dnf’d at 29%. i really tried with this one because i havent been finishing a lot of books recently but the art style was bugging me. other than that, solid manga. it was just getting on my nerves.

this was a lot of fun! This generally isn’t my genre I gravitate towards but the story telling here was great. I loved that it was in full color too. I really enjoyed reading this

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Manga Classics Sherlock Holmes Vol. 1 A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle, Julien Choy (Illustrator), and Crystal S. Chan (Adaptor) is a straightforward manga retelling of Holmes' first case with Dr. Watson. After a string of murders leaves Scotland Yard out of their depth, Holmes and his new roomie Watson are determined to see justice served! Pretty much what you'd expect, the art was fine and this is always an easy way for comic lovers to ingest some classic stories without reading a huge novel. Recommend for those interested.

This manga adaptation “A Study in Scarlet” is a faithful and visually engaging introduction to the world of Sherlock Holmes. The artwork is stylish and captures the Victorian era atmosphere well.
The story itself is engaging, with twists and turns that keep you hooked.

What I Liked:
* Visual Appeal: The artwork is dynamic and expressive, bringing the characters and settings to life.
* Faithful Adaptation: The manga stays true to the original novel's plot and themes, introducing us to Holmes's deductive genius and Watson's narration.
* Engaging Mystery: The mystery itself is well-crafted and keeps you guessing until the end.

What Could Be Better:
* Pacing: In some parts, the pacing feels a bit rushed, which could have benefited from more detailed exposition.
* Character Development: While the core duo is well-established, some supporting characters could have been more fleshed out.

Overall:
"Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet" is a solid manga adaptation that will appeal to fans of the original novel and newcomers alike. It's a visually stunning and entertaining read that provides a great entry point into the world of Sherlock Holmes.

This was a cute read! I absolutely love Sherlock Holmes and manga, so to see them combined was amazing! It put what I’ve read into pictures and I really liked it. I’m not giving it 5 stars just because it was just really fast paced, which makes sense since it’s in a manga format, but I’d have liked more mystery to it. I definitely recommend this book to Sherlock Holmes and manga fans!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

I've been enjoying these manga versions of classic novels, I love the manga art-style chosen, it really brings these characters to life. As someone who enjoys both classic lit and mangas/animes this combination has been a delight.

This manga adaptation of classic literature offers a stunning and accessible way to experience timeless stories. The art beautifully captures the emotions and atmosphere of the original works, immersing readers in the setting and characters. Staying true to the essence of the source material, these adaptations make complex texts more digestible while preserving their literary value.

Whether you're a fan of classics, new to the genre, or simply enjoy manga, this collection is a fantastic way to connect with these beloved tales in a fresh and engaging format. Highly recommended for both seasoned readers and those exploring classics for the first time.

Thank you for the opportunity to read these amazing adaptations. This review has also been posted on Goodreads and StoryGraph.

This was so much fun. I absolutely loved the style and flair of this graphic novel. It is something completely different from what I normally read. It pure delight! Highly recommended!

***read as ARC from NetGalley***

This is my second Manga Classics read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is a faithful adaptation of the first Sherlock Holmes mystery. We are introduced to Sherlock and John and watch as they form their working relationship over the course of investigating and solving the case.

The artwork is beautiful and in typical manga style, both men are tall, young, slim, and almost pretty. To see Sherlock with a manga hairstyle against a Victorian era city was delightful. The artist does an excellent job of portraying Sherlock's aloofness and hyper focus and John's amazement at Sherlock's power of deduction.

Looking forward to further adaptions. I think this is a wonderful way to introduce young readers to one of the great characters of literature.

I have always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes. My bookshelves and ereaders have both the stories by Doyle and several of the newer books that use the characters. I love the Manga Classic series and jumped at a chance to read their adaptation of A Study in Scarlet. As usual, Crystal S. Chan has faithfully adapted the original work, retaining most of the story and using original text for the dialogue. This novel was the first Sherlock Holmes story and the adaptation does a fantastic job with the origin story. Unlike the source material, this book flows smoothly between the introduction of the characters and the actual mystery. The talented Julien Choy has illustrated the story in this full color manga. The detailed backgrounds immerse the reader in old London. Choy captures the action and the characters emotions. He does use typical manga style characters which can be disconcerting at first. Instead of a studious young man of around 26 and an injured military doctor, Holmes and Watson appear to be handsome young men. Watson in particular, looks like a fresh faced teen. I had the same initial reaction when I read a couple of the Manga Classic Shakespearean adaptations. But Choy's artistic skill captures the eye and the reader gets lost in the story. This book is advertised as Sherlock Holmes volume 1; I can't wait to read more.

As a fan of classic novels and BBC adaptations, I was thrilled to discover a manga version of Sherlock Holmes. The story stays faithful to the original, however, the illustrations took a bit of time to get used to. For example - Mrs. Hudson seemed to be portrayed a lil bit too young to me. Despite this, the art style adds a fresh perspective to the story.
Overall, this adaption is a delightful read, perfec for both long time fans and newcomers to the world of Sherlock Holmes.
Thank you to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

A clever manga adaptation of Sherlock.
Nicely executed and I always appreciate the artwork within a manga.

The highlight of this was the manga art—who knew I needed to see Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson looking so GOOD. Story-wise, it basically follows the gist of the original, and in my opinion, didn't lean very hard into the characters, so people looking for a retelling or reimagining or even just a fresh take from the story are probably not going to get what they're looking for out of this. However, anyone who wants to get a solid understanding of the Sherlock story without needing to slog through the original text (plus, again, some great manga interpretations to spruce things up!), I highly recommend.

As an avid fan of all things Sherlock Holmes, I had so much fun reading this. every Sherlock fan knows the story of A Study in Scarlet, but I feel like this put a fun spin on it, and made it a new and interesting read for me. I also really love the clear relationship between Holmes and Watson, something instant and true. Something that will hopefully be explored and expanded upon in later editions...
Looking forward to the (hopefully) next installment!

What an amazing treat - The Sherlock Holmes manga classic, set for release this January, is a delightful adaptation that stays very true to Arthur Conan Doyle's original tales while adding a fresh, visually engaging impact. I will gladly order this book for our high school library and encourage my manga readers to read this unique take on Doyle’s classic icon. This is an excellent introduction for new readers and a treat for manga enthusiasts who appreciate classic stories presented in a dynamic format.

The artwork is a standout feature—bright, appealing, and detailed, it captures the atmosphere of Victorian England while bringing the characters vividly to life. The adaptations of both Holmes and Watson are appealing and will reach younger audiences. The pacing aligns well with the original storyline, ensuring that key moments retain their impact, pulling in the reader while keeping the mystery fresh.

This adaptation balances respect for the source material with the creative liberties that make manga unique, making it an accessible and enjoyable read for fans old and new. A solid 4 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for providing this book for review.

I don’t think Sherlock Holmes can ever truly fall flat because he is just so timeless and classic. I thought it was really fun reading it in a manga format and I really enjoyed it.

A very enjoyable manga adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. I was a little surprised, although I shouldn't have been in retrospect, that this was a direct adaptation so it took my brain a minute to reconcile the language of Arthur Conan Doyle with the manga art style. Once I got used to it however I fell into a groove and enjoyed Holmes in this medium.

I was a little tickled by how perfectly the manga art and inflections convey the bromance between Watson and Sherlock. This Watson in particular had some great moon eyes when it came to meeting and getting to know Sherlock.

This is a solid recommendation for existing Sherlock Holmes fans as well as young adults who struggle with classical fiction but might find a manga adaptation more approachable.

This manga-style adaptation of the first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study In Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle—adapted by Crystal Chan with art by Julien Choy—finds a dashing, BL-friendly version of Holmes and Watson who share (in strongly drafted single panels) meaningful glances and selectively isolated dialogue to imply a deeper, possibly romantic connection developing between the consulting detective and his constant companion in their first investigation together. It's plausibly deniable, as it hews close to the original text, but selectively builds up some strong emotional undertones between the two characters with framing choices and character expression.

Holmes and Watson have very shoujo manga friendly designs, the colors are vibrant, and the compositions striking (though there is a hefty reliance on dutch-angles) and easy to follow. As in some classic shoujo, after establishing shots, backgrounds are minimized and sometimes replaced with patterns or color choices to enhance emotional impact. This is probably where this adaptation suffers the most, as shoujo manga artists are often able to employ these effects with a great deal of skill (and with a great creative use of patterned screentone that takes advantage of the original newsprint printing process for manga magazines) whereas here they appear somewhat flat, like a first pass rather than a final draft of these pages. Nevertheless, Chan and Choy are old-hands at adapting classic English literature, with some of the most famous Shakespeare adaptations and British classics between them, and the compositional choices help defray any age of the source text.

All-in-all a fun adaptation that gives us a very pretty pair in Holmes and Watson, who share meaningful looks in passing moments, and then solve the classic mystery in such a way that teens will use these as they always have; a way to get in a largely text-accurate required classic for English class without having to read an actual ancient book (this is partly sarcasm). It's fun, a little light, avoids mustiness, but feels like it could have used another color pass.

To be honest, I have never read a single Sherlock Holmes novel. I had been infatuated with the recent adaptations in the last two decades because of actors Robert Downey Jr and Benedict Cumberbatch portraying Sherlock Holmes. The dynamic between Watson and Holmes are of some interest to me, not quite a bromance, but something deeper, something like David and Jonathan in the Bible. I think that story adaptation, with no such previous knowledge of the synopsis, was quite well done by Crystal S. Chan into this exciting manga. It has led me to want to read the original story and other work by Ms. Chan. It is worth the read.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this classic, Netgalley (and the publisher)!

This is a good adaptation of the original piece into an entertaining, well-drawn manga. For me it was very weird, that all of the pages were colored. But it was a nice journey, I really liked the character designs, even though they seemed a bit too young for Sherlock and Watson. I am definitely going to read the next volume of the series, too.