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A review by whitneymouse
Manga Classics: Jane Eyre by Crystal S. Chan, Charlotte Brontë
4.0
**Thank you to Netgalley and UDON Entertainment for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating**
This is the third of the Manga Classics series that I have read and I think the one I ended up enjoying the most. I haven't read the original Jane Eyre because I'm not super big into gothic literature. While it can be seen as campy by today's standards, I often end up being genuinely scared, so I usually avoid that genre. I've been curious about this title for a while, so I figured I'd check out the manga version to gauge my reaction and see if it was a possibility for me to read the original.
This was not nearly as "scary" as I was anticipating. There is definite suspense. "Who's making the mysterious noises Jane hears? Is there really something spooky going on or is there a more reasonable explanation?" I thought these elements were well done without venturing into the territory of terrifying. Enough so that I would venture to read the original in the not so distant future.
Jane and Mr. Rochester's love story was compelling and beautifully told through this adaptation. I liked that you could see the emotions in this version because I'm sure the language would give me some pause in trying to gauge it on my own were I reading the original text.
I also have to applaud this adaptation for "fixing" one of the things I was most worried about with the original text, which is the handling of Bertha Mason. While I understand that the book was written in the mid-1800s and the way biracial characters are portrayed now is much different, it can be hard sometimes, as a biracial reader to set that representation aside. I was concerned I would not be the ideal reader for this since, racially, I identify with Bertha more than I do Jane. In explaining Bertha's madness, they skip over that "she's Creole, maybe it's part of her blood" thing and attribute it to a family predisposition instead. Mental illness representation is also important to me and while Bertha won't be the poster child for mental illness rep any time soon, it *can* run in families and be passed from parent to child. This more scientific explanation for her behavior and clear instability made more sense that "meh, maybe it's because she's mixed." So I appreciate that the authors changed that to make it accessible to today's readers.
Of the three books in this series I've read, I think the art style fits this one the best. It's suitably beautiful when it needs to be and absolutely terrifying when it needs to be. Some of Bertha's panels are very creepy and that is exactly the way it should be! I had said before that I felt Les Miserables' were too pretty at times while The Scarlet Letter's were, at times, too surreal to fit the time period. This one felt just right. I appreciate, too, that the artist talked about how she developed the characters and was able to show the style of the time period accurately.
I think this was an excellent read. The story was great, as was the art work. It was suspenseful without going into the territory of being horror. I would highly recommend it, especially if you're like me and thinking of giving the original a try. Easily a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5!
This is the third of the Manga Classics series that I have read and I think the one I ended up enjoying the most. I haven't read the original Jane Eyre because I'm not super big into gothic literature. While it can be seen as campy by today's standards, I often end up being genuinely scared, so I usually avoid that genre. I've been curious about this title for a while, so I figured I'd check out the manga version to gauge my reaction and see if it was a possibility for me to read the original.
This was not nearly as "scary" as I was anticipating. There is definite suspense. "Who's making the mysterious noises Jane hears? Is there really something spooky going on or is there a more reasonable explanation?" I thought these elements were well done without venturing into the territory of terrifying. Enough so that I would venture to read the original in the not so distant future.
Jane and Mr. Rochester's love story was compelling and beautifully told through this adaptation. I liked that you could see the emotions in this version because I'm sure the language would give me some pause in trying to gauge it on my own were I reading the original text.
I also have to applaud this adaptation for "fixing" one of the things I was most worried about with the original text, which is the handling of Bertha Mason. While I understand that the book was written in the mid-1800s and the way biracial characters are portrayed now is much different, it can be hard sometimes, as a biracial reader to set that representation aside. I was concerned I would not be the ideal reader for this since, racially, I identify with Bertha more than I do Jane. In explaining Bertha's madness, they skip over that "she's Creole, maybe it's part of her blood" thing and attribute it to a family predisposition instead. Mental illness representation is also important to me and while Bertha won't be the poster child for mental illness rep any time soon, it *can* run in families and be passed from parent to child. This more scientific explanation for her behavior and clear instability made more sense that "meh, maybe it's because she's mixed." So I appreciate that the authors changed that to make it accessible to today's readers.
Of the three books in this series I've read, I think the art style fits this one the best. It's suitably beautiful when it needs to be and absolutely terrifying when it needs to be. Some of Bertha's panels are very creepy and that is exactly the way it should be! I had said before that I felt Les Miserables' were too pretty at times while The Scarlet Letter's were, at times, too surreal to fit the time period. This one felt just right. I appreciate, too, that the artist talked about how she developed the characters and was able to show the style of the time period accurately.
I think this was an excellent read. The story was great, as was the art work. It was suspenseful without going into the territory of being horror. I would highly recommend it, especially if you're like me and thinking of giving the original a try. Easily a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5!