I remember how much I enjoyed the original book a few years ago when I read it so I was glad to get a chance to read this version. The illustrations were beautifully done and I feel like anyone interested in reading this classic that doesn't have time to sit down and read the entire original version would have a much easier time with this shortened manga version. Thank you to Udon Entertainment and NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

The Count of Monte Cristo is about a man who is wrongly imprisoned and then takes revenge on those who sent him there. This is the manga of that classic and it is very well done in my opinion. I have not read the original, so I couldn't say how it matches up to that, but the last few pages describing the process say that it was kept close to the original.

I liked the art work and how they were able to create Edmond as a young man to scraggly prisoner to the count, who is given more of an edge. I liked the story line of Valentine and Maximilien and why it was used. I thought it was a nice conclusion ending with them in the last scene. It was a little hard to keep track of all of the characters, and had to do some thinking as I read, but I didn't feel that burdened the reading too much.

After the ending they show their thought process of creating the manga. They had to trim a lot of the book while still keeping it interesting and easy to understand, which I believe they succeeded in. I found it hard to put down especially in the last 100 pages. They even visited France and fixed their artwork after seeing the real places, such as Chateau D'if. I really appreciate all the research that went into this adaptation.

I’ve always wanted to read the novel, but the thickness of the volume scared me. Getting the manga adaptation from netgalley is a god-sent.

I’ve started reading on a Sunday evening and found it hard to put down.

Highly recommended who always wanted to read this classic but got intimidated by the sheer size.

I enjoyed this manga but it was nothing extraordinary, maybe I would enjoy it more if I read the book first and then the manga, but I would still recommend this manga, enjoy the illustrations and the writing style

Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, a story about a man who seeks revenge against those who ruined his life, has been adapted again, this time by Crystal S. Chan with illustrations by Nokman Poon. I was pretty impressed with what I read, and I've been fortunate to have previously read two other illustrated adaptations of this novel (an ancient Illustrated Classics version that belonged to my father, and a version published by Moby Books/Playmore in 1979, which was illustrated by Mitsu Yamamoto).


Edmond Dantes has everything going for him. He is about to become captain of the merchant ship, The Pharaon, and is about to be married to Mercedes, when he is arrested, thrown into prison, and forgotten. During that time, he meets a fellow prisoner, Abbe Faria, who helps him figure out why he has been imprisoned, and who his enemies are. The religious man passes on, but not before he bequeaths a secret treasure to Edmond, one which Edmond can use to bring vengeance upon those who had ruined his life for their own gain...if only he can escape from the prison, Chateau D'If.


Here's where I confess that I haven't read the original novel...however, Manga Classics' version of the Count of Monte Cristo appears to be a more complete adaptation than the other two versions that I mentioned earlier. Upon reading the end of Manga Classics version, the Count's words, "Wait and hope," made more sense to me than when I had read them at the end of the other versions. In fact, this version has probably made me more inclined to actually read the original. There are appendices at the end of the book where Crystal Chan explains the process that was used to adapt the novel into the manga version, which was quite fascinating to read.


The drawing style appears to be a mix of shoujo and shonen. The content and plot of the Count of Monte Cristo does not lend itself to a lot of humour, and I did not notice any chibi, so if any did appear, I completely missed it. There are a couple of pages in the appendices that show character design sketches. I also appreciated see the character map, which showed the relationships between many of the characters that appeared in this story.


There's something about this type of media that makes it a great avenue for presenting classical literature. I was caught up with Edmond's quest for revenge, and the path of self-destruction that he embarked upon. In my opinion, Manga Classics' version of The Count of Monte Cristo is a great gateway book to capture young (and maybe not so young) readers' interest in reading a classic story.


Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of Manga Classics' The Count of Monte Cristo, adapted by Crystal S. Chan and illustrated by Nokman Poon from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

The Count of Monte Cristo is a Manga Classic that provided by Netgalley for an honest read. The book is such a classic and the movie is one that I love to rewatch and I have had the novel on my TBR for years and this is a way to be able to do that without reading the huge classic that is kind of intimidating. This is my first manga, so it took a little bit to get used to the format, but being familiar with the story helped that transition faster than I believe it would have if it was a new story. I recommend this book to someone who is wanting to try out a manga. This book obviously has some changes to the story to fit into the confines of a smaller book, but is still enjoyable and gets the messages that comes with the story across.

OMG! I love this! I was a little worried they wouldn't be able to do the story justice in a Manga format--but I was hopeful. And they did it! Some aspects of the original story had to be cut/edited to fit this media, but they did it so well. I didn't feel like I lost anything with this telling. The art was amazing, and perfectly brought this epic story to the frontline. If you've ever been interested in reading the Count of Monte Cristo, but didn't want to read a book as large as a brick? This is it.

As a sort of side note, I recently attended a Frankenstein weekend, with Indiana Humanities, and one of the guests asked about classics being available to deaf individuals. ASL is different than English and it can be exceptionally difficult for young deaf learners to understand the format/style of classics. I think this is a great solution. A great mix of language and visuals that work together to bring a difficult story to life.

So read it!

Manga Classics have become a favorite when recommending classics to the uninitiated. They are such a visual treat, Every time I find the need to go back to read a classic, I find myself picking these up.

The Count of Monte Cristo has had numerous adaptations. Books and movies have retold the tale in so many varied settings that the original was a bit hazy when I began reading this Manga Classic. Alexander Dumas's powerful story of vengeance is classic for a reason and the Manga adaptation does complete justice.
Highly recommended

Il Conte di Montecristo è stato uno dei romanzi che ho letto nella mia primissima giovinezza, e che ho amato molto. Mi affascinava, allora, l'idea della vendetta, e il fatto che il protagonista, Edmond Dantes, riuscisse ad escogitare una punizione adatta ad ognuna delle persone responsabili della sua rovina, così da farle cadere una ad una, quasi stesse giocando una anomala partita di scacchi.

A distanza di molti anni ecco il manga tratto dal romanzo di Alexander Dumas, la cui uscita mi ha visto entusiasta, per la possibilità di incontrare di nuovo un "vecchio amico", ma anche incuriosita, perché Il Conte di Montecristo è pur sempre un romanzo di quasi 1000 pagine, e deve essere stata una sfida, nonché un lavoro veramente impegnativo, adattarlo per un formato così diverso ed avendo a disposizione uno spazio piuttosto ridotto.

La sfida può dirsi vinta: la storia è raccontata in modo da essere del tutto comprensibile anche a chi non abbia mai letto il romanzo originale e, cosa più importante per me, mi è sembrato che nessuno degli eventi significativi della storia sia stato escluso, cosa che non sempre accade, ad esempio, in molti degli adattamenti cinematografici e televisivi che sono stati realizzati nel corso dei decenni - vedi, ad esempio, la storia di Valentina -.

Riguardo alla trama in sé, questa volta sono state lampanti le sue caratteristiche da feuilleton (l'ambientazione in luoghi esotici, la dilatazione della trama, l'inserimento di rapimenti e banditi) che probabilmente oggi non gradirei del tutto, ed anche il tema della vendetta ha perso qualsiasi fascino potesse mai aver avuto, lasciando il posto, piuttosto, ad un bisogno di giustizia, che mi ha fatto apprezzare di più l'Edmond dubbioso riguardo alle proprie azioni, che quello accecato dalla sete di rivalsa.

Le tavole sono molto belle e i personaggi ben caratterizzati. Il protagonista, in particolare, è una figura affascinante e dannata, capace di far mettere sull'attenti, con la sua imponenza (e il suo patrimonio) un'intera masnada di furfanti.

This book had me running for my TV to look for movie adaptations on Netflix and Amazon Prime! I adore the story of The Count of Monte Cristo, and this Manga version is no exception. I loved revisited Emond Dantes and his quest to seek revenge against those who set him up and wrongly imprisoned him for 14 years. Edmond's story will have you cheering for him, but also wishing that he would see the good direction his life could take if he would simply recognize the love that is in front of him. Read it!

I feel like there’s a belief by some that if you’re a true book nerd, you were reading the classics as a kid. Especially women. Did you not read Jane Austen as a young girl? No, I did not. Because I was a freaking child. I was all about Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Sweet Valley High, and some Encylopedia Brown. I didn’t truly appreciate the classics until I was well into adulthood and most days I would still rather read a more modern fantasy or YA novel than an epic classic. Classics are often large and drawn out. They were, afterall, the main at home entertainment in ye olden days of no tv, radio, etc. Sure there are some great stories but they’re still not the sorts of things you want to read every day. There are some exceptions. The Count of Monte Cristo being the number one exception. I could read that every year. It’s my absolute fave.

Seeing it was turned into manga had me so excited. This is a 400’ish page comic. That may seem short if compared to the 1,000+ page classic novel but fear not, they didn’t skimp on the story (and there’s a lot of it). Comics/mangas do, however, have the advantage of both text and images. They can present a story in a new way. The main aspects of the classic story of revenge are all here and presented well. It’s a good way to get someone into a classic without handing them a book that can double as a step stool.

I will probably check out some of their other classic manga titles because this one didn’t disappoint.

Nice artwork. This is an ideal introduction to classic fiction for children and young adults. There are many different ways to help them engage in the story.

Firstly, the artwork is beautiful! And secondly, the book to manga adaptation is done so wonderfully. I highly recommend this manga. This graphic novel definitely belongs in anyone's library who enjoys classics, and this story. This way a smart way to introduce Cristo to new audiences.

This manga made a daunting classic reader friendly. I remember reading the original for the first time and thinking I’d never finish it. Udon, however, kept me turning the pages at a quick pace. So many nuances of this tale of betrayal and revenge are laid bare by the tools of artistry of these fantastic men and women who put their souls into their drawings. Just fabulous!

Plot
On the very day of his wedding to the beautiful Mercedes, a young merchant sailor named Edmond Dantas is falsely imprisoned for life, laying to waste his plans of marriage and hard-earned fortune. Following several long years in prison he has managed to escape and reinvent himself as the mysterious Count of Monte Christo. It is the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Count has been plotting his revenge on the three men who had him falsely imprisoned. With a new identity, an incredible education abroad and a vast fortune, has returned completely unrecognizable to those who had committed their crimes against him.

The Positives
I received this manga from Netgalley, and I am so glad that I did. From start to finish I was intrigued. I had never taken the time to read this classic novel, as I am not much for being able to stay interested when it comes to the classics. Having images provided for me helped tremendously in keeping me riveted.
The story itself is a tale of revenge, but it is also more than that. At times it seems like a tale of self-discovery and heartache. As I have never read the original novel I can’t make any comparisons on how well it stays true to the original. What I can say is that if the classic novel is anywhere near as good as this manga was then I may give that a shot.
Since this was an early review title the images weren’t high quality as they are in the printed format, but even still they were beautiful. The characters were easy to look at, and the art kept to the emotional feel of the book.
One of my favorite parts of this manga was at the end of the book. It includes notes from Crstal S. Chan on what was condensed, what was removed, and what was clarified to make the manga easier to read, but still keep it true to the original story. They also include a chart that shows how the characters relationships with each other. This would have been very helpful during the time I spent reading this manga.
Overall this manga took me a day to read, and that was with quite a few breaks as real life took over for hours at a time.
The Negatives
Many of the issues that I had when reading this manga were simple and didn’t deal as much with the content itself. The first issue was getting used to scrolling to the end of the eBook and moving backwards. I have been an avid reader of traditional manga, so it wasn’t weird for me to read backwards, but it was the first time reading a manga on an eReader.
The next issue was pacing of the manga. I understand the need to condense a novel into a format that is much shorter, and again I have not read the original novel for comparison at this time. The pacing however seemed to struggle at times, abruptly changing between sub-plots and skipping time. This made it difficult to keep track of who was who, even with an image to help keep them in my mind.
Overall
Overall, I would highly recommend this manga to anyone who was interested in the insanely revenge driven character of the Count of Monte Cristo but never thought they would pick up the classic novel version. It was a fun way to delve into a classic story without spending a copious amount of time reading a novel. You gather majority of the original story from reading, and you are able to do it within a few hours.
One recommendation I have is to buy this book not as an eBook but as a physical copy. It would be much easier to read the manga and flip back and forth to the character relationship guide in a physical copy.

Happy reading!

I received a copy of Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. This manga is a great adaptation to my favorite classic novel. It has a beautiful and very well detailed artwork and it is easy to read. This is my first book from Manga Classics and I will definitely read more.

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite stories...of all time. It is a story of love and revenge and learning to forgive. Second chances. It's got a little bit of everything for everyone in it. And to see it illustrated in this book was fantastic. The artwork brought it to life even more than I expected and I felt myself dropped into the story, almost as if I were an active participant in the book, itself. I read this book in one sitting, as I couldn't put it down, and with two small children that is no small feat. Definitely a book I recommend adding to your classics collection and I will be purchasing a paperback copy to add to my library, as well. One of my favorite manga reads of 2018!

After giving up on the unabridged version, I thought the shortened manga version might be easier to manage. And it certainly was. Unfortunately, I still found it a drag to read. So much was crammed into 400 pages that I was constantly confused as to who the characters were and which roll they played. (I learned only at the end that there was a character guide, which would have been helpful.) I couldn’t tell anyone apart! This was my first manga, so I’m not accustomed to the art style or the lack of color in the illustrations. I also didn’t like Dantés at all. I understand that he feels betrayed, but the things he does in the name of revenge are just as bad. He destroyed so many lives, and there was one thing in particular that completely ruined him for me. I honestly don’t know what people see in this book. However, I’m glad that I now know what the book is about, and I feel good about the decision not to force myself through the 1300-page version.

I have previously watched the movie and anime of the Count of Monte Cristo and enjoyed them both. I did want to read the book myself but I always put it off as it was quite daunting reading such an old novel. I am glad I got the chance to actually read the book especially in manga format!
I am a bit fan of manga and its great combining it with a classic novel.
The art was beautiful and I did like that you have a couple of pages at the end of the book so that if you are getting a bit lost with the character names you can look up how they are related to the other characters.

I have seen there are other books as part of the classical manga collection and in general this is a great idea. Hopefully schools will pick some of these up as I remember reading parts of Romeo and Juliet and feeling lost with the old language. I really feel that adding the Manga aspect to the story would help more children become interested in the classic literature.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this lovely book!

Love this book. It threw me back in time. The enter action with the characters felt complete.with each step I took when reading it. For me the storyline was full of details from the original book. Loved the graphics as it showed the storyline unfold before our eyes.