kaitmc552's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it! The art in the book was gorgeous, the story followed the movie accurately. Definitely recommend reading it and the Belle's Tale version close together, made the whole experience just that much better.
silverlotus's review against another edition
4.0
Tokyo Pop has taken the recent live-action release of Disney's Beauty and the Beast and created a beautiful pair of manga. This volume tells the story from the Beast's point of view, beginning with the night he was cursed, through to his meeting with Belle, and all the way to the final battle of the movie. The art style is pure manga, but it is very clearly influenced by the movie. Although somewhat sparse, as is the style in many manga, the backgrounds are loaded with beautiful baroque details.
I really enjoyed this book. It is short and it moves quickly, but it evokes the feeling of the movie so well. Truthfully, I am more a fan of the original animated movie, but reading this book helped me appreciate the new movie more.
If you have read the first volume, Belle's Tale, you will notice that some of the artwork (and even whole pages!) have been reused but with different text. I can sort of understand why, but it feels a touch lazy to me. Nonetheless, this is still a wonderful book for Beauty and the Beast/manga fans.
I really enjoyed this book. It is short and it moves quickly, but it evokes the feeling of the movie so well. Truthfully, I am more a fan of the original animated movie, but reading this book helped me appreciate the new movie more.
If you have read the first volume, Belle's Tale, you will notice that some of the artwork (and even whole pages!) have been reused but with different text. I can sort of understand why, but it feels a touch lazy to me. Nonetheless, this is still a wonderful book for Beauty and the Beast/manga fans.
illbefinealone's review against another edition
4.0
Copy received through NetGalley
I am reviewing both volumes in one.
This was my first experience with Manga, and it was really fun. I loved the style of the art work.
I had an interesting experience with the way it was told, it took me a while to get accustomed to the story in this form (I am somewhat emotionally attached to the cartoon version), but I liked it overall. Getting the Beast's side of the story in Vol. II was an awesome follow-up, the two volumes compliment each other well. I really enjoyed them.
I am reviewing both volumes in one.
This was my first experience with Manga, and it was really fun. I loved the style of the art work.
I had an interesting experience with the way it was told, it took me a while to get accustomed to the story in this form (I am somewhat emotionally attached to the cartoon version), but I liked it overall. Getting the Beast's side of the story in Vol. II was an awesome follow-up, the two volumes compliment each other well. I really enjoyed them.
tobyyy's review against another edition
3.0
Gorgeous artwork but not a very in-depth storyline. I read this on Kindle (on my phone) and the colors were vibrant but it felt basically like scenes were just taken out of the movie and put into manga format. There was not a lot of stuff from the Beast’s perspective that we don’t get from just watching the film (either animated or live action). I was just hoping for a little more substance, I guess. But overall this was not a terrible read.
mariakureads's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was hoping to love this manga from the Beast's POV but I'm saddened to say it felt short.
It's adapting the latest Disney film version, which I was meh about, and then condensing it further so you get some key moments but it's just missing a lot of story to be able to really tell the story and especially from his perspective.
Sorry to say it fell short but the illustrations also based on the film, were interesting to see as I didn't think trying to adapt the beast creature into manga would be that different but he leans more towards the film version so more human like but even that couldn't save it for me.
It's adapting the latest Disney film version, which I was meh about, and then condensing it further so you get some key moments but it's just missing a lot of story to be able to really tell the story and especially from his perspective.
Sorry to say it fell short but the illustrations also based on the film, were interesting to see as I didn't think trying to adapt the beast creature into manga would be that different but he leans more towards the film version so more human like but even that couldn't save it for me.
toloveisdestroy's review against another edition
4.0
Similar to the prior book, but focusing more upon the Beast as the main character. I'm pretty biased but I think this was a great manga.
littlebookishinkblot's review against another edition
5.0
Let me just say that as a long-time lover of everything Disney related and an avid reader of manga, these books just blew me out of the water!! A perfect blend of artistic talent, creative expression, and storytelling. While most Disney stories are usually are told from the point of view of a narrator, a manga spin on a well-loved classic is able to pull the reader through the divide and enjoy the story straight from the horse's mouth, in this case from that of Belle and the Beast. (I am doing a review for the twin novels in this series.)
No details were spared in the making of this piece of art. The attention to detail was astounding, and while it may have been based on the newly released movie rather than the cartoon itself, it is noteworthy to point out how the artists were able to add their own touches in recreating the multitude of scenes from the movie. As suggested by the illustrators, I had the movie soundtrack playing in the background while reading. While it was quite fun flipping through the pages, especially during the Be Our Guests panels it became a bit of a distraction as the story went on. Belle as a well-loved character is as familiar to us as the enchanted rose that started this story and giving her thoughts a voice was a new and wonderful take on such a beloved tale. Belle was hand-drawn in the typical shojo manga art, and the artists were able to capture her expressive eyes and little quirks. As I revisited familiar scenes from the movie, I found myself still laughing at her internal monologues and appreciating just how wonderful she truly is.
The best part about this reading experience was the Beast having his own platform to share his story. It was such a good idea, as readers are able to appreciate his thoughts and not just make educated guesses based on his frowns, growls and eyebrow wiggles. The Beast's Tale, a twin companion to Beauty and the Beast Manga tells us how the Prince was able to realize just how much love he had inside of him for Belle, for himself and for those around him. Between the two books, I liked the Beast's tale better because it had aspects of the story that was not focused on in the regular telling. I enjoyed reading about his frustrations with the staff, and with Belle. In the story, you are able to experience how the love begun to develop, first as admiration towards his beautiful, smart and feisty prisoner, then awe at her strength, wit, and courage. His internal dialogue as he sent her away to help her father was truly heartbreaking, but happiness in his "voice" at the end more than made up for that. Kudos to the manga artists who was able to capture the essence of the character and draw him in typical manga fashion by keeping true to the look in the movie. The end result is visually appetizing.
My only wish was that I hoped to have read the books without the watermark, and in full color, as I believe it will be even better. While shojo manga typically focuses on producing content for a young female audience, by doing two versions of the story, Mallory Reaves and the team at Tokyopop was able to make it a more enjoyable experience to a wider range of readers. I would definitely recommend these for fans of fairy tales, manga, kick-ass heroines, soulful heroes learning life lessons.
● I received a Free Copy of the Ebook in exchange for my honest opinion ●
No details were spared in the making of this piece of art. The attention to detail was astounding, and while it may have been based on the newly released movie rather than the cartoon itself, it is noteworthy to point out how the artists were able to add their own touches in recreating the multitude of scenes from the movie. As suggested by the illustrators, I had the movie soundtrack playing in the background while reading. While it was quite fun flipping through the pages, especially during the Be Our Guests panels it became a bit of a distraction as the story went on. Belle as a well-loved character is as familiar to us as the enchanted rose that started this story and giving her thoughts a voice was a new and wonderful take on such a beloved tale. Belle was hand-drawn in the typical shojo manga art, and the artists were able to capture her expressive eyes and little quirks. As I revisited familiar scenes from the movie, I found myself still laughing at her internal monologues and appreciating just how wonderful she truly is.
The best part about this reading experience was the Beast having his own platform to share his story. It was such a good idea, as readers are able to appreciate his thoughts and not just make educated guesses based on his frowns, growls and eyebrow wiggles. The Beast's Tale, a twin companion to Beauty and the Beast Manga tells us how the Prince was able to realize just how much love he had inside of him for Belle, for himself and for those around him. Between the two books, I liked the Beast's tale better because it had aspects of the story that was not focused on in the regular telling. I enjoyed reading about his frustrations with the staff, and with Belle. In the story, you are able to experience how the love begun to develop, first as admiration towards his beautiful, smart and feisty prisoner, then awe at her strength, wit, and courage. His internal dialogue as he sent her away to help her father was truly heartbreaking, but happiness in his "voice" at the end more than made up for that. Kudos to the manga artists who was able to capture the essence of the character and draw him in typical manga fashion by keeping true to the look in the movie. The end result is visually appetizing.
My only wish was that I hoped to have read the books without the watermark, and in full color, as I believe it will be even better. While shojo manga typically focuses on producing content for a young female audience, by doing two versions of the story, Mallory Reaves and the team at Tokyopop was able to make it a more enjoyable experience to a wider range of readers. I would definitely recommend these for fans of fairy tales, manga, kick-ass heroines, soulful heroes learning life lessons.
● I received a Free Copy of the Ebook in exchange for my honest opinion ●
midwichtriffid's review
2.0
I was really hoping to get more back story for Beast from this volume, but other then a couple of passing mentions to his mother and father we really don't get anything extra from seeing the story from his perspective. The story really is about Beauty and the Beast so having the story split for the perspectives means we loose large chunks of the story in both volumes and leaves neither of them feeling very complete.
I would much rather have had the whole story fleshed out and spread between two volumes rather then what we got with these.
All that being said the art was nice and all of the characters were immediately recognizable with the exception of Belle who looked like a stock manga female. The backgrounds however were exquisite.
I would much rather have had the whole story fleshed out and spread between two volumes rather then what we got with these.
All that being said the art was nice and all of the characters were immediately recognizable with the exception of Belle who looked like a stock manga female. The backgrounds however were exquisite.