Review: MANGA CLASSICS: EMMA by Stacy King & Po Tse

Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thanks Netgalley!

Type: Manga Classics, Graphic Novel, Jane Austen, Historical Romance, Not-as-good-as-Johnny-Lee-Miller

Release Date: May 12, 2015

About the Book: Just in time for the 200th Anniversary, Manga Classics: Emma brings Jane Austen's classic tale of youthful folly and romantic exuberance to a modern audience with this beautiful, new manga adaptation. The impulsive match-making of Emma Woodhouse delivers both humor and heartache through the gorgeous artwork of manga-ka Po Tse (Manga Classics: Pride and Prejudice). - Manga Classics editions feature classic stories, faithfully adapted and illustrated in manga style, and available in both hardcover and softcover editions. Proudly presented by UDON Entertainment and Morpheus Publishing. [Description from Goodreads.com]

My Review: I love Jane Austen. I really like reading manga. This should be a match made in heaven, but honestly, it felt more run of the mill, very middle of the road. I think Emma has to be my least favorite of Austen's novels. I find Emma herself to be very childish sometimes, which gets on my nerves. And I got the same impression while reading the Manga Classics: Emma. But if you think about it, that is a good thing. Why? Because that means this manga adaptation of a classic, well beloved novel appropriately portrays the spirit of the original.

There are several graphic novel interpretations of Austen's work out there, the styles ranging from overly cartoony to very life-like. Manga Classics: Emma is very much in the manga style - including chibi figures in moments of high emotion. While this is something I have come to understand and even appreciate in manga, a friend of mine read it and felt that it made the classic novel feel immature. I appreciated the art throughout this graphic novel. The characters were consistent, the outfits fitting and looked appropriate for the time period. I just wished Mr. Knightley would have looked a little less like a cheap villain - it was the strange goatee that did him in, I think.

Overall, this was a good adaptation. It's hard to review a graphic novel version of a classic without it becoming a strange compare and contrast, so I have done my best. Manga Classics: Emma has done well taking a book full of complex characters and intertwining story-lines and making it not only understandable, but a fast and fun read.

Cover Lovin': This is certainly a very sweet looking cover. And I'm stuck thinking it both does and does not convey the story very well.

Recommendation: This is one of those niche books. Austen-ites (Jane-ites?) would eat it up - anything for a new Austen fix. But it probably won't appeal to anyone that doesn't already like manga, considering manga is incredibly stylized.

Final Rating: THREE out of FIVE (3/5). A good adaptation, but not the best of the Manga Classics by far.

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

REVIEW: "Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice" by Stacy King

Disclaimer: I received an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Book Release Date: August 12, 2014

Type: Graphic Novel, Manga, Classic, Romance, Historical, Adaptations, Pride, Prejudice, Not as cute as Colin Firth or Matthew MacFayden...

About the book: Beloved by millions the world over, Pride & Prejudice is delightfully transformed in this bold, new manga adaptation. All of the joy, heartache, and romance of Jane Austen's original, perfectly illuminated by the sumptuous art of manga-ka Po Tse, and faithfully adapted by Stacy E. King.

My Review: I am a huge fan of Pride & Prejudice, so I jumped at the chance to review this manga adaptation. Like the original novel, I eagerly gobbled up this manga version in one sitting. The art was very well done, with each character being appropriately distinctive while still showing familial resemblance, when necessary.

The manga version is very faithful to the original novel, which will please both purists and those looking for an alternative to the classic. Reading this graphic novel was like visiting the original story and characters all over again, just in miniature. Author Stacy King and illustrator  Po Tse do honor to the classic story and really make the characters come alive in this different style.

My only complaint is that the story and Elizabeth's character didn't quite pop as much as I would have preferred. If I were to give this version to a struggling or reluctant reader, I'm not sure this version would inspire as much love as the original novel.

Based on this reading, I would gladly pick up other Manga Classics volumes in the future.

Cover Lovin': The cover is elegant, and yet still eye catching. Overall, a very well done cover.

Recommendation: For fans of Pride and Prejudice. As a librarian, I can see giving this adaptation to a struggling or reluctant reader that thinks classics are stupid.

Final Rating: THREE POINT FIVE out of FIVE stars (3.5/5). This is a very good interpretation, and it moves very quickly. As an adaptation, it's hard to not compare it to the original - in which case this falls flat, but anything will. The story was faithful to the original, and it was a fun read, but it lacked the punch of the original novel.