Another manga that depicts one of the best stories ever written, sung, danced and told. I love The Miserables and the manga version does not disappoint. I loved the characters, the drawings, the pace of the story...I would definitely recommend this one, and most probably, not being a fan of manga itself, I will buy this one soon

I received Les Miserables from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ever since I had seen the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, I really wanted to read the novel. The problem is... the novel is over 1000 pages. I felt so lucky to happen upon the manga adaptation of Les Miserables. It was like experiencing the novel as an appetizer. I have renewed my resolve to read Hugo's novel, eventually.
Les Miserables takes place in France during the French revolution. Amid the revolution, a Jean Valjean tries to protect himself and his daughter, Cosette from the relentless inspector Javert who will stop at nothing to put Valjean back in jail. Meanwhile, Cosette has fallen in love with Marius, the mysterious gentleman she often sees while on walks with her father. Marius is equally as enamoured with Cosette, but he has other obligations to the revolution.
As the novel is extremely long, the plotline is very complex with an array of characters. I was surprised how the manga was able to condense the events of the novel seamlessly without quickly speeding through the action of the revolution and the romance between Marius and Cosette.
I would recommend this manga to those, like me, who want to attempt to read Hugo's Les Miserables one day.

Thanks to NetGalley and UDON Entertainment for the opportunity to read and review Manga Classics! Manga Classics include Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which is true to the original classic with added cliffhangers to keep manga readers interested and eye-catching illustrations. After the story ends, the details of adaptation from classic literature to manga lets us see into the transformation. Each story in this collection follows these same guidelines! Impressive artwork and transformation!
Manga Classics also include The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (the only color is the scarlet letter A, which makes striking illustrations!), Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven. The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red death and The Fall of the House of Usher; Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and many more!
5 stars for books that make classics accessible and understandable to every reader!

I have never read the original Les Miserables or watched the movie, so this was the first time I heard the story. I really liked it.

There was lots of tension in the story that I wasn’t expecting. There were also some mature themes, such as child abuse and prostitution. I always thought it was just a sad story, but the tense twists were very good.

I liked the art in this graphic novel too. It follows the same design of the other Manga Classics. Each of the characters were distinctly drawn. I loved the way Cosette looked. She was so adorable!

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Now I want to read the original book!

What a phenomenal way to read the classics! Gorgeous illustrations, and I loved practicing reading manga (I am, admittedly out of practice) I adore the story of Les Miserables and this was a triumph of an adaptation.

Kudos!

I'm a pretty huge fan of Les Miserables, so I was pretty excited when I was approved for this on NetGalley! Now, I don't read manga often, so I don't know the conventions, but on a whole I really enjoyed this and thought it was a decent adaptation. Obviously, there's no way to really put a 500,000 word novel into a 300 page adaptation, even if a picture is worth a thousand words, but the themes and tone were kept well intact.

It did look like that it was guided by the musical movie in a lot of places for the major beats in the story, though it was certainly elaborated on with many moments from the book - such as Chapmanthieu, and Valjean's second stint in prison and his subsequent escape, and other moments which I'd forgotten about: such as being smuggled out of the convent in a coffin. A lot of the Marius plotlines were condensed from the book but much closer than the musical adaptation. I also appreciate the scene where Cosette cries while Marius puts his head against a tree, and Enjolras and Grantaire's death also close to the Brick's (though for those who are not as familiar with the story, this might have been confusing due to Grantaire appearing once before this happens). Another thing I liked is that there were a couple digressions on history, which ... yeah, if you've read Les Mis, you'll know about Victor Hugo and his digressions. So I thought it was apt for retaining the spirit of the original novel as well as giving the readers some really good background information.

I liked the art as well, and I think it generally fit with the book descriptions of the characters. I noticed that Marius actually has dark hair like he does in the original novel, and I loved how Enjolras was drawn. He's described as feminine and angelic-looking in the book, and this manga really hit the mark with Enjolras's depiction. The Thenardiers do not escape caricaturish drawings in this, which is pretty consistent through all animated depictions of them. And this is being nitpicky as a fan of the original novel, but Cosette is drawn as blonde, while in the novel she's a brunette - but honestly, she's portrayed as blonde in a lot of adaptations.

Les Miserables is such a complex book that it's difficult to adapt, but for anyone who's familiar with the musical, this is definitely a nice expansion and introduction to the book.

This story is beautifully drawn, and tragic in such a wonderful way. The manga format definitely makes Les Miserables more approachable, and I'd definitely recommend it, especially for young adult readers who may be having trouble reading it in novel format.

This book tells the story of Cosette, the child of a single mother, and her ruin.

The book's art is beautiful, something I've expected, given that it's a part of a series I've come to love.

The story itself is amazing. It's very engaging and as sad as I expected (the name's literally The Miserable Ones...).

The ending caught me off guard, though, I always thought it would be sadder.

The characters are very interesting. We have the usual tropes (loving mother, evil mother substitute, redeemed criminal and angel child who suffers too much and is too good for this world) however, they feel real. They're also quite strong, something I didn't expect, I always thought they'd be passive.

Now, I really want to read the original novel, all thanks to this adaptation.

Rating: 5 stars

I found this manga version of one of my favourite books beautiful. The story is condensed to the main events but easy to follow and it flowed flawlessly. The pictures speak for themselves and they're art.

I love these manga classics! I was never into Les Miserables, but this made me realize how good it is. As always, this manga made me interested in a classic that I probably would not pick up in its original form.

Its so exciting to see classics in a new format! Combining my love of classics and manga! Beautifully illustrated!

Such a fantastic rendition of a great classic!! Thoroughly enjoyed reading this in the Manga format. Thank you for this wonderful initiative of converting classics into gorgeous Manga.

Everyone should know the story of Les Mis, and I have to say that this manga lays it out nicely with no big plot holes or anything. The graphics are really good and it was a quick, enjoyable read.

Après avoir lu The scarlet letter, dont je vous parlais ici, j'ai eu très envie de découvrir un autre classique avec ce support tellement différent!
J'ai toujours voulu lire la saga des Misérables, mais je ne sais pas pourquoi je ne me suis jamais lancée. Comme beaucoup, je connais l'histoire et certains évènements de cette oeuvre si célèbre. Pour autant, je n'ai jamais lu les livres.
Je me suis donc dit que ce manga tombait à pic lorsque je l'ai vu dans les propositions Netgalley.

Je remercie donc vivement Netgalley et Udon Entertainment de m'avoir permis de découvrir ce chef d'oeuvre!

J'ai adoré découvrir ces endroits de Paris qui me sont si familiers d'habitude, mais qui ici me paraissaient inconnus voire irréels.
Cette adaptation de l'oeuvre me permet de mieux découvrir et appréhender le décor de ces histoires si tragiques. L'histoire des célèbres Jean Valjean, de l'inspecteur Javert, de Fantine, Cosette et Marius notamment.
Plusieurs des scènes m'ont donné envie de pleurer, c'est vous dire à quel point ce manga est immersif!!
Cependant, il y a une chose qui m'a beaucoup frustrée dans cette adaptation: la rapidité avec laquelle on passait sur certaines scènes. Bien que le manga fasse 376 pages, j'aurais préféré que certaines scènes soient plus développées pour que l'on puisse mieux comprendre. Mieux comprendre le contexte politique, social, économique. Quitte à diviser les misérables en plusieurs tomes.
Toutefois, ce manga a été une très belle découverte et il me donne encore plus envie de découvrir l'histoire de tout ces personnages qui m'ont marquée ici.
En effet, plusieurs personnages m'ont marquée, que e soit de manière positive ou négative. Il y a des moments où je n'avais qu'une envie: entrer dans le manga, secouer certains personnages ou en tuer d'autres.

En conclusion, les Misérables est un beau manga qui, un fois de plus me donne envie de découvrir l'oeuvre originale.

Great alternative when you don't wanna read the book

3.5/5 stars.

Les Mis the manga is a surprisingly accurate adaptation. It manages to highlight each important detail of Les Mis the novel. If you're unfamiliar with Les Mis, we follow a man named Jean Valjean. Jean Valjean is thrown in jail for stealing a loaf of bread. When he is finally released from jail he is placed in a situation that changes his perspective on life and makes him want to be a better man. Eventually he meets and adopts the orphan Cosette, whom he devotes his life to. The story focuses on Jean Valjean's life and character development. That being said, the French revolution also plays a major role in the story.

Les Mis the novel is at it's best when it comes to characterization. We follow Jean Valjean's journey for a massive 1000 pages, so naturally by the end of things we really feel we know Jean Valjean. Of course, as Les Mis the manga was very short and sweet it wasn't going to give the same satisfying outcome. We still get to know Jean Valjean, and he is still very much a likeable character, however, there was something to be desired in his characterization. The same can be said from any character, and I was especially disappointed with Eponine's role. She was such a complex, driving force in the original, but not so much in the manga adaptation. However, the characterization of the manga was strong enough that by the end of the book the ending still had a very strong impact on me.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the artwork of Les Mis the manga, it was almost too cute. We lose a bit of the nitty-gritty of the original, especially when it came to Fantine's character. Still, the artwork was a very nice addition to a very well-loved story.

Ultimately, Les Mis the manga was a very true to the original adaptation. It is worth picking up if you love or are too intimidated by the original. The artwork is a great addition, and this book features some excellent characterization. While I think this story could have benefited from a few extra volumes, it is an excellent addition to the Les Mis sphere.

Another great manga classic! Now, to read the novel. This one will stick with me. Go read it!

Even when the musical version of this came out I was bored with. I had trouble following it even though I love Hugh Jackman. Manga Classics simplifies the tale without sacrificing the emotional impact.
Like the rest of the entries in the series, the art is beautiful and helps make an emotional impact during the story. Manga Classics is helping me enjoy the stories I would never have read in traditional book form.

I'd say it took a little while to get started, and then some to get into. Whilst the book has done an admirable job converting the story from the book, keeping the important parts and leaving others out (though I must say I missed the 50 pages on the Paris sewer system), I found some things were yet to be desired from the art style, as well as from the artistic choises made when adapting the script to the graphic style.
It always feels a bit risky to start a visual adaptation of work you already know, and I fear, this was simply not for me.

This was a really good manga adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. Having read the original book, listened to the musical and watched all the various adaptations, I really felt the soul of Les Mis in this manga. The artwork was absolutely brilliant and it was easy to read as a manga.