture of a time and a place where social status meant everything. William and Emma are a wonderful match when it comes to personality and temperment, but while Emma remembers a time when she couldn’t afford to own shoes, William comes from comfort and luxury. Their worlds are entirely different, and while the love that’s growing between them can bridge that gap, the realities of the day make it difficult. Though they have supporters in Mrs. Stownar and visiting Indian Prince Hakim, William’s father Richard will have none of this nonsense. He wants a suitable wife for his heir, most likely in the form of young Eleanor Campbell, a viscount’s daughter who has just made her debut into society.

Even though it’s monochromatic, the detail of the art and the shading helps to paint it in my mind’s eye as having the same colors as the BBC period dramas I’m so fond of. Mori-sensei does an amazing job of bringing the period to life through her drawing, idealized as it may be. A particular favorite image is from volume one, page 55. I had forgotten how interesting Victorian ships could look. I also really enjoy how she draws people. Yes, the faces are stylized as one would come to expect in a shojo manga, but the bodies seem more like real people than I’m used to seeing. The illustration of an Indian girl on page 79 is a great example–she doesn’t seem like a stick figure at all.

There’s actually only one thing I can complain about when it comes to Emma, which is a first for me. (Usually I have more!) In the second chapter, William receives a model airplane by post. Thing is, this title is set in the Victorian era at the end of the 19th century, and the first flight didn’t happen until 1903. Aside from that, this is an intricate, exquisite tale of cross-class love set in an era of propriety and obligation.

Emma is by Kaoru Mori and is published in the US by CMX.

Grade: A