is a shōjo romantic comedy manga series by Emura. It was published by Hakusensha in Hana to Yume between 1997 and 2002 and collected in 14 bound volumes. It is about the relationship between tomboy Ito Miura and the feminine Makoto Amano who share the common dream of becoming actors, as they work together to hide Makoto's secret identity as a boy. It is licensed in English by Viz Media. A sequel series, W Juliet II, is ongoing in The Hana to Yume, and collected in four volumes as of February 2015.
The title comes from the Japanese adoption of the letter "W" as a character meaning "double", so the title W Juliet means "Two Juliets". Two Juliets is the theme and conflict in the first chapter, during which the drama club puts on a production of Romeo and Juliet with Ito and Makoto in the title roles.
Plot
At the start of the series, Ito Miura meets the beautiful transfer student Makoto Amano, and the girls become instant friends. Their personalities are completely different—Makoto is calm, quiet, and beautifully feminine, while Ito speaks, dresses, and behaves like a boy—but they share the same dream: becoming an actor. As soon as Makoto gets on stage at the drama club, it is clear she has talent, enough so she is cast as Juliet in the upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet, opposite Ito as Romeo. However, Makoto has a rival for the role in Tsugumi Nomura, an upperclassman who is obsessed with the boyish Ito. Worse, Ito learns Makoto's secret: "she" is actually a "he". Makoto's strict father wants him to inherit the family dojo, and made a bet with his son—if Makoto shows he has the skill to pose as a female for his last two years of high school, he can become an actor as he wishes, but if anyone discovers his gender, he must stay home and accept the dojo. Ito agrees to keep Makoto's secret so that he could continue with his dream.
The series follows Ito and Makoto during their last two years of high school, as they work to improve their acting and keep Makoto's secret. They start out just as friends, but continue as boyfriend and girlfriend. One of the obstacles they must face is keeping their relationship a secret from their family and friends, both because of Makoto's assumed gender and it would expose his secret. They must also worry about Makoto's jealous arranged fiancée, Takayo, and her brother, who has a strong sister complex, and Ito's various suitors. All the while, the drama club performs various plays, some of which are essential to demonstrating Makoto's acting skill to his father.
Characters
The Japanese long 'o' and long 'u' are transliterated as 'ô' and 'û' in the Viz Media English language release.
Main characters
A 17-year-old tomboy, Ito is the only girl in a family with three brothers and her father. She started wearing boys' clothes, as well as adopting a boyish haircut, after her mother was killed in a car accident when she was six. In volume 10, she explains she did so to avoid needing her brothers' protection from the bullying of a classmate named Jotaro. Ito is idolized by many girls at school, and she is known for being mobbed on Valentine's Day despite being a girl. She is the female president of the school drama club. As an actor, Ito is more noted for her charisma and physical ability, rather than her considerable technical skills. She is rather headstrong and often reacts to situations without thinking things through. She is depicted as not being a good cook, although according to an author's note, she is good at "cooking for a crowd." When Ito discovers that Makoto is a boy, she decides to help him and eventually falls in love with him. As the series progresses, Ito starts adopting more feminine habits to be the perfect girl for Makoto, at first unconsciously but then consciously. She still however retains some of her boyish mannerisms, specifically her extrovert liveliness. During the series, Ito has several admirers aside from Makoto. These include Toki-senpai, a former drama club member now in college, who wants Ito to be more feminine; Tsugumi-senpai, a year ahead of Ito, who is obsessed with Ito's boyish side, going so far as to call her "Ito-kun," using a primarily male suffix (see Japanese honorifics); and Sakamoto, a "masochist" who likes both Ito and Makoto. In volume 10, Ito meets Jotaro again and he confesses that he teased her because he liked her. Ito rejects him, as she had once liked him, telling him that she is already in love with someone else. In volume 13 they audition for a troupe of actors. A key test is what they improvise for a situation: the test-actor comes home and finds a robber in his/her home. Makoto wraps a sash around his waist and performs it as a female ghost who invites the robber to eternal rest. Ito follows Makoto, and performs it as a guy, who belittles the robber as an amateur. Do you think you could rob a professional? Then proceeds to beat up the other actor, and gets out of hand and breaks the judges' table. When results are posted Makoto and the actor #12 are accepted. As Ito declares that she will audition with other troupes someone they know, Jotaro's father, comes up and congratulates both of them, both accepted. Ito had been accepted solely on the decision of director Igarashi, "Because you're an idiot!". Everyone agreed that nobody got into their role quite so much as Ito had, and that her skills can be polished. Ito's name (糸) means "thread," which in the story comes from her father's wish for a name that is "slender and pretty" and her mother's wish for a name that "can be used to make something." Though Makoto's father considers her name a bad omen, as "a breaking thread," she considers it a blessing and a symbol of her creativity.
At age 17, Makoto Narita made a deal: to convince his father he had both the talent and determination to become an actor, Makoto is to spend his last two years of high school as a girl. If anyone finds out, Makoto will stay home and inherit his father's dojo. With the help of his sister, Akane, Makoto transforms himself into a girl and transfers to a new school as Makoto Amano. There, he meets and quickly befriends Ito, who has an opposite personality but shares his love of the theater. As actors, too, they complement each other, with Makoto having the greater technical skill but Ito more charisma. When Ito discovers Makoto's identity, she decides to help him keep his secret. At first, Makoto tries to hide his feelings for Ito but soon shows he is falling in love with her. Makoto is quite skilled, able to cook, clean, do makeup, and select clothing, and is able to pick up new abilities quickly, such as juggling. He is more subtle and observant, able to handle delicate situations with more tact and skill, than the gung-ho Ito. However, he is also introverted and prone to holding grudges, especially against his father and oldest sister. Makoto is the only blond in his family, as a result of his English grandmother.
Drama club
Ito and Makoto's friends in the drama club, Yoshirô, Misaki, and Nobuko, first appeared in another manga by Emura, Mokugekisha ("Eyewitness").
The drama club's male president, counterpart to Ito as female president. Yoshirô plays both male and female roles, such as the King in Swan Lake and the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet. He and Ito have been friends since they met in their second year of middle school, posing the question of whether a true friendship between male and female is possible? As opposed to a romantic tie. Yoshirô is secretly in love with Misaki, another Drama Club member. In a contest the last day of Drama Camp, in volume 10, Yoshirô loses and is forced to read aloud his secret wish: "I love Misaki," but it languishes until volume 11 ...
A member of the drama club, noted for being particularly feminine. During the series, Misaki plays such roles as a Lady-In-Waiting in Swan Lake and the Prince in Romeo and Juliet. She is best friends with Nobuko and likes Yoshirô. Eventually, frustrated by his inability to act authentically, with real feeling, with her, she ignores him for some time until, encouraged by Ito, he commandeers the school PA system to publicly declare his love for her.
The principal writer of the drama club. Nobuko writes, and as needed rewrites, most of the adaptations the club performs; she also plays roles such as a Lady-In-Waiting in Swan Lake and Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. Although in high school, she has had a novel published. In volume 12, Nobuko claims she thinks of Toki-Senpai as like a father to her, but after she is taken hostage by thieves, Toki-Senpai particularly worries about her, and it is implied that after this the two begin dating together.
Miura family
Ito's father, and widower of Satsuki. Gorô is the eldest son of Mitsuko, and was heir to the family until he withdrew from the family succession to marry Satsuki. They moved to the city and he began his own dojo. He cares deeply for his children, and is especially fond of his only daughter, Ito. As a parent, he is frequently absent, either at his dojo or meeting his writing deadlines as a novelist, but interferes with his children in one area: their choices for marriage. Gorô wants their mates to have "good eyes" and to be able to meet his gaze, as a sign of sincerity, integrity, and strong will. Despite this overprotectiveness, he allows his children to live freely, as his wife wanted them to. Despite his stubbornness and tendency to be dramatic, overall he is a wise and understanding person.
Ito's mother, who died in a car accident when Ito was six, about ten years before the series start. A strong, attractive woman, Satsuki was a dedicated wife and mother with a ferocious temper. She was particularly close to Yûto while alive, though she also had a close relationship with her only daughter. She was supportive of Ito's tomboy tendencies, because she had been much like Ito as a child. Satsuki's mother disappeared when she was 12, and her father died when she was 15, after which Satsuki was taken in by Mitsuko, Gorô's mother. Eventually, she and Gorô fell in love and eloped. The last thing Satsuki said to Ito before her death was to "live freely, and become the woman you want to be when you find the one who moves your heart."
Ito's oldest brother, and Yûto's twin, aged 23 years. Ryûya shares his father's dramatic personality, especially when angered. He is the most protective of the family of Ito, and after their mother's death, he taught her martial arts. As the eldest son, he is usually in charge of the household, as their father, Gorô, is usually either at the dojo or writing his novels. When Ryûya went to college, he met a foreign exchange student from America, Christina, and after a year of interesting courtship, they fell in love. For a while he and Gorô fought over going out with her, due to Gorô's declarations of never allowing a foreigner to marry any of his children. Christina or "Chris" eventually comes to challenge Gorô to date Ryūya, resorting to underhanded tactics to punch him in the face. Fortunately, Gorô instantly respects her for her resourcefulness and courage and gives the couple his blessing.
Ito's second oldest brother, and Ryûya's twin, aged 23 years. (To tell the twins apart, Yûto is the twin with shorter hair, and he smokes.) Yûto is the family cook, thanks to his mother's lessons, and also works as a cook at a hotel restaurant. He is level-headed and introverted, almost the opposite of his twin brother's, although his dedication to his younger sister is just as strong. Because of his fears of losing those he loves like he lost his mother, he has trouble meeting new people and allowing them into his life. Despite this, when Yûto meets Akane, Makoto's sister, they begin dating, and their relationship grows deeper as the series progresses.