Manga Review: Sense and Senseibility

Sense and Sensibility: Manga Classic by Jane Austen, adapted by Stacy King and illustrated by Po Tse, August 9, 2016. 308 pages. Published by Udon Entertainment. Source: Borrowed from Library. 

Impulsive Marianne Dashwood and cautious Elinor are as different as two sisters could be, yet both are shattered by their father's sudden Death. Elinor's attachment to the reserved Edward Ferrars is torn asunder by family opposition and his own dark secret, while Marianne's brilliant romance with the dashing John Willoughby comes to a tumultuous end in a devastating public betrayal. Can the two sisters overcome these trials to find true, lasting happiness?

Jane Austen's beloved first novel, filled with romance, redemption and social critique, is brought to life for a modern audience in this gorgeous manga-style adaptation!

First Sentence

The family of Dashwood had long been settled in Sussex. 

Seeing as I have not read the original Sense and Sensibility (yet), my review will be solely based on the manga adaptation and my thoughts concerning it. I know, I'm way behind in reading Jane Austen's full body of work but, well, you know. 

• Even though I know a portion of the story is not covered within the manga adaptation, because you know it would be massively long otherwise, I really enjoyed the story. So much so that I plan on moving the Jane Austen's original up my TBR. I just really find the plot enjoyable and the characters, though irritating at times, were fascinating.

• To be honest, there were times that I did not like Marianne as her personality was just annoying; the same goes for Elinor. While they had their good points, one just could not help but be flustered with them periodically, yet I did enjoy seeing them overcome their unhappiness and how they continued to move forward, though some more dramatically than others. Though I do feel that I missed a couple elements story-wise not reading the full manuscript first. 

•  I don't know what it is about Jane Austen's books, but every single book I've read of her's, well, they just make me want to slap (yes, slap) the male characters upside the head. Oh my gosh!! Seriously stupid guys; then there's Marianne, her flighty personality drove me crazy. Sure, I liked that she wanted love and happiness but she had really poor taste in guys, you know. Regardless, I still found the plight of Elinor and Marianne fascinating and enjoyed seeing how differently they reacted to what was happening in their lives. I'm still a little disappointed that the third sister was not really a part of the manga.

• Artwork- I actually really enjoyed the way the artist captured the setting and characters. I thought the illustrations did a great job of bringing the story to life. They really brought out the story with the ability to see the expressions on the characters faces as they faced trials and heartbreak. 

• Even though I know that not all of the manga classics are not adapted or illustrated by the same people, I am really excited to see how they will bring other classics to life via manga. It's rather cool to be seeing classics, especially my favorites, being brought to life in the form of a manga volume. 

Final Verdict: Sense and Sensibility: Manga Classic- The manga adaptation really makes me want to read the Jane Austen's original! The illustrations really made my day!!

A copy of this book was borrowed from the library. All thoughts are my own.