Manga Review - 'Jane Eyre (Manga Classics)' by Crystal S. Chan (Story Adaptor), Stacy King (English Script Adaptor), SunNeko Lee (Artist), Charlotte Brontë (Original Author)

A manga adaptation of one of my favourite books. Of course I had to check it out.

To my pleasant surprise, it is excellent, and faithful. It is passionately, caringly, articulately, rather elegantly adapted, told with loving respect, thoughtfulness and mindfulness to the story, the characters, and to Charlotte Brontë. The artwork is fairly standard for manga, that is nonetheless well-detailed, expressive, emotional, bold and beautiful, like the characters of Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester themselves.

And wow is the story of 'Jane Eyre' more pious than I remember LOL, and this 'Manga Classic' is not really much "updated" in terms of modern feminism and ethics and and equal human rights.

I especially have to wonder about the line at the end in regard to little Adèle: 'As she grew, a sound English education corrected in great measure her French defects; she became pleasing, good-tempered, and well-principled.' I hope this is meant as a reflection of 19th century English snobbishness and elitism; more than outright racism and xenophobia. I hope. And since when has Adèle not been 'pleasing, good-tempered, and well-principled'?

But overall, what a great, passionate, raw, mysterious, dark, daring, and touching gothic love story - a classic for a reason - with a strong-and-brave-at-heart-and-in-mind protagonist, Jane Eyre. She is feminist, in that she is self-respecting and noncompromising in living her life how she wants, where she does what she loves, and loves whoever, above all!

My review of the original 'Jane Eyre' novel can be read here.

Final Score: 4/5