Cover Image: Manga Classics: Great Expectations

Manga Classics: Great Expectations

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Member Reviews

Manga Classics are great books. I love seeing the manga reimaginings of these classics that make 'boring' classics accessible to new generations. Great Expectations has been brought to life again with lovely illustrations.

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Just like the other Manga Classics I have read, this one was absolutely beautiful. I adore the art style, and it was a wonderful adaptation of the classic novel.

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“It’s a wonderful thing to have Great Expectations!”

This tale tells the way a man can let fortune ruin him. How one could easily turn his back on his friends in the search for a better life. Pip has great expectations and he won't let anyone stand in his way. Not even the people who got him through his hard times.

I liked watching pip grow into a young gentleman. He had a good character arc. Friends came and went throughout his life. It was very realistic.

Like all the other Manga Classic the art was beautiful. This was a great adaptation of Dickens’ work

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My Thoughts
I don’t have too many memories of reading the original, though I most likely did (almost a 99% sure I did) as a t(w)een. But having read the manga edition, I want to read it again, or at least, attempt to.

Here, the creators took the decision to have Pip narrate the story, and rather than pick any one of the two endings that Dickens himself wrote for this great story, the narrators of the manga version left it to the readers. I thought this was a wonderful way to end it, both for those readers who have read the original versions(both maybe) and for those who have not read the original.

As for the artwork, it is stunning (again)! I especially loved Joe’s portrayal, and the emotions and interactions between Joe and Pip are illustrated tugged at my heartstrings. Estella is beautiful and Miss Haversam is as scary-looking as she sounds.

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Manga Moment
Each book’s artwork is absolutely beautiful and the adaptation as well as the storytelling is brilliant. I love that each of them include details on the adaptation process at the end (rather the beginning) of the book which help the reader understand the choices the creators made, as well as get an insight into the process itself.

These books make the classics more approachable for those who were hesitant to read them, and will definitely want them either reading more or reading the originals. And I feel either reaction from the reader is good.

If a book leaves a reader wanting them to read again, then it has done its job! And these books manage to do that while leaving the reader (me included) with a blissful feeling of satisfaction of having seen and read something beautiful.

I now look forward to getting the physical copies of these books (definitely the Poe one) as well as to reading more in the series. And yes, to trying to emulate the adaptations – both text and artwork – myself.
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Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the digital RC of the books; these are my honest opinions after reading these books.

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This may be the first time I have been introduced to Dickson's famous tale of estranged love and mystery. Pip has such innocence and likeability as a child, which made me love this character deeply as if he was my own son. But for Pip to fall in love with cold-hearted Estella over Biddy baffles me; I suppose I get the charm of unattainable Estella and why she is an unfortunate character as the others, but she is so unlikeable that Pip's love for her is pure lust and it really lowers his likeability. He becomes so obsessed with his "love" for her that he loses his prior self, which was a personality I loved and cared for. The surprise of Estella's purpose by her warden was genius but I actually guessed quite early on; the reveal of her parentage, however, seemed overdone, but this complaint is not directed at this artist in any way. I am actually grateful for the artistic direction they went with the romantic aspect of the relationship at the end, which I shall not spoil but it felt right to our characters

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Thank you Netgalley and Udon Entertainment for this copy!

I enjoyed reading this adaptation of Great Expectations! I read the original novel in the past and I liked this manga as much as the original. The artwork was beautiful and the pacing was done well! I liked how the plot was entertaining and fast. I'd definitely recommend reading this manga if you're curious about reading any of Charles Dickens' works!

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I really loved this adaptation although there were'nt so many different details as in the origibal book.

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The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of Charles Dickens. I read most of his works and watched every single movie or TV series adaptations. So, when I bumped into this manga I couldn't help but dive into it! The illustrations are really amazing. It was cool reading about this character and seeing their faces and expressions.
This manga is true to the story and gives it justice. Mannga Classics does really a very good job.
It's really an amazing product and a good and innovative way to discover or re-discover this impactful classic.

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This is my first reading of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. The manga adaptation was of this book was entertaining to read. I had previously read the Manga Classics of two of Jane Austen's books, Pride and Prejudice and Emma, and had enjoyed not only the classic story but the new format.

The same was with Great Expectations. The art was unique and enjoyable and followed the story well. There were customs of the time period Great Expectation was set in that the manga did not show or follow, which was a little confusing.

The main character, Phillip Pirrip or better known as Pip, was born to humble circumstances and was raised by his sister and brother in-law. He idolized his brother in-law, wanting to be a blacksmith like him. Pip meets Estella, a girl near his age, and wants to be a gentleman instead.

The relationship between Pip and Estella was not my favorite part of the book. She was cruel to him, but it was explained away as she was taught to be this way. Still, even after the cruelty was dished out time and time again, Pip still spent time with her and eventually fell in love with her.

Pip's bad habits with spending money was also a hard part for me. I suppose it was showing that he now can buy the world, thanks to specific plot events.

I liked the new format, along with the art style. There were some plot elements that I didn't like but it was great to learn about England before or during the pre-Victorian era. I received an ARC from NetGalley for a honest review.

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I recommend this adaptation to everyone who wants to read Great Expectations. It’ll save you a lot of time compared to the original and you won’t miss out on much.

Great Expectations is not a great story to begin with. It’s a fairly predictable plot that revolves around a bland protagonist. I never cared about Pip, or his so-called love for Estella (why does he even like her? Her only character trait is being mean), or the various side characters and their subplots.
This version cuts out all that filler and we get only the meat of the story. The artwork is beautiful and paints the scene in such a way that it heightens its emotion and tension. It’s certainly an improvement on the original, but, in the end, it’s still tied to it.

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I had never read Great Expectations before, but this manga was really nice and made me wondering what would the original novel look like, I hope that I will manage to read it soon and like it as much as I liked this story which is a CLASSIC that I regret is not in the curriculum here...

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My second manga in this series and I am afraid I enjoyed Jane Eyre much more.
The art style in this one is equally stunning but sadly the story itself was not for me.

Great Expectations provides you with a lot: mystery, strange characters and romance and while I enjoyed certain aspects of it in the end it just was not enough. The ending was left open in the Manga which I actually prefer and made me give this book 3 instead of 2 stars.

If you like Great Expectations you will also enjoy the Manga and if it is your first time reading it I still recommend this edition. It is quick and easy with beautiful artwork.

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I enjoyed this manga version of the classic story. It was a fun way for a new generation to learn about the classics.

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The cover looks beautiful and the colors match perfect with art style. Its too bad i cant load it read it since my tablet doesnt let it load

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This was a DNF. I had some issues with the file, but I think the artwork is simply gorgeous. Overall, a wonderfully crafted book.

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Great Expectations starts out when Pip, the main character, is a young boy. He is sitting by the grave of his parents when a stranger bound in chains comes along and demands Pip give him his food. Then he has Pip agree to bring him more food and a file so that he can remove his chains. This single event changes the whole of Pip's future.

Charles Dickens never disappoints when it comes to interesting characters. Pip is a kind, gentle boy, with large ambitions. His sister is fiery, his uncle gentle, and Estelle, the daughter of the mysterious Mrs. Hibbins, is a puzzle unto herself. Each of the characters were created like puzzle pieces, each one to fit snuggly in a specific way around Pip.

While the plot is similar to many of his other works, like Oliver Twist, in the sense that it is a rags-to-riches story, it is still different enough to be compelling. I know from experience that sometimes when it comes to writing out plots, there are certain kinds of plots that you want to explore from all angles, and since a story can only end one way, it's fun to make up another story that is similar, with a different, more satisfying and/or dramatic ending. And Great Expectations didn't end exactly as I thought it would.

Once again, the artwork of these manga books is just wonderful. The sweeping, gentle illustrations in scenic pictures always lends the story an air of historical essence. I can't help but enjoy each and every picture on the pages.

Manga Classics: Great Expectations is a fun and fascination read paying tribute to the original classic.

I Rate It: 4 1/2 stars

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Thanks NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. So, I loved this so much more than the actual novel. Of course its the same story, but the visuals were beautiful and I enjoyed it in the Manga format. It's definitely one I would recommend for those who enjoy a classic with a bit of twist. Excellent, clear artwork, absolutely a winner!

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Enjoyed so much this manga, I`ve always wanted to read the actual book but never got to do it because of the style and now in manga format it was so much easier and enjoyable! The drawings were so well done and expressive!

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I love being able to read the classics in this form! I love reading but sometimes it hard for me to read the old English. This makes them so much easier to read and actually know the classics! I had heard about this of course but never really knew it. After reading this graphic novel I have learned that I do not really like this story. It just seemed choppy and the author had ideas but didn’t know how to put them together and just decided to one night. I saw deeper meanings but the craziness of the story covered them up. All in all it was ok but I’m okay to not want to look into it more.

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Great Expectations (Manga Classics) art by Nokman Poon, 294 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL
Udon Entertainment, 2015. $14.
Language: PG (4 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
An orphan living with his older sister and brother-in-law, Pip can’t seem to do anything right. He’s summoned to the home of the richest lady around to entertain her and her adopted daughter, which plants Pip’s desire to be more than a poor boy -- Pip wants to be a gentleman. When an anonymous sponsorship suddenly becomes available to him, Pip has to take the opportunity and leave the only home he’s ever known.
This classic adaptation was difficult for me to follow, which might have been because so many details were left out. The time skips felt choppy and disorienting as I was yanked from one big conflict to the next without enough explanation to help connect the dots between events and purposes. I am disappointed that I was not able to improve my understanding of the characters in this story as much as I have been able to with the other classics in this series. While I enjoyed the illustrations in this manga classic as much as the others I’ve read, the story was not as enlightening to read.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

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