Reviews

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, Jim Salicrup, Metaphrog

peacewillfollow's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 stars, edged up to 4 for the gorgeous illustrations.

jasminjo's review against another edition

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5.0

This was an absolute gorgeous graphic novel. It was so beautiful. The drawings were beautiful made and really felt magical on the page. I have always loved Hans Christian Andersen's stories and loved that it was a rendition of the original story, instead of the Disney version. That story really makes you feel something and even when I already had read the story a lot of times before, I still got choked up near the end when you see The Little Mermaid accept her fate. Because here you could see the pain in the drawings. You can see it her face and her eyes. So amazingly done.
Another thing that I loved was the dancing scene on the ship. Because you see different races. a lesbian couple, Frida Kahlo and probably other know people dancing in the picture. Such a beautiful touch and kinda fun when you see who actually is in the picture.
So I can definitely recommend this story to everyone. It is easy to read, a good story and has a lot of beautiful drawings you don't want to miss.

I received a copy through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition

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4.0

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

“The Little Mermaid” is, perhaps, one of Anderson’s most well-known tales, though most people I would wager, do not know the source material and cling to the Disney version. The duo of Metaphrog does not do Disney.


Which is a good thing.

Anderson’s tale left me conflicted when I re-read it as an adult, leaves me conflicted whenever I read it know. It isn’t the stepping on knives bit; it’s how the prince treats the mermaid. She sleeps at the foot of his bed, he pets her, she is his dog – faithful to the end. But in fairness to the prince, it isn’t that the mermaid wants him; she really wants a soul. He is a way to gain a story. The whole relationship is strange, yet the mermaid succeeds to a degree because she has more of the “Christian virtues” that the prince should have.

In some ways, this excellent adaption of the story shies away from those issues. The Little Mermaid here is in love with the prince (and perhaps legs). The adaption’s ending is faithful to the choice that Anderson’s character makes. Yet, the image is subtly different for the choice occurs before the wedding. Despite the use of legs, including slit dresses, Metaphrog seem to have tamped down the sexual elements of the story as well as the idea of a soul -the term immortal is used instead, which means the original mermaid might not have had a problem with that.

Those issues aside there is much to love in this. The artwork – blues and greens – is wonderful. The paneling of the story is great. There are people of color, though the two central characters are white. The Sea Witch is not an Ursula type and comes across as a helper.

silver_star08's review against another edition

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5.0

I absolutely love the artwork in this edition.

syoung's review against another edition

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3.0

A pretty standard illustrated version of the original Anderson telling of the Little Mermaid.
I read this because it is shortlisted for the StanLee Excelsior Award. The 11-15 yr olds that will read this at my school will probably not know the in-twee Disney version so it will be interesting to hear what they think about the story. I am sure they will like the illustrations as they are similar to the popular Japanese Manga form.

stronggirlreads's review against another edition

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2.0

I was given this by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story was true to the original story which I greatly appreciated but the writing style seemed to be a little bland. I'm a little unsure on what age level it was being written for because I don't think I would give this to any of my kids but as a adult I wouldn't read it. The art style wasn't very good either, the colors were pretty but everything seemed very heavy with images and I didn't think the people were all that pretty.

novelbloglover's review

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved the flashback from my childhood and the original fairytales are so much darker than the Disney movies meaning they are perfect for adult reader who want the nostalgia of childhood movies but with more substance. 

bbliophile's review against another edition

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3.0

This was a very beautifully illustrated edition of The Little Mermaid.

gm_vak's review

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

godotwillseeyounow's review

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2.0

It's one of those stories that we've all heard about, but no one knows how it truly goes.
Enjoyed reading it, but it's quiet forgettable to be honest.
Also, meh.