Emma by Kaoru Mori

Title: Emma
Mangaka: Kaoru Mori
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: Approx. 200
# of Volumes: 7
My Rating: 4.5/5

Victorian England is a time where your future is predetermined by your class.

Emma is a maid working for the retired governess, Mrs. Stownar. She is kind and humble, not to mention beautiful. She is extremely loyal to her employer who took her in when she was a young girl and looks to her as a mother figure.

William Jones is the eldest son in his aristocratic family and Emma catches his eye when they first meet. His royal Indian friend, Hakim, also thinks she is quite attractive. But he backs off, knowing the two have feelings for each other.

But a maid and rich man can never be together. William's father is against their relationship. He thinks his son is selfish and should settle for Eleanor, the daughter of the Campbell family, instead. Will society drive Emma and William apart? Or is their love stronger than that?

I have to say, Emma was not as boring as I thought. The story was very pleasant in fact. Nothing along the lines of The Luxe. It's more of a mellow and relaxing read. I think the mangaka has captured the setting quite perfectly. It was said she researched extensively and even brought in a historical consultant to make sure everything was correct to the last detail. Just reading it shows how passionate the mangaka is about this old British era.

My favourite character would have to be Hakim. Tell me, how often do you see Indian characters in mangas? Like one in a million! (He reminds me of Kartik from The Great and Terrible Beauty, another favourite character of mine. I have a thing for hot fictional Indian characters...). I just love his laid-back attitude and the four Indian girls that follow him around (they are so expressionless that it's funny!). When Hakim changed into English clothing, it made me go "Yay!", haha.

Although it's a nice manga, I don't think it would be everyone's cup of tea. It requires patience to fully enjoy it. I just wish there is a little something more to Emma. It gets better and better as the volumes precede. It is definitely different from most mangas and worth checking out!