Emma, Vol. 02

Emma #2

by Kaoru Mori

London’s elite society places great importance on class difference, unlike William Jones. He regards Emma as a beautiful, charming young woman, and not merely a servant. After their first real date, things seem to be going in a positive direction for them. But the leisurely pace of the growing relationship between them ends suddenly when disaster strikes at home.

Genres: Manga, Historical Fiction, Romance, Graphic Novels, Comics, Historical, Fiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published February 24, 2003

About the author

Kaoru Mori (森 薫) is a Japanese manga author. Her stories tend to be intricately drawn female lead historical dramas set in exotic locations like Britain and along the silk road. Her series include Emma (2002-2008), Shirley (2003-present) and the best known A Bride's Tale (2008-present).

Reviews

[Maria Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mucho mejor que el primero 😊

[rae ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one hurts💔
(will write the review when I finish the whole series)
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volume 2 here we go!!
buddy reading this with my love Aliki💖

[Aliki (semi hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy reading this series with my love raeeeee
This started picking up from this volume and i love it 😍😍 going to write a full review in the last volume

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was so sad!! I was not prepared for so many things in this one, even if the description kind of hints at some of it. The way things played out were not what I was expecting or hoping for. Gahhh

Onto Vol. 3!

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Même si ce n'est pas un coup de coeur contrairement à certains, c'est une lecture qui me tient en haleine !

[Samsnerdylife · Rating 5 out of 5]

London. Victorian type era. Slow burn forbidden romance. How can I not love this?!?!

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fantastic series! Can't wait to read volume 3.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second volume of Emma is just as beautiful as the first - I can't believe Mori's eye for detail and love of the period. There are many more wordless passages in this volume, as we learn about Emma's past in light of many changes at Mrs. Stownar's residence. We also meet William's family and get to hear their opinion of his relationship with Emma. I'm really enjoying this series. It's serious without becoming too dark (at least so far), covering weighty issues of the time. I'm eager to see the next issue... there's a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this one! Mori's "ridiculous afterword" is excellent.

[Alli Shoemaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of like a toned down Bridgerton with more likable characters. If you’re looking for light, fun reads that stick to typical tropes, this is really good. I think I’m so enthusiastic about Manga and Kaoru Mori because of how well she portrays tension and subtle emotion in the moment, and I haven’t really experienced that in other kinds of fiction.

[Lete · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart~ Ah such a nice story

[Kid Disaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

and now, we get to the part where a love match is denied by the father. then, a big event separates our couple. MAYBE FOREVER?!?!?!

[Paula MB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mucho mejor que el anterior, más interesante en cuanto a trama y personajes.
Muy fan de Hakim.

[Library Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and sweet.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is adorable and I love it. All the characters have real emotions and they don't cross over to caricatures.

Recommended 9+ for romance.

[shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trepidations pretty nearly in the rearview.

Library copy.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read of 2017 and first of my delve into manga. I'm not sure because of my limited experience, but something tells me this set the bar high in the art category. It was so lovely. I'll admit that whenever I'm consuming visual stories, I tend to skip around the art and my eye finds the words first. Not so with Emma. I was reveling in the art and it felt like it flowed so easily from one panel to the next.

The story was anywhere from fine to cute. The most touching parts were really about Emma and the governess. Their relationship was sweet and the ending of this book was not sad for the end of the relationship between Emma and William, but Emma and Kelly.

I'll definitely continue with the series. I'm curious how the romantic relationship at the heart of it grows because it began pretty quietly and immediately.

[Deidre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooooo good!

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love everything about it, the art, the story, the slow burn romance. So much drama without being dramatic. This series gonna be a favorite for sure 😍

[Salma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma and William start to lead separate lives but pine for each other. The book ends with a chance meeting.

[Luana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In effetti le tradizioni sono importanti. Ne sono convinto anch'io. Se certi comportamenti sono stati reiterati nel tempo, tanto da diventare consuetudini, ci dev'essere un motivo. Non dico quindi si debba cambiare tutto, però non amo le tradizioni imposte a priori. Si tratta di pura ostinazione."

Luana e i piani di lettura mai rispettati.
Ho letto il primo volume di "Emma" a fine 2021: l'idea era quella di, una volta recuperati tutti i volumi, di riprendere subito la lettura. Questa era la teoria, ma la pratica si è rivelata un po' diversa. I volumi li ho recuperati, il problema è che non li ho mai letti 🤦‍♀️ sono passati più di tre anni e finalmente ho avuto l'ispirazione per poter proseguire e completare la lettura di questa serie. Non so nemmeno io il perché di questa pausa infinita: avevo amato moltissimo il volume 1, i disegni di Kaoru Mori sono sempre meravigliosi, ma, come mi accade spesso, o le cose le faccio subito, oppure c'è il rischio di lasciare tutto in sospeso per un lasso di tempo non ben definito. Forse è giunto il momento di sistemare la cosa.

Anche questo secondo volume è molto bello - l'amore sincero di William per Emma, contrastato dalla differenza di classe sociale che divide i due protagonisti. Il padre di William è assolutamente contrario a questa relazione (così come alcuni dei suoi fratelli e sorelle) e ricorda al figlio non solo le sue responsabilità nei confronti della famiglia, ma anche il fatto che la sua futura moglie sarà chiamata a gestire determinati compiti. E una cameriera non potrà mai ricoprire quel ruolo. A sostenere William, c'è l'amico Hakim, che sostiene il suo rapporto con Emma.

Per quanto riguarda la nostra protagonista, la poverina si ritrova sola dopo aver perso Kelly, la prima persona che le aveva permesso di avere una camera tutta sua, che le aveva insegnato a leggere, a scrivere e a prendersi cura della casa. Emma ha avuto un'infanzia difficile: ha conosciuto sempre e solo la povertà, zero affetto, è stata rapita per essere venduta ad un bordello quando era solo una bambina, ha vissuto per strada. Insomma, delle esperienze di vita lontanissime da quelle di William. E ora che è rimasta sola, si trova costretta a riprendere la via di casa nel tentativo di trovare un nuovo impiego.
Voglio vedere cosa ne sarà di questa poverina (che peraltro si è presa gli insulti dalla sorellina di William, che l'ha subito etichettata come un'arrampicatrice sociale) e del suo rapporto con William, che non mi sembra disposto a rinunciare a lei.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for complete series

2025 Reread and a buddy read with Frauline_gratzy_

Emma, and truly anything by Kaoru Mori, is a gem of a manga. At the same time, I don't think it's going to be for everything. During my first year nearing 20 years ago, I thought it more reminiscent of works such as Jane Austen, but going over it again now, I think Downton Abbey is a much better comparison.

Kaoru Mori's works are always heavily on the slice of life side and I think Emma is probably the one work with the most driving plot. We have the housemaid Emma as a main character who falls in love with Mr Jones, a gentleman from higher society. Given the setting, naturally drama follows as society does not accept their difference in status. If you are purely looking for a romance read, this is probably not for you - Mori often works with little dialogue and offers quiet scenes often covering entire pages with just a panel or two. For a love story, there is comparatively little interaction between Emma and Mr Jones as the story does wander and drift a bit.

Rather than just focus on Emma, Mori shows snippets of various characters' lives and not always within chronological order. Personally, I love the way Mori works and, while I do on occasion wish there were more interactions between characters across the board, I appreciate the nostalgic and atmospheric setting she creates. Being able to have characters express themselves with little words or simply not letting the reader be privy to words spoken is also an art of its own.

I think my view on this series has changed which I suppose is natural given the large gap between my original and my reread. But what hasn't changed is that I thoroughly enjoyed it and while it may have a few flaws and certainly won't be the right series for everyone, it is nonetheless one I value very highly.

[Peyton · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Emma” is a manga about a maid and an upper class gentleman who fall in love and have to fight the Victorian class system to be together. It is a traditional romance narrative, with warm characters and a rollercoaster plot line.
I decided to read this series because I wanted to take a break from hard reading, with some light graphic novels. I was drawn to this series because it is set in the Victorian era, which is one of my favourite historical settings.
“Emma” is a sweet story. The writing, however, I found was a little quirky. It seemed that the writing would suddenly stop, without revealing everything. For example, a character would be telling a joke, I’d flip the page, and the scene would be completely changed. This also happened when a character was retelling something, when a character was revealing something, and at random times throughout the dialogue and narrative. I found it disruptive and frustrating.
The other irksome part I found about “Emma” is in the number of books included in the series. The main narrative runs from book one to, and including, book seven. Books eight, nine, and ten are not part of the main narrative, but are instead made up of short stories about the other characters in the series. This is a sweet idea, but I do not like this to be included in the main series. It should have been added as additional material, or as a separate, sub-series.
The overall story was alright. I have too much to read that I probably will not read the short stories that are included in the series. “Emma” fulfilled its purpose of giving me a break from hard reading.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet but sad Emma leaves William and London and lands a job with a wealthy German family. William throws himself into his upper class life, reluctantly, barely noticing the eligible socialites mooning over his rich, handsome self.

Mori-san has a lovely way of telling a story with pictures. The story is more engaging with Emma in frame, as it is hard to warm up to William. Mori takes some liberties in that most of the characters look alike regardless of age. This pays off, however, when Emma’s hot lady boss gets naked. Damn.

If you’re going to read this lovely manga, you’re in for the long haul as the books are no way self contained and having read two (four?) volumes nothing is resolved.

[Zian B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay this volume hurt my heart to read; part of it over seeing Emma’s emotions for her mistress: Kelly, and mainly due to that dramatic cliffhanger ending.
Emma and William’s potential romance will have lots of challenges if it ever does happen, mainly due to their difference in social class and what that means to William’s family; specifically his seemingly-overbearing father. I feel very sympathetic to the young lady William’s father is trying to set him up with, because Eleanor seems nice but she can’t see William’s heart is already elsewhere. Additionally, there was a heart wrenching flashback/storytelling of Emma’s background, and how she ended up being the maid to Mrs. Kelly Stowner.
Also, I would say that William’s friend: Hakim, is my favorite character so far.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot, especially seeing William’s siblings (dang that Vivi is a brat) but could have used more plot development in the relationship between William & Emma before they were split apart.

We really only saw them spend the day together before they’re driven apart so even though it’s heartbreaking that they miss each other and can’t say goodbye or talk things out I think it would’ve been more impactful if they’d had more chances to spend time together (or we saw the times they did).

I am really interested to see where the story goes with her moving this fast into splitting them apart though.

3.75/5

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sad episode (for many reasons), the class episodes really showing their colours as well as making life difficult. It is an unusual ending and beginning yet at the same time the back story drags you deeper into the tale wanting to learn more. I am very interested in seeing where it will go from here. I really do hope there is a possibility yet am saddened that someone may have to have their heart broken.

[Klinton Saha · Rating 5 out of 5]

ভাগ্যের নির্মম পরিহাস!! শ্রেণী বৈষম্যের শিকার এমা। তার ও জোনসের ভালোবাসা জোনসের বাবা মেনে নিতে পারেননি, কেননা এমা একজন গৃহপরিচারিকা। তিনি জোনসকে অভিজাত পরিবারে বিয়ে দিতে চান। এদিকে এমার গৃহকত্রী মারা গেলে অসহায় এমা শেষবারের মতো জোনসের কাছে ছুটে আসে।দুজনের দেখা হয় না , ব্যথিত হৃদয় নিয়ে গ্রামের পথে পাড়ি জমায় এমা।সেই গ্রাম যেখান থেকে একদিন তাকে পালিয়ে শহরে আসতে হয়েছিল। অন্নের জোগাড় করার জন্য পরিচারিকার কাজ নিতে হয়েছিল।

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Downton Abbey meets manga... The saga continues. In this volume, William's high class family shows their disproval of his relationship with Emma, the maid of another household. The volume ends with circumstances such that Emma has to leave, and they just miss each other several times and do not get the chance to say goodbye.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maid Emma and Lord William get closer, but Lord William's father adamantly refuses to accept their union.

The death of a friend lends weight and grief to this volume. Emma has to return to her former home in the country so the couple may never see each other again. Sigh (soft sigh, where you know that all will turn out right in the world). I'll be reading the next volume.