Review Detail

Manga Classics takes on King Lear, the Shakespearean tragedy featuring a king driven to madness, division sown amongst his three daughters and consequently the realm, a scorned but faithful advisor, and bastard son scheming to claim all that he can. The illustrated format lends clarity to the unabridged text (which I'll admit I had to work to decipher) which overall felt a natural fit with the panel arrangement. This adaptation also captures the full scope of emotions, from sorrow to humor to sneaky scheming, in a way that's difficult to glean simply from the text.

It's a dark story. There's descent into madness, imprisonment and torture, and by the end, a whole lot of death for heroes and villains alike. Grim stuff, but the visuals of gore are kept mild (trails of blood are drawn for drama, rather than to shock), and it feels in keeping with a teen rating.

For those unfamiliar with the particulars of King Lear, as I was, I would recommend looking up a cast of characters and perhaps a brief synopsis of first act before starting. The manga jumps right into the play, and given some similarities in character design (which make sense, especially given family ties), I got a few of the principal characters mixed up. Mainly for Edgar, Edmund, and Kent. The sisters are quite distinct, and Goneril's design is particularly cool.