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フラウ・ファウスト [Frau Faust] #1
Frau Faust, Tome 1
Érudite, mystérieuse et dotée d’étranges pouvoirs, la jeune femme que Marion rencontre par hasard en ville semble traverser les âges et renfermer bien des secrets. Mais lorsqu’elle demande à notre héros de l’aider à pénétrer dans une église en pleine nuit pour retrouver son « chien », il ne fait plus aucun doute que Johanna s’est affranchie des règles sacrées de l’Inquisition et que l’étrange aura qui l’enveloppe revêt des allures profanes. Quel est son lien avec le docteur Faust dont parlent les légendes ? Où se trouve la frontière morale entre le bien et le mal ? Toutes les certitudes du jeune Marion s’apprêtent à être bouleversées.
176 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2015
16 people are currently reading
524 people want to read
About the author
Kore Yamazaki
66 books517 followersName (in native language) : ヤマザキコレ
Born in Hokkaido. Also known as Yamao Mitsu.
Born in Hokkaido. Also known as Yamao Mitsu.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
August 12, 2018
E-manga from my library, run across while looking for e-editions of more volumes of The Ancient Magus' Bride, which I'd quite liked, to see if that continued beyond where the anime ended, or cut off. (No luck on the latter, but found this instead.)
Well. That was quite unexpected...
I've only read volume 1 so far, and I don't have time for 2 today, but plan to continue. Alternate Europeanoid world, people, and demons, and a female take on Dr. Faust. (!) Recent and apparently ongoing. I have no idea where it's headed, but I'm willing to go along for now.
But it may possibly answer my plaint of why isn't there ever a female version of My Type. (Smart, older, dodgy sense of humor, gray, secretly powerful but up against even more powerful opponents or constraints.) Johanna seems poised to give Yuuko of xxxHolic, the only other female of My Type I've seen, a run for the money, and Johanna seems to have a lot more room to move, if less raw power.
It's too early to say if I'd recommend it, but it looks quite promising.
Ta, L.
Well. That was quite unexpected...
I've only read volume 1 so far, and I don't have time for 2 today, but plan to continue. Alternate Europeanoid world, people, and demons, and a female take on Dr. Faust. (!) Recent and apparently ongoing. I have no idea where it's headed, but I'm willing to go along for now.
But it may possibly answer my plaint of why isn't there ever a female version of My Type. (Smart, older, dodgy sense of humor, gray, secretly powerful but up against even more powerful opponents or constraints.) Johanna seems poised to give Yuuko of xxxHolic, the only other female of My Type I've seen, a run for the money, and Johanna seems to have a lot more room to move, if less raw power.
It's too early to say if I'd recommend it, but it looks quite promising.
Ta, L.
September 19, 2023
Review for complete series
I usually like shorter and compact series but I feel as though Frau Faust would have needed to be at least twice as long as it actually is to deliver what it's trying to achieve. As a premise, this is a very interesting series - it's a gender flipped retelling auf Faust and will likely appeal to readers of Yamazaki's other work The Ancient Magus' Bride. It has the same dark undertones and folklore, loveable but also macabre characters and plenty of great artwork to go around, even if the character art itself doesn't appeal to me personally quite as much.
While the premise itself was a good, I found that everything moved too fast and a lot was left unexplained. Given all the other high ratings, perhaps I am just missing the point here but I didn't even understand most character's motivations. I don't understand Faust's motives nor what her exact relationship with the demon Mephisto was about - it is implied that were was romance from both sides yet we didn't get any glimpse into when or how that came about. I don't understand their contract and I don't understand all that Mephisto did afterwards. I never fully understood Lorenzo and Anastasia's situation - I understood that both siblings were trying to protect each other but I don't understand why their aunt felt the need to keep them in check in the first place - I kept waiting for some great reveal about that, especially given that Lorenzo always hides his face, another thing we never get an explanation for. Vito's main motivation seems to be that he wants to help Lorenzo but we never get to understand that to any particularly deep level either. I could go on and on about this for every other character.
It just feels like so much is missing which is a real shame because the idea and characters could have delivered something much better. The ending is also so vague, I have actually no idea what happened. I think I shall sign this off by saying that this series has simply left me confused. If anyone has answers to all my questions, I beg thee please to explain.
October 9, 2017
cool plot, but kinda messy and all over the place, maybe next volume will be better
dnf
March 20, 2018The translation was a confusing mess, making it hard to get into the story.
May 28, 2021
Inizio promettente, anche se non è bello come the ancient magus bride.
September 13, 2022
This is a solid start to a new story. Yamazaki has infused a good bit of background story to entice me to go to the next volume as I want to know more about the characters, especially Faust herself.
The character design and world building is very pretty to look at and some panels speak more than any writing can do. I love manga for the art styling and Yamazaki has a nice clean style that really lets me see the work in the smaller details of the backgrounds
Can't wait to get the next volume
The character design and world building is very pretty to look at and some panels speak more than any writing can do. I love manga for the art styling and Yamazaki has a nice clean style that really lets me see the work in the smaller details of the backgrounds
Can't wait to get the next volume
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August 31, 2020
I heard about this from a manga webinar I watched recently. It's cute! I'm definitely glad I had the second volume already requested and on hand so I can continue the series.
December 27, 2017
In Summary
Frau Faust incorporates magic with a bit of action and a lot of mystery. Unlike the original Faust tale, in which the demon is simply focused on tempting Faust to a bad end, the relationship between Mephisto and Johanna, like that between Sebastian and Ciel of Black Butler, is more complex. It remains to be seen what motivates Johanna to both care for orphans and reconstruct a dismembered demon, but I’m sufficiently intrigued to continue reading in order to find out.
The Review
Of the stories of humans selling their souls to demons, the tale of Faust is among the most famous, and Yamazaki-sensei uses it as the basis for Frau Faust. However, instead of starting with the contract that Faust strikes with the demon Mephistopheles, this manga opens a century after Faust’s demise.
Except Faust isn’t dead. And he’s no longer a man but a youthful woman who goes by the name Johanna. As for Mephisto, he was cut into pieces and sealed away. Inquisitors have scattered the demon’s remains in various locations to prevent him from reviving, but Johanna is on a mission to bring him back.
Clearly, Faust is a complicated character with extraordinary circumstances, but fortunately, readers have the young boy Marion to help navigate through the story. Johanna and Marion literally run into another when Marion’s trying to escape with stolen books, and when she learns he had to drop out of school because of his family’s debt, she takes it upon herself to tutor him. However, her motives aren’t entirely pure. When the time is opportune, she uses the boy to get into a church stronghold, where he witnesses a battle between Johanna and the Inquisitor swordsman Lorenzo and encounters the partially reassembled Mephisto.
Yamazaki-sensei does this throughout Volume 1, showing different aspects of Johanna’s ill-gotten power and countering them with pangs of conscience and acts of compassion. Add to that a sharp wit and glimpses of Faust’s love-hate relationship with Mephisto, and we have an extremely intriguing gray character. Getting involved with her is definitely a risky proposition, but as Marion demonstrates, she’s so fascinating that the temptation to journey with her overrides fear.
The story opens up with mysteries: namely, why is Faust a woman and what is she trying to accomplish by resurrecting Mephisto? But by the end of the volume, we get no answers, only more questions about the relationship between Faust and Mephisto. However, the characters— from the naive Marion to the persistent Lorenzo to the enigmatic Johanna—do an excellent job of drawing readers into their world, and I look forward to continuing their story.
Extras include the 36-page one-shot The Invisible Museum, bonus comics, a 4-page manga style author’s afterword, and translation notes.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
Frau Faust incorporates magic with a bit of action and a lot of mystery. Unlike the original Faust tale, in which the demon is simply focused on tempting Faust to a bad end, the relationship between Mephisto and Johanna, like that between Sebastian and Ciel of Black Butler, is more complex. It remains to be seen what motivates Johanna to both care for orphans and reconstruct a dismembered demon, but I’m sufficiently intrigued to continue reading in order to find out.
The Review
Of the stories of humans selling their souls to demons, the tale of Faust is among the most famous, and Yamazaki-sensei uses it as the basis for Frau Faust. However, instead of starting with the contract that Faust strikes with the demon Mephistopheles, this manga opens a century after Faust’s demise.
Except Faust isn’t dead. And he’s no longer a man but a youthful woman who goes by the name Johanna. As for Mephisto, he was cut into pieces and sealed away. Inquisitors have scattered the demon’s remains in various locations to prevent him from reviving, but Johanna is on a mission to bring him back.
Clearly, Faust is a complicated character with extraordinary circumstances, but fortunately, readers have the young boy Marion to help navigate through the story. Johanna and Marion literally run into another when Marion’s trying to escape with stolen books, and when she learns he had to drop out of school because of his family’s debt, she takes it upon herself to tutor him. However, her motives aren’t entirely pure. When the time is opportune, she uses the boy to get into a church stronghold, where he witnesses a battle between Johanna and the Inquisitor swordsman Lorenzo and encounters the partially reassembled Mephisto.
Yamazaki-sensei does this throughout Volume 1, showing different aspects of Johanna’s ill-gotten power and countering them with pangs of conscience and acts of compassion. Add to that a sharp wit and glimpses of Faust’s love-hate relationship with Mephisto, and we have an extremely intriguing gray character. Getting involved with her is definitely a risky proposition, but as Marion demonstrates, she’s so fascinating that the temptation to journey with her overrides fear.
The story opens up with mysteries: namely, why is Faust a woman and what is she trying to accomplish by resurrecting Mephisto? But by the end of the volume, we get no answers, only more questions about the relationship between Faust and Mephisto. However, the characters— from the naive Marion to the persistent Lorenzo to the enigmatic Johanna—do an excellent job of drawing readers into their world, and I look forward to continuing their story.
Extras include the 36-page one-shot The Invisible Museum, bonus comics, a 4-page manga style author’s afterword, and translation notes.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
February 2, 2018
Faust is a woman, still alive, and hunting down the pieces of Mephistopheles so she can punch him? Or to win a bet with him? Along the way she saves a boy from being arrested after stealing and uses him to get onto holy ground. That adventure works out well for her but since she'd been tutoring the boy until it was time to retrieve the piece of the demon she needed his help to get to, he wants to stay with her and learn more. What he learns is that the story of Faust has some truth but isn't the whole story. Faust has a heart and compassion. Her long life hasn't been completely focused on the demon that cursed her but it has been colored by it. How much and what it will make her do remains to be seen.
There's a short backup story that takes place in what looks like present day and has no direct connection to the Faust story. It probably will connect in a few volumes.
There's a short backup story that takes place in what looks like present day and has no direct connection to the Faust story. It probably will connect in a few volumes.
August 22, 2025
I wanted to read this series before I finished weeding it from our library collection, but I see why we’re weeding it now :/
It’s just really boring- despite its interesting premise. I just couldn’t finish volume 1- and with a manga, thats not a great sign. I’m sure I’d get more into it tge more I read, but it’s just not really worth doing that with so many other fantastic series out there.
It’s just really boring- despite its interesting premise. I just couldn’t finish volume 1- and with a manga, thats not a great sign. I’m sure I’d get more into it tge more I read, but it’s just not really worth doing that with so many other fantastic series out there.
December 31, 2017
More from the mangaka behind The Ancient Magus' Bride?
Sign me up!
*ahem*
For those wanting a real review of Frau Faust and not just my fan girl reaction...
Frau Faust is the story of a strange woman named Johanna. It turns out, she's the real Faust (all those stories of a male Faust were wrong), and she's searching for Mephisto, the demon she was separated from. She's a little eccentric, but generally a good person. She's a difficult character to nail down, and she reminds me a lot of Elias, if Elias had started as human and so had a vague idea of what humanity and human emotions were all about.
So far, it's a bit more focused than Ancient Magus' Bride, as Johanna has a distinct end goal in mind (find Mephistopheles), but it still has that world building and frank and deliberate story telling we know from Yamazaki-sensei's previous work.
There was also a bonus story at the end of the book, The Invisible Museum, which was even more Ancient Magus' Bride like. This one's about a girl who wants to work and leave home because her family life stinks. She ends up finding work at an odd museum where everything is invisible or magical and stuff. I would love to read more of this one, so it's a shame that it looks like a one shot.
Sign me up!
*ahem*
For those wanting a real review of Frau Faust and not just my fan girl reaction...
Frau Faust is the story of a strange woman named Johanna. It turns out, she's the real Faust (all those stories of a male Faust were wrong), and she's searching for Mephisto, the demon she was separated from. She's a little eccentric, but generally a good person. She's a difficult character to nail down, and she reminds me a lot of Elias, if Elias had started as human and so had a vague idea of what humanity and human emotions were all about.
So far, it's a bit more focused than Ancient Magus' Bride, as Johanna has a distinct end goal in mind (find Mephistopheles), but it still has that world building and frank and deliberate story telling we know from Yamazaki-sensei's previous work.
There was also a bonus story at the end of the book, The Invisible Museum, which was even more Ancient Magus' Bride like. This one's about a girl who wants to work and leave home because her family life stinks. She ends up finding work at an odd museum where everything is invisible or magical and stuff. I would love to read more of this one, so it's a shame that it looks like a one shot.
April 27, 2018
Frau Faust is rated Teen and has some violence as well as a slightly dismembered demon that I assume is going to be assembled at some point unless the church gets its way. :)
Okay to be honest the description of the book is pretty much spot on when you read the back of it. In this tale we meet the Faust of legend but find out he is a she and she is doing her best to reassemble Mephisto after she was cursed by him. It seems the church at one point condemned the demon and not only separated his body parts but sealed them away in various places. In the meantime Johanna Faust who cannot die thanks to a curse of immortality continues to learn and teach as she continues her primary goal. One such young man named Marion is saved by Johanna and intrigued by her he decides to travel with her so he can continue to learn.
I'll be honest with everyone that I wasn't sure if I would like this book even though Kore Yamazaki created it and I love The Ancient Magus' Bride. You see in TAMB it is the interactions between Elias and Chise that I am most drawn to and not just the huge magical world the book delves into. I was pleasantly relieved to see Frau Faust although not as good as TAMB (in my opinion...then again I have read 7 of one versus just this one so that is not really a fair assessment) it is still a good book that I will enjoy reading more of in the future.
Also in the last 1/4 or so of the book we get another story in "The Invisible Museum" which may be a one shot or might be an ongoing story to fill space in the Frau Faust books. I think it would be cool if the mangaka did different short stories each volume but only time will tell. :)
My favorite part of the book would have to be the big reveal of Johanna's daughter's true form. I am not going to tell you what it is here but like a lot of the other characters the art style is similar to characters in TAMB. :)
Okay to be honest the description of the book is pretty much spot on when you read the back of it. In this tale we meet the Faust of legend but find out he is a she and she is doing her best to reassemble Mephisto after she was cursed by him. It seems the church at one point condemned the demon and not only separated his body parts but sealed them away in various places. In the meantime Johanna Faust who cannot die thanks to a curse of immortality continues to learn and teach as she continues her primary goal. One such young man named Marion is saved by Johanna and intrigued by her he decides to travel with her so he can continue to learn.
I'll be honest with everyone that I wasn't sure if I would like this book even though Kore Yamazaki created it and I love The Ancient Magus' Bride. You see in TAMB it is the interactions between Elias and Chise that I am most drawn to and not just the huge magical world the book delves into. I was pleasantly relieved to see Frau Faust although not as good as TAMB (in my opinion...then again I have read 7 of one versus just this one so that is not really a fair assessment) it is still a good book that I will enjoy reading more of in the future.
Also in the last 1/4 or so of the book we get another story in "The Invisible Museum" which may be a one shot or might be an ongoing story to fill space in the Frau Faust books. I think it would be cool if the mangaka did different short stories each volume but only time will tell. :)
My favorite part of the book would have to be the big reveal of Johanna's daughter's true form. I am not going to tell you what it is here but like a lot of the other characters the art style is similar to characters in TAMB. :)
June 4, 2018
I found out about this from CJ's video. Since I used to love the Ancient Magus Bride, I am curious to see this mangaka's take on Dr Faustus. The main character, Johana has more personality compared to the one in Magus's Bride. The extra story might be a tad more interesting than the main plot, but whatever, I love her art style and I'm gonna continue reading this, hopefully!
November 19, 2018
Though I still haven't picked up Ancient Magus Bride I've heard amazing things so when I found Frau Faust in clearance I jumped on the chance to pick it up. I really enjoyed this and it kept my interest easily. The extra story at the end was intriguing but has nothing to do with the main story so it felt a little pointless. But I definitely plan on picking up the next volume.
January 14, 2018
Alors j'ai pas tout compris, mais ça m'intrigue pas mal donc on va continuer hein !
June 20, 2018
4.5 stars. I found this first volume very captivating and intriguing. I plan on picking up the next volume soon!
January 14, 2020
I liked it alot no surprise since it's by the person who made ancient magus bride
October 21, 2018
This is the second series I have read by Yamazaki, and this series is amazing! I am not familiar with the myth of Faust, but I am aware of what Faust represents in literature and I love seeing this myth come to life with Yamazaki's signature touch. The artwork is enchanting and works for the time period and setting in the story. I love the design of the monsters and Mephisto, as well as the designs of the characters. Even though they all have simple designs (including Faust herself) the are recognizable enough and their simplicity makes the demons pop even more. Speaking of characters, I want to spend the remainder of this review gushing about Faust.
First off, this is one of the few times where gender-swapping a character from a noteworthy piece of fiction/myth does not infuriate me thanks to Yamazaki's treatment of Faust's character. Slight tangent here, but one of the things that frustrates me about stories where gender-swapping occurs is that either very little changes in the story aside from the genders being swapped or the gender-swap the characters and make a bunch of political/social statements based off of the swap. Here, Faust's gender is important because she lives in colonial times of what I believe is Germany (I don't think the country is ever mentioned) and Faust's defining character trait is that she is obsessed with knowledge. She wants to learn as much as she can about anything and everything, going to any lengths she has to in order to achieve it. However, because she is a woman this is frowned upon because women during colonial times were supposed to focused on the house. The fact that villagers and even her own parents are freaked out by her insatiable curiosity is understandable because it is not only frowned upon but genuinely disturbing because of her gender. And yet, Faust doesn't care that she's discriminated against because of her gender because as long as she can access knowledge and education she doesn't care what she has to do to obtain it or what others see of her. Yamazaki isn't making a political statement with Faust, saying, "Hey! Check out my strong, female character defying the odds to obtain knowledge!" rather she is presenting a character with such an abnormal thirst for knowledge that she is willing to make a contract with a demon to ensure she gets it. Faust herself is interesting because while she does genuinely care for others, she is also aware that the driving force behind her actions is obtaining knowledge and experimentation. While I adore her character and think she's great, she's also not a hero. She breaks many laws and a lot of her actions of violent repercussions for the people around her. Yet she continues her quest, doing what she can to complete her task.
Okay, gushing aside, I truly loved this volume. It is a great introduction to the series and another great series by the great Yamazaki herself. I look forward to reading the rest of the series to see what fate befalls my beloved Faust.
First off, this is one of the few times where gender-swapping a character from a noteworthy piece of fiction/myth does not infuriate me thanks to Yamazaki's treatment of Faust's character. Slight tangent here, but one of the things that frustrates me about stories where gender-swapping occurs is that either very little changes in the story aside from the genders being swapped or the gender-swap the characters and make a bunch of political/social statements based off of the swap. Here, Faust's gender is important because she lives in colonial times of what I believe is Germany (I don't think the country is ever mentioned) and Faust's defining character trait is that she is obsessed with knowledge. She wants to learn as much as she can about anything and everything, going to any lengths she has to in order to achieve it. However, because she is a woman this is frowned upon because women during colonial times were supposed to focused on the house. The fact that villagers and even her own parents are freaked out by her insatiable curiosity is understandable because it is not only frowned upon but genuinely disturbing because of her gender. And yet, Faust doesn't care that she's discriminated against because of her gender because as long as she can access knowledge and education she doesn't care what she has to do to obtain it or what others see of her. Yamazaki isn't making a political statement with Faust, saying, "Hey! Check out my strong, female character defying the odds to obtain knowledge!" rather she is presenting a character with such an abnormal thirst for knowledge that she is willing to make a contract with a demon to ensure she gets it. Faust herself is interesting because while she does genuinely care for others, she is also aware that the driving force behind her actions is obtaining knowledge and experimentation. While I adore her character and think she's great, she's also not a hero. She breaks many laws and a lot of her actions of violent repercussions for the people around her. Yet she continues her quest, doing what she can to complete her task.
Okay, gushing aside, I truly loved this volume. It is a great introduction to the series and another great series by the great Yamazaki herself. I look forward to reading the rest of the series to see what fate befalls my beloved Faust.
February 23, 2018
Это.. точно не то, что я ожидала прочитать. Повествование настолько хаотично и бросается из крайности в крайность, что все впечатления в итоге оказываются рассеянными где-то на периферии. По жанру это адвенчура со сверхъестественным фьюжном с фрау Фауст в главной роли (что должно интриговать, но выполняет свою функцию до тех пор, пока не познакомишься с фрау поближе). По итогам первого тома выясняется, что главной героине (sadly) не хватает харизмы, а ее реакции и поступки довольно непритязательно меняются под влиянием обстоятельств, будто кто-то просто перебирает палитру красок. Вот она вроде делает удивительно хорошие дела, а вот прохлаждается словно без цели. Вот флэшбек, который показывает порочность ее натуры и отсутствие чувства вины за свои сомнительные поступки. При всем этом она умудряется сохранять ауру опасного безумца, который повидал слишком много и которому нечего терять (а может, это просто рисунок такой? :D). Мне кажется, бессмертные существа должны видеть bigger picture, и показать что у них еще осталась способность к сопереживанию можно более утонченными способами, без точечных спасений бедных сирот от верной смерти и рандомной передачи знаний проявившему интерес пацану.
Самое интригующее - это погоня фрау за своим демоном. Может их на самом деле связывает многолетняя духовная связь определенного толка, но увиденное наталкивает на мысль, что эти двое ближе друг к другу в иных вариациях. Я уже говорила, что героиня не произвела должного впечатления, но и остальные ребята тоже не особо блещут. Только светится в темноте своей глупостью пацан-компаньон (тайно надеюсь, что его выпилят в ближайшее время). Мефистофель - meh, у меня начисто отсутствует демонический фетиш, тем более когда перед употреблением надо еще собрать мозаику.
Зато меня полностью захватил one-shot, включенный в конец книги (Toumei Hakubutsukan - Transparent Museum). После неоднозначных впечатлений о фрау Фауст чудесно было окунуться в историю, больше похожую на сон.
hisashiburi
Самое интригующее - это погоня фрау за своим демоном. Может их на самом деле связывает многолетняя духовная связь определенного толка, но увиденное наталкивает на мысль, что эти двое ближе друг к другу в иных вариациях. Я уже говорила, что героиня не произвела должного впечатления, но и остальные ребята тоже не особо блещут. Только светится в темноте своей глупостью пацан-компаньон (тайно надеюсь, что его выпилят в ближайшее время). Мефистофель - meh, у меня начисто отсутствует демонический фетиш, тем более когда перед употреблением надо еще собрать мозаику.
Зато меня полностью захватил one-shot, включенный в конец книги (Toumei Hakubutsukan - Transparent Museum). После неоднозначных впечатлений о фрау Фауст чудесно было окунуться в историю, больше похожую на сон.
hisashiburi
September 27, 2021
Today’s post is on Frau Faust, Vol. 1 by Kore Yamazaki. It is 176 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has Faust and her demon on it. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The intended reader is someone who likes retelling of classic stories. The story is told from third person close of Marion. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- More than a century after an eccentric scholar made an infamous deal with a devil, the story of Faust has passed into legend. However, the true Faust is not the stuffy, professorial man known in fairy tales, but a charismatic, bespectacled woman named Johanna Faust, who happens to still be alive. Searching for pieces of her long-lost demon, Johanna passes through a provincial town, where she saves a young boy named Marion from a criminal’s fate. In exchange, she asks a simple favor of Marion, but Marion soon finds himself intrigued by the peculiar Doctor Faust and joins her on her journey. Thus begins the strange and wonderful adventures of Frau Faust!
Review- An interesting first volume in a retelling of a classic myth. Marion knows the story about Faust or at least the story that the church wants known. Of course the truth is more complicated. Marion wants to learn from Faust and he goes with her. Most of this volume is about plot and world development. Marion learns about the real Johanna Faust, the real deal she made, and about the people who are hunting but not why yet. The last story is a short story about a girl who finds a museum for invisible things. I really enjoyed that and I hope that Yamazaki does more with that story later. A solid first volume and I look forward to seeing where Johanna and Marion are going.
I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and bought this manga with my own money.
From the back of the book- More than a century after an eccentric scholar made an infamous deal with a devil, the story of Faust has passed into legend. However, the true Faust is not the stuffy, professorial man known in fairy tales, but a charismatic, bespectacled woman named Johanna Faust, who happens to still be alive. Searching for pieces of her long-lost demon, Johanna passes through a provincial town, where she saves a young boy named Marion from a criminal’s fate. In exchange, she asks a simple favor of Marion, but Marion soon finds himself intrigued by the peculiar Doctor Faust and joins her on her journey. Thus begins the strange and wonderful adventures of Frau Faust!
Review- An interesting first volume in a retelling of a classic myth. Marion knows the story about Faust or at least the story that the church wants known. Of course the truth is more complicated. Marion wants to learn from Faust and he goes with her. Most of this volume is about plot and world development. Marion learns about the real Johanna Faust, the real deal she made, and about the people who are hunting but not why yet. The last story is a short story about a girl who finds a museum for invisible things. I really enjoyed that and I hope that Yamazaki does more with that story later. A solid first volume and I look forward to seeing where Johanna and Marion are going.
I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and bought this manga with my own money.
July 16, 2021
A muddled start, though it shows teasing signs of more depth to come in the relationship between this female Faust and the demon Mephistopheles whose disassembled pieces she's roaming the earth to reassemble, though maybe not entirely for the reason she says. Though we get a few flashbacks of the adversarial relationship between them pre-disassembly (seeming sometimes playful, sometimes sinister), most of the story is seen through the eyes of the naive boy Marion, knowledge-hungry but kept out of school by poverty, who starts following Faust around as an unwanted assistant eager to learn from this clearly educated stranger. We get a few appearances by a couple of Inquisitors whose job is I guess to guard the separated pieces of the demon (though they're pretty bad at it), and there's a hint of Faust's reputation having suffered for her actions over the years being (mis?)interpreted as evil (introducing a crop to prevent mass starvation despite knowing it will cause a few deaths in the long run, that kind of thing).
Nothing is clear enough to make up my mind about this series yet--there is potential, though I'm not swept away by the characters, still-vague plot, or worldbuilding yet--so I'll give it another volume to see how well it develops.
Nothing is clear enough to make up my mind about this series yet--there is potential, though I'm not swept away by the characters, still-vague plot, or worldbuilding yet--so I'll give it another volume to see how well it develops.
May 29, 2019
Much like Ancient Magus Bride, this is a fairly slow starting series with many, many unanswered questions. It also has an unusual relationship between a human and a non-human, which just seems to be a thing Yamazaki likes to explore, and I'm pretty okay with it. At least this time Johanna is an adult, unlike Chise.
The series is set in a fictional version of historical Germany, I'd guess around 1700s. There are little notes throughout briefly explaining literary references, and a brief comic by Yamazaki at the end that shows she clearly did her research and this is something of a passion project for her, which I always appreciate.
There's also a short story at the end of a completely unrelated story that really gives me Xxxholic feels, so it makes me happy, but it is just kind of weird and quiet and a little sad. And that honestly kind of describes one of my favorite genres, of stories like Holic and Mushi-shi.
The series is set in a fictional version of historical Germany, I'd guess around 1700s. There are little notes throughout briefly explaining literary references, and a brief comic by Yamazaki at the end that shows she clearly did her research and this is something of a passion project for her, which I always appreciate.
There's also a short story at the end of a completely unrelated story that really gives me Xxxholic feels, so it makes me happy, but it is just kind of weird and quiet and a little sad. And that honestly kind of describes one of my favorite genres, of stories like Holic and Mushi-shi.
July 13, 2018
A riff off of the story of Faust, who made a deal with a devil named Mephistopheles. Only Faust is a scholar, a scientist, and a woman. Johanna is being pursued by Inquisitors, so she's on the run, but she's also embroiled in some kind of game with her demon, Mephisto. For reasons to which we're not yet privy, she is trying to re-assemble his body, which has been divided and scattered. In conning a boy named Marion into helping her, she inadvertently wins his admiration. He's determined to become her student and to travel with her, no matter the danger.
Other cast members are deliciously complex and conflicted. Volume 1 is a really promising start from a favorite mangaka. Welcoming this series to my perma-preorder list.
Other cast members are deliciously complex and conflicted. Volume 1 is a really promising start from a favorite mangaka. Welcoming this series to my perma-preorder list.
September 25, 2017
I liked the beginning of this series. The plot is intriguing, the characters are likable and have depth and I'm interested to see where it goes! I just wish the entire book had been related to the series, instead of half of it being an unrelated side project of the author. It was good too, don't get me wrong, but... I want the side story to have its own series too now. It definitely could be one with the right tweaking! But I don't think it will be a continuing project and that's kind of a bummer, so, year. But this is the same party responsible for Ancient Mage's Bride, which I absolutely love, so I expected quality and quality I received!
October 27, 2018
I’ve been enjoying the “Ancient Magus’ Bride” series quite a bit, so when I saw this at the library and noticed it was the same author, I checked it out without hesitation. And if I liked that manga, then I LOVED this one. The characters are so fun and mysterious. Even though I’ve never read a version of the Faust legends myself, Johanna is an immediately intriguing protagonist. Yamazaki’s art continues to be super visually pleasing and I can’t wait to read more. Plus the bonus story, “The Invisible Museum”, is just about the best one-shot I’ve ever read. Desperately sad it’s not a series itself!
November 28, 2021
More of a 3.5 star rating but I gave it 4 stars since I’m a fan of Yamazaki-sensei’s work and, this first volume as a whole really caught my interest.
Johanna is a really interesting character to say the least, and certain aspects of her personality remind me of Dazai from Bungou Stray Dogs. I’m very curious to see what happens to her in the next volume, especially with the cliffhanger ending.
Also, I really liked the bonus chapter: The Invisible Museum. I hope there are more bonus chapters of that little storyline.
Johanna is a really interesting character to say the least, and certain aspects of her personality remind me of Dazai from Bungou Stray Dogs. I’m very curious to see what happens to her in the next volume, especially with the cliffhanger ending.
Also, I really liked the bonus chapter: The Invisible Museum. I hope there are more bonus chapters of that little storyline.
February 25, 2020
So I checked this out because it's by the same author who does The Ancient Magus' Bride, which is a manga and anime series that I love.
I didn't really know what to expect from this, but knew it was some kind of retelling/reimagining of Faust, which is a German classic legend.
Unfortunately, I didn't really get the point of this manga, and it's not nearly as interesting as her other series. I may continue with it, but I'm honestly not sure.
I didn't really know what to expect from this, but knew it was some kind of retelling/reimagining of Faust, which is a German classic legend.
Unfortunately, I didn't really get the point of this manga, and it's not nearly as interesting as her other series. I may continue with it, but I'm honestly not sure.
October 14, 2017
Beautiful artwork with an interesting and unique storyline. I'm a big fan of Magus, and as this was authored by the same mangaka I decided to give it a try. I was a little worried beforehand that it would be too much like Magus since it's in the same fantasy/magical genre, but it really is unique unto itself.
May 17, 2018
Delighted. I decided to try Frau Faust because of my love of Ancient Magus Bride, and I'm happy I did. The deepened ambiguity of the main character and her relationship to mephistopheles, the darkness of this world and the light of the people trying to make their lives in it...it's all really working for me. Frau Faust has become one of my favorite characters.
(I've read through the 4th book)
(I've read through the 4th book)
February 14, 2020
A twist on the Faust story, which is obvious from the title and the cover, so I'm not really spoiling anything. To be honest, this story didn't really catch my attention since Frau Faust herself is dull and somewhat preachy-- I found the one-shot ("The Invisible Museum") at the end of the volume more interesting the the main storyline.
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