'Bizenghast Collectors Edition V. 1' by M. Alice LeGrow collects over 500 pages of a Gothic story. It has its creepy elements, but sometimes it's confusing.

Dinah is orphaned when her parents die in a fatal car crash. She goes to live with her aunt in Bizenghast, MA in a former school called St. Lyman's School for Boys. She has a hard time accepting the death of her parents and when we meet her she is having fits and her aunt doesn't know what to do with her. A boy who lives nearby becomes her friend and they go exploring.

They find an old crumbling church nearby and a large graveyard. They end up getting tasked with entering each grave and freeing the spirits that live there. It's not an easy task. There are puzzles to solve just to get things to open up, and sometimes the ghosts don't want to exactly cooperate. They find unusual help along the way.

There are three volumes here and it's an ongoing story. There is an afterword from the author and illustrator on the evolution of the series to this point. And it does evolve in art and story quality as it goes along. There were times that it felt like the story veered off into weird areas, and it kind of lost me, but the stuff with freeing the ghosts was all good.

I received a review copy of this manga from Tokyopop, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.

After a newspaper cutting to set the scene—thank you for that!—the story is told through pencil sketches and grayscale, in which an orphan girl claims ghosts haunt her. Deemed crazy, she escapes her aunt’s house with a boy and they explore a cemetery, finding an underground cathedral-like place that they really should not have entered. From there each chapter takes them on a different mission to help bring peace to ghosts, picking up some snarky advisors along the way.
She might have been a crazy shut-in, but she’s got an amazingly huge wardrobe, while her guardian moans about not having money. She even spouts life lessons such as: “I can do anything with the right outfit.”
That snarky little mask-faced creature easily steals every scene. Communism is bad for your eyes. . . or is that television? He was the most entertaining, with lines like, “Remember we’re parked in level. . . ocean.”
There’s over 500 digital pages and the story’s still not over! Though to be fair the drawings and panels are bigger than most. Toward the end the format changes to a more serialized story, which rapidly becomes confusing.
While the artwork is minimalist, some of the drawings are beautiful. Dinah at one point is wearing a peacock inspired dress that would have been so beautiful in color.
The author included some notes at the end, basically celebrating weirdness; this is not the first time I’ve heard a creator refer to a second version of their work as a “director’s cut.”
To put it succinctly, this was more interesting than I expected.
3.5/5

I received this graphic novel ebook from Netgalley in return for an honest review. Bizenghast is a graphic novel in Gothic/Manga style. The story, of which this is only the first volume, is about an orphan girl who lives with her aunt. Dinah can see ghosts, though her aunt, who cannot, thinks she has medical problems. On an excursion with her friend, Vincent, she finds a strange graveyard and accidentally enters into a contract with a supernatural being to help free trapped souls. To do this she must solve riddles to locate them, then rescue them. There is a particular skill involved in crafting graphic novels that paint a picture of the characters and their emotions and also tell the full story while maintaining the reader’s interest. Maybe it was because this is only part of the story, being the first of a series, but for me, novel did not really hit all the markers. To enjoy a book, I need to be able to work at the story a little, guess at elements before they are revealed. It helps me feel involved. I hoped that riddles would be something i could puzzle at myself, but they were not. The riddles were presented. The answer was displayed. The story moved on. At this point my interest began to waiver.

There are some mystery elements here, though, that could draw a reader into the next volume: there is the enigmatic nature of the town itself with graves that don’t match the population records, bodies that disappeared following a fire, a graveyard that appears and disappears, a doctor and best friend who could turn out to be not what they seem. So although this book was not for me, I am sure that other readers could be drawn to it.

It was an interesting idea but not delivered well at all. Disappointing and sometimes confusing story line, flat characters and art that could be improved.

I was not a big fan of the artwork in this graphic novel. It’s not a style I’m very fond of and sometimes it felt a little lacking. I especially disliked how Edaniel is drawn as a character in his primary form. I love it when he shape shifts but was disappointed at the lack of detail in his main look especially when compared to others including his brother.
I was put off at first with the main character, the young girl. She seems weak and timid, not anything like the strong female character I longed for. I was happy that as the story progressed she began to grow and to face more challenges head on rather than hiding from them but still couldn’t connect with her personally. It seemed like she went from one kind of annoying to another.
One of the reasons she kind of annoyed me at first is we don’t get a whole lot of back story. We get some brief bits about her being unwell and having fits (what does that even mean?) but it’s confusing and muddled. I was left wanting more details to be able to relate to her better. I also wanted more about the other characters as well – like a lot of manga, this is a story I felt I was dropped into the middle of to figure out over time. I’m hoping it gets better in future volumes.
I really liked the premise behind clearing out these ghosts and sending them onward. I have to wonder at what point will they be done and if that will be the end of the series or not. I like how because of this premise we get to meet a host of new characters fairly quickly. It also helps the intensity to build over time as each challenge gets increasingly more difficult.
Overall I ended up enjoying this story even though I had a few issues with it. It’s weird and there are several things I wish had been done differently but it’s interesting enough to both enjoy it and hold my attention. I’m not sure if it’s a series I will continue reading. If I found it at my library though I’d probably check it out.

I received this free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A young girl moves to a town called Bizenghast, and she is haunted by visions and fits while she is there. She and her friend stumble upon a cemetery where they find lost souls that they must help set free.

This is a manga that I truly enjoyed reading. I was so upset when it ended since I only received Volume 1. I need more!

There is a gothic feel to the whole setting and the artwork is done in perfection with that theme. Now, in honesty, there are some places where I was not sure what I was seeing in the image because it is a little dark, but I still enjoyed the story and plan to read the rest to find out how they help the lost souls become free.

I rated this 4/5 stars and recommend it.

Bizenghast was a weird journey, but based on the author's note, I that is a complement. I really enjoyed the premise, solving riddles to release spirits. Dinah is a young girl that has lost parents and appears to see ghosts. Her aunt, who admits she never really wanted kids and wasn't ready to take Dinah, tries to understand, but isn't sure the right choice to make. When Dinah and Vincent, her only friend, sneak out they find the Sunken Mausoleum. Then it gets weird!

I loved the very Alice in Wonderland feel. There are times you turn around and think "how did I get here?". It's a little more challenging to follow, but LeGrow's characters are delightfully quirky and the imagery is great! As longs as you go with it, you are gonna love the world LeGrow created in Bizenghast.

When I started reading this book, I struggled with the art. I didn't mind that it was black and white but I found the design of the of the characters weird. As I kept reading, the art got better and I also got used to it.
The characters were okay, Dinah's uselessness bothered me in the beginning but then she started getting better and I felt like Vincent was the typical sidekick that does everything for the main character that he also has a crush on (even if he doesn't admit it).
The plot was what really saved this comic. Even though it didn't have much action, it was cool to see what Dinah and Vincent had to do to help these people. It kept me reading because I was curious to see what they would have to do the next day.
Nonetheless, it was a fun read and , even though I had issues with it, I ended up invested in the story.

This was a beautiful gothic fantasy! I really enjoyed the story. It's much different than any of the others that I have read, and the art was beautifully done. I can't wait to read more! Thanks to NetGalley for this edition!

First, I happen to read manga, so that isn't the problem. The problem is this is a series of puzzles, the whole story is a gothic series of puzzles. Diane, and her boyfriend Vincent must free souls trapped in a cemetery that only they can see. Each story in this volume, is how they free each soul, and solve the puzzle of how to solve them. How many souls to they have to free? Heck, there are 7 volumes, and this is only volume one.

Do you like Gothic? Do you like big eyes on your women? Do you like stories that go on an on. Great, then this will appeal to you. But doing a new puzzle again and again, is boring to me. It is like journey books, I just want to move on, and get it over with.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I was excited to read this because the description sounded so interesting. Unfortunately this is not my favourite art style. I felt like the plot really jumped around and it made it hard to follow.

Nice use of open space in this manga. The page is not crowded with words. The story seems haunting without being scary.

Nice! The story is interesting and made me feel like i was in a game of clue. It kept me wanting to know more about what is going on in that town. I specially enjoyed the tid bits of raw information like the newspaper articles and the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. The art works well with the story and gives it an eerie feeling, specially because at times the characters don't show detailed facial expressions and reminds me of porcelain dolls. Cant wait to see what happens it the second part of the book!

Bizenghast is a beautifully illustrated gothic fantasy that has just the right blend of surreal fantasy and horror.  Dahlia is a young woman haunted by ghosts and memories.  Her visions disturb and confuse her.  Her main comfort is her friend Vincent.  Together they discover a strange graveyard where restless spirits dwell.  Each night they are forced to return and do what is necessary to bring the souls peace - a dangerous task that means risking both life and sanity.
But to ignore the nightly summons means certain death.  They travel through the dreams of the various spirits, and through them come to understand themselves.

Like a reader's nightly dreams, the puzzles faced by Dahlia and Vincent linger, at once troubling and somehow compelling.  Le Grow's artistry is gorgeous, particularly the plates at the beginning of each chapter.  If you enjoy gothic stories and the romantic illustrations of manga, you will love Tokyopop's Bizenghast.

5/5

I received a copy of Bizenghast Collector's Edition Volume 1 from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

-- Crittermom

A fun action adventure manga with some cool story elements and characters.

I quite liked the idea behind "Bizenghast" but the execution just didn't really work for me. The art is okay but nothing special and the depiction of the characters varies greatly throughout the story. The ghosts the protagonists try to set free are an interesting idea, but the story often skips ahead several steps which is why the story seems rather disconnected at times. I probably won't read the next part.

Gothic, Manga-ish, Pseudo-Lolita, "Dinah's Secret" Clothing Catalogue....And Yet

And yet, some of the art was so compelling I had to keep turning the pages. Our heroine, Dinah, is a drip in the Bella mold. Her guy pal, Vincent, is like a Justin Bieber with a broom up his butt. There's a third make-a-triangle guy who looks like he just came from a dress rehearsal for the Nutcracker Ballet Fantastique. They have to free some limboed ghost/souls, (one at a time), and there appear to be a lot of them. Each one comes with a riddle, a backstory, and some scary accessories. So, as the story progresses we work our way along, one ghost at a time, and deal with all sorts of sub-plots, ancillary characters, diversions, and an occasional real-world intrusion. Since Dinah is mostly whiny and a bit lethargic, except when unaccountably she isn't, and since Dinah is a major league clothes horse, which is just downright odd, it's hard to build up any enthusiasm about the characters or the book.

But, some of the scenes are really, really neat. The whole gothic house, church, castle, ballroom, graveyard, haunted grounds scene setting is especially well handled - intricate and fantastic. Sometimes this reminded me most of a really high end sort of adult coloring book. And sometimes the art was good enough to inject enough interest into the characters and the story to keep me reading. I'm not sure I've read a book before where the art so forcefully drove the otherwise bland story, but if you're curious or if you like that kind of storytelling, this book might be worth a look to you.

BE ALERT WHEN ORDERING: This "Special Collector's Edition" is over 500 pages. It is much more than the original volume 1, and looks like it may consist of the first three or four original volumes. Amazon has mixed and matched reviews, descriptions, covers, and even the "Look Inside" feature, so be careful when you order.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)