Manga Classics
Publication date: May 25, 2018

Description:
I donʻt think anyone needs a description. This is the standard 9th grade Shakespeare read in high schools across the United States and has been for the 23 years that I have been teaching English. The cover with the sword between them is meant to be a metaphor and not a spoiler. After all, this is not how they die. This is not a murder suicide domestic abuse story. I mean, this is a tragedy after all. Like all Shakespeare tragedies, the hero along with a multitude of other characters dies, but usually after a series of poorly timed misunderstandings (by the hero).

My thoughts:
Comics doing classics is not new. I think the first classic canonical literature piece that I read as a comic (graphic novel) was Mary Shelley's Frankenstein followed by Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I went on to read one in its prose form (Frankenstein) and not the other. I tell that story because I think as a reader of graphic novels (GN) and as an English teacher, I think the power of the GN for students is to give them enough of the story and its appeals to then make the reader more comfortable to read the original novel. I read Frankenstein because what was evident in the GN was that the "monster" was the most humane character. He was the moral center and I wanted to learn more. That GN led me to Shelley's novel but it also led me to Paradise Lost which was Shelley's influence for her Frankenstein.

For struggling readers, I feel like the GN or manga classic is an even more crucial opportunity to bring readers to the original text. What this one did well in that arena is to use the over exaggerated manga faces to emote shame, fury, sorrow, ridicule. As I read the notes at the back of the book, I can confirm that I saw the illustrators really trying to capture the text and the metaphor in manga style. I disagree with the hooded metaphor since the writer describes a hooded eagle when the metaphor is a falconry metaphor, but that is a minor point and perhaps a faux pas lost in translation.

What it does exceptionally well is that this manga captures the comic nurse character in all of her jest like qualities. It does not pull off the puns or "pun y ness" of the original text like the back and forth with Juliet and the nurse or the way she goes o and onn in Act I with Lady Capulet until the Lady has had enough. However, I found the comic relief well timed.

I think what will stop struggling readers is that there is just too much of the text. While it is good to grab texts from Shakespeare, at 400 pages, it's daunting for non readers. Maybe if it was whittled down to 125 I would be able to put this in the hands of struggling readers to just get enough of the story to feel more confident in the full text rather than having the full text as interpreted by the artists and illustrators.

This advanced digital copy provided by Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review.

“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

Shakespeare’s words are the best part of his plays. However, I look to Manga Classics to shorten classic literature to manageable lengths. By including the entire play using Shakespeare’s original words, this book is just as difficult to read as the original.

Recommended for students who have to read the original anyway and would prefer to do it with really beautiful pictures. If you are a cheater like me, look to the Cliff Notes version. 3 stars!

Thanks to Udon Entertainment and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I am not a manga lover. Ok, let me rephrase that. I have NEVER read a manga book in my life. That being said, it is quite possible that I've been converted.

I had to get myself a copy of this classic. I have had a love of Shakespeare since high school and I still vividly remember Romeo and Juliet as being one of my favorites. I had read or watched several different variations of this amazing play and have to say that other than the original play this version is my new favorite!
I loved how, even though the dialogue was the only part of the play used, the integrity was still there. I didn't feel like I was reading a dumbed down, cartoon version of one of my favorite stories, and yes that was one of my concerns going into this.

What I think I loved most about this adaptation though, was how stunning the artwork was and how well it brought to life these characters and their tragic story. The nurse has always been one of my favorite characters and she was portrayed perfectly in my opinion! I was also very impressed with how well Romeo's drama queen-ness was captured. I have never seen it so well done.

My only real criticism, and maybe it's just from my lack of experience toward this type of book, is that I was not a fan of the layout. Now maybe if I would have paid closer attention to the "instructions" at the beginning I would have found myself a bit less confused when I first started reading (seriously, I got about 20 pages in and was about to stop reading before cluing in that something was wrong) but that's on me. Maybe the layout is typical Manga style and I just wasn't familiar enough but I wasn't a huge fan.

All that being said, I thought this classic was very well done, beautifully illustrated and impressively adapted. This might have been my first, but it will not be my last. I look forward to many more classic adaptations! I think I might start buying some for my children. This might just be the key to getting them to read more classic literature and plays!

Thanks to NetGalley and Udon Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I am a huge fan of Manga books! I have found these adaptations to be highly addicting, and now I want to read them all. I love the artwork and the graphic novel format. I also have to admit, I enjoy reading the books backwards; that just adds to the fun.

Romeo and Juliet is a book almost everyone is familiar with. While I’ve heard of the story, and watched numerous bits and pieces from plays inserted into television shows, I’ve never read the actual book, so when the Manga edition became available, I jumped at the chance to see what they would do with it. As always, they did a spectacular job, and I am thrilled to say that this another classic they did well, and I thoroughly enjoyed.


I can’t wait for the next one!

Possibly Shakespeare’s best known play and always a both hit and miss for me – a hit for linguistic pleasure and a miss for story (yes I know it’s a sort of fable *sigh*) Anyway of all adaptations of this classic romantic tragedy I’ve seen in any form of media, I think this may well be the best. 5 stars, Manga and please keep it up.

I got this manga for NetGalley because I promise give them the honest review for this manga and it wasn't the disappointment. If you have never read manga, it is good way to start it and if you are like me, who is read manga like half of her life, it is nice way to read some literature classics. I can't wait if there will be more manga classics like this, for examples like Hamlet or other like Othello etc. It is quite easy way to learn read manga and the style was quite interesting. But of course some will like other styles and to someone will not like the story even thought Romeo and Juliet is quite popular Classic by William Shakespeare.

This Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, is a Manga Graphic novel of the well-beloved story. It includes the original Shakespeare language along with plenty of artwork. It follows the story faithfully and keeps its spirit well intact.
Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me. The artwork was fine, and typically I read through these types of books quickly. It was the language used that slowed the story. I'm not fluent in the old English, so I had to reread the narratives in order to understand the meanings. Of course those with a good Shakespeare background likely won't have any trouble, but for me I had to work through this story, which took away the reading pleasure.

So on the off chance you haven’t heard me say this, and thus aren’t totally sick of me repeating myself, I’m going to say it again: I absolutely love the concept of Manga Classics. I love them for many reasons. It’s always fun to reread a classic, but even more so it’s very refreshing to read them in a new medium, such as this. Manga Classics condenses the larger classics into something less intimidating, which makes it great for both rereads and first time reading. I also believe that Manga Classics make the classics more approachable, which is something I greatly appreciate.
I’ve read Romeo and Juliet a time or two, not to mention I’ve seen the play itself and a couple of movie adaptations (which you’re welcome to pretend don’t exist if you’d like, I won’t judge you there) so it was really interesting for me to see the play in this form. The artwork was lovely, and I have to say I’m really impressed that they were able to make such a large cast of characters all look unique (though of course all main characters got an extra level of attention that makes them stand out). Not once did I find myself struggling to tell two characters apart. I’m really awful with names, but I’m decent with faces, so this was actually pretty fun for me. I feel like I got more out of this read because of it; I picked up on more details occurring in the backgrounds of scenes that I’ve likely overlooked in the past, simply because I had forgotten who so and so was or something like that.
Like any adaptation there’s a little bit of alterations that must be made, such as condensing some scenes, in the case of manga opting to let some scenes be shown instead of told. I don’t feel like we lost anything in the translation here, and I am very happy for it. I’ve read manga adaptations by Crystal S. Chan before, and she has never once let me down. I loved Julien Choy’s artwork, as you’ve already seen me gush about a little bit up above. I’m curious to see what will be adapted next. Part of me hopes they’ll do the twin to Romeo and Juliet and give us an adaptation of Midsummer’s Night Dream. That would be fantastic! But regardless, I’ll happily take whatever I am given.

Another excellent reincarnation of a classic that my teens enjoyed. If you have children who are slow readers or nonreaders these books are an excellent way to expose them to classic tales in a format that it is easy to understand and will hold their attention.

I never really into Romeo & Juliet but this manga is a brilliant adaptation of William Shakespeare's work of genius. The artwork is gorgeous and fits seamlessly in with Shakespeare's original text to form a breathtaking view of Romeo and Juliet.

What I like about this manga adaptation is the way the characters are drawn. The characters in this compared to the other manga's I've read from them feel more from Manga's. The gestures and the characters act and behave feel in the same as other Manga's I've read in the past. I am probably not explaining it correctly but the style of the characters feel familiar. In a good way.

Beautiful artwork for a beloved classic story. The panelling and artwork fit seamlessly into each other. There was a nice flow amongst the story and the drawings. I would recommend this for anyone who loved the original story and wanted a graphic version of it.

I thought the illustrations were very well done, especially Romeo and Juliet. Their passion and feelings were beautifully shown.

A well drawn manga-ized version of the classic "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare. Not much to say here, it's a pretty well done manga for a play I'm sure millions, if not billions, of people have read.

With all the original dialogue of the play, this manga adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet bursts with old enchantment and romantic drama. The illustrations flow from one panel to the next in a surge of emotional tension, and the action keeps the wordy dialogue from weighing down the storyline.

This would be a great way to introduce Shakespeare to younger audiences, since the dialogue is easier to understand along with the action of the panels.

I loved the characters of Romeo and Juliet. They are passionate and sensitive and full of despair! All the characters are memorable with distinct looks and wardrobe that set them apart.

I especially liked the interpretations of the many metaphors included in the play. There are many Greek and Roman gods and goddesses referenced and used as metaphors, so the illustrations employ a depiction of the gods to show the imagination of the characters as they are speaking. I loved seeing all these whimsical background drawings as the dialogue describes flowery or frightening images. It really enhanced the story!

All the illustrations are lovely, and I thought the whole book was beautifully done! I have loved every Manga Classic that comes out, and I can't wait to read more of this series!

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Couldn't download the file to read the book, super bummed. Thought the cover was nice and the story seemed interesting, but again, I couldn't download it so I can't really give any real opinions about this.

4.25 Stars
A fanciful retelling of Romeo and Juliet in Manga format. Emotive artwork and much of the dialogue is in true Shakespeare form. A nice addition to the Manga Classics series. Keep up the good work! For classics and adaptation fans.

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I never really loved Romeo & Juliet's story but anyone who likes it and is a fan of manga should give this one a try. It was a lovely adaptation.
Can't wait for more Manga Classics stories.

I was auto-approved by the publisher Udon Entertainment through NetGalley to review this title.
Not my favourite Shakespeare play, but one I read a few times within the last decade, I find it to be somewhat overly dramatic and not very romantic. Regardless, I appreciated the effort that was put into creating a comic out of this play.
The artwork combined various elements that helped to emphasize the characters personalities. It was harsh and beautiful; at times too busy, other times perfectly fitting the character, with a few frames that were exaggerated in their presentation of sceneries and scenes.
Overall, a nice addition to the Manga Classics series and worth a read.

This is a brilliant adaptation of William Shakespeare's work of genius. The artwork is gorgeous and fits seamlessly in with Shakespeare's original text to form a breathtaking view of Romeo and Juliet. This has always been a favorite classic of mine and I adore the adaptations I have come across like the movie that stars Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCarprio. This manga enthralled me and fully captivated the essence of the original work. I highly recommend this version to anyone studying this literature in school for a better understanding or to anyone interested in Shakespeare.

This story is about two star crossed lovers. There is a long running feud between the wealthy families Montague and Capulet. What happens when the two young adult heirs of each family happen across each other and fall in love? They know their relationship could be doomed but what if their union could smooth over their families' hatred? This story is full of action, drama, romance and is never boring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Udon Publishing for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.