Romeo and Juliet: Manga Shakespeare

William Shakespeare and Richard Appignanesi
Abrams Books for Young Readers (2007)
ISBN 9780810993259
Reviewed by Erin Keith (age 17) for Reader Views (10/07)

In this Manga version of one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, the characters are held to be very true. The setting of the story is present-time Tokyo, versus the past setting of the original. Readers who have actually read the play may enjoy this Manga because it holds very true to the original story, whereas some series like to “update” and totally change from the original roots. This story begins with a brief description of the characters, showing pictures so readers will know who’s who in the story, and then they launch into a swordfight, which is uncommon in Tokyo, but again, this story does hold true to the original. The storyline is very captivating and intriguing. The storyline itself is obviously not the same as the tragedy itself by Shakespeare, but it does show the love-hate relationship between the Capulets and the Montagues. This story’s ending is just as sad as the story before it.

This story is a good, fairly quick read that will keep readers hanging on to the ending of one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies and love stories. This book is recommended for ages 13 and up. “Romeo and Juliet: Manga Shakespeare” is a good read for reluctant readers.

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