Emma, Vol. 1 (Emma, 1) Hardcover – May 19, 2015

Emma, as you might have guessed, tells the story of a young Victorian/Edwardian maid and her forbidden romance with a gentleman from a large merchant house whose family has aims for him that are much higher than she.Volume one of the series contains the first seven chapters of the eventual fifty-two and focuses on basic introductions. We meet the shy, but kind and intellegent, Emma, the exotic Hakim, prim Mrs.Stowner, the somewhat daft and dashing Young Master Jones... the list goes on.Pretty much every character we see, be they the main focus or the bit part side characters, will show up many times throughout the series, and not just as filler. Every single character has a point to them, whether it be to show some side of Victorian Society or to help a more important character (or even just the reader) figure something out about the story at large. I really must applaud Mori for this.The art is superb, with a strict attention to details and architecture. There's something about the way Mori draws that lends elegance to her character's features. Despite the fact that Emma and Eleanor are considered beautiful, they're not drawn in the typical manner associated with beauty in manga... in fact, they're quite atypical if you compare them to other manga... but, in the spirit, mood, and fasion in which they ARE drawn, you cannot help but see them as so.The pacing is just right for this sort of quiet courtship... slow and delicate, with an emphasis on subtlety that makes you feel like you're sharing a well reasoned secret with Kelly as she watches the two grow closer.In the translator's/author's notes/bio at the end of the volume, a point was made that CMX has decided to bring over the series untouched. I assume that means it will be unedited, and am glad and hopeful that my guess is right. FAIR WARNING; in the later volumes there will be some female nudity as there are two, perhaps three bath scenes with several characters that have yet to be introduced. Parents should know of those, though I consider it to be quite tasteful.There are only two things I didn't like about the release... one, was a choice the author made in the creation. There's a scene late in this volume where the reality breaks down a little and several characters, in typical fashion, have animals hovering near them that represent their current moods. It's generally a good emotive tool, but in a title that strives to portray a reality fairly strictly, this seems out of place. It's a fairly MINOR beef, and hardly noticeable, but I thought I'd mention it.The other issue was a production one... in particular, the paper stock that CMX used. Perhaps it was done for affect, to make it seem aged (as it is a period piece), but the texture and color of the pages are off... too rough and off-white. It kind of washes out the art and makes it lose crispness. The cover too, is off odd consistency. I just recieved my copy yesterday and already it is starting to bow seriously, in spite of the care I've taken not to bend the spine in reading it. I really wish they used the heavy stock, at least on the cover, like the job they did on Megatokyo's fourth volume. Oh well.My final recommendation is to BUY THIS BOOK... and every volume after. It's a short series, so it won't take too much of a bite out of your budget, and is WELL WORTH the investment. This is one of the few manga titles that I would include under the heading of LITERATURE... it's just that damn good, in story, character and rendition.

I own the anime but I have never read the manga because it was out of print by the time I found out about this series. That said, the art in this manga is gorgeous. The details are truly marvelous. As I read, I turn the pages slowly just so I can absorb the details. I also like the soft feel of the pages and the hardcover is quite sturdy. So far I have collected volumes 1 and 2 and I think the publishers did a nice job with both hardcovers. For me they are worth every penny.As to the story, I also enjoy reading it. I'm a fan of Austen, Bronte, Gaskell, etc so I no doubt like this kind of story in manga form written by Mori-san. I look forward to discovering the manga story since I've heard it differs from the anime story.

What's intriguing about Manga is that works, such as this, are created, with painstaking details by one individual. Movies are thousands, yet the director receives the most credit? Even American comics are writers, ink, colorists, etc. It's rare to see stories with art done so well and by one person.Kaoru Mori has produced something truly profound in her work. Her drawing ability is impressive and fleshes the characters out through the pages. I enjoyed her passion of Victorian England interest and obsession (as she explains in her self-cartooned commentaries) to a higher level in a creative way. Emma inspired myself as an amateur writer to flesh out ideas, people, or historical eras which inspire.

I am new to manga books, but this kept poping up in my recomendations. It was a beautiful story with really nice artwork. At first I thought that all of the men looked the same, medium height and blond. Eventually, I was able to tell them apart. I also didn't know why they were in love with each other. They met once, and were suddenly in love. I didn't think that that was realistic for a maid and an upper class gentleman during that time period, but I went along with it. I liked that there were two books in one, and the hardcover was nice. I will continue to read the story to find out what happens to Emma and William.

Love this! An absolute delight for my all things Victorian soul! Very sweet series and love story 10/10. Also thankful this is in English.

I've gone and read all the available English volumes of Emma, I can say that "endearment" is a quality I hold highly of the main characters. Their struggles of overcoming the class differences wrought in history makes for an intriguing backdrop of the goings on during that time period.The art, while seemingly simple, has amazing detail in every frame, from the architecture to to the mantle piece. Kaoru Mori went the extra mile in placing historically accurate events and items into a not as of yet cliched tale.

I've already read the entire series before through less, um, legitimate ways, so I was incredibly thrilled to find out that it was getting a reprinting! The hardcover is gorgeous and sturdy, and the book jacket is reversible as well! If you're a fan of Kaoru Mori, this is a must buy.

Loved this so much.