Scan barcode
A review by whitneymouse
Manga Classics Count of Monte Cristo by Crystal S. Chan, Stacy King
4.0
**Thank you to Netgalley and UDON Entertainment for the eArc in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my rating**
The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite books. It's one of the few Classics I've read more than once and enjoyed. It's HUGE and a very complex story, interweaving multiple plot lines and characters conflicts into the story of Edmond Danté's revenge. Knowing the text is well over 1,000 pages, I was intrigued to see how they would be able to adapt this into a manga.
Overall, I would say this this was easily my favorite of the Manga Classics series that I've read. The adaptation was very well done and the author was able to condense the main plot into a 400 page manga while keeping the integrity of the main storyline. This obviously isn't going to be a replacement for reading the original as they were (rightfully) unable to include some of the side plots, but no going in that that will be missing if you attempt that. There was a nice part at the end explaining how they made the decisions on what to cut or streamline that I appreciated. There was also a nice chart/Family Tree at the back of the book to explain the large cast of characters and how they relate to one another. I think I would've liked this more at the front of the book as, due to the nature of the book, you're likely to accidentally spoil yourself with it being in the back if you're using it for reference often. It was a helpful resource, however.
The artwork, as always, was beautiful and added to the story. These are always done well and I appreciated the work that went into a Historical Fiction Classic as detailed as this one.
Overall, this was a great addition to this series and one I would happily buy or recommend others add to their collection. 4/5 stars.
The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite books. It's one of the few Classics I've read more than once and enjoyed. It's HUGE and a very complex story, interweaving multiple plot lines and characters conflicts into the story of Edmond Danté's revenge. Knowing the text is well over 1,000 pages, I was intrigued to see how they would be able to adapt this into a manga.
Overall, I would say this this was easily my favorite of the Manga Classics series that I've read. The adaptation was very well done and the author was able to condense the main plot into a 400 page manga while keeping the integrity of the main storyline. This obviously isn't going to be a replacement for reading the original as they were (rightfully) unable to include some of the side plots, but no going in that that will be missing if you attempt that. There was a nice part at the end explaining how they made the decisions on what to cut or streamline that I appreciated. There was also a nice chart/Family Tree at the back of the book to explain the large cast of characters and how they relate to one another. I think I would've liked this more at the front of the book as, due to the nature of the book, you're likely to accidentally spoil yourself with it being in the back if you're using it for reference often. It was a helpful resource, however.
The artwork, as always, was beautiful and added to the story. These are always done well and I appreciated the work that went into a Historical Fiction Classic as detailed as this one.
Overall, this was a great addition to this series and one I would happily buy or recommend others add to their collection. 4/5 stars.