When I was in high school in the tenth grade, my class had to read Romeo and Juliet. I was super excited since had read the play a few years before and couldn’t wait until my friends would share my love of Shakespeare. Well… that didn’t happen. My class painfully trudged through the play as the teacher would assign my classmates with the most unenthusiastic voices to read for Romeo and Juliet out loud. It was enough to put people to sleep. It also didn’t get anyone excited about Shakespeare.
Years later when I became an English major, I would tell my mom about my Shakespeare classes. “Oh don’t get me started on Shakespeare! That was so boring! We had to read Macbeth and I didn’t understand a word of it!” Unfortunately, Shakespeare’s reputation is as divided as the Capulets and the Montagues.
Manga Classics’ version of Romeo and Juliet took me by surprise. The manga has adapted most of Shakespeare’s dialogue into the panels, while bringing life to the text. At first, I wasn’t sure how a Shakespeare play could be adapted into a manga, but after starting to read the first few pages, I realized that manga is the perfect format for a play. Manga focuses a lot on dialogue, as do plays. The manga brought to life the expressions of the characters, and the figurative language was woven into the illustrations. It is so incredibly clever!
Manga Classics’s Romeo and Juliet would be perfect to teach Shakespeare in the classroom. It is perfect to draw in students who aren’t so keen on Shakespeare, and it would work well as a companion to the original text.

'Manga Classics: Romeo and Juliet' by William Shakespeard with adaptation by Crystal S. Chan and art by Julien Choy is another masterful manga classic.

This time around the famous play by Shakespeare is adapted. I'm pretty sure this is the entire text of the play interwoven with manga art. It's all here, the fighting between the families, the meeting of Romeo and Juliet, and the sad ending.

At 409 pages, it's pretty long, but it's also complete. This passes the book report test (could you read this and pass a book report?). The art is really good, too.

I received a review copy of this manga from Udon Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.

I believe the flow of the visuals helps the reader keep track of who each character is and also what is happening in each scene. Shakespearean language is not as intimidating with the pictures, although some of the intent might be lost. Some readers may need help pronouncing some of the words. This was an interesting version of the Shakespearean play.
Thank you #NetGalley and #MangaClassics:RomeoandJuliet for an e-copy of this graphic novel.

Very accurate to the original play!! Gorgeous art! I would recommend this to anyone who is either a big fan of Romeo and Juliet or whoever wants a different way to read the play. I would have loved to read this when I was assigned to in English class. It is easier to follow, since you're not trying to tell what is descriptions and what isn't.

Very well done!

The story of these two young people remains among the most troubled in the history of literature and theater. Their love destroyed hatred among their families but at what price? They sacrificed their lives to revive their loved ones and bring peace to Verona. Years later, I still haven't accepted this ending but, I must admit, in the tragedy I was able to appreciate the romance and passion of the impetuous youth.

The Montecchi and Capuleti are rival families who threaten the tranquility of the beautiful city of Verona. It is not known where this feud originated from among them but it has deep roots and we certainly did not expect that love would arise between their two offspring. Romeo and Juliet are proof that love can prevail over hatred but that it can also push to extreme and crazy acts.

In this reinterpretation, what I didn't like very much were some scenes that, in my opinion, were designed differently. The basic style of drawing did not disappoint me (although the nurse is truly frightening), but there were moments of "comedy" that were completely out of place in the context of Shakespeare. Perhaps the intent of the designer was precisely to dampen the seriousness, showing the characters even in the most demented version, as a puppet, but I didn't like all this much. Matter of taste.

For the rest, I have nothing to complain about. The dialogues are those created by the original author and the scenes are all there. It is a reinterpretation, however, that I recommend to see, and that knows how to leave you with a bitter sweet taste in the mouth like the work from which it is taken.

I was really excited to read this version of Romeo & Juliet by Manga Classics! I honestly love these comic book adaptations of classic novels. I have a few classics-as-comics from various publishers (Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, Fahrenheit 451) and I absolutely love them all! I think it is really important to study the great works of literature, and adapting them into comic book format makes them super fun, quick, and easy to read. It also is a great way to create a discussion around the text. I was impressed with the book; for a shortened version of the text, the authors did a fantastic job of selecting the important parts of the text, highlighting and explaining it in a fun and easy way. The illustrations provide a wonderful visual for the reader that really helps to imagine the story, which I love!

The format of this book is weird and I really hoped I liked it but I couldn't get into it. It was pretty slow and arduous and at times I just feel like putting the book down and move on from it. I was hoping for an enjoyable but can't deny that it was certainly interesting but unfortunately I still find it disappointing.

A brilliant adaptation of a timeless classic. The manga format definitely can aid in allowing readers of different types to enjoy this story.

This manga is absolutely amazing! I loved it from the beginning to the end. It is so beautiful, I really love the artwork!
It is easy to read and I enyoed re-reading Romeo and Juliet.
Amazing manga that everyone should read. I think it could support literature class.

German:
Der Manga ist total schön! Ich hab es sehr genossen Romeo und Julia noch einmal zu lesen. Es ist leicht zu verstehen, ohne etwas auszulassen. Außerdem ist die Kunst in diesem Manga wunderschön! Jede Seite hat mich aufs neue begeistert und in seinen Bann gezogen.
Ich denke der Manga könnte unterstützend im englisch Unterricht verwendet werden, um das lesen von Shakespeare zu vereinfachen.
Sehr schön!

I really loved this adaptation although there were'nt so many different details as in the origibal book.

Not sure where I'm supposed to view this ACSM file. Same thing happened with two other titles I downloaded.

I am going into all of these manga adaptations with this one particular question in mind: is it going to get someone who would never read the source material, to engage with the source material in a meaningful or substantial way?

For Romeo and Juliet-- yes. For sure, a teenager in particular would probably engage with the story in a more meaningful way than, say, the original play.

However, I would still personally probably recommend a student struggling with the source material to watch one of the movie versions. Or, you know, both. Do both. Read the manga, watch the movie, read the play. Whatever it takes to get that teen their A on their English essay.

While I personally found all the background graphics to be distracting and busy (I am more of a shoujo reader myself so I'm probably more used to less busy images) it does add a particular nuance to the word meanings.

This is definitely one of the more in depth adaptations of Romeo and Juliet and I would far recommend it over the more click-baity adaptations like "YOLO Juliet" to any student/teen asking for secondary materials.

Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliette. There is no need to go into grand details about their ill-fated love and the hatred that ultimately led to their demise.

However, what I can say it that the artwork in this volume brings Romeo and Juliette to life in ways that the script alone cannot. Each page moves seamlessly through the tale and allows reader to focus more on the language and less on imaging it. Since the language is difficult for modern readers - at least those like myself who are not literary majors - this manga version of Romeo and Juliette allows us to enjoy the story without missing anything.

I look forward to reading more literary classics in manga form!

I think the art could be slightly better. However, the story is well portrayed. It's a great way of introducing a classic such as Romeo & Juliet to a younger audience/an audience who isn't very interested in reading the book. It's a good way of making it appealing. Rating: 4/5 stars.

Nothing changed about the script but the adaptation was nice. It was beautifully put together. The pages was a little blurry for me but other than that great job.

I love all this Manga Classics editions and this one wasn't any different. I feel like the art style perfectly matches the story of Romeo and Juliet. I think the way the manga shows the imagery and the messages Shakespeare wrote in such a way that makes the story more accessible for a wider audience. This is the third manga adaptation from this series that I read this year and I think I can officially say I'm addicted to the beautiful artwork of the different artists and the way the stories take new life through their eyes.

This was a really fun way to read this classic book. I can imagine teenagers connecting much more with the story than reading in the play format. My only negative feedback is that sometimes the character art was confusing; I had trouble keeping track of who was who. But overall, a great adaptation. Original text was kept.

A love story so endearing and timeless that has been brought to life with stunning illustrations. It is a story of love at first sight and stirs memories of my first love at a tender age.

"For never was a story of more woe than that of Juliet and her Romeo." A great read in Manga.

É uma forma diferente de ler Shakespeare, principalmente se alguém gosta de GN. E esta é muito bem produzida.

Beautiful manga adaptation of a well known classic. Lovely art, stays very true to the original. Just beautiful.