Cover Image: Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo

Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo

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Member Reviews

Thank you NetGalley for the e-reader's copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I've loved Count of Monte Cristo since I was in high school, I find no bone to pick with the plot whatsoever-- a personal bias, perhaps but also a impeccable slow burn plot for revenge. It's a classic after all.

While it took me awhile to get a hang of reading the manga, I've never had the pleasure of reading this book in a comic form and it really gives more life to the characters (Dumas' language isn't as easily digestible/accessible as comics are, English majors can disagree). I'm not the biggest fan of the way some of the subplots were truncated in the manga with respect to the book, but as a standalone, it's pretty damn close to the original and also deeply enjoyable.

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This Manga Classic exceeded my expectations though it shouldn't since I've been wowed by all the Manga Classics I've read. This manga perfectly captures the essence of the original novel and presents it in a beautiful, and vivid format. The characters come to life and the story unfolds with all the drama and suspense as intended in the original classic.

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Incredibly refreshing to read a clasic of literature in a manga style, the author knew how to translate well what ws written to drawings, and I wasn't dissapointed with the result of it. Edmond Dantes was perfectly portrayed with his expressions and afflictions.

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I liked this rendition of The count of monte Cristo. I really liked how closely it stayed to the original book. I would recommend this this book to anyone who likes classics and manga. It is a beautiful mix of the two and I will read it again.

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The Count of Monte Cristo is a classic I've been wanting to read for a while, but to be honest, I've felt too daunted to tackle it. So when I saw the opportunity to read this manga version on Netgalley, it seemed a great chance to become familiar with the story in a more approachable and manageable way.

It tells the tale of a man who is on the brink of great happiness - promotion to captain of a ship and wedding to his love - when jealous rivals frame him and have him sent to rot in prison. After 15 years he escapes, comes upon great fortune, styles himself as the Count of Monte Cristo, and vows to avenge himself on the men who stole his life from beneath him.

The story is interesting but complex, with many intertwining characters and motives. I have to admit I got a little confused at times about all the various names and characters, although I did discover a chart at the back with pictures of the characters and how they relate to one another, which is a great idea. Our main character is an intriguing mix of kindness and vengeance, honesty and duplicity, honour and madness. He thinks that he is the hand of God himself, passing judgement on those who wronged him.

It is, of course, a story of its time and must be taken as such - the sketchiness of the storyline involving Greek slave girl Haydee and her Stockholm Syndrome included.

I have not read the original story but the manga adaptation seems to do a pretty good job of rendering such a complex story into a more simplified version. There are a few pages at the end about the choices made in terms of storyline for the adaptation, and a few artist sketches.

The story is read in traditional manga fashion from right to left - this is explained in the book for those who've not read manga before. It was my first time reading like this and I had no difficulty getting used to it.

After reading this manga, I feel like I have a better understanding of this classic story, and I might even have the confidence to attempt the original one day.

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What is there to say about this other than it takes a beloved classic and give you a condensed yet accurate portrayal with beautiful artwork? I've been meaning to read The Count for quite some time, but the size of the novel is intimidating. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking to consume the story in a much easier to digest format.

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* Thanks to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for providing an advance copy for review purposes *

I've read a few retellings of "The Count of Montecristo" recently, like "Queen of the South" and "The Baron of Magister Valley". But the revenge dished out in the original is so satisfying, I was intending to re-read it. And then I ran into a manga adaptation of it, and was curious how true to the original it is, and whether the manga format would suit such a sobering story.

I was very pleased with this adaptation. There is not much humor in the story, so this manga adaptation does not get to enjoy the moments of levity that "Anne of Green Gables" did. Although typical manga tropes to depict anger or tension do appear (e.g. the scene where Fernand and Edmond). However, we get the full details of the unjust imprisonment of naive Edmond Dantes, and his transformation into a powerful force for revenge. The original is a very complex story, with a huge cast, and lots of twists and turns in the plot, and I was happy to see that most of it was preserved. There is even a handy character relationship chart at the end of the book. The details of the life of Edmond in prison, his escape, and the origins of his fortune are glossed over in this adaptation, but that is understandable given that it is already over 400 pages, and managed to keep even minor plot lines around, as long as they were relevant to the revenge. There is a lot going on, and every page is there for a reason in this trimmed down version.

The artwork itself is beautiful, with distinctive character designs. Emotions come through very clearly, so not much text is needed to convey anything on key encounters - the eyes tell it all. The design for Edmond Dantes reminded me a bit of the design for the main character in the Gankutsuou anime (albeit beardless and less blue), but based on the notes at the end of the book, it is based on an actor/model. I appreciated how his depiction subtly changes as he grows older and colder after his imprisonment. I also really enjoyed the designs for Haydee and Albert.

If you haven't read "The Count of Montecristo", I would highly recommend giving it a shot, and if the original seems dauting, this faithful adaptation is a good starting point. And then read Dumas' version, because it is just so good. And if you are a fan of the original and like your revenge not just cold but beautiful, this adaptation is a treat.

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A surprisingly faithful adaptation with very good art. The original tale is a massive book with many complicated subplots, but the manga does a superb job of condensing and simplifying without losing too much of the original's flavor. This would be an excellent adaptation to give to children too young for the original.

Received via NetGalley.

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I'm happy to read this book and got to find this. I enjoyed the adaptation of story and how it was presented in a manga style although I haven't really read the actual novel but I still enjoyed it.

The art design is truly lovely on this one. This reminds me so much of any shoujo manga before and ughhhhhhh they are so pretty. I can't get over how pretty the art is that it made it even more appealing to get into and to read.

I'll definitely gonna read the actual novel!

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A great manga on a great classic. I enjoyed reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

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It was fine but I had to scroll to the beginning. I felt like I really wanted to read this after reading Les Miserables so this was another goodie for me

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Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book was one that was significantly nicer and easier to read than the manga version of Romeo and Juliet, which I disliked. I'll start by saying this. The art and coloring were stunning. I also liked the storyline much more, and I enjoyed hearing about the main character. The only things I disliked is the pacing of it because sometimes it moved at an excruciatingly slow pace, and I didn't enjoy that. It also got confusing at parts to read because the pages seemed to melt into one another, but that might be because I was reading it an ebook format. Overall, I enjoyed this book a decent amount.

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Love the artwork! Especially the cover work. There’s much to say about this—the visual storytelling was beautiful and well drawn and the designs for the characters were superb. The writing and plot felt a bit lackluster in comparison, but even so it was engaging and delightful to read!

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First, let me just say, I haven't read the original source material - so my review is solely on this Manga classics's adaptation of the original story.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this manga classic. There was good characterisation with well drawn facial expressions and gestures giving the character's personality and conveying their characteristics beautifully. The story was also well paced as it never felt lagging in any areas. I also loved the varied use of images from full page to close ups, they added a dynamic aspect to the reading experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. Furthermore, the details in the drawings were perfect for scene setting as the backgrounds and use of white space and shading made the images and story beautiful and easy to follow.

The only recommendations I would say were that the eReader addition on my laptop started at the end of the book. This lead to some initial confusion with the storyline but once I realised my mistake a few pages in I was able to start at the last page and read the backwards.

Like I said, all in all it was a very enjoyable read - with easy to follow, beautifully drawn images and an engaging, fast-paced story that kept me reading to the very end in one sitting! Loved and would certainly recommend!

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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It has been published in April 2017.

"Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo" was a pleasant surprise to me: I chose it because I love the novel and I was curious about this adaptation, but I have to admit, I was also a bit worried that a manga might not do justice to Alexandre Dumas' masterpiece.
Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the story, the characters and the atmosphere from the original were all skillfully rendered.
This manga definitely lives up to Dumas' classic.
I really enjoyed the artwork and the excellent characterization of this vast cast.
I would have liked it better if the part about Edmond's escape from prison had not been skipped, but I understand the reason behind this choice.

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ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (English and Spanish)

A perfect book for those who love to read, but do not have much free time for it. The first time I read The Count of Monte Cristo, it took me several days to finish it; while reading this book, I devoured it in a matter of hours.
Although it simplifies the original work a lot, it continues to transmit its essence with integrity. In addition, the illustrations provide an incredible aesthetic and support the text with fidelity. Being very enlightening with the plot.

Without much more to add, I will only highlight how suitable this work is for the youngest, being the perfect complement to their teaching activities; although I extend myself to recommend it to adults who have just immersed themselves in the world of Alexandre Dumas.


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Un libro perfecto para aquellos que aman leer, pero que no disponen de mucho tiempo libre para ello; la primera vez que leí El conde de Monte Cristo, me tomó varios días poder terminarlo, mientras que este libro, lo devoré en cuestión de horas.
Ya que aunque simplifica bastante la obra original, sigue transmitiendo con entereza la esencia de esta. Además, las ilustraciones aportan una estética increíble y respaldan el texto con fidelidad. Siendo muy esclarecedoras con la trama.

Sin mucho más que agregar, solo resaltaré lo adecuada que resulta esta obra para los más jóvenes, siendo el complemento perfecto para sus actividades docentes; aunque me extiendo a recomendarla a adultos que recién se sumergen en el mundo de Alexandre Dumas.

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The manga version of The Count of Monte Cristo is really good. This is the best choice for those who find reading the novel long and tiresome. The illustrations are beautiful and keep you interested. I really enjoyed it.

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I tried to reading the actual book years back and never could finish, even the abridged version. I'm glad that a graphic novel has been created, and as a manga no less.

I enjoyed it. I liked the illustrations & felt that the story was more capturing this way.

Totally recommend -- especially if you're like me in that you don't always get along with the original format of the classics.

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Thank you to Udon Entertainment and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title of Manga Classics.
This is a nice way to read a classic of French literature. It has all the drama, historical style of Dumas' novel.
I like the Japanese manga style, respecting that the characters are Europeans.

The only thing as an ebook is that you have to go manual till the end to start reading it. Of course in the physical one it's easier.

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Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo Review

This manga version of The Count of Monte Cristo is quite possibly the best rendition of the classic story that I've ever read. It manages to fit a ton of details into its 404 Pages. I'm very impressed with it.

Platforms: Amazon, Barnes, and Noble
Price: $17.99 (Paperback) - $24.99 (Hardcover)
Author: Alexander Dumas (Original Story), Crystal S. Chan (Manga Adaptation), Nokman Poon (Artist)
Release Date: April 04, 2017
No. of Pages: 404
Genre: Classics, Manga, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance

Intro
Hello everybody, I'm finally back after a short break. In this review, I'm covering a manga rendition of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, Crystal S. Chan, and Nokman Poon.

I'm actually a pretty big fan of The Count of Monte Cristo and I was first introduced to this story through the movie that was released back in the early 2000s. I was still a teenager at the time of release but I was immediately interested in its tale of intrigue and revenge, which is always best served cold.

After reading this manga I can safely say that this was easily the best rendition of the classic story that I've ever read. It manages to pack an incredible amount of detail into its 404 pages and it was a very enjoyable read throughout.

Since the original story is such a long one, the manga cuts out a lot of the fluff and focuses more so on the count and his revenge. This creates a very solid narrative and it manages to include all three characters he plots revenge against, which was great.

The manga was a very entertaining read and it includes some details on the design process at the end of the manga, which was pretty insightful regarding its design and choices.

I think that covers our introductions for this review, so let's don our disguises and get this review going!

Story and Setting
The Count of Monte Cristo follows the story of a man named Edmond Dantes who, upon his wedding day, is arrested and imprisoned. He spends 15 years in prison, renewing his plot of revenge on the people that betrayed him daily. After he manages to escape he sets in motion a series of events that will destroy the lives of his enemies.

The story is filled with intrigue, romance, and mystery throughout. It's a fascinating tale and one that I've come to really enjoy. This was largely thanks to the movie but this manga has definitely renewed my interest in the story.

The Count of Monte Cristo largely takes place in Paris, France but The Count also finds himself in Italy for a short period of time as he enlisted the help of a famous thief and befriends Mercedes' son Arthur.

Many of the locations that are used in this story (Both the manga and original) are all real-world locations, many of which have become famous tourist attractions. This includes the prison that Dantes was imprisoned in.

Artwork
I was very impressed with the artwork in this manga. The artist managed to include an immense amount of detail into each panel and it helped tell the story incredibly well. There are some details regarding the artwork in the last few pages of the manga and it mentions that in the ball scene, in the beginning, it manages to cover 3 chapters in merely 7 pages. This is quite impressive and shows that the artist did a superb job bringing the story to life.

The character designs were quite superb as well and I really liked the design for The Count. He's cleanly shaven in the manga and he kinda reminds me of Dracula from Castlevania in a way. The other characters had really good character designs as well.

Pros
Superb Artwork
Very Entertaining Story Filled With Intrigue, Mystery and Romance
Focuses More So On The Count and His Plot For Revenge Creating An Excellent and Easy To Follow Narrative
It's One Of The Best Renditions of The Story I've Ever Read
Very Easy to Get Into, and Will Likely Please Younger Readers As Well.

Cons
I Honestly Have No Complaints With This Manga, It Was An Excellent Read, And I Loved It Quite A Bit.

Final Verdict
Overall, this rendition of The Count of Monte Cristo was quite amazing. I enjoyed every second of it and I honestly can't recommend it enough. If you're a fan of classic novels, or are new to the story and want something easy and straightforward to get into, then this manga is an easy recommendation.

In the end, I've decided to give this manga my first 5/5 stars.

Thanks A Lot For Taking The Time To Read The Review!

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