This was my first manga book to read. I really appreciated how the author included the how to read manga section. This was a great way to fall in love with such a classic story.

4 stars! I love the story of Les Mis and having it be more accessible to younger readers is a great idea. The story of Les Mis is timeless! This was such a fast and enjoyable read!

5/5 star

Hmm okay so I’ve never read the book but I have seen the movie plenty of times and this was really close to the movie. I really enjoyed the artwork and the way it worked with the manga style.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Udon Entertainments for sending me this remarkable graphic novel to review.
To transform a magnum opus like Les Miserables into a graphic novel is no easy task. Despite the several digressions in the original, the novel is a lengthy one. One cannot forget that Hugo published this in 1862, around the time the Victorian novel was flourishing in the UK, and these novels were reputed to be long. Considering the intricacies of the plot and the numerous subplots, the profusion of characters, both major and minor, the task of converting this to a successful graphic novel seems impossible.

Full credit should be given to Crystal Silvermoon for her skillful adaptation of the original. Hugo, in his Preface, wanted to draw the attention of the readers to three ills prevalent in society: the degradation of men by poverty, the ruin of women by starvation and the dwarfing of children. All these have been adequately represented and transformed into the graphic novel.
The graphic novel also depends equally on its illustrator and once again, SunNeko Lee has done an excellent job. The success of a graphic novel is a result of the right blend of visuals and printed text and this balance is maintained. The images in black and white—a trademark of the Manga format—add to the generally grim story: the struggle of Jean Valjean to put his checkered past behind him and redeem himself, Javert’s obsession with hunting him down, the general poverty, misery and helplessness of the underdog are all skillfully achieved by a perfect blend of text and image. The visuals are striking—the expression on the face of Fantine when she is forced to sell her hair and lose two of her teeth; the sinister, corrupt and greedy expression on the face of Mr Thenardier, twirling his moustaches; the double faced Mrs Thenardier, loving to her daughters and vicious and unkind to Cosette; the expression on the face of Fantine and the subsequent change in her appearance when she is forced to resort to prostitution; the innocence on the face of Cosette—all these images speak for themselves and require no spoken words.
However, in spite of the grimness and the violence, one of the major themes of the novel is of love which triumphs over all adversity and redeems the characters. It is true that sometimes the plot is a bit fractured and is difficult to follow but then that is to be expected in a novel of this size.
I am not sure why the Manga format is required. It is true that it originated in the Japanese scrolls which existed in the twelfth century which were to be read from left to right; but this is a bit cumbersome to read, seems a bit gimmicky and does not really add to the enjoyment of the story.

I grew up with Superman and Batman comics. When I pick up a Manga Comic, I need to remind myself of two things. First, all writing is from right-to-left, This includes the paging which means reading from the “back” of the book to the “front”. It also means that each page must be read from right to left. Once the reader has made it through a couple of pages, this change is easy enough to handle. Second, Manga artwork rarely includes color - it is all black and white (and occasionally gray).

That being said, this adaption makes for a wonderful way to tell the classic Victor Hugo story of a redeemed convict (originally charged with stealing a loaf of bread) and the impact he had on the world and people around him. Even as read this graphical adaption, I was sometimes moved to tears as I saw God’s grace at work among broken people.

Whether the reader is a fan of Manga or new to the genre (as I am), this story comes with a strong recommendation. I give the book 5-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

This story is about In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean is a thief and steals frim a priest. The priest, however, has compassion on him and allows him to escape. The policeman Javert is pursuing him relentlessly. Many a time Jean is imprisoned but always gets out. Ultimately he is a changed human being.

Meanwhile there is a story happening parallely about a poor girl who is constantly tortured her whole life. Jean steps in at the perfect time and changes her life around.

This is a story that will stay with you long after you finish it. It will tug at all your emotional heartstrings.

I enjoy classics being brought to the attention of a younger generation. I can appreciate when art, be it manga or comic is used to capture the attention of those who would, generally, not be interested in classic literature. I, myself, am a bit of a book enthusiast but sometimes find myself disinterested in reading something older than my grandparents. So thank you NetGalley, for the opportunity to try this book out!

The book stays fairly close to the original source material (obviously it won't be 100 percent authentic). But the real star of the show is the art- it's clean and holds your attention.

I would recommend this book!

This is my first time reading Les Miserables. I think the artwork is fantastic, as usual with the Manga classics series. The story, itself, is beautiful. I was able to enjoy even the sadder aspects.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this manga in exchange for an honest review!

Les Miserables is a story that has always fascinated me. I was first introduced to it via the musical and really wanted to read the book by Victor Hugo but was deterred by the size. It’s still on my list; one day I’ll tackle it but this manga adaptation held me over in the meantime and might have even given me an extra push to prioritize it this year. Since I haven’t read the source material, I can’t compare it to that but I can compare it to the musical and judge it as its own story.

Since this is a manga, I want to start with the artwork. The characters are so beautiful, particularly Cosette and Eponine and the scenery felt really fleshed out so I had a great feel for the atmosphere. There were a couple of times where the action was confusing to me, though. I wasn’t quite sure what happened in a scene with Fantine but it was explained on a later page. There was also a moment in a battle scene where I wasn’t quite sure what happened but overall, it didn’t hinder my understanding of the story.

The storytelling was also great for me. There were things I didn’t remember from the musical either because I forgot or because they are from the book only and that gave me something new to add to my understanding of Hugo’s work.She I’m also just inspired by the themes of religion, oppressive poverty, and revolution. It feels even more important that it did the first time I encountered the story given the current social and political climate.

Lastly, I want to talk about the treatment of Fantine in this story. I will go ahead and say MINOR SPOILERS ahead because that’s the only way to talk about this. I was curious how the manga would approach the fact that Fantine has to resort to prostitution for money. The art doesn’t show anything more than a man leaving Fantine under a blanket and leaving money but it is enough so that readers know what happened without it being too jarring for readers. I thought it was handled well. One thing I want to bring up, though is later when Fantine is in court for prostitution. She describes herself as a “bad girl” which is probably a sentiment expressed in the novel given the religious overtones. From a modern lens this becomes an issue regarding the stigma around sex work so that is something to think about.

My thanks to UDON Entertainment for access to a temporary digital edition, via NetGalley, of ‘Manga Classics: Les Miserables’, adapted from Victor Hugo’s classic novel by Crystal Snowmoon with art by SunNeko Lee.

Publisher: “In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever. “Les Miz” has been adapted for stage and screen and loved around the world by millions of readers.”

This was my first experience of a Manga Classics title and I was very impressed. They write: “These are adaptations that are not intended to supplant the original work but rather provide yet another way of engaging with the story. More often than not, the manga adaptation creates context for the reader which gives them a stronger comprehension and retention of the story.”

This certainly proved the case for me. This manga adaptation helped me gain a sense of the narrative, characters, and setting with the result that I feel more confident and now plan to read a recent translation of the original novel. In addition, the art was sublime, just stunning.

I also appreciate how useful a tool this series could prove for educators and librarians, who might struggle to get students and readers to engage with what they might well perceive as fusty old novels.

I adored this and accompanied my reading with the original soundtrack of the West End production of Les Miserables. It didn’t quite match up with the panels that I was reading but provided very rousing background music.

I was also grateful for the short illustrated guide ‘How to Read Manga’ as I really needed it! I certainly plan to explore more of these titles and recommend them widely.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for a honest review.

It might have been the format of this free book, but the start of the book was the last page. Thankfully it had instructions on how to read manga. I didn’t realize it was read from right to left. I loved the illustrations and the story is a beautiful story.

I haven't read the original novel by Victor Hugo yet, but as a life-long massive fan of the broadway musical (by the original London cast; I've memorized all of the words, both spoken and sung), I absolutely adored this manga adaptation. All of the important stuff was there, and the artwork was beautiful. This is a story of many different kinds of love, romantic and otherwise, which takes place during the French Revolution. Highly recommended.

Really loved it. I wouldn't have picked up a classic in its original version, as I find it difficult to get through and don't enjoy the experience. This is my second Manga, and found the format easier to read this time.

The story is mainly about Jean Valjean, who was convicted for a petty crime and spent years as a prisoner during the French Revolution. Even after getting released from prison he is not welcome anywhere, but he eventually works to be a better person, and helps others as well. Even though he is always on the run from suspicious policemen, he then comes to take care of Cossette, the daughter of Fantine who suffered so hard to raise her child as a single mother.

The story was clear, it was emotional and inspiring. Illustrations were so lovely and added to the experience. The adaptation to Manga can be a real challenge due to the shortening and artwork involved. I feel this one really does justice to the story.

This is a very good introduction to the massive work "Les Miserables". Having seen the movie, I knew the story, but it's different to see it in a book. I have yet to start reading the classic because it seems so daunting.
Still, this is a very good adaptation: I do wish the art was more "mature". Sometimes the characters seem younger than they really are.

Very good book!

I got to know the work "Les Misérables" through the musical. Since that day I want to read Victor Hugo's literary work, but until today this has not happened.
When I discovered this ebook in NetGalley I wanted to download and read it, but only today I got it because I discovered that there is the Netgalley Shelf application that allows us to read the Ebooks we downloaded from the site.
I read this Manga edition of this masterpiece and I loved it. The adaptation is fantastic, there are indeed many similarities with the movie, but this is not something that causes me confusion, because I also like the movie a lot.
The drawing is beautiful, very simple strokes and the emotions very well inserted in each character. It's so easy to know what each character is feeling.
So I recommend everyone who knows or not the original book to read this adaptation to Manga because it's really beautiful and incredibly easy to read.

Loved this graphic novel and how the pictures are drawn in such a way you can follow the story easily. Because it was such a fun read makes me want to read it again. I highly recommend this book.

One of my favorite books in a beautiful manga format. My soul is giddy. It was interesting seeing a a long classic in such a form, but I firmly believe that it will be great for reluctant readers. I plan to share copies with my students.

A great way to get interest in a classic with those that don’t enjoy doorstops or musicals. great illustration as well. The main storylines are there and of course not everything but a person can get the gist of the story with this fun manga. Of course it lacks compared to the story but a great fun intro

One of my all-time favorite books in manga format? YES PLEASE! I loved reading this manga - it was a bit more condensed than the original (and honestly, not surprising since The Brick didn't get its name for nothing, and I didn't expect the manga to have everything that was in the original book). The illustrations were great. All in all, it was a fun, but true-to-the-book read, and I enjoyed it so much!

Esse mangá me permitiu revisitar uma história que é muito preciosa para mim. A essência da história original está contida no volume, apresentando um traça simples e belo. Uma leitura rápida e de perder o fôlego, é uma grande história que marca a vida de qualquer leitor.... simplesmente belo.