Manga Review : Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare and Manga Classics

Manga Classics: Romeo and Juliet

Series : Manga Classics by Udon Entertainment / Official Site
Illustrated by : Julien Choy
Adapted by : Crystal S. Chan, Stacy King
Original Author : Shakespeare
Year Published : 2018
Genre : Manga, Classics, Romance, Action
Edition : Digital (also available in Paperback, Hardcover, and Kindle eBook)
# of Pages : 409 pages

Review

Another good entry into the Manga Classics line. I enjoyed this more than Macbeth, but then I am something of a hopeless romantic so all the scenes with Romeo and Juliet were quite charming to watch.

I love the art style. It is very in line and current with the conventions of shoujo (girls) manga from the 2010s. The characters are prettily detailed and cute. In particular, Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, and Paris are so attractively drawn.

I love how the style did well in capturing Mercutio’s distinctive whimsy. The emotions during the famously tragic scenes are well conveyed. Buildings and scenery are also highly detailed and cleanly drawn.

There are many comically drawn scenes that illustrate and express some of the humorous banter that might be hard to grasp from the original prose.

Speaking of prose, as was the case with Manga Classics adaptation of Macbeth, the purity of the lines is fully intact and not re-written with modern standards in mind. I was surprised by how text-heavy some panels are and real effort is made to keep the story as intact as possible. As a result, I find myself reading more slowly to try to fully understand the passages. I like that no major changes were made. As usual for Manga Classics, this adaptation is nicely thick at around 400 pages, so I’d say it’s a great dollar value for the time spent.

My two favorite Manga Classics are still The Count of Monte Cristo and especially Les Miserables, but this is easily still among the best in terms of quality and appeal and has perhaps the most high quality art I’ve seen so far from Manga Classics.

Note : I received this title as an e-Arc via Netgalley and Udon Entertainment for the purpose of review.

Overall Rating – 8.5/10

Why You Should Try It – The art style within is as adorable and consistent as it looks on the cover, even more so. Romeo and Juliet are endearing as ever, and the character designs in general are charming and finely detailed. The humor present in areas of the text are well conveyed.

Why You Might Not Like It – The cute approach to character design might not be for everyone. The pure approach to the scripting makes this a slower-going read.

Manga Classics: Romeo and Juliet (Amazon Link)

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Have you read any titles from the Manga Classics line from Udon Entertainment, or do you want to? What’s your favorite Shakespeare play? Feel free to comment, I appreciate your likes and comments.