Manga Classics : Jane Eyre (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Series : Manga Classics by Udon Entertainment / Official Site
Illustrated by : SunNeko Lee
Adapted by : Crystal S. Chan, Stacy King
Original Author : Charlotte Bronte
Year Published : 2016
Genre : Manga, Classics, Romance, Fiction
Edition : Digital (also available in Paperback, Hardcover, and Kindle eBook)
# of Pages : 319 pages
Summary
As an orphaned child, Jane Eyre is first cruelly abused by her aunt, then cast out and sent to a charity school. Though she meets with further abuse, she receives an education, and eventually takes a job as a governess at the estate of Edward Rochester. Jane and Rochester begin to bond, but his dark moods trouble her. When Jane uncovers the terrible secret Rochester has been hiding, she flees and finds temporary refuge at the home of St. John Rivers.
Review
Another great adaptation by Manga Classics. I’ve been a fan of the Jane Eyre story and watched movie adaptations of it, but haven’t read the actual book quite yet. This manga does a good job including many little moments and events that I hadn’t recalled from other Jane Eyre adaptations. The hefty 300+ page count definitely helped in making the story fuller and getting into minor details, but the chapters are also well organized and the pacing is quite fast with large, clean panels.
As usual I love the art style by SunNeko Lee, who also did a fabulous job with the adaptations of The Scarlet Letter and Les Miserables. Characters look distinctive and charming. Child characters stand out as being extra adorable, Rochester’s ward Adele comes to mind. The only point that may be of concern to some is in Jane looking so young and perhaps a bit too pretty given how Jane is sometimes adapted as being plain. I found an interesting blog post about the matter of whether Jane’s perceived plainness is related to her actual looks or influenced by her station. It’s an interesting read.
Now to tackle the dialogue and overall script. I was relieved to find that these aspects, while convincingly faithful, were still very easy to understand from a modern perspective. Though the original book is from the mid-1800s, the motivations of the characters and their feelings are simply grasped. I never came across anything too dated to fathom. There are also several pages toward the end detailing the adaptation process and a long note expanding upon the role of a governess at that period of time, adding further context to Jane’s duties. The little added details are nice to see, and customary for Manga Classics.
Note : Many thanks to Netgalley and Udon Entertainment for providing me an e-ARC of this title for the purpose of review.
Overall Rating – 9/10
Why You Should Check It Out – This is a nice adaptation of Jane Eyre, that seems to have a lot of effort put toward containing many details. SunNeko Lee’s art style is pretty. The age of the story is barely noticeable, the characters are realized with clarity.
Why You Might Not Like It – The art style might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Particularly if you much prefer realistic proportions to more cute types.
Manga Classics : Jane Eyre (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Have you read any titles from the Manga Classics line from Udon Entertainment, or do you want to? What do you think of the source material, Jane Eyre? Feel free to comment, your thoughts are much appreciated. Thank you for reading! ~ Kitty Marie
Kitty Marie's Reading Corner 
I need to read this one! I still need to read the original too, ha.
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Same here, I need to read the original one. I find reading these helps increase that determination to read the source material too.
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I didn’t even know that Manga Classics was a thing but as a lover of classic literature and manga I think this is one of the best things I’ve come across! Can’t wait to check these books out!
Loved your review
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Thanks so much!! It’s such a neat little concept, I’m glad that creators are putting it to use. All of the Manga Classics I’ve tried have been good. Thanks again!
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I’ve been meaning to check out this Manga Classic title for awhile. I’ll have to pick it up. Jane Eyre is a favourite book of mine, definitely worth reading if you’re a fan of the story.
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Jane Eyre has been on my TBR for so long and I’m definitely less intimidated by it after seeing the story in action some number of times through various adaptations, thanks for your thoughts, I’m definitely considering it for either 2019 or 2020 TBR for sure.
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I really enjoyed this adaptation. I’ve always wanted to get into classics but it takes me a while. These are great options. I’ve read the Manga adaptation of Jane Eyre, Count of Monte Cristo, Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility. Great when wanting to read a classic but can’t get into them.
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