Thank you to NetGalley, Udon Entertainment, Manga Classics, Julien Choy, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for the opportunity to read this manga adaptation in exchange for an honest review.

WOOHOO! Another Manga Classics edition after an unbearable hiatus!

I have never read the original Sherlock Holmes novels, nor have I seen any of the film or TV show adaptations. But I HAVE read every Manga Classics edition to be published.

This all-color manga adaptation (reads right-to-left) did not disappoint! It was an easier and more thrilling read than I expected, and I enjoyed getting to know Sherlock Holmes' character though this A Study in Scarlet adaptation. Holmes' deductive reasoning and out-of-the box thinking, along with his attention to detail and his worldly knowledge to be able to identify certain aspect of people, make him quite the intriguing detective character. Watson joins as his roommate, only to find himself joining Holmes as he helps the police move onto the right track to solve not one murder, but two that are linked to the same killer.

Holmes is humble, taking no credit. It seems that he enjoys the solving as more of a game. Definitely a fun character and a brilliant edition that has me excited for whatever Manga Classics brings next.

Since childhood, I have been captivated by the literary works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, particularly his iconic Sherlock Holmes stories, which have played a significant role in shaping my early reading experiences. The intriguing mysteries and the brilliant deductive reasoning of Holmes have always fascinated me, making each story a cherished adventure.

Recently, I was thrilled to discover a manga adaptation of ‘A Study in Scarlet.’ My curiosity was piqued not only by the prospect of seeing these beloved characters brought to life in a new artistic format but also by how the unique visual style of manga would reinterpret the dynamic between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. Manga often brings a fresh perspective to familiar tales, and I was eager to see how the essence of these characters would translate into this medium.

However, as I delved into the first volume, I quickly realized that some nuances inherent to the original text were inevitably lost in the adaptation. While the manga portrays Sherlock Holmes as undeniably handsome, I found that many of the distinctive quirks and idiosyncrasies that make him such a compelling character in Doyle's stories seemed to fade away. This lack of depth in characterization left me, as a dedicated fan, feeling somewhat disconnected and less engaged with the narrative than I had hoped.

Despite these initial disappointments, my enthusiasm for the series remains intact. I am still looking forward to the upcoming volumes, hoping that future installments might delve deeper into the complexities of the characters I have come to love. I appreciate the opportunity to read this advance reader copy, and I’m eager to see how the adaptation evolves.

4.5 ⭐️ I meannn what more is there to say abt this book.
It’s the iconic Sherlock in new form…Manga!! Like come on we love to see it. I love seeing Sherlock in new forms and new adventures . It’s always a joy.

#NetGalley

This was my first ever manga and I really enjoyed it. I was familiar with the story already but it was a new experience. Loved the illustrations, how Sherlock looks like and the Doctor . I definitely will read more manga after this.

Manga Classics: Sherlock Holme: A Study In Scarlet is the debut full color manga format of the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Study In Scarlet” novel. Based in London in the year 1888, a terrible murder is committed. The word RACHE is scrawled in blood. The police are baffled and turn to the only one who can help them unravel this mystery. Sherlock Holmes, the world’s only consulting detective. With Dr. John Watson by his side, Sherlock will follow the scarlet trail to its inevitable conclusion.

I love Sherlock in all his many forms. This manga was no exception, and the adaptation was done in such a way as to keep the original story intact but not exactly the same so that it appealed to a wider audience. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a manga and not a comic (there is a difference!) and so getting used to reading right to left took me a few pages. It wasn’t distracting from the story at all and so I didn't mind and after a handful of pages didn’t think about it anymore. The font size, bubble shape and placements made the reading easy. It did not distract at all from the well rendered panels. I will be glad to add this one to my shelves at home.

I would like to thank Udon Entertainment for approving me for this ARC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings:
Major - Blood, Murder
Minor - Violence, Alcoholism

I love this idea! I love a lot of classic books but some of them can make you feel bogged down or disinterested so I love the idea of having them in manga/graphic novel form! I will say you do miss out on the more in depth pieces of the story but I feel that's to be expected and this should be viewed as more of a summary of the book with some beautiful art

Sherlock Holmes in Manga was not on my 2024 bingo card but I loved it. Its such a good art style and the subject fits better than I honestly expected. This is an EXCELLENT starter manga for people to get to know the genre. I liked that they had a reading guide at the beginning as well. very helpful for new readers. I would 100% recommend this

Thank you to netgalley and the author for this e-ARC!
3 stars

I've read A Study in Scarlet, and it was fun. This was a faithful adaption, and the visual medium of it was fun because we could see more reactions from Holmes that Watson may not have highlighted as much. The art was nice but sometimes looked a little wonky in wider shots. It also felt like a very shoujo style, especially where it kept almost seeming to lean toward the Holmes and Watson ship. But whatevers xD Still pretty art. It's a good adaption if people want to read manga but also get the story of A Study in Scarlet.

Beautifully illustrated and well written! A great intro to the world of Sherlock Holmes. A must-read for manga fans who love mysteries!

Let me start by saying I used to grow up binge reading Manga in grade school. My best friend and I would trade off books because we blew through them too fast. Having said that, you now know I have a love for this style.

Now then:
This book is good in it's own right. The style of drawing and the scenes depicted are definitely meant for a much younger crowd (than my mid-thirties self), however, it didn't take away from the story for me. It's classic Sherlock -- with Watson and a mystery in need of solving.

Overall, it was an enjoyable, quick read. There could have been more to it, yes, however with this series I feel as if we're getting just enough to keep us engaged. I'm interested to see what the next volume brings.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read/review this early. Releases Jan 2025 according to Zon. :)

I really enjoyed reading this. I knew about the story of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson through mainstream media. But I haven't read the books itself. So when I saw there's a manga on the very famous detective novel, I jumped at the chance. Luckily it was available for me to read. The art style was beautiful. I loved the way illustrator drew the characters, their expression so human like.
I can't wait to read more of Manga Classics.

"A Study in Scarlet" is the debut novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and it went with a BANG! Now it has this manga treatment in full color, this classic detective story went nuclear blast BOOM! I enjoyed the story even if the setting is detached from our day and some are outdated. I can still understand what's going on with the story without it explaining too much. I like how Holmes and Watson's character development and their instant chemistry in the story. The supporting characters are good too. The flow of the story is good and no boring exposition. I don't know about you but I think this is a bit controversial because of a church name got involved in the story and their questionable practice.

The artwork is superb although I wish another drawing style could have been rendered. It feels more of a BL with this art and I feel that vibe very time Holmes and Watson get close to each other. I'm not used to colored manga but it still works. No exaggerations just enough art for each panels. The bonus materials are a bit meh and the should have made a bit of effort on that part.

This is my first time to read a Sherlock Holmes story and it's well treated in this book that makes we want to check out stories of Arthur Conan Doyle's world famous detective.

The opportunity to read a manga version of this detective fiction was too good to pass up. Even though I was not familiar with the story of A Study in Scarlet, it was a nice reading experience either way. This particular manga style did remind me of 80's anime somewhat, so I guess it gives some extra charm to it? I will not delve into a story as I recommend going in blind hehe. Overall - reading was easy, illustrations were ok and text was understandable. There were some art choices that I didn't understand, but maybe that's just me. I would say this manga would be better choice for younger readers than adults.

Thank you to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for this ARC!

I am fortunate to have a color ereader that supports NetGalley Shelf. The story is great but the artwork is stunning! Especially in color. I think it will still look good in black and white but color definitely took it to the next level!

I have a fondness for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes but will be the first to admit that A Study in Scarlet is not my favorite story in the canon. However, the opportunity to read a manga version of the classic story was too good to pass up! Thanks to Udon Entertainment and NetGalley for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I will say this: the adaptation is excellent. Maintaining the original setting yet adding almost a steampunk look to the costuming was an interesting and successful choice; there will be no deer stalker hats for Sherlock here, folks. It did take me a while to get used to the physical looks of Holmes and Watson simply because I’m used to the on-screen adaptations that always make them look older than what is true in A Study in Scarlet. They’re young and attractive and quite unlike any other adaptation I’ve seen of the two young men.

Even though this is a somewhat gritty story, I was charmed by the illustrations. They reminded me of the anime I saw in the late 1980s and early 1990s. And the adaptations to the story are to be commended to attract a new generation of fans of the great detective. I am anxiously awaiting the next Sherlock Holmes volume and will be looking for more Manga Classics to introduce my teens to stories I could never get them to pick up in traditional print form.

4,5*
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this.

This was my first official manga read and it did not disappoint. I liked that the language was still very of the time and that made it feel as if I was actually reading a classic book.

The story if obviously good because it’s the original (with slight changes I’m sure).

This made me excited to try the other Manga Classics!

This was a quick and easy read of a classic that I haven’t really remembered much of.

The story was told in a way that was easy to understand, the characters were lovable. I loved both Sherlock and Watson and I loved how their friendship developed through the book.

But what really sold me on it was the art style. Everybody but especially our main characters were drawn beautifully. I think my favorite must be Sherlock.

I recommend this one if you want to quickly catch up on a classic in a new way.

Brilliant. Gorgeous art. Some of the panels had me salivating, they were so beautiful.

Fun story. Embraced the Sherlock x Watson ship without overtly stating it.

I’d definitely pick up more in this series.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This is probably best for younger people who have no interest in reading the plain text version of the story it's adapting. As someone who can't stand the original Sherlock Holmes' stories, this probably would have been a great way for me to read it when I was younger. The earliest adaptation of a Sherlock Holmes' story I read was a mini comic version of "The Red-Headed League", which was a lot of fun, and for kids who like manga, this might be right up their alley instead. Quality-wise, it's not so different from some of the earlier manga and comics I read when I was younger.

Unfortunately it's still the same story as "A Study in Scarlet" (from what I recall of the original; I admit I am not a Sherlock Holmes fan, so I don't recall off the top of my head how many liberties it takes from when I read the original story years ago, though I've seen a number of adaptations of it at this point) and the art is variably bad to okay, which is almost the worse problem. Despite the character design sheets at the back of the book, I can't ignore the fact this just looks like a more faithful adaptation of Sherlock Holmes but using the character designs for Watson and Holmes from "Moriarty the Patriot", with Watson as a short-haired blonde and Holmes with long, dark bluish-hair that he often ties back in a short ponytail. I imagine MtP is not the first to use that character design set-up, but MtP is one of the better known Sherlock Holmes adaptations among people who like manga and anime. I can't imagine the person who made this is unaware of it. And of the more famous Sherlock Holmes adaptations, I can't recall any others using that notable character design set-up. It's almost impressive, given MtP's art is also quite bad, so seeing this be substantially worse is something of a feat. Ignoring the character designs, bad examples of art include: incredibly weird faces, including grimaces rather than smiles, bizarre anatomy (e.g., tiny limbs, super long limbs) that is less stylistic than it is amateurish, and very bad perspective. There's one panel where Holmes and Watson are heading towards an open door together, and it is the largest regular apartment doorway I have ever seen, and both men appear to have shrunk to be able to walk out of it.

The unique character designs are pretty atrocious, and the costuming looks quite bad, generally. The violin appears to have been drawn well (ignoring the many bizarre ways Holmes holds it), but I think that's because it's a 3D model that's only slightly been drawn over, sometimes. While the cover is pretty enticing and there are some panels that aren't bad (e.g., the open-shirted Sherlock ones, or when he puts on a disguise), it's overall just a kind of ugly manga.

That being said, the relationship between Watson and Holmes is very sweet, and it's nice to see how supportive they are of each other. Visually and narratively, those are the strongest moments in the volume, and they outshine the bad art and bad writing.

Minor but unfortunately notable quibble: there also appears to be a writing or printing mistake on page 2 (or 7, by the copy I have), with a repeated speech bubble from page 1 rather than what might belong there.

As a gateway into reading a well-known writer and series, I think it's fine for what it is. I really would have liked this when I was younger, considering I just got a physical copy of "Midnight Kiss", which is also quite terrible for similar reasons and for which I still have nostalgic fondness. It's unfortunate, though, because even though I think this is fine for someone who hasn't read much manga, I think younger people still deserve better art and better adaptations. It's really frustrating how often classics get fobbed off onto people who are new to art or perhaps drawing way outside their range, when I think graphic novels are a great way to get younger folks into classics, and we have so many to choose from these days. I can't believe I'd honestly recommend "Moriarty the Patriot" over anything, and I refuse to do so in this case. But it's still arguably better in many ways than this.

Thank you NetGalley and Manga Classics for the ARC.

I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and manga, so when I saw the two combined I knew it was the book for me.

In my opinion the art style is one of the most important aspects of a manga, because no matter how much you like the story you won’t enjoy reading it if you don’t enjoy the art. This style is one of my favorite types and it is extremely well done.

Obviously the story is a classic for a reason, but this manga does an amazing job of translating it over to the new format where you don’t seem to lose any of the story. Even if you know nothing about Sherlock Holmes you could follow the story and become invested in the characters.

I can’t wait for there to be an entire line of Sherlock Holmes manga, they do have other classics which I am I looking forward to checking out.