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Grimms Manga Tales

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In this classic manga version of the Brothers Grimm fairytales, Kei Ishiyama puts her own creative spin on these beloved stories.

Featuring Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, The Two Brothers, The Twelve Hunters, Snow White, The Frog King, Puss in Boots, and The Singing, Springing Lark, this fantasy manga retells these timeless tales... but with a twist of originality!

368 pages, Paperback

Published December 5, 2017

75 people want to read

About the author

Kai Ishiyama

3 books

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5 stars
39 (26%)
4 stars
42 (28%)
3 stars
51 (34%)
2 stars
13 (8%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Profile Image for Dev.
2,462 reviews187 followers
November 24, 2017
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

These might be a little bit short for some people, but I really enjoyed them. This book retells many of Grimm's popular fairytales but puts fun [and definitely manga-ish] twists on them. I was actually not familiar with several of these stories [The Two Brothers, The Singing Springing Lark, and the Twelve Huntsman] so it was nice to see a few fairytales that don't get covered a lot as well as the standard ones like Rapunzel or Snow White. But even the ones I was familiar with were told in a different way, and I also liked how they genderswapped a few of them. It was a really cute book and if you like manga and fairytales I would definitely recommend it.
Profile Image for Doc.
1,959 reviews30 followers
December 6, 2020
Key kid, *pulls out a book* want to see a manga based on some of the most graphic tales of morality ever? Never mind the cover art...after all in the original story Red Riding Hood was devoured by the wolf.

Before getting into the book I do have one warning to give to readers of this "All Ages" book. Although children will probably not understand a brief moment near the end of the first part of the Puss in Boots story is about when some thugs force themselves into the mill and say ""Hah, at least we get a woman with the mill! Let's have a good time with her!" while another thug is looking around to steal food. When Puss acts in this scene even though his mistress is not finely illustrated you can see the top of her dress has been torn in one panel indicating that if Puss had been much later to act his mistress would have been violated in this kid friendly book. Her reactions (although once again we don't see fine details) are very appropriate for the horror she experienced so if you buy this for your kids it will probably go over their heads but be ready to explain about the situation if they are curious about what the bad men were doing to the poor lady in the scene.

Okay I have some issues with this book besides the rape scene mentioned above...having grown up on the original fairy tales that that were fairly graphic depending on the version of the story I was expecting something relatively darker even with the cuteish cover since when I bought this online I did not see it was for all ages. From what I remember the Grimm Fairy Tales were often for lack of a better description grim but what I discovered as I read the stories in this book is they are straight up Shōjo tales that often have little to do with morality and are more about love and beauty even at the cost of the original story structure. Now with that said the whole volume is not a sappy love fest like how the Little Wolf (who was not bad at all) is supposed to devour a human virgin to become a real wolf but instead falls madly in love with Little Red Cap (talk about old school reference) at first site and decided to through away his wolfish nature to protect her instead. Honestly I found flaws in many of the stories (some of which is I couldn't get into the love story because it was so short) but they also had some interesting twists as the book claims including Rapunzel being a man who (accidentally?) knocks up his frequent visitor after the witch that abducted him as a child has been visiting less often in his lonely tower.

Now this last thing that bothered me is not really that big of a deal but I don't like how Tokyopop has handled the release of this book series. What we have in our hands is a physical copy of the manga which collects the first two volumes of the series as an e-book but when you finish the last story, check out the little bonus comics, and finish seeing the bonus art in this book you will see there is a 3rd volume of the series (technically) which is only available as an e-book as far as I can tell because oh look it has the number 3 in the corner of the cover. Instead they added the word Anthology to the volume title which according to Amazon's site is something like 150 pages short of either of the first two volumes of the series and removed the #3 in the corner making it harder to find since it is no longer volume 3 regardless of the image in the manga notice. Technically by doing so this makes the e-book version not a continuation of the series but an addition with more stories based on classic tales. Unfortunately some people do not like reading comics and manga on a device such as a tablet or the computer so they will miss out on these extra tales whether because Tokyopop did not want to chance adding all three volumes to one physical book or were not aware of the 3rd volume until after the book was already in print. I for one am looking to seeing how dark Cinderella might get (chances are it will not be even close to the original horrors) and to get to see how they spin the Town Musicians of Breman who actually showed up in at least one cameo already in the story of Little Red Riding Hood in this book. :)

EDIT: I meant to add the listing for the Anthology book on my review since Amazon owns Goodreads and I didn't want people who wanted to see it to have to go through the same process I did to find it so here it is if you decide to read more manga fairy tales. Needless to say I forgot (oops) but that is an easy fix. :) https://www.amazon.com/Grimms-Manga-T...
Profile Image for DJL.
393 reviews
July 10, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed Ishiyama's updated depictions of various Grimm Fairy Tales. The art was lovely, the changes in the stories were wonderful and surprising, and overall, I just wanted to read more!

You really can't get enough of Grimm's Fairy Tales no matter what format they are given.
Profile Image for Heather Hayden.
Author 13 books94 followers
June 1, 2018
Loved this collection of manga shorts featuring several of my favorite fairy tales! The retellings are fresh and well done, with beautiful artwork throughout.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
152 reviews
January 30, 2018
It's the classical brother Grimms fairytale as manga and with some twists. I know the brother Grimms fairytales from my childhood, it was fun to read the fairytales as manga.
Profile Image for Rachel.
1,454 reviews153 followers
November 4, 2017
*thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2.5 stars.
I just couldnt get into this. Its a collection of short stories retold in manga style. Here we have, Featuring Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, The Two Brothers, The Twelve Hunters, Snow White, The Frog King, Puss in Boots, and The Singing, and Springing Lark.

I have heard of most of them, such as 'The Two Brothers', 'The Twelve Hunters', 'The Frog King', 'The Singing' and 'Springing Lark', I hadnt so it was nice to not have known the back story for these. However, they just werent my type of book. While the artwork was good, I cant work out what age group this is suited for. It has some content that isnt for younger readers. Overall, I wouldnt recommend it but...if you are a huge manga fan, then yes, I would suggest giving it a chance.
Profile Image for Lindsay Duffy.
113 reviews1 follower
March 21, 2019
My 2yo daughter picked this out for me as a gift because she knows I like anime. When I started reading this, I hated it. It was dry. Every story was love story, even the ones that were not written to have a love story. Some of the romance felt forced. I couldn't stand it but decided to finish it since it was a well thought out from my toddler. I figured I would finish it and write a review about how bad it was. Then I got halfway through it. I wound up enjoying the latter half. A lot. It wound up remind me of the Ace Attorney Manga Collection that is written by multiple authors. There are some good stories in here but there are plenty of bad ones you have to trudge through to get to the good ones.
Profile Image for Kalie (Half of Pristine Prose).
191 reviews21 followers
November 5, 2020
2.5 really need that half star rating for one's like this

I really wish this had been better. It's one of those books (which I find in manga a lot) where it had the potential to be great but just wasn't.

There were parts where the story lines were hard to follow cause I would feel whoa, how'd we get here like we just skipped ahead in time with no explanation.

The one story I did love was snow white. That was cute. And the extra sketches and stuff put at the end was nice. Cause like I did love the art, but the plots weren't good.

Especially trying to read the stories I wasn't familiar with. Those were aweful, I was completely lost. Which in my opinion, a good retelling you wouldn't have to be familiar with the original to enjoy this new version.
Profile Image for Michela Cacciatore.
Author 28 books81 followers
October 1, 2021
Telling very romantic and light classic fairy tales, forget all the dark side of fairy tales. But the liberties that the author takes with respect to the classic fairy tales are really interesting. The art is fabulous. The only flaw, I would have loved to read longer stories.
Profile Image for Space Panda.
421 reviews8 followers
February 20, 2025
Français:

Liste de contes de fées : Le volume est très mignon. Il y a des contes de fées classiques, mais avec un petit changement. (Example, Rapoince est un garçon, pas une fille)

•Le Petit Chaperon Rouge
•Rapoince
•Hansel et Gretel
•Les Douze Chasseurs
•Les Deux Frères
•Blanche-Neige
•Le Chat Botté
•Le Roi Grenouille
•La Fauvette-qui-chante-qui-sautille
•Strips et crayonnés


Spanish:
Los cuentos de Hadas de toda la vida, como Blancanieves y Rapunzel, pero con pequeños cambios. Una lectura para pasar el rato. Esos cambios en algunas historias les dio un giro divertido (especialmente en las no conocía), pero las conocidas no creo que haya sido bien llevado.

"Caperucita Roja", la moraleja de la historia enseñar a las niñas a no confiar en desconocidos o no ir solas a un bosque, en la actualidad sería el equivalente a "no vayas sola por la calle por la noche". El Lobo representa ese peligro, pero aquí haciéndolo que se enamore de ella y haciendo que se comporte tierno con ella, hacemos que todo el mensaje se pierda.

"Blancanieves", nos quitaron la manzana envenenada, que es un símbolo super importante en esa historia.

También hay muchos cambios de sexo de los personajes y casi todas le agregan un componente de romance que no había antes. Si esos cambios no te molestan o preciosamente eso buscas, este volumen es una buena elección para ti.

Dibujo: Precioso, si te gusta el dibujo estilo Shojo, este manga puede que te guste.
Profile Image for Wayne McCoy.
4,296 reviews32 followers
July 22, 2018
'Grimms Manga Tales' by Kei Ishiyama is a series of famous stories, but told with a bit of a twist on the familiar.

The collection includes retellings of Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, The Frog Prince and others. The twists presented are either gender changes to the main characters or other manga type twists. Rapunzel is a prince, and he is saved by a woman (there are also funny references to the rapunzel salad). Little Red Riding Hood features a boy who looks like a wolf. There were a couple stories I was less familiar with, but I think I can figure out what the twists were.

These were fun to read. The art was decent enough. I liked that these weren't just straightforward retellings.

I received a review copy of this manga from Tokyopop, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.
Profile Image for Silvia.
280 reviews
November 16, 2017
I received an arc for this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This Manga is a collection of Grimm's Fairy tales with a twist. While I love all things fairy tales I just couldn't get into this one like I wanted. I felt all the stories were just too short. If you are looking for a quick read then this is for you.You can read this entirely in 1 hour. The illustrations in this are beautiful and detailed, worth buying for that alone. While I haven't read the original versions of all these tales, the ones I had read, I enjoyed her twist on them. This has inspired me to read the original versions of the stories I hadn't heard before.
Profile Image for J.D. DeHart.
Author 9 books47 followers
November 9, 2017
This book takes the charm and creativity of Grimm's tales, complete with garish and frightening characters and age-old storylines, and combines them with the equal charm of a Manga title. I would recommend this collection of tales for readers new to the genre, as well as seasoned enthusiasts.

The final product is well-composed, and comes across as a mythical and interesting read. I would gladly add this book to my own shelf, and I know something of the ability of Manga and graphic novels to engage a wide audience. This book would have very similar appeal.
Profile Image for K.A. Wiggins.
Author 21 books198 followers
January 4, 2018
Disclaimer: reviewing digital proofs via NetGalley

The digital galleys make it a bit hard to see what's happening sometimes, and so I'd give a qualified thumbs up on that angle; the art seems generally attractive in a sharp, saucy manga style where the girls are cute, the women are foxy, and the boys are improbably hot and know it full well. I did find it hard to figure out what was going on in terms of movement, but the final versions may be easier to keep up with. On the plus side, art and even backgrounds are detailed and lush, to suit the fairytale surroundings.

On the story side, the first few stories in particular feel a little too abbreviated to me, but the latter, multi-part stories were more satisfying. Greater emphasis on character motivation and emotional responses than in the fairytales you may have heard in the past makes them more engaging and sometimes adds a fun twist. Little bit spicier or romance-y in some cases, while in others, a gender-swapped cast adds some freshness. Generally enjoyable and nice to look at.
194 reviews
September 12, 2023
Une lecture totalement "manga" (plutôt orienté shojo) des contes de Grimm. C'est distrayant, c'est graphiquement totalement satisfaisant et les romances sont, bien entendu, toujours présentes. Très plaisant et sans prise de tête, j'ai beaucoup apprécié (avec un petit côté old school dans le design, totalement adapté aux contes).
6,226 reviews40 followers
December 8, 2023
The stories in the book and the rating I give them include Little Red Riding Hood (C), Rapunsel (B), Hanzel and Gretel (A+), the Twelve Huntsmen (A) and a two part The Two Brothers (A).

I had never heard of the last two stories.

One thing pointed out is if people eat cows and sheep then why can't wolves eat people?

I think the Hanzel and Gretel story was the best in the book.
Profile Image for Critterbee❇.
924 reviews72 followers
November 3, 2017
This is a collection of short manga versions of classic Grimm fairy tales, fully in the manga style.

Overall, this was a fairly fun version of Grimm's Fairy Tales, but I think it might be too mature for a tween or younger, and not really edgy enough for a teen.

*eARC Netgalley*
Profile Image for Mari's Struggle is Real.
221 reviews6 followers
November 6, 2017
I love fairytales and I love anime and manga. It is my favorite combination. I had not read the Springing Lark before and it was very cool to read it in Manga with cool illustrations.
*ARC graciously provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
24 reviews
February 25, 2018
The art style is adorable, and I enjoyed the majority of the stories. They were all well told, but I have my favorites, haha. It was also nice to have a twist or two in the mix for how the stories play out and/or end.
Profile Image for Remy.
365 reviews30 followers
May 5, 2019
Love the art, and it was so fun to read a manga adaptation of these stories. :) #would recommend #would read again
9 reviews1 follower
February 3, 2020
I liked reading this book because it put a nice twist on the fairytales i read as a little kid and it was a really big book so it entertained me for a while.
Profile Image for Laila.
360 reviews44 followers
July 22, 2023
favorites: little red riding hood, rapunzel, hansel and gretel, the two brothers, puss in boots, and the frog prince
Profile Image for Nikieeee.
113 reviews
December 24, 2023
Mega nádherné obrázky/ilustrace miluju to. A TEPLA LOCIKA? ❤️❤️❤️❤️🤩🤩🤩
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Catherine Mason.
375 reviews2 followers
July 29, 2024
Great fun. My favourite story was the last one. I found the illustrations a bit muddled and confusing at times. Fewer pointy-chinned heroes would have added variety.
Profile Image for Liz (Quirky Cat).
4,986 reviews84 followers
February 24, 2018
I received a copy of Grimms Manga Tales from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Grimms Manga Tales is more or less, exactly what the title implies. It is a collection of Grimm fairy tales that have been converted in manga form, though there’s a decent amount of creative license being used throughout (the author made a point of making each story their own). The stories include: Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, the Two Brothers, the Twelve Hunters, Snow White, the Frog King, Puss in Boots, and the Singing, Springing Lark.
I’ll admit I had some trouble getting into this novel. I don’t think it was the subject matter – I love Grimm’s stories, even when they’re retold by another author. Perhaps it was the specific changes being made that kept me from enjoying it as much as I would have liked (it did feel like many of the endings were significantly altered from their original ending, almost to the point that Disney has done).
While I had been aware of the originals of most of these, there were a few I was not aware of (and I think I enjoyed them a bit more too, so maybe not knowing about them helped), I had never heard of the Two Brothers, Puss in Boots (unless you count the reference in Shrek, which I’m betting you don’t) and the Singing, Springing Lark (though I did love the name of that one right away).
I think out of the ones I had been aware of previously, the first one, Little Red Riding Hood was probably my favorite. I think I would have liked it more had it been stretched out more; into a novella or novel instead of simply a short story. My saying that makes me realize I had felt all the stories were too rushed, even though I never felt that way during the originals. Perhaps this is due to the writing style or the medium?
While I did enjoy some of the stories, on the whole I felt that these could have used some more work. I did greatly enjoy the artwork however, it’s beautifully rendered and perfectly reminiscent of the manga style, which is exactly what one would hope for.

For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews

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