This was my first experience with a manga version of a classic literary piece. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised at how close it stuck to the source material. The artwork is really nice as well. I could see this being a great way to introduce Shakespeare to the newer generations.

I admit, I have always had a bit of trouble with Shakespeare and his works when it’s not differently adapted. I just couldn’t get through the entire play when I didn’t have the joy of a graphic novel, a stage adaptation or in this case a manga to provide visuals. Ok, not just Shakespeare, all of classical plays … Why would you read a boring ass text with your students when you can go watch the play or aid them with a graphic novel or manga? Recently I watched the (a bit modern but with the original text) adaptation of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ with David Tennant and Catherine Tate and I have to say it was much better than just reading the text in a booklet. Which is why I find these manga classics absolutely delightful!

I don’t think I have to talk much about the plot so I’ll dive straight in with what I liked and didn’t like. 🙂

My biggest problem with manga in general is that a lot of people just look the same and I can’t tell who is who. At least here we had a nice little sign with names pointing to the characters when they are introduced. If I had no idea who someone was I could always go back and check.

I really enjoyed this manga, though. I can imagine it being used at school to teach and maybe get more kids into Shakespeare and classics in general. It doesn’t always have to be dry and boring stuff, it can be a medium that might appeal more to kids. Classics can be fun! I’m not the biggest fan of classics because I often find them dull – yeah, I just said that – and boring. Macbeth is one of the few that I actually enjoy a lot! Not only the story itself but also the characters are interesting and the topic and descend into madness caused by paranoia and guilt. What does that say about me? 😀

I liked the way this manga was drawn, the female characters not sexualised and generally good to read.

Conclusion:

A well-drawn good adaptation of a classic that makes it easier for students to read the entire thing. It certainly helped me! Mangas are not just some comics for kids, mangas are a great medium (I know, definitely NOT all of them :D) to make difficult texts more approachable.

Macbeth in Manga was a bit of a disappointment for me. Sure, it is a wonderful supplement for reluctant readers, but the overall story loses the beauty of Shakespearean language. Additionally, while the Manga classic did not stray too far away from the plot, I felt like it lost the depth and glory of all that went in the play. I also had a problem with the way the witches were portrayed – while I admit they appear scary, they are not as terrifying as the play itself describes them. Since I teach this in my classroom, I think this particular Manga would be a great asset as a supplement and not as a main text. Thank you NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for this eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I will say this: I have actually never read Macbeth. Because I am terrified of classics. But reading this one in a manga format definitely made me not only not be afraid of classics, but thinking about actually picking up this one in the original form and also other classics.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for a copy of this book, I cannot wait to read more.

'Manga Classics: Macbeth' by Stacy King, Crystal Chan and William Shakespeare with art by Julien Choy takes the ambitious task of taking the whole text of Macbeth and illustrating it over 321 pages.  

Macbeth is loyal to King Duncan of Scotland, but things have changed.  Urged on by supernatural forces and his own wife, Macbeth sets out to win the throne.  In the process, he loses his sanity, his friends, and his treacherous wife.  It all culminates in a big battle, and since this is a tragedy, the outcome seems pretty certain.

I really liked this take on the play.  The imagery really helps to flesh out Shakespeare's language.  It does feel a bit stilted when speeches are covered over multiple panels, but I suppose that is the trade off.  The art is really amazing, and I loved reading the art and translation notes at the end.  This was one of my favorite Manga Classics.

I received a review copy of this manga from Udon Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.

L'uso dell'inglese antico è encomiabile, tuttavia ciò ha reso veramente molto difficile la lettura, per cui sono stata costretta ad abbandonare il manga.

Manga is my new favorite way to take in the classics!! I highly recommend to anyone hesitant for any reason. I didn’t read Macbeth in school, and boy am I glad I waited!! Wow! I’ve mentioned this for other Manga classics, but they are all so gorgeously illustrated and captivating you feel like there’s a such fresh take on old texts. I would pick up another in heartbeat.

I really enjoyed this adaptation. It remains faithful to the original while at the same time being accessible to a group of people who might otherwise not read anything Shakespeare outside of their English class. The manga sticks to using old English which is a choice that may have worked against widespread accessibility if not for the literal illustrations of the metaphors Shakespeare uses. This might sound off putting to some readers, but it does work really well to bring the story to life visually while at the same time helping readers understand what is being said more clearly.

The artwork is great, the artist did a good job of illustrating this work. 
I wasn't a fan of this and it is probably just me. I thought this would make Shakespeare's classic Macbeth more understandable and more readable. It didn't. The prose was just as confounding as the original. After a few pages i just flipped through to look at the pictures, which again, were well done.

The copy i had did give instructions on how to read: back to front and right to left which took some adjustment, but it was nice to include those or i would have been completely lost.

My favourite classic
 'Shakespear's Macbeth' in the famous Japanese Manga comic format. Beautiful illustrations and word bubbles precisely convey the story. If you are a beginner in classics or you don't want to read the original unabridged editions but still you want to know about the classic story, this one's the perfect pick for you. Once you are used to reading in the Manga style, it's easy-to-follow. Don't miss out reading your favourite classics in their Manga style.

If I would have had this rendition of Macbeth when it was a required read in high school, I may have actually been more interested and understood what was going on with this book. Shakespeare was always a little difficult. Even just reading this along side, I feel would have made it a better experience.

very faithful to the original, this manga adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy is visually entertaining.

This is another great one for Manga Classics. The art is amazing. This would be great adapted into a classroom to help with teacking the story. 

Thanks Netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read this.

Despite its popularity, MacBeth has never been one of my favorite Shakespearean plays. Too bloody and gory and gloomy for my taste. But if you like a dismal adventure with plenty of violence and mayhem, MacBeth has plenty of that! And this manga adaptation rings true with the moods and poetry of the original play. I like that the exact dialogue of the play is used in this manga, and the artwork beautifully illustrates all the action and drama.

Each character has a memorable and striking appearance, and I found it especially interesting to see how MacBeth's demeanor changed after he commits murder. His posture and facial expressions are different, and shadows gather around him in the darker colors of the artwork. It's a subtle but effective way of showing the development of his character, slowing falling into madness and despair.

The witches were especially frightening and creepy with all their dark arts and ugly meddling. Their faces were hairy and eerie, and it weirded me out! All of the paranormal scenes were chilling, and that is just how powerful the illustrations are.

I love the heroic characters, with their square jaws and clear eyes. Just from seeing their facial expressions, I could really imagine their dialogue being spoken in distinct voices.

I'm so in love with all the Manga Classics series, and this one is excellently done!

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.

The art is beautiful!  I'm glad I got to read this manga for free, this website has great opportunities. The story was just like the original.  I highly recommend this if you've read the classic, or you enjoy manga. The author did a great job turning the book into a manga. 5 out of 5 stars.

A great adaptation of Macbeth. The art is beautiful and makes it easier to understand the dialogue/scene if you’re not familiar with the story.

Another excellent Shakespeare classic adapted into a Manga Classic. The art was attractive and detailed. The story was true to the original and was clearly portrayed in a way that made it easier to understand. My favorites scenes were all of the ones that had the witches and the ones that really showed Macbeth's descent into madness.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Udon Entertainment, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved that for this one they kept the entire play, the drawings enhance the experience and make it feel like you are in the theatre watching the play, when really the play is happening in your mind thanks to the beautiful drawings and easy way to read it.

{My thoughts} – Everything I would imagine about a William Shakespeare play brought to life within the beautifully drawn images of Julien Choy. I honestly have never read this play before reading this book. It was enlightening for lack of better wording.

Macbeth is told that he is meant to become the king of Scotland by some witches. Them telling him that put his plan to murder the current king into action. There is so much that takes place within the pages of this book that a simple review could not possibly give it justice.

The illustrations and the text go hand and hand so nicely you’d think this was just how William Shakespeare wanted his play portrayed. The illustrations help to show the reader so many different raw emotions such as: anger, regret, guilt and more. I think the illustrations are a nice touch because they help to show more so much more to the reader. It doesn’t leave much space for one’s imagination about the scenes, but it does show the reader such raw emotion within the images that it’s alright.

Macbeth is shown at his best, at his worst and in all the depictions he is shown as truly human.

I think this book is a wonderful rendition of a Classic. I am going to need to read the actual play sometime in the near future. I think that reluctant readers will find this as a worthwhile read and who knows, they may even discover a new found love for William Shakespeare.

I thought the artwork was fantastic but I wish the text had been contemporary English. Alas I dont have much more to say. Brilliant artwork and if the language used had been contemporary this would have been five stars from me. I will not be leaving a full review on review websites because I think my review is subjective.