Jane Eyre Manga Classics

I have mixed feelings on this Jane Eyre Manga Classic. This is my second Manga classic, and I found it varied more from the original text than the first one I had read. The overall story was the same, but I found the emotions off in the illustrations. Most of the illustration issues being where it looks like characters are screaming at the top of their lungs at each other. I know they aren’t in the original text, so that threw me at times. I do not know if this is typical in Manga, meaning that the shouting looks means a certain speech type that isn’t shouting, and I am just not used to it, or if it was meant to make the overall story more dramatic in places that are more demure in the original text. The authour does address this at the beginning and did give a heads up as to why things were changed. A lot of it has to do with the original point of view Jane Eyre was written in. I found several times, I felt thrown into learning something quickly (less mysteriousness like in the original,) but I think this was due to how the authour had to change the points of view and get messages across clearer, since there is less content to go on. I did like that the authour was still able to express what was going on in Jane’s head, even though it was not the focus. 

There were many beautiful illustrations, but the one that stood out most to me, and as a visual learner found very helpful, was the one of the family tree later on in the story. At the end the reader also learns how the height decisions and hair styling decisions were made for this Manga, which I think is really cool, even though not the most historically accurate. One aspect of narrating and illustrations I found interesting, yet kind of unnecessary, were the double lines distinguishing that the characters were speaking French. The entire text is in English, so except establishing that the characters speak French, I found it unnecessary. I think it could have been cool to see basic French in the bubbles, with translations at the bottom of the page, for those who do not know any French. 

Lastly, no great interpretation or retelling is complete without quotes that stay with readers through the generations. This Manga had quite a few. I found quotes were the only time I felt the speech was not modern. I would have liked to have seen more old terms or speech, just to add another dimension. 

This Manga retelling, while there was content, I would have liked to see different, so the overall spirit of the story shines through. I love Jane Eyre for her strong morals, and I hope her morals will continue to inspire readers through this Manga, especially those who would never pick up an original written by Charlotte Bronte.