The Kickstarter for the English dub of Emma: A Victorian Romance is fully funded for both Seasons 1 and 2 (the entire series), which means I'll get to hear an English dub of Hans. When it comes to William vs. Hans, I'm Team Hans, especially in the anime. I think it was more of a toss-up in the manga, but it's been so long since I last read the manga that I can't really remember. I plan to do a reread project in 2019 in order to gear up for an English dub viewing.

 

In the meantime, I might try to catch up on A Bride's Story, another beautiful manga series by Kaoru Mori.

In case someone other than me is interested in this, Nozomi Entertainment has a Kickstarter up to create an English dub of the first season of Emma: A Victorian Romance (the link goes to legally streaming English subtitled episodes). No, not Jane Austen's Emma. It's the anime version of Kaoru Mori's manga about the romance between William, the eldest son of a wealthy merchant middle class family, and Emma, a maid.

 

I'm hoping that the Kickstarter will not only get fully funded, but that it'll reach the Season 2 stretch goal, so that I can hear the English dub for this guy (Hans, the footman, aka the guy I still kind of wish Emma had ended up with):

 

 

If I had the money for those tiers, I'd love the Emma figure, Emma doll with amazingly detailed period clothing (seriously, the doll comes with instructions explaining how to tie her corset), and even the custom cosplay outfit, although I don't cosplay. Alas, I must settle for a tier that won't make my bank account scream in agony.

 

If you're at all interested in manga and haven't read this series before, I highly recommend it. No Kickstarter necessary for those, they're all already published and available. The series jumps off the rails a bit near the end, with action and melodrama, but Mori's gorgeous artwork helps make up for it. I do remember one cringe-y bit - an Indian prince character, Hakim, who comes across as a giant stereotype at the beginning of the series. Mori adds a bit of depth to him and his family later on, but I could still see the character being a problem for folks.

- Pariya, in A Bride's Story Vol. 8 by Kaoru Mori

Beautiful, I did not expect less from Mori-sensei. The art is cute but less pretty than in [b:A Bride's Story, Vol. 1|10105459|A Bride's Story, Vol. 1 (A Bride's Story, #1)|Kaoru Mori|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331910205s/10105459.jpg|15002691] (this one is one of her earliest works). There are 3 stories, all of them with a gentle maid as a MC, who has a strong bond with her mistress/master. I loved all 3 of them, all cute and heart-warming!

1. Shirley: the little orphan girl of 13, who is quiet and skillful, and comes to love her mistress very much. I love that her mistress was a pretty and independent, single woman, which was hard to be in those times. There is certainly more to be narrated (what with that handsome young man, what is Shirley's story, etc).

2. Nelly: the maid who is very close to her little master. The little boy is a bit lonely since his father died when he was a baby and his mother is never at home. So he bonds with Nelly who is the youngest of the mansion staff. I like that the mother was not a 2-dimensional character.

3. Mary Banks: she and the accountant guy are the only members of the mansion staff who can stand their master's pranks. This one made me cried a little bit at the end.

The author's note at the end was a lot of fun! The mangaka is not only skilled, but also funny XD

I was flipping through this volume, waiting for my cold meds to kick in. I can't wait until my concentration comes back, because I really need to get caught up on this series, if only so I can properly read this volume instead of just flipping through it. Like this reviewer said, it's basically a love story starring two women (who happen to already be married, but that's not so much a problem).

 

Gah. Mori's stuff is so lovely.