If you know me at all, you know how much I LOVE my Sherlock Holmes. I have a whole shelf dedicated to it, I've been to Baker Street, and I'm even a published academic on the topic! So you can imagine how utterly buzzed I was to be approved for this.

This is such a fun intro to Holmes if you're maybe struggling with the language in the original Conan Doyle stories. A Study in Scarlet is quite a nice easy lead-in to the canon, but it can still be tricky if you're not used to reading books from that era. I also love how well this captures the relationship between Holmes and Watson - i.e. that they are actually very good friends rather than Holmes being arrogant and Watson short-tempered with him, like in some adaptations. The homoeroticism of the relationship between them is somehow even more obvious than in the source material by virtue of the illustrated longing stares and big wet eyes.

This is dead petty, but the costuming really bugged me as a big fan of the original stories. There's a scene where Holmes is just at breakfast, shirt open, tits out. Crazy. I fully get it's an artistic interpretation, but it's such fundamental misunderstanding of the society and propriety of the time. On the flip side (because I'm a hypocrite) I do love Holmes's little ponytail. I also just think that, unfortunately, a lot of the magic of Holmesian deduction is sort of removed by a form that, by design, limits the use of words and prioritises art. However, it's a good and faithful way to introduce yourself to, or supplement your reading of, the original text.

I have never read any of the Sherlock Holmes books but have seen the movies and know the gist of the characters. This was such a fun way to get this classic story and I feel like it's a great way to get this story in the hands of younger readers. I loved the art style this had. The dynamic between the main characters had me smiling and eager to read. I would love to read more in this series.

This was a fun way to revisit a classic. I would recommend this manga to any fans of Sherlock Holmes and mysteries. I really liked the art style as well. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A great retake on a classic book! Can't wait to try the rest!

Received a free copy via NetGalley.

...........................................................................................................................................

This is a Manga rendition of A Study in Scarlet. It is a faithful adaptation of the classic and manages to capture the personalities of the characters as well as the setting very well. I really enjoyed it and I'm excited for the next one!

The storyline itself is good. I personally think that the artstyle just does not fit. I also was quite confused that some characters look quite manga like and others don't. It kinda looks like there were two artist with very differt syles.

I love those manga stories of classic books! it’s the perfect way to get anyone to read an otherwise not very excitingly old-fashioned book. while Sherlock Holmes books usually are filled with great stories, let’s be honest – the language is a bit stiff and ancient, and there are so many more books that are more appealing to younger readers. But then, enter the manga collection – and seriously, THIS is the way how you get younger audiences interested in classics.

This is an Arc from netgalley.

It’s been forever since I read this but I got so busy during the start of the year that I haven’t had time to review any of the arcs I’ve read so far.

I basically don’t remember anything anymore and have no idea why I gave it two stars but I can make an educated guess. It honestly feels like it’s been years even though it’s only been a month. I swear I have been so busy.

Anyway, back to this manga. It was basic Sherlock Holmes but somehow more boring than the actual novels. I think this is an issue with every manga retelling because it’s a visual medium where you lose a lot of depth since pictures take up a lot more space than words on a page. Especially because I already know the story from multiple different adaptations and also the source, this one is just not the best one I have seen.

Yeah that’s all I can remember from this manga. As you can see I no longer read manga that much.

I always adore Sherlock Holmes retellings and adaptations. If there is one out or coming out, I already have my eye on it and am ready to read or watch it!

I’ve read several Manga Classics, and the quality varies. Sometimes I love the story, other times the art style doesn’t appeal to me, and I stop reading.

However, I really enjoyed the artwork and how “A Study in Scarlet” played out in the Manga Classics universe. The artwork was enjoyable, especially since I knew the story. However, I also compared it to other versions I had seen.

I have already purchased a copy of this for our system. The Manga Classics are a fun way to introduce classic literature to a different generation of readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the chance to read this!

I am someone who loves to read about Sherlock's adventures, weather they are the classics or a new story that an author has developed. I liked the art in the book; the colors were very fitting to the story. I liked that the author started with how Watson ends up living with Sherlock and helping him with cases. The story did have the mystery aspect; I did not have it figured out who had done it. When we do find out, Sherlock explains things, then hands over the ring, allowing the suspect to die happy. I do wish that we could see Watson act more in the doctor role and challenge Sherlock more; maybe that will come with the other stories.

I love manga classics. I think they might be one of The best ideas to date. How to learn more literature but make it accessible and very fun.
This was another great hit.
I have now all books in my collection with the exception of Emma which can’t find anywhere and this one will be added to it shortly

This is a solid adaptation of Sherlock for YA readers, and this series is relatively popular in our library.
Recommended readers: sherlock fans, ya mystery fans, ya cozy readers, fans of the ace attorney series.

If I were to make a themed display of with book: sherlock adaptations, graphic novel\manga adaptations of classics, fan-favorite detectives, manga mystery books.

Did you watch/read Sherlock Holmes and wish he and Watson were younger and hotter? Experience this classic tale in manga format and now in full color!

"There's the scarlet thread of murder running the through the colorless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."

If you were a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's debut novel and a manga reader, you will definitely not be disappointed in this as it thoroughly followed the original story's plot, writing, the traits of the dynamic duo, overall thematic depth, and now with a beautiful artistic style. However, due to it following the historical context and being mixed in a strict manga format, I couldn't help but feel disconnected with the characters since it was too flat.

Overall, as a visual person, I enjoyed this a lot more than the original. I just will not be continuing on with either series. Although, if you are a student and have been assigned to the 1887 novel, I would recommend picking this up instead since the dialogue writing and plot were similar.

Thank you to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for the auto-approved ARC.

Publishing date: 21.01.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

TLDR: A Sherlock Holmes mystery, but cartoonified. Artstyle was too cartoony, 2 stars.

In this cartoonification we see Sherlock and Watson meet up for the first time, and also get into their first murder mystery. Any longer summary would be spoilers.

The characters here were boiled down versions of their book-counterparts. Sherlock had his ego boosted, and anything else that made him compelling and "real" srtipped away. Watson has the sidekick role and "boost Sherlock's ego" role. Anyone else isn't worth talking about, they are all background characters. Well except the killer, but that would be a spoiler to talk about.

The relationship between Sherlock and Watson had no drive behind it. No chemistry, no proper bond. They were roommates ... That don't talk to each other except for complaining. That's the vibe I found here.

Story is all over the place. It felt so jumbled and directionless. Just my opinion. Pacing was fine though, pretty straightforward.

The art ... Not a fan. It was too cartoony. I expected something else from the cover. It felt a little soulless and flat. The art does carry weight in my ratings when it is a manga, so this docks a few points.

I am a little unsure about the audience .Young adults, maybe middle grade. More mature readers will find more joy from the original books.

Sadly giving this 2 stars. It fell flat for me. I wasn't much interested in finishing, and I was disappointed in the art.

I’ll be honest: I wasn’t as interested in this initially because the art seemed extremely cartoonist. I’m just not used to seeing this art style. It was a little hard to take it seriously because it seemed exaggerated. The story is typical for Sherlock and Watson; I could see that they were trying to develop their friendship, build on their relationship, and get to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. However, it didn’t seem like there was any real depth going on between the two of them. The mystery was okay; I felt some of Sherlock’s typical cleverness and smarts were made almost comical by the exaggerated nature of his ego. But overall it was good retelling of a classic story and characters.

The art in this adaptation is wonderful! Fans of the Sherlock Holmes franchise will be delighted! This could be a really fun way to introduce these classics to a new generation of teens!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars.
A Study in Scarlet in a manga style. It was pretty entertaining. I love Sherlock Holmes and I'm open to read or watch any new version of his adventures.

This one was more a request for the manga-loving teenager than myself, but I must say I quite enjoyed this take on Sherlock Holmes. This version of the story does the original material credit. The drawings are excellent, the teenager especially liked the man-bun on Sherlock.

The story of Sherlock Holmes is one that will never grow old. This retelling is a great edition and introduction for this just starting out.

My only qualm is the art style. I enjoy the full color, but it was as if everything felt a bit too….flat; as if something was just missing to make it really pop. Another qualm with the art is it is almost as if some of the characters looked older while other adult characters looked like children; it felt like there wasn’t a consistency between characters who are supposedly around the same age.

The idea for this was great, and it's all in color, but while I appreciate the effort, I didn't enjoy the result.
I don't know if this would work better as an animation with voice over, but, sadly, it didn't hit the mark for me.

I'm usually very fond of Holmes' idiosyncratic behaviors in various retellings, but I can't bring myself to like this one or find anything endearing about him. In general, I had no emotional response of any kind while reading. Not to the characters, nor to the mystery. Both lacked depth and relied too much on platitudes, in my opinion.

There is a lot that feels "more telling than showing", which is odd as it's an illustrated story, and I can't feel any tension build-up. The narration falls very flat too, while also being all over the place trying to do too much.
Also the art inside is not the same quality as the cover, I don't know if this was due to the very ambitious decision to making it in full color.

I think writing successfully retellings of Sherlock Holmes are hardest than one think, cause the humor, cleverness, pacing, complex mystery, and depth must all be carefully calibrated and compared to some very very successful other versions, so I'm gonna give 2⭐. Unfortunately, I can't honestly give any higher rating.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Author and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.