Manga Review: Manga Classics – Sense and Sensibility

Hey all, Dani here.

It’s time for my second review on this lovely Manga Monday. And it is a very special one, as this is part of a collection of manga that I’ve been wanting to check out for a little while. I do enjoy a good piece of classic literature, but since I read a whole bunch of them in school, since graduating I haven’t exactly been in the mood. But this Manga Classics line takes those pieces of literature and translates them into a manga format, making what would be a rather long read turn into something I can get through in an hour or so, which is fantastic.

I want to say thank you to Udon Entertainment and NetGalley for granting me access to this and a couple other volumes from this collection. It did not affect my rating or review.

All right, let’s get started.

Book Details

Original Story by: Jane Austen

Story Adaptation by: Stacy King

Art by: Po Tse

Format: e-book

Pages: 308

Publisher: Udon Entertainment

Publication Date: August 9, 2016

ISBN: 1927925630 (ISBN13: 9781927925638)

Summary

Impulsive Marianne Dashwood and cautious Elinor are as different as two sisters could be, yet both are shattered by their father’s sudden Death. Elinor’s attachment to the reserved Edward Ferrars is torn asunder by family opposition and his own dark secret, while Marianne’s brilliant romance with the dashing John Willoughby comes to a tumultuous end in a devastating public betrayal. Can the two sisters overcome these trials to find true, lasting happiness?

Jane Austen’s beloved first novel, filled with romance, redemption and social critique, is brought to life for a modern audience in this gorgeous manga-style adaptation!

My Thoughts

Rating: 4 stars

Honestly, you know what, this is a weird story to review. Obviously I’ve read Jane Austen’s works a few different times, and watched various adaptations of them. That sort of happens when you go to school and get a degree in literature.

But this adaptation is a bit of a different creature, because it is a manga adaptation and not a live action TV mini-series or movie. It gets translated a bit differently, and so I feel like I have to rate and review it a bit differently as well.

So, let’s start by talking about the actual translation of the text from novel to graphic manga format. I feel like Stacy King did a great job adapting the story without sacrificing it to the new format. The phrasing still maintained its formality of the times and enough of the story was translated into either dialogue or descriptive text boxes to be able to easily follow along with the tale.

Po Tse’s art style was great. I think it works so well in translating classics into a more visual form. You can see the dashing and attractive allure from some of the gentleman, and while some of the females look fairly similar, there are enough differing details to distinguish them from one another.

It’s actually been quite some time since I sat down to take in Sense and Sensibility and honestly I greatly enjoy how much more accessible the story seems in video form or manga form. I have known many people who struggle with older classics in literature due to the turns of phrase and the way things are handled and described. This manga makes the story much easier to follow, plus it can be read much quicker as well. It probably only took me an hour and a half or so to complete this story.

What was really weird for me, and I can’t fault the story or manga or anything like that for this, is that it was my first digital manga. So it was weird to open the file and have to jump to the final page and then scroll backwards through the story to follow along with the order of reading panels and pages that comes with a story in manga form. It took me a little bit to remember which direction to turn my pages on my phone.

Still, I have been wanting to try out this Manga Classics line for a while, and I’m glad to have been given the opportunity. It was a worthwhile experience.

Where to Get a Copy

You can grab your own copy of this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local independent bookstore through IndieBound.

You can also check with your local library.