Hey everyone, long time no see! I know I'm going to get killed by some of you for going AWOL but I just saw episode 10 and just *had* to come back and post it. It's from Romeo x Juliet, an anime currently on air in Japan. For those of you who feel that you didn't get enough of a Cleris fix from Advent Children, this is for you. It's been mirroring Advent Children Cleris since the very beginning but this was a purely squee-tastic moment and I almost died. I wonder if they had to pay rights to SE. Then again, if that were the case SE would be paying rights to "Be With You" so I guess not. :lol:

Ah I digress! Hand-reach scene, 'nuff said. :cleris:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=342lw4TiRXI
I managed to find a clip on YouTube, start watching it around 1:50 for the exact moment, but the whole scene is really sweet. It's a remake of the balcony scene crossed slightly with the scene where Romeo leaves Juliet after they consumate their marriage, for those who know their Shakespeare. Do be quick if you want to see it, YouTube is really clamping down on Romeo x Juliet. This version has translations by the side but the video is stretched:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGuJ-DPlI9w

Other very Clerisy bits are that white irises symbolise Juliet (they look so much like the flowers in the church) and angel statues are everywhere. That and Juliet wears pink 90% of the time.

Here's the opening, and yes they're back-to-back in a flower field at 0:50. You can see a badly damaged angel statue too, but those in the anime right now are in perfect condition so they look just like the FFVII angel statue. Oh yes, the opening song is a cover of Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up", a song that I remember many a Cleris citing as purely Cleris back in Devotion. I actually prefer this Japanese cover as the lyrics are more fluffy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqlq6wXKo1g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3PSeTAPDSw (with subs but deformed)

This is a clip of their chance second meeting, start watching at 1:20. It looks exactly like Aerith's church, ruins and all!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMg3DmY7IOg

The trailer for episode 11 even shows them lying in a flower field, need I say more? :lol: I find I spend each episode praying that the anime studio exercises its creative license and doesn't kill Romeo and Juliet in the end. Tybalt too, for that matter. Tybalt (and his uber hotness) is such a scene-stealer. Not that Romeo isn't pretty, mind you. The artwork in high resolution is gorgeous. All said, Romeo x Juliet is one of my favourite shows of the season and you should really try to catch it. And besides, we've always said that Cleris is a lot like Romeo x Juliet, star-crossed lovers and all.

Now excuse me while I hide from the I-thought-you-died flames. :lol:

Oooh... that hand reach scene was well in my oppinion almost identical that was some good spotting oh oh and all the other things you pointed out too were just wowy :D

Right, first thing's first.

*latches onto Clorith's leg* OMG it's so great to see you around these parts again. It's been far too long! Where've you been, Clorith? We missed you so much! :sad: I'm so happy you stopped by, it really made my day to visit the boards and see a post from you. Beware, if you try to go AWOL again, I'll just have to restrain you with CG's handcuffs and lock you in the Staff Chat section.

I've seen a lot of posts over on LJ about the Romeo x Juliet anime. I haven't had chance to watch any subbed episodes of it, so I wasn't aware that there were so many Clerisy bits in it. Oh, lord, their meeting in the flowers was so adorable. And the hand reach scene... there's even the white glowing background! I wonder if one of the writers or directors is a Cleris fan?

I agree about Tybalt. *always liked Tybalt, fangirled over him in the Baz Luhrmann R+J film, and has drooled over screenshots of anime!Tybalt* I don't want him to meet the same fate as he does in the play. He's too pretty to die. How about Mercutio? Does he have a decent sized role in the anime? I loved him in the 1996 film, especially his performance of Young Hearts, Run Free at the masquerade. :lmao:

Haha! Oh no someone get me a saw! :lol: Oh my, Staff Chat, I believe I went AWOL before you became Smod. XD Which reminds me, I owe yin and Lynn a group photo. Or did I send it to Lynn? I can't remember. XP Did Lynn pass the message to say that I am alive and well and overfeeding her? :lol: I think she has jumped on the you-make-us-eat-so-you-look-thinner bandwagon with my friends. :woot:

Yes yes, you should all go see (Cleris masquerading as) RxJ! Tybalt is getting some good scenes now, Mercutio barely appears but you get the feeling he's doing stuff in the background and will be important at the end. I am hoping the sheer power of fangirl will can prevent Romeo from meeting Tybalt so he doesn't die. :no: My friend has dubbed him her new purple character, so he has joined the ranks of Kyouya from Ouran and Sasuke from Naruto and is sitting on a bishie pedestal. :lol:

Oh yes the white glowy stuff! I died in Cleris doppelgang heaven right there. Not only that, Cloud Romeo jumps to take Juliet's hand! I get all teary-eyed whenever the theme song plays in the background. Don't die, please don't die... :sad:

I WANT A FLYING HORSE DAMMIT!!!!!

That so cute, the hand scene :cleris: :fangirl:
And the church ruins thingy :o

CLORITH!!!!! :huggle: :dance: :hyper: *Latches to her face* O_O

And, um, yeah... :blush: So.... that Anime sounds really cool! Any idea on when/if it will make a NA appearance?

We all missed you, Clorith!!! *pulls you back to the Pink*

Thanks for sharing those clips! I mean, I knew some bits and ideas from Romeo and Juliet were put into Cleris, but wow, now I definitely see the similarities. Seriously, it's as if the creators of this anime were purposely trying to bring that point up. :lol:

Anyway, I didn't know about this anime, but now that I do, it looks awesome and extremely worthy of my attention. *needs to look into it*

:o

After watching so many hand-reach scenes from SE, I start squeeing over it more than I would over a kiss scene for SE RPGs...

But honestly, I see the hand-reach scenes in other VGs and animes too. I wonder if there's a universal symbolism/motif/theme tied to that culturally in Japan?

Stupid YouTube shows me a black screen with a white spiral going 'round and 'round... <_< (Anyone happens to know why it's like that?)

Um, screencaps? Heh.

Does she happen to be sweet and gentle, yet possesses a strong determination and iron will? ;)

How much of Shakespeare's version does it resemble? (I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of the play nor do I think it catches the concept of deep love, but of course, I can't really be the judge of that.)

Thanks for the interesting post, Clorith! :)

Hahaha! My face?! :woot: Guess the saw's useless for that one. Been a while, FFG! And that sig of yours cracked me up!! Esp the no romantic progression bit. XD I guess it's going to get licensed soon, judging from the YouTube crackdown. Expect it on Animax or DVD. :lol:

Missed ya too, Hades' Daughter! Yeah I think someone must have done a side deal with SE. Either that or the director is a vigilante Nazi Cleris. :lol:

You speak the truth! :cleris:

Yeah, you don't need to look too far to find the hand-reach scene in other animes. The Ouran anime, which stars Maaya Sakamoto, has one in the season finale between her and the lead guy. I squeed and concluded it was a Maaya thing. :P But this scene in RxJ really looks almost identical to the one in AC. My friend said SE should just patent the scene!

Oh, maybe try it at 0:51 instead of 0:50 for the back-to-back scene?

Oh yes, Juliet has an iron will here alright. She crossdressed for most of the first few eps and fought off lotsa guards even. She gets hurt most of the time but at least she tries! :lol: Anyway it gives Romeo an excuse to go save her.

This RxJ is rather different from the original. Capulet is good this time round and Montague's the more evil one. Actually, Montague murdered them all and Juliet is the last Cetra Capulet left. RxJ take quite some time to couple up, Mercutio doesn't really interact with Romeo much, there's a character called William Shakespeare who writes plays (the little quotes from other Shakespearean works are really interesting Easter eggs), oh and there are two new pretty boys who I really think should shack up but that's just me. Anyway it's all good, my friend says she prefers the anime to the original as it's much more romantic.

Omg, Romeo and Juliet just got married in an abandoned church overgrown with white irises. I feel like I'm watching a Cleris fanfic. :wub: The video is kinda stretched but just so you can see the church ruins:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvxD57-PgeI

P.S. I forgot to add that Romeo asked Juliet for forgiveness the night before the hand-reach scene.

Totally offtopic:

:fangirl: Clorith~!!!!!!
Welcome back :huggle: Where j00 been?!?! Don't poof again >;O

Eh heh heh I've been trapped in the anime kingdom and oggling my TV future husbands. My friend and I even made future husband shrines, complete with ribbons and lace and teddies getting married. I shit you not. :lmao: Oh and over-eating with Lynn. Ah and baking! I hope yin's cookies didn't get too mashed up. :lol: Wanna put on some weight? Come visit Clorith in Singapore. :D Oh do yall still keep albums with all the Cleris fanarts? From like 1.5 years ago. Everyone's sigs look so pretty. Haha and mine apparently got deleted from Imageshack. :P

Just watched episodes 10 and 11 today... You spoiled me. O.O

I actually never thought about it being Cleris at all until I saw the hand reaching scene. >_>

As for the anime itself. I think it's decent. It's barely keeps the original story though. IMO I liked the original story way better. Romeo and Juliet are supposed to be going through the same hardships because of their families. In this version Romeo has everything and Juliet has nothing. Romeo can only feel sorry for her, which kind of throws everything off.

And the way everything is said is just to simple for me.

Romeo:
But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou her maid art far more fair than she.
Be not her maid, since she is envious;
Her vestal livery is but sick and green,
Cast it off.

I know for sure that they wouldn't be able to translate this into Japanese well enough though. Basically Romeo asking Juliet if he could take her virginity. =)

Anyway, the anime is good. I just like the original story better. I felt the same way about Ganktsuou and The Count of Monte Cristo as well.

*waves* Welcome back, Clorith!

And wow... FFG latches on faces now... that must hurt. o.0

Hi, Anti-R! :D

Lol I didn't mean to spoil you, avert your eyes! XD Oh I like that it doesn't keep the original story, actually. I see it as, if I wanted the original story, I'll just go watch either the 1968 film adaptation or Romeo + Juliet if I wanted a modern twist. I like that they slowed it down a little and allowed Romeo and Juliet several chance encounters before they started "professing their love". The anime gives the story the luxury of time, so you get to enjoy the falling-in-love part a little more before the seriousness of it all sets in. But I'm really a fluff-loving sap, so don't mind me. :lol:

I don't feel that bad for Juliet, though. The people that know her still treat her like royalty, and you know that the Capulets will certainly overthrow the Montagues by the end of the story. And I like that Romeo is a pretty shy idiot this time round, makes him more lovable. Though I wanted to whack him in the head with a couple of his favourite irises when he couldn't put two and two together for the whole Juliet crossdressing thing. XD

I don't think anyone gets spoiled by Romeo and Juliet. ^^; We all know where it leads.

And honesty the Japanese has a way of adding twists to their versions of known works... I mean they made a 40+ episode series of the "Sound of Music". 0.o;

Give my regards to Lynn, BTW! XD

Haha Lynn is always stuck in her Kendo classes, I hardly see her! And I spy a Heroes quote in your sig! Hiro is my future husband. So is Sylar. But my #1 future husband is Peter. And I am sooo psyched that the cast is coming to Singapore for the Heroes World Tour. I almost didn't bother to check out the link coz I thought it would never happen. Well, now my friend and I will just have to start drawing out plans for how to kidnap them all when they get here. :devil:

Yeah, I also got recently... dragged by that show as well. XD

You like Sylar? 0.o; Well, I admit he is a good antagonist (which actually means scary villain, he freaks me out), but his tendencies to go after brains has something to do with me not really... fond of him.

But I do like Sylar and Peter face off "battles". I can't wait to see more of that. The season ender is merely a taste.

But... Hiro is my soul mate!!! *cries emo tears*

Also that quote reminded me of Aerith, actually. So I'm proudly wearing it. :D

*grumbles* Now, what other video sites should I migrate off to?

They should. :P

And that scene should have a name. Preferably something along the lines that has a romantic connatation... :whistle:

The problem is, I can't play it at all.

That's really freaky... I can almost believe that it's not really all a coincidence.

Hahaha!! I'm a proud supporter of SylarxMohinder. :lust: Five years later and they're still together! :lmao: And I firmly believe in Petrellicest. Though a huge part of me hopes that Peter is adopted and is actually Sylar's brother because my guilty pleasure is Paire. No uncle has touched my cheek like that! :woot: And if my uncle looked like Peter... *brain-->gutter*

Oh I love Hiro too. Please let Masi Oka be in the group that comes to Singapore!

Oh no, you can't play the alternate link I gave in the first post either??

Welcome to the club! :D

:lmao: CLORITH!!!! It's been way too long!!!! How dare you abandon us for such a long time!!! :glomp2: Lol, looks like you've completely hijacked this thread.

I've never watched Romeo x Juliet, but I've heard good stuff about it! I haven't even watched the Sainkokyu Monogatari (is that how it's spelt?) you recommended me!! And I don't watch Heroes either!! What am I doing in this thread?! :hyper:

Lol, Lynn sent me the group photo, thank you! And your cookies were fantabulous, my mum thinks you should open a bakery! :lmao: It's so good to see you again!!! :huggle: Kidnap Lynn when you can and remind her that her wifey is having her baby!!! :lmao:

Oh, I'm trying to get to Singapore at the end of the year if possible. That desert buffet has been playing in my mind ever since you told me!!! :lmao:

Gawdz, Clorith. You need to come back and STAY. <333 YUS, THE HANDCUFFS.

Heyloo Clorith, it's been a while.

I thought of PeterxNathan... Too many hugs and love between those two. XD

Yeah man!! I squee at all the "I love you"s! Petrellicest all the way! :fangirl:

Hee thanks for the warm welcome everyone! :wub:

Yin, you total un-couch potato you! You're a total disgrace to the fangirl population. :lmao: And it's spelt Saiunkoku Monogatari. XP Haha I had to make a second batch of those Russian tea cakes for my friend because her Mummy demanded it. :lol: Glad your Mummy liked it too! Oh I haven't seen Lynn in ages! She escaped from my clutches and went back to KL. I actually came here partly to look for her! Apparently my AWOL disease rubbed off on her over the chocolate buffet. :o Anyway you should come ASAP. I found new places to eat! :woot: And you'll have to come back in another couple of years when the giant ferris wheel is done so we can have a fangirl dinner up there! Ya know, talking about Cloud among the clouds... XD PS, since everyone skipped it. Might you know where I can find the new Cleris albums?

Egads what's this about handcuffs?! :woot:

Hey, Lynn's posting now. You better pm her. :D

Haha Lynn is cursing her internet connection. XP

Back to the topic! Episode 12: Temple of the Ancients. :lmao: I kid you not! Around 6:50, Juliet feels something calling her and winds up at a temple in the middle of a forest. She hears a shrill sound and falls to her knees. :lol:

Don't people get sued anymore? :lmao:

Oh wow! That church scene was too much.
I believe the likeness to Cloud/Aerith comes obviously from the universal symbols of love used in the anime. Reaching for your loved one's hand, flowers, back-to-back to show two who are halves of each other etc.

Of course, this is a little freaky in the resemblance that church bears to Aerith's and that the flowerbed in the beginning almost looked the same.

Hey, if they can make a Loz/Tifa ripoff music video (badly done, might I add) why not this one?

Hahaha! Agreed. Square Enix's lawyers must really be sleeping! :lol: Yeah the church in RxJ really is freaky, isn't it? All they did was change the position of the flowers! :woot:

Ivy's record label did actually get sued for that one, though.

My goodness, episode 13 has Juliet sinking into a lake with her hair fanning out. I kid you not. Haha I've never seen anything so blatant in my life! :lmao:

Wait... what?

There's a lot of girl's being put into the lake thing (Wolf's Rain, Gundam SEED Destiny and now this?) nowadays.

What gives?

LOL don't ask me! I'm as dumbfounded as you are! Go watch it, I swear I'm not lying! And said girl's hair is brown in colour this time! :lol:

For real?! :woot:
Just curious...but why was she sinking into a lake with her hair fanning out anyway? She didn't happen to have just died, did she? O.o

Haha thank goodness she isn't dead yet. To minimise spoilers, Juliet kinda got swept away. Then she floats up, someone finds her in this secret garden and she sinks back down into the water. LOL now I think I've gotten you even more confused. But yeah, she's still alive and well. :D

*flabbergasted*

Okay, now I'm convinced they've played FFVII. We should ask the creators of the anime if they're closet supporters of Cloud x Aerith!

Hahaha! At the rate they're going, there's really nothing "closet" about it! :lol: Oh and there's an episode where the two of them keep saying the same lines, kinda like Cleris in AC. My friend joked that after buying over the Cleris template, they ran out of cash so Romeo and Juliet both ended up sharing a script. :lol:

*BUMP*

My goodness, you guys have to see this! I am now convinced that the director is a dissatisfied, evangelical, Cleris-shipper. :fangirl: Romeo x Juliet just redid the "Cloud Smiles" AC ending. :fangirl: I can't find the actual clip on YouTube but here's the full scene in a music video. Watch from about 2:35 onwards. Romeo and Juliet haven't seen each other for some time because they got exiled. Juliet finally gets to Romeo and finds the iris Romeo loves so much on his pillow (like the ending for "Calling"). But, despite having a nice little shack, Romeo chooses to leave where he is staying every day to visit the Church that they got married in, as a pal of Romeo tells Juliet. Juliet then goes to the Church where we find Romeo at the flower bed, talking to his precious flowers ( :lmao: :cleris: ). Then the scene that we're all so familiar with plays out, except this time Juliet steps out of the light, the two of them run to each other and they kiss! :cleris: We even get that same over-the-shoulder shot that Square Enix used when Cloud was staring at Aerith as she was walking away. :woot: It also helps that Juliet's pink skirt looks incredibly like the one Aerith wore in KH2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO3R19MttGQ
*standing ovation*

You can watch the whole of Episode 18 streaming on Crunchyroll and I think Veoh as well. As a side-note, you will be pleased to know that Juliet stops by this grassy field with some yellow flowers in Episode 16 and prays for Romeo beneath an angel statue in Episode 17. :D

I've never watched RXJ anime or vids before, and this one surely a clerith thread to me~ :cleris: love the church part so much...(only if Romeo's hair is blond would be perfect! :P )
Thanks for sharing Clorith!

Yeah, I agree! Didcha check out the trademark hand-reach scene? :fangirl: And when they got married in the Church my Cleris heart could have died happy! Yeah if Romeo's hair were blonde it would be perfect! But hey, Romeo wears blue and Juliet wears pink, just like a certain couple we know. ^_^

In 1968's version of Romeo and Juliet by Zeffirelli, Juliet wears red and Romeo blue.
In 1998's version during the mascarade Tybalt wears red (the devil) and Romeo silver-blue (the knight). Juliet is an angel so she's dressed in white.
We can also add "Shakespeare in love" and the last musical of "Romeo and Juliet":
It seems that Montague are smurfs and Capulets are red for evaaaar.
:whistle:


I really like Romeo X Juliet even if sometimes it's a bit surprising to see how Japanese people see the occidental culture. However I never saw the last video before and I have to admit that it's a really REALLY cute scene. :fangirl:

Yeah it is, isn't it? I squeal my head off whenever I watch it. :fangirl:

I just saw episode 21 and it's really reading like Maiden. In a nutshell, the Planet is dying and Juliet has been asked to sacrifice her life to save the world. By the end of the episode, Juliet's accepted that she's going to die, and like Maiden she says that she's doing it for everyone, especially Cloud Romeo! Nooo...! :sad: And this time Aerith Juliet has the white materia implanted in her chest. :lol: Why do the Japanese enjoy sacrificing their female leads so? :sad: