Since its debut in 2013, Requiem Of The Rose King has been a cult beloved manga. And now, the anime version made by J.C.Staff lets more people appreciate its unique perspective on Shakespeare. Requiem Of The Rose King is based on two Shakespeare plays Henry VI, Part 3, and Richard III.
However, this is not the only anime that provides a unique rendition of William Shakespeare’s plays, and one of the more intriguing twists on the bard’s work comes from Romeo X Juliet.
Romeo X Juliet Plot
According to Otaquest, Romeo and Juliet deviate from the source material in a variety of ways. To begin, Romeo x Juliet is set on the floating continent of Neo Verona, where the Capulet family has ruled for generations. However, the power-hungry Leontes Montague stages a deadly coup against them. He and his men infiltrate their castle and slaughter every member of House Capulet, with the exception of Juliet, who has been transported away to safety at the age of two.
Juliet is now sixteen years old and has blocked out what happened when she was a baby, so she has no recollection of it. Leontes has ruled Neo Verona with an iron fist, crushing anybody who stands in his way, while Juliet has fought House Montague’s harshness as a masked vigilante known as The Red Whirlwind.
House Montague hosts an annual Rose Ball, and Juliet is invited by a friend. While there, she meets Leontes’s son Romeo, and although neither knows who the other is, they instantly fall in love. Romeo opposes his father’s despotic, absolutist beliefs, and he and Juliet find they have more in common than not.
But House Capulet supporters are plotting an insurrection of House Montague in order to restore Juliet to her rightful kingdom, and Leontes is obsessed with finding the last Capulet he couldn’t murder all those years ago. As their true romantic bond develops progressively deeper, Romeo and Juliet must face their families, friends, and the entire political world around them, and the series follows them and their adventures as they try, despite everything, to find a way to be together.
The uniqueness of the animated version
According to CBR, a lot of the classic Romeo And Juliet is subverted in the series. The floating setting, with Dragon Steeds and magic, sets the plot apart from the more grounded original. That and gender expectations.
In Romeo X Juliet, Juliet takes on a more active role in the tale, seeking to bring down the other family. Also, Romeo, not Juliet, is in an arranged marriage arranged by his parents. This minor modification casts the lovers in a different light and alters their dynamic. As the series progresses, it diverges more from the original play’s story, with new characters gaining importance.
Like Requiem Of The Rose King, the show has a distinct visual aesthetic. Romeo X Juliet contains Gonzo’s signature 2D/3D animation. While the 3D animation is a bit old, the 2D animation is superb. The hand-drawn fight scenes look excellent and are worth watching the program for.
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