The artists at the Gonzo studio took little more than the names of the characters from Shakespeare's play for the fantasy-romance Romeo x Juliet. Neo-Verona suffers under the tyranny of the cruel, usurping Prince Leontes Montague: Fourteen years ago, he overthrew the benevolent Prince Capulet and slaughtered the entire royal family except for the infant Princess Juliet. Capulet loyalists have raised Juliet in secret, dressing her as the boy Odin. Lately, she's taken to meting out vigilante justice as The Scarlet Whirlwind in a getup that recalls Tuxedo Mask's costume in Sailor Moon. Juliet discovers her true identity on her birthday, just after she's met well-intentioned milquetoast, and heir to the throne, Romeo Montague. Naturally, romance blossoms amid bloodshed and attempted rebellion: "From ancient grudge break to new mutiny; where civil blood makes civil hands unclean." The plot of Romeo x Juliet is a muddle of unintentionally funny anachronisms and incongruities. Although Juliet has been fighting injustice as The Scarlet Whirlwind, she blanches at the idea of drawing blood, and her fiery spirit dissolves into whining and moping when things go badly. The dialogue is a bizarre mixture of pseudo-Shakespearean and contemporary slang. When Romeo suggests they meet again "at this self-same hour," Juliet replies, "I'll be there!" The filmmakers have added a playwright character named "Willie" and a standard-issue anime subplot about a magical tree that supports the world of Neo-Verona. English teachers will face interesting challenges when they try to present the real Romeo and Juliet to fans of Romeo x Juliet. (Rated TV PG: violence, brief nudity, alcohol and tobacco use, potentially offensive religious imagery) --Charles Solomon (1. If They Did Not Meet, 2. The Promise--A Scent Remembered, 3. Love--Cruel Mischief, 4. Bashfulness--Beaten by the Rain, 5. Whirlwind--Burning Resolve, 6. Hope--Tomorrow Entrusted, 7. Warmth--Just for Now, 8. Nativity--What Justice Is, 9. Rise to Action--Hesitation Quelled, 10. Tears--To Have Met You, 11. The Vows--The Blessing of the Morning Sun's Blessing, 12. Solace--to Stay this Way)
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