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Manga Shakespeare
Manga Shakespeare: Twelfth Night
TRUE LOVE'S SEASON
In this comedy of mistaken identity and thwarted love, Viola and her twin brother, Sebastian, are shipwrecked on Illyria, where they wreak havoc on the romantic lives of Countess Olivia and Duke Orsino. Viola, dressed as a man, can't shake the attention of Olivia—but she only has eyes for Orsino. Transported into a steampunk-inspired nineteenth century, this interpretation of Shakespeare's beloved classic captures the chaos and poetry of the original in a whole new way.
The Manga Shakespeare series is an exciting new way to read the works of William Shakespeare—and much more fun than a study guide! Using Shakespeare's original text and drawing inspiration from modern Japan, each of the books brings to life one of the most important works od literature in the English language. Whether it's for school or for relaxation, whether you're a fan of manga or of the Bard, Manga Shakespeare won't disappoint!
In this comedy of mistaken identity and thwarted love, Viola and her twin brother, Sebastian, are shipwrecked on Illyria, where they wreak havoc on the romantic lives of Countess Olivia and Duke Orsino. Viola, dressed as a man, can't shake the attention of Olivia—but she only has eyes for Orsino. Transported into a steampunk-inspired nineteenth century, this interpretation of Shakespeare's beloved classic captures the chaos and poetry of the original in a whole new way.
The Manga Shakespeare series is an exciting new way to read the works of William Shakespeare—and much more fun than a study guide! Using Shakespeare's original text and drawing inspiration from modern Japan, each of the books brings to life one of the most important works od literature in the English language. Whether it's for school or for relaxation, whether you're a fan of manga or of the Bard, Manga Shakespeare won't disappoint!
207 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2010
18 people are currently reading
1628 people want to read
About the author
Richard Appignanesi
112 books39 followersRichard Appignanesi is a published adapter and an author of young adult books. Published credits of Richard Appignanesi include Manga Shakespeare: Julius Caesar (Manga Shakespeare), Manga Shakespeare: Macbeth (Manga Shakespeare), Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet (Manga Shakespeare), and Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (Manga Shakespeare).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
January 28, 2020
As someone who had already read the play and seen a couple performances, this didn't add a ton for me (except to emphasize the obvious emotional weakness in having Sebastian not end up with the Captain). The art is nice, the minor steampunk touches totally pointless, the overall tone a little flat but mostly fine.
For a reader who has a hard time with Shakespeare's language or who simply enjoys graphic narration more this gives a decent summary of the story. If you're reading this for school I wouldn't rely on it to cover everything; read the original text as well, or a Cliff's notes type guide.
For a reader who has a hard time with Shakespeare's language or who simply enjoys graphic narration more this gives a decent summary of the story. If you're reading this for school I wouldn't rely on it to cover everything; read the original text as well, or a Cliff's notes type guide.
February 7, 2026
Manga is new to me, I must admit. While I have read, with interest and appreciation, graphic novels like Art Spiegelman’s Maus (1991), Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis (2003), and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home (2006), I had, until recently, never read a manga. And I was keenly aware of that omission – for manga, that art form that began in Japan in the late 19th century, has spread all over the world and become a global phenomenon, with a global market value in 2024 of ¥704.3 billion (about $45 million U.S.) Therefore, when I learned about a series called Manga Shakespeare in early January, just as Twelfth Night was coming round, I thought I would take a look at Manga Shakespeare: Twelfth Night – and I found it to be a pleasant experience that combined the poetry of William Shakespeare with striking images that draw upon hallowed traditions in Japanese popular culture.
Twelfth Night is, of course, one of Shakespeare’s most popular and most beloved comedies. Written around 1601 – and first staged, it has been suggested, on Twelfth Night (January 5th) of that year, as part of an entertainment provided by Queen Elizabeth I for a visiting Italian Duke – Twelfth Night deftly brings together a number of plotlines, all of which begin with a shipwreck along the coast of Illyria (an area roughly corresponding to the former Yugoslavia).
Plot 1: Two identical twins, Viola and Sebastian, are cast away from each other in the shipwreck, and each believes the other to be lost.
Plot 2: Viola makes her way safely to shore. Knowing that a lone woman is not safe in a strange land, she arranges, with the help of a kindly sea-captain, to disguise herself as a young man named “Cesario.” As “Cesario,” Viola finds her way to the court of a duke named Orsino. There, Viola/"Cesario" learns that Orsino is hopelessly in love with Olivia, countess of Illyria. Yet Olivia has promised to remain in mourning for seven years, and has been rejecting the Duke’s suits of love. Orsino engages for “Cesario” to court Olivia on the Duke’s behalf – and Olivia finds herself falling in love with “Cesario,” the disguised Viola!
Plot 3: Within Countess Olivia’s household, there is discord. Olivia has accepted into her household a perpetually drunken cousin named Sir Toby Belch (no, really). Sir Toby in turn has brought a friend, Sir Andrew Aguecheek (no, really), a feckless knight who is yet another would-be suitor for Olivia’s hand. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Olivia’s maidservant Maria, a servant named Fabian, and the household fool Feste have all experienced rebukes from Malvolio, Olivia’s self-righteous and stuck-up steward. Realizing that Malvolio harbours his own dreams of winning Olivia’s love, these conspirators hatch a scheme to get Malvolio to embarrass himself by openly declaring to Olivia his love for her.
Plot 4. Sebastian, like his sister Viola, has landed safely on the Illyrian coast. He has been rescued by Antonio, a seafaring friend who has declared his love for Sebastian. Wishing to help Sebastian find a safe place to stay in this strange land, Antonio arranges for Sebastian to stay at a tavern called the Elephant – even though Antonio runs risks in doing so, as he once fought as a privateer against the forces of Duke Orsino, and is wanted in Orsino’s realm as a “pirate.”
So, is that enough plot for you? It seems as though a narrative that complex could take up a War and Peace-sized novel; but Shakespeare weaves all those plotlines together quite seamlessly, and gets it done within the typical scope of a Shakespeare play.
My first encounter with the manga or anime style of drawing came through childhood viewings of the Japanese cartoon show Speed Racer on WDCA Channel 20, an independent television station serving the Washington, D.C., area. In the process, I got accustomed, without realizing it, to a number of the norms of anime and manga – the sharp lines, the enormously large eyes of the characters, the often-blurred backgrounds (because it’s what’s happening up front that should be holding our attention).
This interpretation of Twelfth Night benefits from delightful illustrations by Nana Li. The illustrator takes full advantage of the creative opportunities offered by the manga medium – the chance to play with sizes of panels, thickness of lines, light and dark backgrounds – to help this version of Twelfth Night succeed in terms of visual art while presenting Shakespeare’s talents for characterization and poetry.
The visual mise-en-scène for this rendering of Twelfth Night is quite creative – a steampunk-infused version of the late 19th or early 20th century. Viola/“Cesario,” when travelling from Orsino’s estate to court Olivia, flies a glider (!). Sir Andrew drives an expensive-looking Rolls-Royce type of car. Antonio, in his privateering wars against Orsino, is shown flying an airship that combines the hull of a sailing ship with motors and a dirigible-style aerostat. All of that visual creativity added to the charm of this manga.
Li also takes full advantage of the opportunities to use visuals to illuminate the play’s action. Early in the play, when Viola/”Cesario,” courting Olivia on Orsino’s behalf, is praising Olivia’s beauty, Olivia deflects this praise, saying, “It shall be inventoried as – Item: Two lips, indifferent red. Item: Two grey eyes, with lids to them. Item: One neck, one chin, and so forth” (p. 55). Li then provides illustrations of each of these items, separated from the person to whom they belong, on price tag-style placards bound together by a string. Olivia’s sarcasm, thus reinforced by Li’s visuals, gives additional force to Viola/”Cesario’s” disapproving reply: “I see you what you are. You are too proud.”
The gulling of Malvolio seems particularly to draw upon Li’s talents as illustrator. Maria, who can write in a hand very similar to Olivia’s, has written a love note and left it where Malvolio will find it. The steward-who-would-be-a-lord takes the bait all too easily, determined to take ambiguous cues from Maria’s note and make of them evidence of Olivia’s supposed love for Malvolio.
One of the most famous passages from Maria’s invented letter to Malvolio is one in which she encourages Malvolio not to be shy in expressing his love for Olivia, writing that “I am above thee, but be not afraid of greatness.” She adds that “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” I liked how illustrator Li used a two-page illustration to indicate how effectively Maria’s letter appeals to Malvolio’s vanity.
“Some are born great…” is accompanied by an image of a king, tall and dignified, in crown and ermine, with orb in one hand and sceptre in the other – a tableau that reminded me of the statue of Alfred the Great at Winchester, England. “Some achieve greatness…” is linked with an illustration of an Indiana Jones-style adventurer; clad in a stockman’s duster, wearing an oversized fedora and aviator sunglasses, he carries a sword and holds a telescope as he surveys a globe, plotting out future adventures. And for “some have greatness thrust upon them”, the reader looks up at an arrogant, sneering Malvolio, who (in smaller panels at the bottom of the page) imagines himself scolding Sir Toby for drunkenness and upbraiding Maria for a broken teacup. All of this makes Malvolio’s eventual undoing seem all the more poetically just.
And when the conspirators’ trick against Malvolio has been made known to all, near play’s end, Fabian confesses “Most freely” that “myself and Toby set this device against Malvolio. Maria writ the letter, in recompense whereof Sir Toby hath married her.” To accompany this confession, illustrator Li presents Fabian, Maria, and Sir Toby in matching mug shots (arrest numbers 10496 through 10498). Fabian smiles cheerfully, Maria offers an arch wink, and a boozed-and-bruised Sir Toby is shown with a TMZ-style highlight circle around his new wedding ring.
I found that illustrator Li’s work was well complemented by that of adapter Richard Appignanesi, who did well at utilizing Shakespeare’s original poetry (with some mild modifications here and there) rather than switching everything into a modern argot, as Stephen Sondheim did in adapting Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for the musical play West Side Story (1957). While it would not be possible to include all of Shakespeare’s language, I thought that Appignanesi included enough of it to keep the reader (a) understanding what is going on and (b) appreciating Shakespeare’s poetic diction.
A good example of the suitability of Appignanesi’s adaptive work occurs late in the play, when Sebastian, against all odds, has made his way toward Olivia’s estate, creating the possibility that all of these tangled plot threads may yet be wound up in a happy and comedic manner. Sir Toby Belch threatens Sebastian; Sebastian has nothing but a small dagger with which to defend himself, while Sir Toby draws a sword cane, saying, “What, what? Then I must have an ounce or two of blood from you” (p. 159).
In Shakespeare’s original Twelfth Night, of course, what Sir Toby Belch says is, “What, what? Nay, then, I must have an ounce or two of this malapert blood from you.” I miss the word “malapert” (meaning, as it does, “boldly disrespectful to a person of higher standing”), but I understand that the word balloons must be kept to a reasonable size; and on the whole, I found Appignanesi’s adaptational choices to be sound.
It is at this point, of course, that Olivia – mistaking Sebastian for “Cesario,” the disguised Viola whom Olivia loves – intervenes. And Olivia is so surpassingly beautiful, with her huge expressive eyes and her delicate features, that it’s easy to see why Duke Orsino and Sir Andrew Aguecheek and the steward Malvolio are all hopelessly in love with her. And it seems comparably plausible that she could walk up to a young man who has never seen her before and propose an immediate marriage – “Plight me the full assurance of your faith, that my jealous and doubtful soul may live at peace” – and have the young man accept at once: “I’ll go with you, and having sworn truth, ever will be true.”
Twelfth Night has always been one of my favourite Shakespeare plays, and is one that I return to every January 5th. I loved the 1996 film adaptation with a cast that included Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Kingsley, and Imelda Staunton, and this manga gave me a new way to enjoy this delightful play. When I was in Japan, I walked by a number of manga shops in Tokyo – all of them filled with happy and excited customers – but I didn’t know much about manga as an art form. Now, I suppose, I have started to learn a bit. This adaptation of Twelfth Night was my first experience with Manga Shakespeare, but I anticipate that it will not be my last.
Twelfth Night is, of course, one of Shakespeare’s most popular and most beloved comedies. Written around 1601 – and first staged, it has been suggested, on Twelfth Night (January 5th) of that year, as part of an entertainment provided by Queen Elizabeth I for a visiting Italian Duke – Twelfth Night deftly brings together a number of plotlines, all of which begin with a shipwreck along the coast of Illyria (an area roughly corresponding to the former Yugoslavia).
Plot 1: Two identical twins, Viola and Sebastian, are cast away from each other in the shipwreck, and each believes the other to be lost.
Plot 2: Viola makes her way safely to shore. Knowing that a lone woman is not safe in a strange land, she arranges, with the help of a kindly sea-captain, to disguise herself as a young man named “Cesario.” As “Cesario,” Viola finds her way to the court of a duke named Orsino. There, Viola/"Cesario" learns that Orsino is hopelessly in love with Olivia, countess of Illyria. Yet Olivia has promised to remain in mourning for seven years, and has been rejecting the Duke’s suits of love. Orsino engages for “Cesario” to court Olivia on the Duke’s behalf – and Olivia finds herself falling in love with “Cesario,” the disguised Viola!
Plot 3: Within Countess Olivia’s household, there is discord. Olivia has accepted into her household a perpetually drunken cousin named Sir Toby Belch (no, really). Sir Toby in turn has brought a friend, Sir Andrew Aguecheek (no, really), a feckless knight who is yet another would-be suitor for Olivia’s hand. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Olivia’s maidservant Maria, a servant named Fabian, and the household fool Feste have all experienced rebukes from Malvolio, Olivia’s self-righteous and stuck-up steward. Realizing that Malvolio harbours his own dreams of winning Olivia’s love, these conspirators hatch a scheme to get Malvolio to embarrass himself by openly declaring to Olivia his love for her.
Plot 4. Sebastian, like his sister Viola, has landed safely on the Illyrian coast. He has been rescued by Antonio, a seafaring friend who has declared his love for Sebastian. Wishing to help Sebastian find a safe place to stay in this strange land, Antonio arranges for Sebastian to stay at a tavern called the Elephant – even though Antonio runs risks in doing so, as he once fought as a privateer against the forces of Duke Orsino, and is wanted in Orsino’s realm as a “pirate.”
So, is that enough plot for you? It seems as though a narrative that complex could take up a War and Peace-sized novel; but Shakespeare weaves all those plotlines together quite seamlessly, and gets it done within the typical scope of a Shakespeare play.
My first encounter with the manga or anime style of drawing came through childhood viewings of the Japanese cartoon show Speed Racer on WDCA Channel 20, an independent television station serving the Washington, D.C., area. In the process, I got accustomed, without realizing it, to a number of the norms of anime and manga – the sharp lines, the enormously large eyes of the characters, the often-blurred backgrounds (because it’s what’s happening up front that should be holding our attention).
This interpretation of Twelfth Night benefits from delightful illustrations by Nana Li. The illustrator takes full advantage of the creative opportunities offered by the manga medium – the chance to play with sizes of panels, thickness of lines, light and dark backgrounds – to help this version of Twelfth Night succeed in terms of visual art while presenting Shakespeare’s talents for characterization and poetry.
The visual mise-en-scène for this rendering of Twelfth Night is quite creative – a steampunk-infused version of the late 19th or early 20th century. Viola/“Cesario,” when travelling from Orsino’s estate to court Olivia, flies a glider (!). Sir Andrew drives an expensive-looking Rolls-Royce type of car. Antonio, in his privateering wars against Orsino, is shown flying an airship that combines the hull of a sailing ship with motors and a dirigible-style aerostat. All of that visual creativity added to the charm of this manga.
Li also takes full advantage of the opportunities to use visuals to illuminate the play’s action. Early in the play, when Viola/”Cesario,” courting Olivia on Orsino’s behalf, is praising Olivia’s beauty, Olivia deflects this praise, saying, “It shall be inventoried as – Item: Two lips, indifferent red. Item: Two grey eyes, with lids to them. Item: One neck, one chin, and so forth” (p. 55). Li then provides illustrations of each of these items, separated from the person to whom they belong, on price tag-style placards bound together by a string. Olivia’s sarcasm, thus reinforced by Li’s visuals, gives additional force to Viola/”Cesario’s” disapproving reply: “I see you what you are. You are too proud.”
The gulling of Malvolio seems particularly to draw upon Li’s talents as illustrator. Maria, who can write in a hand very similar to Olivia’s, has written a love note and left it where Malvolio will find it. The steward-who-would-be-a-lord takes the bait all too easily, determined to take ambiguous cues from Maria’s note and make of them evidence of Olivia’s supposed love for Malvolio.
One of the most famous passages from Maria’s invented letter to Malvolio is one in which she encourages Malvolio not to be shy in expressing his love for Olivia, writing that “I am above thee, but be not afraid of greatness.” She adds that “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” I liked how illustrator Li used a two-page illustration to indicate how effectively Maria’s letter appeals to Malvolio’s vanity.
“Some are born great…” is accompanied by an image of a king, tall and dignified, in crown and ermine, with orb in one hand and sceptre in the other – a tableau that reminded me of the statue of Alfred the Great at Winchester, England. “Some achieve greatness…” is linked with an illustration of an Indiana Jones-style adventurer; clad in a stockman’s duster, wearing an oversized fedora and aviator sunglasses, he carries a sword and holds a telescope as he surveys a globe, plotting out future adventures. And for “some have greatness thrust upon them”, the reader looks up at an arrogant, sneering Malvolio, who (in smaller panels at the bottom of the page) imagines himself scolding Sir Toby for drunkenness and upbraiding Maria for a broken teacup. All of this makes Malvolio’s eventual undoing seem all the more poetically just.
And when the conspirators’ trick against Malvolio has been made known to all, near play’s end, Fabian confesses “Most freely” that “myself and Toby set this device against Malvolio. Maria writ the letter, in recompense whereof Sir Toby hath married her.” To accompany this confession, illustrator Li presents Fabian, Maria, and Sir Toby in matching mug shots (arrest numbers 10496 through 10498). Fabian smiles cheerfully, Maria offers an arch wink, and a boozed-and-bruised Sir Toby is shown with a TMZ-style highlight circle around his new wedding ring.
I found that illustrator Li’s work was well complemented by that of adapter Richard Appignanesi, who did well at utilizing Shakespeare’s original poetry (with some mild modifications here and there) rather than switching everything into a modern argot, as Stephen Sondheim did in adapting Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for the musical play West Side Story (1957). While it would not be possible to include all of Shakespeare’s language, I thought that Appignanesi included enough of it to keep the reader (a) understanding what is going on and (b) appreciating Shakespeare’s poetic diction.
A good example of the suitability of Appignanesi’s adaptive work occurs late in the play, when Sebastian, against all odds, has made his way toward Olivia’s estate, creating the possibility that all of these tangled plot threads may yet be wound up in a happy and comedic manner. Sir Toby Belch threatens Sebastian; Sebastian has nothing but a small dagger with which to defend himself, while Sir Toby draws a sword cane, saying, “What, what? Then I must have an ounce or two of blood from you” (p. 159).
In Shakespeare’s original Twelfth Night, of course, what Sir Toby Belch says is, “What, what? Nay, then, I must have an ounce or two of this malapert blood from you.” I miss the word “malapert” (meaning, as it does, “boldly disrespectful to a person of higher standing”), but I understand that the word balloons must be kept to a reasonable size; and on the whole, I found Appignanesi’s adaptational choices to be sound.
It is at this point, of course, that Olivia – mistaking Sebastian for “Cesario,” the disguised Viola whom Olivia loves – intervenes. And Olivia is so surpassingly beautiful, with her huge expressive eyes and her delicate features, that it’s easy to see why Duke Orsino and Sir Andrew Aguecheek and the steward Malvolio are all hopelessly in love with her. And it seems comparably plausible that she could walk up to a young man who has never seen her before and propose an immediate marriage – “Plight me the full assurance of your faith, that my jealous and doubtful soul may live at peace” – and have the young man accept at once: “I’ll go with you, and having sworn truth, ever will be true.”
Twelfth Night has always been one of my favourite Shakespeare plays, and is one that I return to every January 5th. I loved the 1996 film adaptation with a cast that included Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Kingsley, and Imelda Staunton, and this manga gave me a new way to enjoy this delightful play. When I was in Japan, I walked by a number of manga shops in Tokyo – all of them filled with happy and excited customers – but I didn’t know much about manga as an art form. Now, I suppose, I have started to learn a bit. This adaptation of Twelfth Night was my first experience with Manga Shakespeare, but I anticipate that it will not be my last.
January 10, 2021
*3.5
I haven't seen many movie adaptations of Twelfth Night, but I truly love the 1996 one with Helena Bonham Carter. I've watched it four times. The movie moves around the plot of the play a bit - it actually makes it make a little more sense, in my opinion. Having Viola say "whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife" halfway through the movie when she actually falls in love with Orsino in comparison to when she says it in her very first scene really works. And, even though the play itself ends pretty openly with a lot of the characters, the movie ties up those loose ends very well.
So, from the start, I realized that this Manga was more faithful. I do think that it doesn't hold quite as well as the movie did with the plot, but it is quite good in many ways. I do think, though, that this should've made some effort to tie up some of the loose ends with other characters. It felt a bit unfinished that way without it, even though I do know that this is how the play itself ends.
3.5/5 stars. I am definitely interested in checking out other Manga Shakespeare books. They are quite unique.
I haven't seen many movie adaptations of Twelfth Night, but I truly love the 1996 one with Helena Bonham Carter. I've watched it four times. The movie moves around the plot of the play a bit - it actually makes it make a little more sense, in my opinion. Having Viola say "whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife" halfway through the movie when she actually falls in love with Orsino in comparison to when she says it in her very first scene really works. And, even though the play itself ends pretty openly with a lot of the characters, the movie ties up those loose ends very well.
So, from the start, I realized that this Manga was more faithful. I do think that it doesn't hold quite as well as the movie did with the plot, but it is quite good in many ways. I do think, though, that this should've made some effort to tie up some of the loose ends with other characters. It felt a bit unfinished that way without it, even though I do know that this is how the play itself ends.
3.5/5 stars. I am definitely interested in checking out other Manga Shakespeare books. They are quite unique.
March 11, 2017
Twelfth night is my favourite Shakespeare play, it was the first one I ever saw the RSC do and the woman playing Maria was fantastic. This is a comic book adaptation that keeps a lot of the original dialogue. It's done in the style of a romance manga and the art work is stunningly gorgeous! Because it's a comic there is no difference between the twins, except their costumes and they are beautifuly androgynous in a way that only anime characters can be. Olivia is beautiful, Orsino is beautiful! So glad I found a copy of this.
April 29, 2025
Twelfth Night oughta be one of my FAVOURITE Shakespeare plays. I am so amazed - how does he manage to write the GAYEST straight romance story ever? Like - I have no doubt in my SOUL that EVERYONE in this play is bisexual. It is basically canon. Basically. This manga-version made me even more sure lmao
September 23, 2020
Twelfth Night is one of my top five favorite Shakespeare plays, so I really enjoyed this! The art is super cute and the identical twin plot line works very well in mediums where you can actually make the characters identical.
This is also the queerest Shakespeare play, which is saying a lot. Viola is the straightest character in this whole thing and she spends 95% of her stage time in men's clothing lmao.
Poor Antonio just wanted to love Sebastian but Sebastian had to run off and marry the first woman he met. 😔
This is also the queerest Shakespeare play, which is saying a lot. Viola is the straightest character in this whole thing and she spends 95% of her stage time in men's clothing lmao.
Poor Antonio just wanted to love Sebastian but Sebastian had to run off and marry the first woman he met. 😔
June 9, 2023
4 stars - I thought this was sooo cute! I thought that even tho I got a little bit confused with certain parts bc i’m not too familiar with shakespeare, it was quite funny and entertaining. I loved how this is in manga form, it was much easier to understand things by seeing them, I think this is a really good introduction to shakespeare and it was overall just pretty enjoyable!
January 14, 2021
Puanım 4/5 (%78/100)
On İkinci Gece'yi daha önce hem İngilizce hem Türkçe okumuş ve birkaç kere izlemiş birisi olarak yeni bir şey öğrendiğimi diyemem. Fakat amacım bir şeyler öğrenmek de değildi, eğlenmekti. Sık sık manga okuyan ve seven birisiyim. Bunun üzerine Shakespeare'in de bütün eserlerini severek okudum. İkisi birleşince ilginç bir şekilde çok güzel olmuş. Özellikle çocuklar veya Shakespeare'in dilini karışık bulanlar için çok yararlı bir seri olmuş. Karakterler az çok hayal ettiğim gibiydi özellikle Malvolio. Okuması kolay ve eğlenceliydi, çizimleri de çok beğendim. Kitabın sonunda özet ve yazarın hayatının da koyulması hoş olmuş. Başarılı bir kitap tavsiye ediyorum.
On İkinci Gece'yi daha önce hem İngilizce hem Türkçe okumuş ve birkaç kere izlemiş birisi olarak yeni bir şey öğrendiğimi diyemem. Fakat amacım bir şeyler öğrenmek de değildi, eğlenmekti. Sık sık manga okuyan ve seven birisiyim. Bunun üzerine Shakespeare'in de bütün eserlerini severek okudum. İkisi birleşince ilginç bir şekilde çok güzel olmuş. Özellikle çocuklar veya Shakespeare'in dilini karışık bulanlar için çok yararlı bir seri olmuş. Karakterler az çok hayal ettiğim gibiydi özellikle Malvolio. Okuması kolay ve eğlenceliydi, çizimleri de çok beğendim. Kitabın sonunda özet ve yazarın hayatının da koyulması hoş olmuş. Başarılı bir kitap tavsiye ediyorum.
January 1, 2018
It's my favorite play, but in Manga form & everyone is pretty. How can it go wrong?
But no, it's a lovely adaption of the play with clean, lovely artwork and I adore it from cover to cover.
But no, it's a lovely adaption of the play with clean, lovely artwork and I adore it from cover to cover.
August 11, 2020
The manga drawings did not entice nor help that much in following the plot
March 9, 2021
I love the Manga Shakespeare books 📚 they are so easy read and beautifully illustrated 🥰
March 17, 2024
"O time, thou must untangle this, not I! It is too hard a knot for me to untie."
What a fun way to explore this play!
This comic book version of the play was definitely a fun read, but it didn't add much more to the play itself aside from some really funnily drawn characters.
I reeeeaaally liked the way Malvolio was drawn with his cross gartered yellow stockings, he looked just as awful as I imagined him to look when I first read this play!
I definitely recommend picking up a copy of this if you like the play and mangas/comic books.
What a fun way to explore this play!
This comic book version of the play was definitely a fun read, but it didn't add much more to the play itself aside from some really funnily drawn characters.
I reeeeaaally liked the way Malvolio was drawn with his cross gartered yellow stockings, he looked just as awful as I imagined him to look when I first read this play!
I definitely recommend picking up a copy of this if you like the play and mangas/comic books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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February 12, 2025Read for a school assignment
May 17, 2018
Totally made things in the play easier to understand, plus the art is great.
March 22, 2021
Re-Read Review (March 21st, 2021):
Li really captured what I enjoy about this play but also captured her version for Illyria so well, I surprised it didn't resonate with me sooner. The characters are all incredibly animated, and the script flows well in an abridged format. Although I loved this manga adaptation at 16, I think talking about this play recently in my Shakespeare Comedies and Romances class really helped me appreciate it more. This will remain, hands down, my favorite from the Manga Shakespeare series.
Original Review (June 12th, 2016):
I read an abridged version of this play back in 8th grade, and I fell in love with it. I'm planning on rereading the whole play later, since I think this is my favorite Shakespeare play thus far. The comedy is beyond bizarre, I found myself rooting for most of the characters, and there's so much charm in this play that manages to shine out.
As with the manga adaptation, it was done excellently! This was my first time experiencing the full original dialogue of the play (outside of a monologue of Feste), and it was easier to understand compared to Julius Caesar. The illustrations were also pretty good, though they were a little choppy at the beginning. The chibi parts were my favorite out of them. They were so darling! :3
Feste still remains as my favorite character though. The jester of Countess Olivia's household, he never fails to make me laugh, or to charm me massively. I loved how he was drawn here.
So basically, I loved this, and I'm really interested to read more from the Manga Shakespeare series.
Li really captured what I enjoy about this play but also captured her version for Illyria so well, I surprised it didn't resonate with me sooner. The characters are all incredibly animated, and the script flows well in an abridged format. Although I loved this manga adaptation at 16, I think talking about this play recently in my Shakespeare Comedies and Romances class really helped me appreciate it more. This will remain, hands down, my favorite from the Manga Shakespeare series.
Original Review (June 12th, 2016):
I read an abridged version of this play back in 8th grade, and I fell in love with it. I'm planning on rereading the whole play later, since I think this is my favorite Shakespeare play thus far. The comedy is beyond bizarre, I found myself rooting for most of the characters, and there's so much charm in this play that manages to shine out.
As with the manga adaptation, it was done excellently! This was my first time experiencing the full original dialogue of the play (outside of a monologue of Feste), and it was easier to understand compared to Julius Caesar. The illustrations were also pretty good, though they were a little choppy at the beginning. The chibi parts were my favorite out of them. They were so darling! :3
Feste still remains as my favorite character though. The jester of Countess Olivia's household, he never fails to make me laugh, or to charm me massively. I loved how he was drawn here.
So basically, I loved this, and I'm really interested to read more from the Manga Shakespeare series.
July 2, 2013
I don't think manga style quite works with this one. It really feels like emphasis has been added to the wrong parts, with it missing from others, in order to fit into the anime style. Some characters feel partially unexplained.
If you have not read Twelfth Night before, it might be worth reading the back summary at the same time you read the story in order to understand what is going on.
The one decent thing about the manga adaptation is that both characters do look exactly alike, a feat usually not well pulled off by modern day actors.
If you have not read Twelfth Night before, it might be worth reading the back summary at the same time you read the story in order to understand what is going on.
The one decent thing about the manga adaptation is that both characters do look exactly alike, a feat usually not well pulled off by modern day actors.
July 13, 2023
Well illustrated and using the conventions of Manga expression to bring out the nuances in Shakespeare's text this is a great introduction to Twelfth Night for anyone who finds reading a play text difficult. Li brings to life the comedy of the play, graphically showing the anarchic sense of fun that was current in Shakespeare's time. The drawing is achingly beautiful, I'm not sure who I'm more in love with!
May 25, 2012
Romantic comedy about mistaken identity. Twins Viola and Sebastian survive a shipwreck near a strange country. Neither knows that the other is alive. Viola disguises herself as a pageboy and promptly falls in love with the Count who employs her. Sebastian falls for the woman who the Count is trying to woo. Appealing artwork helps to make the dialog more accessible.
February 8, 2014
It captivated my heart!!!
August 31, 2014
The character designs are marvelous. I've read Twelfth Night before but this just made me love the story and the characters more.
November 19, 2020
A great adaptation of Twelfth Night - probably the best title in the Manga Shakespeare series.
October 11, 2016
Such cute character desgins, and a quite funny plot. Yet another one for me to get to this year in original form.
March 7, 2020
As my review I will copy and paste part of the assignment I turned in because I had to read this. Also clearly indicated is why I only received a 9/10 laaaaaaammmmmee
Manga Shakespeare Twelfth Night is a successful example of an adaptation. It sticks with the same plot and characters yet makes it more accessible and fun for people who are not fans of Shakespeare’s works or think they are too hard to read. It holds to the play but puts the setting in a fun Steampunk world manga. By streamlining the dialogue, yeti keeping it in the original language, it allows the reader to experience the words of Shakespeare in a quick way. By also adding the cute chibi characters throughout the book, it gives the reader a look at what the inner emotion the characters are feeling.
I think this an amazing use of the play to try and reach a younger audience whether it be through and adaptation or appropriation. If the person is curious enough it will always lead back to Shakespeare’s original works, keeping his plays relevant for many years to come.
Manga Shakespeare Twelfth Night is a successful example of an adaptation. It sticks with the same plot and characters yet makes it more accessible and fun for people who are not fans of Shakespeare’s works or think they are too hard to read. It holds to the play but puts the setting in a fun Steampunk world manga. By streamlining the dialogue, yeti keeping it in the original language, it allows the reader to experience the words of Shakespeare in a quick way. By also adding the cute chibi characters throughout the book, it gives the reader a look at what the inner emotion the characters are feeling.
I think this an amazing use of the play to try and reach a younger audience whether it be through and adaptation or appropriation. If the person is curious enough it will always lead back to Shakespeare’s original works, keeping his plays relevant for many years to come.
August 2, 2022
Never had I heard of this classic by Shakespeare and never will I ever truly read a classic by Shakespeare especially in the original English wording (except for Romeo and Juliet which I had to read but in modern English).
This story was fine. There wasn’t anything really incredible or stand-out, but the art work was absolutely gorgeous and beautiful.
I did read the synopsis at the end before starting the story so I am not sure if that helped me or not understand the story because to be faire the slightly more Shakespearean way of speaking that is used in this narrative really threw me off at first. Got used to it but definitely isn’t always easy to read.
Ridiculous as this story is (like how does the count or whatever his title is end up falling in love with the girl twin all of the sudden…. Like what? And then all the confusion around the two twins and everything) it was still fairly enjoyable.
This story was fine. There wasn’t anything really incredible or stand-out, but the art work was absolutely gorgeous and beautiful.
I did read the synopsis at the end before starting the story so I am not sure if that helped me or not understand the story because to be faire the slightly more Shakespearean way of speaking that is used in this narrative really threw me off at first. Got used to it but definitely isn’t always easy to read.
Ridiculous as this story is (like how does the count or whatever his title is end up falling in love with the girl twin all of the sudden…. Like what? And then all the confusion around the two twins and everything) it was still fairly enjoyable.
January 2, 2025
I was very disappointed in the last Manga Classics book I read (Anne of Green Gables), so I didn't go into this one with particularly high expectations. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only is Shakespeare a much better fit for Manga in general (the play is almost entirely dialogue, instead of the long and elaborate descriptions that characterize Montgomery's works) but the adaptor did a decent job of keeping the overall tone and feel of Shakespeare's language. (I will confess to having some mixed feelings about this--so many of the lines are *almost* exactly what Shakespeare wrote, but not quite. I'd have rather seen passages cut than the lines changed.)
The style itself is still not my cup of tea--I find the overt mix of sexualization and babyishness in the artwork unpleasant, and while none of the art is particularly explicit, would still prefer not to give it to my younger students or my own children.
The style itself is still not my cup of tea--I find the overt mix of sexualization and babyishness in the artwork unpleasant, and while none of the art is particularly explicit, would still prefer not to give it to my younger students or my own children.
July 2, 2018
I've had this book for at least five years and finally mustered up the courage to read it - I really don't like Shakespeare's language. But I do love his stories, and Twelfth Night is no exception.
This manga adaptation was easy to follow and beautifully drawn to boot. Some of the character designs are a little... excentric, but I actually really like that; as well as the steampunk elements.
I've never understood the ending to this tale, where the Duke suddenly marries Viola even though he's been after Olivia all this time. What a fickle heart.
This manga adaptation was easy to follow and beautifully drawn to boot. Some of the character designs are a little... excentric, but I actually really like that; as well as the steampunk elements.
I've never understood the ending to this tale, where the Duke suddenly marries Viola even though he's been after Olivia all this time. What a fickle heart.
January 20, 2021
Great drawing, details and using it to tell the story. This is a story about two twins and their name were Viola and Sebastian. Viola thought she had lost the her twin at sea. So viola, who is a female. She cut her hair and dress up as a boy to service the lord who own the land and she fall in love with him but he fall in love with a countess. He sent the viola to tell the countess, his love again but the countess fall in love with her. In the end, Viola and Sebastian found true love with the one they love as well the lord and countess found out the truth about the twin and marry them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2021
After doing this as a school version way back when I simply couldn’t resist getting this story. While being simplified the fun of the plot is kept and it is still easy to understand, which for Shakespeare can be quite hard to do. The art is absolutely gorgeous and compliments the simplicity of the structure and highlight the comedic aspects without detracting from any other part.
This is something I would recommend to anyone struggling to get a head around Shakespeare plays as the visual highlights the importance of each scene without overdramatising it.
This is something I would recommend to anyone struggling to get a head around Shakespeare plays as the visual highlights the importance of each scene without overdramatising it.
July 25, 2018
I just adore the Shakespeare Manga! I think it's a really nice way to make Shakespeare more approchable for some people out there and that includes me! I do love seeing his plays on stage but find it a little hard to read them and this format is just perfect. The art is incredible! And it keeps all the charm of the story and character of Twelfth Night! Cannot recommend enough.
September 26, 2018
Not being very familiar with graphic novels, I found this edition amusing and perplexing. Although I thought the story line was conveyed well and I appreciated the use of the actual script lines, it would have been difficult to follow had I not known the plot very well. Probably more the weakness of the genre and not the fault of the artist.
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