First off, I am a huge fan of the Japanese manga, or "comic," medium. There are numerous series that I am fond of, most of which do not directly reference Shakespeare. So that is a different subject entirely!
Manga Shakespeare is a line of comics from artists in the United Kingdom. Titles such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet have been adapted into the manga medium. Of course, they are not direct adaptations, as the artists take liberty to setting the familiar storylines in modern-and futuristic-situations where the original dialogue is still present.
For example, Manga Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet takes in the Shibuya District in Tokyo, focusing on two rival Yakuza families. Romeo is a rock star and still of the Montague clan, while Juliet remains a Capulet. The mangatized Hamlet takes place in the year 2017, where global 
warming has thrown the world into chaos but the story taken from the Shakespeare classic remains the same.
warming has thrown the world into chaos but the story taken from the Shakespeare classic remains the same. The "Manga Shakespeare" series is done by different artists but the written material is undeniably Shakespeare. Personally, I think this was a daring new approach to look into the world of Shakespeare. The art work for the comics themselves is not shabby either!
Below is a sample image, so click for a closer view:
- Kristopher
1 comment:
Hello both, a really interesting blog - and covering my favourite topic!
Do pop along and have a look at our books www.classicalcomics.com and let us know what you think.
We've also got free to download resources covering Much Ado About Nothing, great for teachers and students. The 'no text' version is particularly popular :-)
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