The combination of two things that I love - Austen and manga - should have resulted in perfection. Sadly that was not the case here. Frankly even finishing it was a chore.

This work was disappointing on many levels. First and foremost the story! This adaptation was almost painful to read at times with newly invented scenes and the changing of characterizations. Example: Elizabeth Bennet cries over Wickham after accidentally coming across him and Miss King walking together only to go running off into a storm where she looses her bonnet, becomes soaked, and needs Wickham to find her and save her bonnet. Ug…excuse me while I go vomit.

Also these additional scenes with terrible dialogue made for very choppy reading as the text went back and forth from new created text and Austen’s original text. One minute Elizabeth is very articulately turning down Darcy’s proposal using Austen’s original text, but then when Mrs. Gardiner tells her they will be visiting Pemberly during their tour she replies:

Lizzy: “Oh no, I can’t go there! I mean we can’t! We! All of us! We shouldn’t go!
Mrs. G: “But why not? They are often open for visitors.”
Mr. G: “And they have the finest woods in the country!”
Lizzy: “Bears!The woods are full of bears! And boars! And…bees!”
Mrs G: “You have such a sense of humor.”

Bears. BEARS! REALLY?! And so many exclamation points!!!

Second, the rules of society that are absolutely integral to Austen’s works are completely flaunted here with men entering the heroines bedrooms, calling them by their first name, and always running around with their hair down. Yes, I get these things won’t mean much to the casual manga reader, but they are necessary to the story and the characters for anyone who reads Austen’s works.

Finally, the artwork was lacking in many areas. Some comics and manga strive for the unfinished look with characters/scenes purposely distressed/unfinished, but that was not the case here. Mostly the mistakes could be seen in characters hands. Many times the characters had hastily added fingers because they were originally only drawn with 4, or their fingers looked painfully broken, or the details were completely lacking and they all looked like they had webbed fingers a la Mr. Penguin in Batman.

All in all just so disappointing as I had been looking forward to reading this. I also have Emma and Sense and Sensibility from this same series, but I don’t think I will read them as I expect them to be just as frustrating as this was.

This was a very enjoyable way of consuming this book I loved the art style and really enjoyed rereading it in this manner. If your a fan of pride and prejudice I highly recommend!!

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I received the opportunity to read and review Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice, I was absolutely ecstatic. You see, I absolutely love Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen because of Darcy the time period, the wit, the relationship development between Elizabeth and Darcy and Jane and Bingley , and because of many many more things… Anywho, here are my likes of Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice.

LIKES:

Lovely graphics. Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice was my first manga. Did I love it? Why yes, I did! I loved how the graphics complemented the dialogue so well. Even in the areas where there wasn't a great deal of dialogue, the graphics definitely told the story.
There were times that the graphics totally made me laugh. These parts were super cute! I wish there was an anime version of Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice.

An essence of the original Pride & Prejudice. This manga does not tell an exact account of everything that occurs in the Pride & Prejudice we know and love. Although this was the case, the author did a spectacular job picking important parts and quotes from the Pride & Prejudice story and making it fit into the manga style. I was an awe with how well the manga version brought forth all the feels and all the awesomeness from the original story.

The story kept me engaged. I’m not going to lie. I’ve read Pride & Prejudice once (it’s definitely time for a reread), but I’ve watched the BBC mini-series and movie version too many times. I mean there was a month and a half where I watched the Pride & Prejudice movie every single day. I think that’s why Netflix removed it. But anyway, having said that, reading Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice made me feel like I was experiencing the story through a different lens. Reading it was a very enjoyable experience. I was attached to the story, the characters, absolutely everything!

I hope you enjoyed my review. Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice was just so awesome. Please go and check it out, especially if you love Pride & Prejudice.

I rarely read manga, though I have great love for the genre due to low money to be able to buy what always turns out to be an expensive venture. This one certainly falls into the more -flowery- drawings, but I feel that it falls perfectly into the story since this is an age where women were willowy and tall, with flowing dresses. All characters are well drawn, and are distinctive so that it isn't possible for the reader to be confused over who is speaking. I would say that it's not a good idea to read this as an ebook, as I learned to my slight aggravation. I would highly recommend for this to be bought as an actual book, since scrolling up and down, with it being difficult to get the page to be all on screen made my reading slightly less enjoyable.

'Pride and Prejudice' is one of the few books that I enjoy from this genre, with the other being 'Emma'. I enjoy the wit that is hidden in there, though the main characters, the girls, tend to be very... weepy and self-indulgent even though they are strong minded and do not act like the other surrounding characters. I feel that seeing it in manga, along with much of the long, wistful sentences of Jane Austin cut out so it gets straight to the point make this book even more tolerable as I have to take the book when I normally read it in chunks. This is not a book that I would speed read through in one sitting.

The various characters that matter the most are given enough screen time for their personalities to shine through, though I did wish more had been shown with Wickham. I understand that much had to be cut out in order to make this manga work, but it did seem a bit too much sudden information of him coming through. My favourite character as always, is the father, with Elizabeth being a close second. The mother is tolerable in small bits, but I am quite sure that she's been written like that on purpose. I do wish that Lydia had played more of a part, since she was a major plot point near the end and I just wanted a bit more insight into her flighty behaviour. While I did understand why she fell into love like she did, I was more uncertain on why her love fell in love with her. Maybe it was because their personalities were so similiar, but at the same time I didn't understand why one of the main character points of her husband would suddenly be ignored.

I could probably continue going on about the story, but I believe the different style in the way it is being portrayed is slightly more important to state my opinion on. I will be buying this book once I find a way to get my hands on it, as I think there's an American Publisher I can try. I may breach out and try and see if I can find the 'Emma' one as well.

On this note, if you are a fan of Jane Austen, I would definitely recommend that this is bought. If you are not such a lover of this genre, but have a great appreciation for manga, or wish to have it done in a much easier way, then I would still advise for the story to be bought in this form.

I didn't feel like this manga stayed true to the spirit of Pride and Prejudice. It could be a good introduction for someone who has never read it. I did think the characters and how they were drawn were well done, but it just lacked some of the fire and wit of Austen's original book.

First of all I thank Udon and NetGalley for this book.
Pride and prejudice is my favorite book. I read it I don’t know how many times and I do not even talk about the TV movie that is just awesome. So I want read this manga. The story is perfectly respected with the original text of Jane Austen. Mr Darcy is at best in his form. We find the character with great pleasure. In the same way Elizabeth is in the grip of doubt. I really enjoyed her moments of reflection. After all, Elizabeth is a woman who is stuffed with prejudice but who comes to think enough to realize that she is wrong. The problem is, in the meantime, she has told them ours four truths to the people involved. Only one thing bothered me without really doing it. We must not forget that we read a manga and that the codes are respected. We therefore have the surprises (see plan below), asides chibi way, the little bonus boards that separate the chapters and take the book against the current. This sometimes hinders the narrative, but afterwards we are in a manga and not in the book. A good book for all fans or less-fans who want to (re) discover this masterpiece.

Another true-to-the original retelling using manga artwork. While I find them an interesting take on the stories and bringing new life...I'm beginning to get a "Been there, done that" feel for all of these.

This is cute. I had a really Fun time reading this and seeing the characters in manga.

Pride & Prejudice is probably Jane Austen's most well-known book and as I like both that story and the art form of manga, I thought the opportunity to read a manga adaptation of such a classic story would be a good time.

Stacy King did a very good job in adapting the novel into a manga. Since there is limited space in which to describe things, her working with the artist Po Tse needed to be flawless so that action, dialogue, and environment could come together in picture form rather than words. For the most part I think that they succeeded. There were moments when I think that characters were plumped up a bit in the adaptation, though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Lydia, for example, the errant younger sister of Elizabeth Bennett, has many annoying and selfish qualities which were intensified in certain scenes, particularly after the militia men removed themselves from Meryton.

Art

Po Tse, the manga-ka that tackled the project of bringing Jane Austen's classic to life, did a fabulous job in many ways. The details, such as hairstyles and clothing, were very well done and intricate. Buildings were streamlined in the correct places and in others had the angles that gave them the grandeur that one envisions when picturing Netherfield or Pemberley. Breaking this up were some panels where characters like Mrs. Bennett became chibis (smaller caricatures of themselves) that added some levity that was funny.

What I did not like after a bit, because it became a tiresome wear on the eyes, was the overuse of a glamour style on the primary female characters Elizabeth and Jane. I know we're meant to understand that they're beautiful enough to outshine the others in their towns and attract the attention of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, but the style of their eyes in particular felt overly heavy handed after a few pages.

Summary

This adaptation had all of the classic scenes that one might expect to see: the proposals, the scene between Darcy and Elizabeth in the rain, the balls, and more. It was easy to see that the people working on this book, from script adapter King to artist Po Tse, were dedicated to making sure that Austen's work made the transition to this art form successfully.

The art at times was a little heavy and distracting, but I love this take on Pride and Prejudice. It's very faithful to the original story and the art is beautiful. It really adds to the story and pulls the reader in even further. Its an excellent edition for anyone who loves classics but can find them boring or dry.

'Pride and Prejudice' ist nicht nur mein absolutes Lieblingsbuch, es ist auch in meinen Augen der Klassiker schlechthin, den man, sei es im englischen Original oder in der deutschen Übersetzung unbedingt gelesen haben sollte.
Nun kann heute nicht mehr jeder mit Austens altmodischer Sprache etwas anfangen und auch der viele Text hat den einen oder anderen interessierten Leser sicher schon verschreckt.

Hier nun die Lösung: 'Stolz und Vorurteil' als Manga!
Tolle Zeichnungen mit Originaltextauszügen.
Hier werden meines Erachtens junge Leser und Mangafreunde angesprochen, doch mal einen Klassiker der englischen Literatur zu lesen. Vielleicht bekommt der einen oder andere so ja doch Lust auf mehr und nimmt sich den Originaltext vor. Wer weiß?

Ich habe dieses Buch von vorne bis hinten genossen und freue mich, dass es noch zwei weitere Austenbücher geschafft haben von den beiden Machern: Stacy King als Herausgeberin zusammen mit dem Künstler Po Tse, auf diese Art umgesetzt zu werden.

These illustrations are absolutely lovely. I love how they manage to convey at the same time both an idea of refinement and a delicious, smart humour. If Austen's chiselled, brisk, lively writing style could be turned into drawings, it would be impossible to do a better job than Po Tse's. And Mr Collins is simply priceless, his looks made me laugh so much my eyes watered.
Super recommended (from a huge fan of the novel).

Pride and Prejudice has always been my all-time favorite from Jane Austen and this version was just amazing. The graphics were spot on!

I highly recommend this to everyone who loves Pride and Prejudice. it is faithful to the original story with some cute humor added in. I've loved Mr. Darcy for as long as i can remember and this brang back all the feelings for when i first read P&P. This is a perfect way for people to read and for in love with the classics without being intimidated by reading the original book. I've been meaning to re-read P&P and this was the perfect way to do so, it's a nice quick read that explains the original story perfectly in a short amount of time. the illustrations are beautiful it helps give that romantic vibe from the original story (but with less words). I can't wait to read the rest in the series. P.S i really hope they do Moby Dick in the future.

One of my favorite novels in manga form? How could I resist? It was interesting seeing the story told this way. The art was pretty, and the chibi forms of the characters were cute. It did a pretty good job of capturing the story. However, since the entire novel had to be distilled down into something that could be told quickly and largely through illustrations, it meant there were some jumps in time that felt overly sudden and that a lot of depth was missing and characters weren't able to be developed properly the way they are in the original novel which felt like a shame. The big themes did come across though and I'd say it was as good an adaptation of a classic as could be hoped for.

Thanks to NetGalley, Manga Classics, Po Tse, and Stacy King for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. :o)

Manga styled telling of Pride and Prejudice. I couldn't take my eyes away from Darcy, as he is not a typical Japanese/English rendition, he received quite a bit more of facial detail - I was quite pleased with it. Clothing and settings are thoroughly researched. Lovers of Manga would enjoy it thoroughly.

Loved this adaptation of one of my favorite books. Brings a classic to life in a way that is easier for my students (middle school English language learners) to understand with visuals and simplified language. I will recommend books in this manga classics series to my students for sure!

This book is a fantastic introduction to the classic for learners at the K-12 level!
Speaking as both a lover of graphic novels AND a lifetime Jane Austen fanatic, I would adopt this book for my curriculum in a heartbeat. It's such an accessible adaptation of the story--students are still reading it with (much of) the original wording and dialogue, but key words are changed (i.e. Netherfield hall has been rented rather than let) to allow for modern understanding. Students are still reading the original text, but where they might be in the dark about the meaning, they get to see Lizzie's reaction on her face and know that Darcy has insulted her, or that Mrs. Bennett is crazy excited, etc. That added context does wonders for the story's accessibility to a younger audience.
What's more, in a visual arts classroom like my own, this would be the ideal text to adopt for a unit: encouraging literacy and working cross-curricularly are close to my art, and this would allow for so many lessons. Students could read it and redraw panels, or do their own adaptation of a classic work--a fairytale, etc.
This is a fantastic tool for the classroom!

I was surprised by this combination: english classic literature with japanese popular culture in the form of manga comics. It was strange to read backwards (the correct way to read manga is explained in the book) but I got used to it. I read Pride and Prejudice and Emma by Jane Austen and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. The stories are all true to the original, mixed with the expressiveness of the characters drawn with the typical manga big eyes. There's also humor in the illustrations. It's a different reading. It's fun to see the classics you know translated in a different art form.

4 Stars!

This was pretty good as an adaption if you don't take it seriously and think it was going to be very true to the novel like other adaptations. Everything was kind of over the top ( Cough Mrs. Bennet which is a stretch since she was over the top in OG P&P cough) which if this was turned into a Shojo anime,it will be ok. One thing I felt it they went overboard with is Elizabeth's character. It was couple times I really want to say " Get a grip woman!"when she was mopping about if Dracy still love her which is not Lizzie at all. Dracy character was fine cause they straight turn him Tsundere which the author probably had a field day doing. All in All It was a fun read.