The Characters

Romeo is a kind-hearted boy, who was raised in a loving environment. For this reason, he is excessively optimistic that no matter how bad things may be, they will inevitably work out in the end. It is this reasoning that allows him to survive the many hardships that he is forced to endure after he sells himself into what amounts to slavery.

Romeo's Family: His father taught him to be brave and strong, and do what is right. More than once, Romeo makes difficult choices based on what he believes his father would do. His mother is a loving woman, and the heartbreak of losing Romeo is almost more than she can bear, especially because he is doing it to ensure the survival of his family. His Grandmother is stern, but very sweet on her capable grandchild. Romeo also leaves behind two little brothers. Even when he leaves, he tries to lessen their anxiety and tells them that everything will be fine.

Piccolo is Romeo's pet weasel; he stows away in Romeo's bag when he departs for Lugnano. He is a constant source of amusement to all they meet on their journey.

Alfredo: Romeo meets Alfredo en route to Lugnano and after an initially cordial beginning, the two become fast friends. Although Alfredo tells Romeo never to ask of his past, he later voluntarily tells Romeo of his life with his sister Bianca and how his only goal is to become and adult so he can protect her. He can read, which makes Romeo look up to him, as Romeo cannot. Alfredo is a strong and quiet individual, and is fiercely loyal to his friends. When they are sold to different men in Milan, he and Romeo swear a special oath that their friendship will outlast everything.

Luini, the God of Death: The most despicable character in the series, Luini profits off the misfortunes of others. In the case of Romeo's family, he helped to generate the problems that led Romeo to come to him. Luini is despised by just about everyone — even the people with whom he has business dealings.

Bianca: Alfredo's sister Bianca is his only reason for living. It is for her sake that he sells himself to the God of Death.

Rossi: Rossi is the man who buys Romeo and teaches him to work as a chimney sweep. He is not particularly kind to Romeo, but then again, he is not particularly cruel, either. He sees Romeo solely as an investment.

Angelita: She is the girl who lives with Rossi. Romeo is not allowed to go near the room that she is in, but he sees her from her window on occasion and has nicknamed her his "Angel."

The Black Brothers: These are Romeo's fellow chimney sweeps in Milan, all young boys. They look out for each other as best they can in a city that takes no interest in their continued existence.

Milan Through Romantic Eyes

The animation quality and music really help this show stand out. Upon first glance, the viewer is reminded of the lush animation of Studio Ghibli. The backgrounds are exquisite and painstakingly detailed — should they really want to, viewers can count the shingles on the roofs and the bricks in the chimneys. In fact, the animation is so bright and detailed that one can almost smell the flowers as they waft back and forth in the breeze.

The character designs are also strikingly similar to the work of Studio Ghibli — so much so that at one point there was a rumor that said that Miyazaki himself did the character designs for several of the main characters (though it is highly unlikely). Character designer Satou Yoshiharu renders characters in the simple but not simplistic style that is a trademark of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.
Romeo's mother is a consummate example of how the few lines on a character's face can convey so much. She appears all at once to be kind, loving, concerned, and a little worn from the hard life that she has led. Representing this with only a few lines and some cel paint is truly a work of art.
The music, lush and full, is also reminiscent of Studio Ghibli. European-- and especially Italian--overtones abound in the background music, which is to be expected since it takes place in 19th Century Switzerland and Italy. The opening and ending vocals are sung by Kasahara Hiroko, who is no stranger to voice acting herself, having played the parts of Ishtar in MACROSS II and more recently the title character in ARMITAGE III.
The voice acting is of high quality as well. Romeo is voiced by Orikasa Ai (Ryoko of TENCHI MUYO), and Alfredo's voice is done by veteran Fujita Toshihiko.

Next: Historical Notes and Background