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).
Review of Volumes 1-7. There are 10 volumes but the story ends with volume 7. That's a detail I didn't know in advance and it affected my reading negatively because the ending felt too abrupt.
Why You Might Bump This Up On Your TBR: The panel work is done brilliantly in that you feel like you're watching a movie while reading it. The time period is incorporated well throughout, in both details and the big picture. (Fans of historical soap operas will love it.) The story ebbs and flows depending on the volume, but each volume provokes at least one intense emotional reaction (crying, laughing, gasping, etc.). The characters are likable and their dynamics are exciting.
Why You Might Bump This Up or Down On Your TBR, Depending On Your Preferences: I didn't find the love story believable, or any man's feelings towards Emma, however I imagine that a different kind of reader could. Emma doesn't have much of a personality. She spends a majority of the story quiet or brooding. Along with being a bit of a blank slate Mary Sue, she has a tragedy porn backstory. Again, this could work for a different kind of reader.
The art is still amazing but I can't believe this volume marks the end of the Emma & William storyline. That can't be right! There's still so much to know. What about the repercussions that have been set forth by the Viscount? What about William's Mom and Dad? What about Emma's past?!
এমা কিডন্যাপড হয়ে যায়। উইলিয়াম তাকে পাগলের মতো খুঁজতে থাকে এবং অবশেষে বের করে। তৎক্ষণাৎই সে সিদ্ধান্ত নেয় সে এমাকে বিয়ে করবে, প্রয়োজনে সামাজিক মর্যাদার ছেদ করে।এমাও রিহার্সাল নিতে থাকে অভিজাত পরিবেশে মানিয়ে নেওয়ার।
- Emma 7 is practically the last volume. I'm gonna miss it. - Emma 7 is thicker than the rest. - Beautiful, consistent artwork. Every movement is pictured perfectly, to the tiniest detail and expression. - Good, reasonable dialogue. - Slow, quiet pace but flows nicely. - Different from other modern manga. - Beautiful covers. In the last one Emma is (finally) smiling. - I love details about early London. and their lifestyles.
Why I don't like this volume: - the ending is left hanging, unfinished. In the anime, Emma and William are married with children, in the rich gentry family. It seems she is finally accepted by everyone.
In this volume, Emma learns how to live like a real lady, and she is left without being married (yet) to William, with his family opposing the marriage and Eleanor's life unexplained.
Still, such a brilliant read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Ahh!! That hand on the arm!!! Ah so much happy. Emma is kinda annoying now that I think about it. William is a sensible character but Emma is just all over. She is all quiet and keeps to herself but then has a spaz about anything William. But the last scene. Ahh I love it.
I thought that this was a quite a letdown, compared to how good the series has been. It felt very rushed, and a number of characters that were given story lines weren't resolved.
This series have been my life for the past two weeks. Eventhough this ending was good, I'm still very much looking foward to the next three volumes with extra short stories and also the anime.
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.
Downton Abbey meets manga... Vol. 6 ended with Emma kidnapped as part of an evil plot against her and William. In vol. 7, she ends up being shipped to and dumped in America. Somehow, quite unbelievably, William is able to locate and rescue her. I had to suspend all belief at this point. When they return, it doesn't seem like Emma is given the chance to explain what happened to her to William or to the other people she interacts with. This is one area where I feel manga can be found lacking. A lot of characterization is done through the drawings and art work, but sometimes plot holes are just left and glossed over. Through the rest of the volume, we see William's former fiancée's emotional suffering, more trouble for William's family as they are ostracized from society as a result of his actions, and pure acceptance from William's mother as well as Emma's former employer. Maybe they accepted because they couldn't fight against it anymore, I don't know. The story concludes with William taking Emma to a ball, her introduction into society, and it appears that is also the end of the main story line. It is presumed the couple will marry but that they will have a long road ahead of them. All is not resolved at the conclusion of the novel, which left me slightly unsatisfied.
Vol. 8 is a collection of short stories about side characters. I have no clue what vol. 9 is about, but I'll read it as it's on hold for me at the library.
One warning--there is a small amount of nudity in this volume, as in 2 or 3 of the other volumes. It is nonsensual and is the equivalent of locker room nudity, as it shows several maids taking a bath in the same room and sharing their thoughts. In a way it reminded me of some of the period films I've seen, like Much Ado About Nothing or A Room with a View. There was only one time in another volume (vol. 8) that I considered Mori's inclusion of nudity inappropriate and over the line.
Questo settimo volume segna la fine della parte principale della storia - Emma e William si ritrovano e decidono di sposarsi, ben consapevoli delle difficoltà che li aspettano. Il visconte Campbell (a cui frega meno di zero della felicità della figlia) decide di tagliare fuori la famiglia Jones, seguito da tutti quelli che lo conoscono e che fanno affari con lui. E poi la decisione di William ha creato del malcontento all'interno della sua stessa famiglia: soprattutto suo padre e le sue sorelle sono contrarie alla sua relazione con Emma, soltanto Aurelia, sua madre, decide di sostenerli. Arthur vuole solo entrare ad Oxford e se ne lava bellamente le mani di tutti questi drammi. Emma, una volta tornata a casa, chiede aiuto a Dorothea (e ad Aurelia) per poter diventare una moglie degna di un uomo appartenente a una classe sociale superiore - uno sforzo forse inutile, visto che gli aristocratici non smetteranno mai di giudicarla (e poi dubito che a William freghi molto), ma ormai non è più possibile tornare indietro e rinnegare il sentimento che l'ha portata a stare al fianco di William. A proposito di William: la sua decisione può sembrare molto egoista - alla fine, ha creato un sacco di problemi alla sua famiglia e ha causato l'infelicità della povera Eleanor -, però ho apprezzato il modo in cui ha deciso di rimanere fedele ai suoi valori e ai suoi sentimenti, senza piegarsi alle richieste altrui. Per lui, l'alta società è quella che non ha mai smesso di bollare suo padre come "arricchito" e che ha distrutto la salute di sua madre. Insomma, per certi versi, meglio perderli che trovarli. Piuttosto che accettare un destino segnato dall'infelicitá, da un matrimonio vuoto e da un finta facciata di rispettabilità, ha scelto la strada più difficile. Accompagnato da Emma, ormai decisa a rimanere al suo fianco. I disegni sono sempre meravigliosi, c'è poco da fare: forse non siamo agli stessi livelli di bellezza de "I giorni della sposa", ma ci andiamo molto vicino 🤩
“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.
I’m glad that Emma & William were reunited but disappointed that this is the end. I know there are 3 others but Mori says in the Afterword this is the end to the actual Emma stories.
I was hoping for more of William & Emma actually together. If I were to give the whole series a rating it would be 3.5/5 because I feel like most of the story was spent on keeping them apart and we hardly see them together!
I also wasn’t a huge fan of how the Indian people are just used as decorations - first Hakim just lounging about and then Monica just weirdly deciding to take off with him and having an entourage of little Indian girls with her like they’re possessions. That really irked me as a person of Indian descent myself. It made me feel really icky.
Still, for all the William & Emma bits this particular volume gets a 3.75 or 4… I just wish there was more of them together and being in love instead of all the angst. (TBH they are both kind of dull when you think about it. 😅 He’s so indecisive like his sister says and she always looks like she’s scared of everything except that brief moment when she decides to take care of herself and put William behind her… almost makes me wish she had. 😂 But then that last panel of them looking happily at each other got my heart strings).
Sooo I’ll settle on 3.75 for this volume and see what happens in the last 3…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The story of Emma ended here, and my goodness was it a thrilling romance that fights against the ethos of the Victorian era. Everything was brilliantly written, with well deserved and given depth to each character and scene that unfolds and plays out, there isn’t an irrelevant or wasted moment in the manga that serves to drive their romance forward. The incidents that brought Jones’ mentality to rock bottom after losing Emma and the intertwined connections of society once again bringing them together, by chance or by fate, was beautiful, and seeing them together once more after being apart was beautiful. The pure love they possess for each other is unrivalled and tacitly illustrated, the stunning panels Mori dedicates to their fleeting intimacy, just so so gorgeous and I envy it all. Along with intricate drawings in the entire series itself, and a surprisingly immersive and excellent depiction of the Victorian era, she delivers a really great story that is so worth the read.
The only gripe I have is some missing plot holes following the consequence of their certain romance, such as the collapse of the Jones’s family and what not, though it’s nothing to lose sleep over
Without too much apparent effort (well, apart from going to America), William finds Emma and brings her back. This is followed by an abrupt and inconclusive ending to the main story, with nothing much getting resolved. Did the manga get cancelled or something? (Although there are three more volumes with "short stories" featuring other characters in the Emma-verse. But will there be more of a conclusion among them? A bit disappointing if there isn't.)
We don't know if Emma will ever get accepted in society. If William and Emma will ever marry. If the viscount and his flunkies will get punished for kidnapping Emma (probably not). If William's father and siblings will ever come around on their relationship. We don't know ANYTHING.
Giving this 3* because I was gripped by the storyline and art, but that's all the more reason this milquetoast ending is a disappointment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Emma is rescued by William and they begin to work toward a life with one another.
The entire Emma series has been lovely. The artwork is superb, including lots of beautiful views of scenery and clothing (which blooms even more in the artist's next work "A Bride's Story"). The characters have been realistic, with reasons behind their emotions and actions. I have been especially impressed with the side characters who come to life with just a few dozen panels.
I wanted more of a resolution than this ending provided. It was happy, but a little too 'soft' for me. I will definitely be reading the next two volumes of Emma since they're short stories of side characters, and I'll miss time spent with Emma and William. This is a wonderful series.
More of a 3.5 star rating; This is the last volume for the main story and the next several volumes are filled with side-stories. While I loved the overall victorian narrative and the journey of seeing Emma and William’s love story, I don’t like how abruptly it ends. The last chapter felt more like the ending of one arc and leading into another arc, instead of an ending to the main storyline. I wish to know what happens with Emma and William’s family, and how each sibling handles Emma being around their eldest brother more. I’m even more curious about the actual wedding, along with, how William’s mother and Emma’s former employer continues to educate Emma on navigating high-society. Hopefully that gets answered in these next/last several volumes.
Buen final para la historia peeeeero deja todo sin rematar, solo en vias de remate.
En general, es un manga muy bonito: un dibujo muy bonito, una historia de amor muy bonita y una ambientación espléndida. Problema? Los protagonistas. William tiene un pase aunque a veces me ponga nerviosa, pero Emma es el personaje mas soso jamás creado. Y esto me lleva al 2° problema y es que, para ser un romance, los momentos románticos brillan por su ausencia...
Sé que hay 3 tomos más que son secuelas sobre los secundarios. A lo mejor de ahí se puede sacar algo.
This volume is really the ending for the main story, and although I felt that the ending was a bit rushed in a way it was still very beautiful and left the story open to many possibilities.
I enjoyed reading it very much, the art style, character development and pace was well managed. Honestly I think that this could've gone on for a few more volumes without being dragged out too much but I'm content with it the way it is.
Also, the amount of research the author put in for this series is quite evident and very appreciated.
I like that William and Emma got their happy ending, however, it felt a bit rushed.
And because of the rushed ending, it fell flat to me.
I would have loved to see a little bit more of Emma's journey to become more a "lady" and the introduction of their union with William. How William mends his relationship with his family (or if he ever does fully mend those relationships). How Viscount exactly blackballed and what happens there.
I feel like we could have at least got two more full volumes on what happens.
Either way, it was a pretty good series. I enjoyed reading it overall.
In this voulume we see a part of the resolution of William and Emma's journey. Once again they are seperated but Emma uses her skills and natural resolve to survive. William also uses his resources to find Emma and the pair realize that they are stronger together than apart. Well at least Emma is! I love William but he has also been a source of some stress during this series, much is that is do with the trappings of society but it was nice to see him stand upfor emma in the end
I was finally able to finish giving this series a re-read. I read it when I was around 13? I didn’t remember it having such an abrupt ending. There’s other stories in the next volumes but the main storyline ends here. Which to me feels too rushed, like the entire final arc just zoomed by with little depth. Still enjoyable and with beautiful art but still.
The side characters are great though and the next volumes are worth it for the German couple and the squirrel lol
I absolutely love this series! While I wish it was longer, I'm pleased with the ending to the main story. I'm also glad that there are at least a few more books in the overall series. The main story may be finished but these last few books may give more detail to the world of Emma. These are definitely going to be added to my collection!! The anime as well :D
The 7th volume is the thickest among the whole series of Emma. There are a lot emotional parts and of course when Emma and William finally meet each other again is the best one. Sometimes I feel like William is sacrificing so much but well, I can't say that Emma isn't suffering as well. They both try their best for their relationship and that's all. Relationship works when both parties make it 🤍