First Impressions / Romeo X Juliet

Summary:

Right before Ophelia disappears and Juliet faints, Ophelia mentions that it’s close to being time for the contract and that Escalus wants Juliet. When Juliet wakes up a little while later, her chest starts hurting and glowing green, and she remembers what Ophelia said about her life saving the world that’s going to be destroyed. She then wonders aloud to her parents’ grave if what Ophelia said is true and if this is her fate. Back in the city, everyone is still recovering from the earthquake when a fire suddenly starts in one area. Fires soon develop in several parts of the city, and after seeing the flames in the distance, Romeo learns that this is all Montague’s doing. He grabs his laughing father by the collar and declares that Montague’s not the duke. What’s more, he feels that Montague isn’t his father any longer either. Despite this, after Romeo leaves, his father turns to the city and tells it to burn.

The Capulet forces meanwhile have set up an aid station, but panic spreads when another fire breaks out nearby. Conrad and Francisco suspect something’s going on, and unbeknownst to them, Mercutio is leading a force of winged-horse-riders across the city, setting it on fire with flaming arrows. Romeo soon finds them and tries to get them to stop, but Mercutio feels that he’s following Montague’s orders and decides to show no mercy. When Mercutio draws his sword, Romeo jumps off his horse and tackles him onto a rooftop below. He then tells Mercutio that Montague is a pathetic criminal who’s lost everything, and when Mercutio tries to punch him for saying that, Romeo slaps Mercutio first. Feeling that Romeo doesn’t understand, Mercutio runs off in tears. Romeo doesn’t give chase and instead arrives just in time to save a girl from a crumbling archway. This girl was a part of a family that Juliet was taking to safety, and Romeo now gets a chance to talk with her privately.

Juliet wants to tell Romeo about what Ophelia said, but before she can say anything, Romeo reveals that he’s parted with his father. He won’t let his father destroy Neo Verona because it’s not something his father owns – it’s something of the people. Romeo then hugs Juliet and says that he can’t let his father run out of control any further. When everything ends, he wants to see her again, but for now, he runs off into the distance。 Her eyes filled with tears, Juliet realizes that she wasn’t able to tell him after all. Early the following morning, she and Antonio run into Emilia and William who have just returned. Their concern about Neo Verona falling apart reminds Juliet of what Ophelia said, and when William notices that she’s hiding something, Juliet asks him what he’d do about a story with a person who has to sacrifice herself for the sake of the world. William claims he wouldn’t write such a story, but he thinks that such a person would live through his or her will until the very end.

Later that day, as she’s combing Juliet’s hair, Cordelia reveals that Benvolio had proposed that they live together when things calmed down. Cordelia hadn’t given him a reply yet, so Juliet urges her to do so and is happy for her friend. With this on her mind, Juliet goes out and thinks about herself as the Capulet daughter, as the Red Whirlwind, and as someone who has to offer herself to Escalus. After noticing some iris flowers growing, Juliet thinks about all the people who have supported her – it was thanks to all of them that she was able to live. She also thinks of Romeo and feels that if he can protect this world, then it won’t matter if she sacrifices her life. Juliet then makes a bouquet of iris flowers and presents them to Cordelia for the ceremony. William presides over this ceremony, and after Cordelia and Benvolio kiss, Antonio tells Juliet that it’s okay to cry, but Juliet wants to bless the couple with a smile instead.

Afterwards, Cordelia gives Juliet the bouquet and wants her to become happy with Romeo. When Juliet worries about becoming this happy, Cordelia tells her that it’s fine however happy a person becomes. Juliet then notices that it’s started to snow outside, and it causes Cordelia to say that it’ll be good for everyone to become happy when the snow melts and the flowers are in full bloom. Standing alone out in the snow later, Juliet addresses Romeo in her mind and says that she’ll go to Escalus when this battle is over for the sake of the people of Neo Verona and for everyone’s happiness. Remembering their oath, Juliet apologizes to Romeo for breaking it, but she feels that she can entrust Neo Verona to him. She’s also happy that she was able to meet him.

Preview

The switch to Tuesdays because Sun-TV now gets to air this before CBC really screws up my schedule. I suspect that until the end of this season, I’ll be posting the screencaps for R X J on Tuesday and the summary on Wednesday because there’s no way I can doing this and School Days and Claymore all on the same day.
Well, the second half of this episode had a bit too much flashback for my liking. They backed it up with some good monologues and music, but after about the third time they did it, it really felt like they just needed something to fill the screen without animating the entire monologue. Most of the rest of the episode was relatively high quality animation though, and overall it was a decent episode.
The wedding scene was nice though – Cordelia looks good in a wedding dress and I liked seeing that she and Benvolio actually got somewhere in their relationship. Still, the scene felt a little out of place given everything else that’s going on, and the ceremony itself wasn’t nearly as great as, say, Romeo and Juliet walking down the aisle of that old church. Maybe they could have waited to the end of the series and used the wedding as a example of everyone living happily after Romeo and Juliet are gone (assuming they both will indeed die after all). In any case, we’re only three episodes away from the end, and next week looks like it might be the death of Montague.

36 Comments

  17. The animation was beautiful for this episode….although I didn’t quiet see Benvolio and Cordelia getting marries, considering the circumstances, with the Duke going all homicidal rage and the city being burned down. I loved the flashback at the ending…..it soooo means Juliet is going to die.

    Marie
    Reply

  21. “im not really up to date with rxj, but if juliet replaces that tree lady, esculia or something, won’t she still be there at the tree and romeo able to visit her any time?”

    Juliet is not replacing ‘the tree lady’. She is to become the new tree, or the new life source for it.

    xxx
    Reply

  27. @Alice …. Yes.

    lol! j/k 😉 I love their pairing, but I have a freind who fnds it horribly boring.

    lol @ the reviewer’s descrip of Mercutio. “Feeling that Romeo doesn’t understand, Mercutio runs off in tears.” XD Poor boy. You do have to feel for the boy to some extent, though. The Duke has a firm hold on Mercutio’s psyche through fear after killing Titus and even the chairman of the Assembly. He must think there is no way out and away from Montague at this point. And the crying like that from a *slap* is a sure sign he is under that duress. He’s a bit of a weakling, sure, but he needs to be helped.

    And OHMYGOSH Cordelia and Benvolio got married! ^^ Yay! I would have liked to see a bit more development btwn them too, but I think that what we did see made it plausible that a romance was and had bloomed btwn them. (And besides, the lack of canon courting moments will give me plenty of wiggle room in fanfiction. lol)

    Alleluia
    Reply

  30. To XXX: Juliet won’t replace Ophelia. She’s going to Esculas and will be put to, I guess….”slumber” beneath the tree. I’m guessing that when Romeo finds out about this, he’ll most likely want to join her. Hence, it’s back to the “two twin tree” thing that’s guarding Neo-Verona. I want both of them to not be life-source food for the tree though. I wish they could keep their human forms if this series does end up that they become “energy” for Esculas.

    tg
    Reply

  31. I love this anime series! but is there 24 episodes? i was thinking that it will be only 23…. but wao….this series hahahah is completely different of the real play.
    im wondering is going to be the death of both!!!!
    thanks!

    shdm
    Reply

  32. Yeah! Next week Montague will die, and then Romeo and Juliet…

    As you mentioned, the ceremony felt out of place after the incidents on the city with the earthquake and the fire. Obviously someone has to achieve happiness on the series, because hopefully GONZO won’t screw up this classic letting Romeo and Juliet. Anything can happen.

    Now the question is; who will kill Montague?

    Syaoran Li
    Reply

  33. nooooooooooo……………i dont want juliet 2 die T_T
    or Romeo T_T since this was different from the play so i was hoping that they would not die…..If they do i will be sooo sad i will cry…But i still have hope that they will b 2gethr.
    On the other hand……
    it was sooooooooooooo cut hoe Benvolio and Cordelia r getting married! ^-^
    Also Montague is going to die….hahaha(evil laugh) Just kidding ^-^

    AnimeFreak4evr
    Reply

  36. Montagyue wil die by Romeo’s hands…. after he accidentally kills Mercutio (who threw himself to save Romeo and dies saying some cliche phrase such as “I was wrong… but you still have the chance to make a difference”) either that or Mercutio kills Montague on a doble knock out match….

    either way ….

    Montague will die YAY! 🙂

    RickaZ
    Reply

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