nbd99's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
beammey's review against another edition
4.0
*I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.*
I've been a fan of Charmed for years, so when I saw there was a manga I was really intrigued, unsure if it would live up to the hype of that I think the show is. I'm happy to say it did. The characters are well written, the plot line is solid, and the artwork is absolutely amazing. I couldn't wait to read the next page to see how this would end. 4 out of 5 stars.
I've been a fan of Charmed for years, so when I saw there was a manga I was really intrigued, unsure if it would live up to the hype of that I think the show is. I'm happy to say it did. The characters are well written, the plot line is solid, and the artwork is absolutely amazing. I couldn't wait to read the next page to see how this would end. 4 out of 5 stars.
clara_lara's review against another edition
3.0
Ok so yes, it wasn't really a manga as commented below but I really enjoyed it! The author really got the different personalities of the sisters spot on :)
koralis93's review against another edition
1.0
Before I begin to bash this, let me just state that this would have been great as a story without it having to do with Charmed. A young witch coming into her magic and being sent to a school for magic is great to work with. Adding Charmed to it just made it worse. However,
I appreciate the LGBT+ representation which was something not shown in the television show. Not sure if it was shown in the Zenescope comics either. The characters are one dimensional. They are either nice or mean. No type of depth.
As someone who has seen the original series and read S9 & S10 of the comics by Zenescope, I was thoroughly disappointed with this mess. First off this is a GRAPHIC NOVEL not a Manga in the slightest. I am also unsure where on the timeline this takes place. From what I gathered Wyatt and Chris are both in the story so it takes place after S6. Leo is no longer an elder but a whitelighter? Was he demoted? Paige is headmistress of Halliwell Academy. When did this open? What happened to Magic School?
The artwork isn’t the greatest in regard to the Halliwell sisters because they look nothing like their TV counterparts at all. I couldn’t even tell them apart.
If one other thing was done right, it was how they captured the essence of Phoebes ego. Here is a quote that is spot on! “And not to be a jerk or anything, but I am the most popular columnist at the bay mirror. My fans expect real advice”.
This has potential if they move away from Charmed and try to make it their own thing.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As someone who has seen the original series and read S9 & S10 of the comics by Zenescope, I was thoroughly disappointed with this mess. First off this is a GRAPHIC NOVEL not a Manga in the slightest. I am also unsure where on the timeline this takes place. From what I gathered Wyatt and Chris are both in the story so it takes place after S6. Leo is no longer an elder but a whitelighter? Was he demoted? Paige is headmistress of Halliwell Academy. When did this open? What happened to Magic School?
The artwork isn’t the greatest in regard to the Halliwell sisters because they look nothing like their TV counterparts at all. I couldn’t even tell them apart.
If one other thing was done right, it was how they captured the essence of Phoebes ego. Here is a quote that is spot on! “And not to be a jerk or anything, but I am the most popular columnist at the bay mirror. My fans expect real advice”.
This has potential if they move away from Charmed and try to make it their own thing.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
xbookwormyx's review against another edition
2.0
*This Book was generously provided by NetGalley*
I was excited to read this as I am a massive fan of Charmed. The premise was good but the execution was not. It was very short, there was barely any character development and everything was fast paced. I think there could have been more detail in the story and for the pacing to be slower. I also didn’t like the shadows on characters faces, it just looked like they had dirt marks on themselves.
I was excited to read this as I am a massive fan of Charmed. The premise was good but the execution was not. It was very short, there was barely any character development and everything was fast paced. I think there could have been more detail in the story and for the pacing to be slower. I also didn’t like the shadows on characters faces, it just looked like they had dirt marks on themselves.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 stars rounded up
I received a copy of Charmed: The Manga through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I used to be a huge fan of Charmed when I was younger, so when I saw that they were coming out with a manga version, I knew I had to give it a chance!
I should mention though that while it is called Charmed and is described as a story about the Halliwell sisters, they’re really only a small part of the story being told. The main focus is on a new character, Delia and her adjustment to the new school she’s being sent to. The famous sisters do show up, but they’re present for only about a third of the volume, if that.
I think if you were to go into this hoping for a continuation to the TV series then you might find yourself disappointed. However, maybe if you went into it expecting Delia’s story it’d work out better. I certainly hope that’s the case (you can probably guess which situation I ended up in).
Charmed: The Manga was fun and whimsical in a blast from the past sense. I do like the idea of Charmed continuing in manga form, even if I wasn’t completely thrilled with this specific book. It suits the sisters oddly well, don’t you think?
The art style really suited the plot and the sisters’ well. Think about it – they basically acted like anime/manga characters half the time during the show (with their dramatic reactions and arguments) so it’s sort of an intuitive leap, all things considered.
Delia was an interesting character, all things considered. She had all the makings of a typical witch story; dark background, suppressed magic, moving to a new city to control her magic, the works. But those tropes aside, her character development and personality were decent. I think I liked a few of the side characters more, but that’s okay.
I was sad by how little the Halliwell sisters actually seemed to matter in this book. Yes, they were present, and yes one of them is the headmistress of the school…but it still didn’t seem like they were really part of the book. Not in any way that counted. Even the climatic ending, where they rushed in to save the day. You’d think at this point in the series they’d be confident and capable, but instead it read as them being almost…bumbling. It wasn’t a very flattering picture of them.
While I didn’t love it, I will say that I had fun reading it. Some of the side characters were really unique – I think they could hold up a whole series on their own, truth be told. Still, tropes and complaints aside…it was cute. Though maybe I should credit that to nostalgia and the manga influence?
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
I received a copy of Charmed: The Manga through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I used to be a huge fan of Charmed when I was younger, so when I saw that they were coming out with a manga version, I knew I had to give it a chance!
I should mention though that while it is called Charmed and is described as a story about the Halliwell sisters, they’re really only a small part of the story being told. The main focus is on a new character, Delia and her adjustment to the new school she’s being sent to. The famous sisters do show up, but they’re present for only about a third of the volume, if that.
I think if you were to go into this hoping for a continuation to the TV series then you might find yourself disappointed. However, maybe if you went into it expecting Delia’s story it’d work out better. I certainly hope that’s the case (you can probably guess which situation I ended up in).
Spoiler
Charmed: The Manga was fun and whimsical in a blast from the past sense. I do like the idea of Charmed continuing in manga form, even if I wasn’t completely thrilled with this specific book. It suits the sisters oddly well, don’t you think?
The art style really suited the plot and the sisters’ well. Think about it – they basically acted like anime/manga characters half the time during the show (with their dramatic reactions and arguments) so it’s sort of an intuitive leap, all things considered.
Delia was an interesting character, all things considered. She had all the makings of a typical witch story; dark background, suppressed magic, moving to a new city to control her magic, the works. But those tropes aside, her character development and personality were decent. I think I liked a few of the side characters more, but that’s okay.
I was sad by how little the Halliwell sisters actually seemed to matter in this book. Yes, they were present, and yes one of them is the headmistress of the school…but it still didn’t seem like they were really part of the book. Not in any way that counted. Even the climatic ending, where they rushed in to save the day. You’d think at this point in the series they’d be confident and capable, but instead it read as them being almost…bumbling. It wasn’t a very flattering picture of them.
While I didn’t love it, I will say that I had fun reading it. Some of the side characters were really unique – I think they could hold up a whole series on their own, truth be told. Still, tropes and complaints aside…it was cute. Though maybe I should credit that to nostalgia and the manga influence?
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
bb_laurens's review against another edition
4.0
As a Charmed fan, I was ecstatic to discover the library had this book! I was not disappointed! I really love that they continued the series in books.
loveinpanels's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure why they called this a manga. It's not in manga format, nor do the illustrations exhibit any of the traditional manga characteristics other than being drawn in black and white.
So let's call this a comic or graphic novel instead, k? K.
If you're familiar with the graphic adaptations of a lot of other television, novel, and film franchises, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series, etc., you'll know what to expect here. This is essentially one episode of the original Charmed television series.
In this 114 page book, you follow a teenage witch who's had an "incident" and is picked up by Paige and Piper and taken off to Paige's magic school. It follows the classic episode arc, with an "innocent," Delia, and a bad guy (not telling you). The Charmed Ones work together to vanquish the bad guy, with the help of some students and The End.
This book is, however, way more diverse and queer than the series ever was. The new student's new bestie is a Black trans boy and the other students are racially diverse. None of this is a Thing, except that the bad person does deadname the trans boy and I wanted to punch her.
Is this book for you? Probably only if you're a diehard Charmed fan. I am, and I enjoyed it. I'm not sure I'd pay full retail price for it, however. Maybe look for a sale.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
So let's call this a comic or graphic novel instead, k? K.
If you're familiar with the graphic adaptations of a lot of other television, novel, and film franchises, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series, etc., you'll know what to expect here. This is essentially one episode of the original Charmed television series.
In this 114 page book, you follow a teenage witch who's had an "incident" and is picked up by Paige and Piper and taken off to Paige's magic school. It follows the classic episode arc, with an "innocent," Delia, and a bad guy (not telling you). The Charmed Ones work together to vanquish the bad guy, with the help of some students and The End.
This book is, however, way more diverse and queer than the series ever was. The new student's new bestie is a Black trans boy and the other students are racially diverse. None of this is a Thing, except that the bad person does deadname the trans boy and I wanted to punch her.
Is this book for you? Probably only if you're a diehard Charmed fan. I am, and I enjoyed it. I'm not sure I'd pay full retail price for it, however. Maybe look for a sale.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
sionna's review against another edition
2.0
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my my own.*
Before I begin I should mention that I watched all, but the last season of Charmed. I loved the show, but by then it was repetitive and it lost its spark for me. I won't even go into my controversial thoughts on who Phoebe should have been with (they did them so wrong...).
That being said, I was really excited to see what this graphic novel would be like!
Unfortunately, I feel like it fell into the rhythm many comics have of being too choppy--jumping from one scene to the next with little segue or even development. As a manga fan, I'm used to a slow moving story with character development and feeling. Here I felt like the main character, lost and confused when tossed into a new world. (Yet, professors said she was taking like a fish to water???) Calling it "Charmed: THE MANGA" really made me think they would spend time flushing out characters and building up a story.... but no. Also, the art isn't totally to my preference, and knowing what the Halliwell sisters looked like in the TV show made it a bit harder to look at.
There is a pretty diverse cast, which I think is awesome. Love seeing all types of people become witches. What I don't like is calling someone by their name that they no longer identify with (sorry, I can't remember the right term). Honestly, I knew then or slightly prior who the bad person was and wondered why no one else thought the same! It isn't okay to do, especially if it isn't given the weight it deserves. No one should feel slighted because of who they are.
Because of my love for the show I had a hard time rating this. Originally, I gave it three stars, but the more I think about it the more realized I had to give it 2, even though I didn't want to. It was nice to catch up with the characters, it was a little fun seeing the magical school, but when I think about how I would feel about this had I not watched the show, I'd probably rate it lower.
By the way, you have to have watched the show to understand like any of what is talked about in the comic and understand who the characters are.
So, if you've watched the show, I'd maybe recommend this if you are feeling nostalgic, and if you like comics, then you might actually like this, otherwise I think you could skip it just fine.
Before I begin I should mention that I watched all, but the last season of Charmed. I loved the show, but by then it was repetitive and it lost its spark for me. I won't even go into my controversial thoughts on who Phoebe should have been with (they did them so wrong...).
That being said, I was really excited to see what this graphic novel would be like!
Unfortunately, I feel like it fell into the rhythm many comics have of being too choppy--jumping from one scene to the next with little segue or even development. As a manga fan, I'm used to a slow moving story with character development and feeling. Here I felt like the main character, lost and confused when tossed into a new world. (Yet, professors said she was taking like a fish to water???) Calling it "Charmed: THE MANGA" really made me think they would spend time flushing out characters and building up a story.... but no. Also, the art isn't totally to my preference, and knowing what the Halliwell sisters looked like in the TV show made it a bit harder to look at.
There is a pretty diverse cast, which I think is awesome. Love seeing all types of people become witches. What I don't like is calling someone by their name that they no longer identify with (sorry, I can't remember the right term). Honestly, I knew then or slightly prior who the bad person was and wondered why no one else thought the same! It isn't okay to do, especially if it isn't given the weight it deserves. No one should feel slighted because of who they are.
Because of my love for the show I had a hard time rating this. Originally, I gave it three stars, but the more I think about it the more realized I had to give it 2, even though I didn't want to. It was nice to catch up with the characters, it was a little fun seeing the magical school, but when I think about how I would feel about this had I not watched the show, I'd probably rate it lower.
By the way, you have to have watched the show to understand like any of what is talked about in the comic and understand who the characters are.
So, if you've watched the show, I'd maybe recommend this if you are feeling nostalgic, and if you like comics, then you might actually like this, otherwise I think you could skip it just fine.
courtagonist's review against another edition
3.0
This was such a fun read! I loved getting to know the characters even more then when watching them on the screen!