W Juliet

 Title: W Juliet
 Creator(s): Emura
 Publisher(s): Hakusensha Inc., VIZ Media
 Year: 2002
 Genre(s): Shoujo, drama, romance, comedy
 Length: 14 volumes
 Reviewed by: Yukari on April 13, 2007

Synopsis

Makoto Amano dreams of becoming an actor but his father wants him to inherit their family's martial arts dojo instead. Due to his son's obstinacy, he decided that if Makoto could prove his talent by pretending to be a girl in school without anyone finding out, he would let him do what he wants. After transferring to another high school, Makoto befriends tomboy Ito Miura. Despite their different personalities, they share the common dream of becoming an actor. Ito quickly discovers Makoto's true gender and they slowly become more than friends. They are faced with many obstacles as they try to hide Makoto's true identity and their relationship from their family and friends.

Review

After so many years of studying Japan's culture, I still don't quite understand the country's obsession with gender-switching. Girls pretend to be boys and boys pretend to be girls. There are many titles with a similar plot to this series such as "Hana Kimi" and "Girl Got Game", just to name a popular few. These series all involve gender-confused characters and cross-dressing. How does "W Juliet" stand out from the rest?

What made it interesting for me in the beginning was the physical appearances of the main characters. Our leading heroine, Ito, looks like a man, while the leading man looks like a woman. I realized that it was the main characters in this series that made it so lovable. Both Ito and Makoto have strong and admirable personalities. Emura was able to show this often as they had to deal with some very stubborn people throughout the series.

While "W Juliet" is not as long as "Hana Kimi," it is still a bit lengthy considering the basic plot. The series is a basically a collection of short stories combined with a main story that progresses slowly. Most series focus mainly on it's main characters, but this series also puts its side characters in spotlight quite often. Emura expertly incorporates these side stories into the series adding richness to the main story without distracting us from the basic plot. The side stories are also covered in depth without compromising character development. I rarely get the chance to learn so much about the other characters! Because of this, I'm able to understand every character in the series a little better.

My only complaint is that there aren't enough romantic scenes between Makoto and Ito, making the few that are in the series so much more precious. Makoto and Ito are supposed to be couple but because of their situation, they did not have many opportunities to act like one. I love and envy the bond they share with one another. The two understand each other well. In the best relationships, couples usually start off as friends. Although I have always found Makoto to be feminine no matter what, Ito also slowly becomes more feminine as the series progresses (big surprise who caused this change). You can actually witness love's ability to change a person.

Overall, I really liked this series because I enjoyed looking at Ito's older twin brothers. Not to mention, there are also some really nice bishounen! The art is also very pleasant as Emura's character's features aren't as exaggerated compared to other mangas. Although most of the endings were predictable, the stories were always fun to read! "W Juliet" isn't the best manga series I've ever read, but it comes close. I highly recommend it!

Overall Rating: 4/5