Manga Classics: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

by Crystal S. Chan (Adapter), Mark Twain, Kuma Chang (Artist)

Chafed by the "sivilized" restrictions of his foster home, and weary of his drunkard father's brutality, 14 year-old Huck Finn fakes his own death and sets off on a raft down the Mississippi River. He is soon joined by Jim, an escaped slave. Together, they experience a series of rollicking adventures that have amused readers, young and old, for over a century. The fugitives become close friends as they weather storms together aboard the raft and spend idyllic days swimming, frying catfish suppers, and enjoying their independence.

Genres: Manga, Classics, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Young Adult

392 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2017

About the author

Adaptation of classic novels into manga editions with Stacy King.

See also: Crystal King

Reviews

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Making Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn femme boys? Inspired choice—and one I support!

Anyway.

(My brain is rotted 🫠 Ignore me.)

This adaptation actually made me like this story more than I did the original novel?

The illustrator and adapter did a very good job of conveying the important points of this story in a fun, dynamic way.

It’s a pretty honest adaptation too with very little omitted from the source material.

Would actually recommend~

[Rumplestinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un gran libro de aventuras. En algunos momentos muy divertido, en otros logra hacerte sentir una gran pena, en otros la acción y la tensión es trepidante. Logra que empatices con los personajes y te importe lo que les pase, no solo con los protagonistas, sino también con los personajes secundarios que solo aparecen puntualmente en algunas de las aventuras.

Una cosa que me ha encantado es la forma en la que se muestran los pensamientos de Huck, su proceso de tomar decisiones y el cambio que sufre su sistema moral a lo largo del libro. En algún caso se llega a ver como Huck se plantea los efectos de segundo orden que podrían tener sus acciones. Consigue meterte en la mente del personaje y es una maravilla.

Un tema importante es que se ha mantenido la forma en la que Mark Twain escribió los diálogos de cada uno de los personajes, los negros hablan de una manera especial, la gente del suroeste de otra, etc. Hasta el punto que muchas veces cuesta entender lo que están diciendo, y o relees los párrafos 3 veces hasta que lo pillas, o lo imaginas por el contexto o tienes que buscar por internet. Y a veces incluso con internet tampoco es fácil encontrar ciertas expresiones.
Por ejemplo para entender que significaba shet de do' fue necesario encontrar un video en el que un profesor americano hace un brainstorming con un conjunto de niños sobre esa parte del libro. Te das cuenta que el 90% de los niños que hablan el idioma de forma nativa tampoco tienen ni idea de que quiere decir shet de do', hasta que una niña dice algo que sí tiene sentido y a todos se nos enciende la bombilla y entonces lo vemos claro "ahh, era eso".

El libro lo he leído en inglés, no sé la versión traducida al castellano (por la editorial Norma) como habrá tratado estos diferentes dialectos, pero no parece una tarea sencilla el hacerlo sin que el libro pierda parte de su magia.


Sobre el dibujo, comentar que también me ha gustado, es capaz de trasmitir los momentos divertidos bastante bien.


En resumen, me ha parecido una adaptación que merece mucho la pena.
La colección de Manga Classics me parece una manera muy digna de acercar los relatos clásicos a un montón de gente que por problemas de tiempo no podría haber leído esos libros en su formato original o para jóvenes que de entrada rechazarían un libro tradicional pero que en formato manga lo devorarán.


Equivalencia de puntuación en una escala de 10:
(5 estrellas) Excelente, una puta obra maestra. (equivale a un 10 sobre 10)
(4 estrellas) Libro muy bueno, lectura muy recomendada. (8.5-9 sobre 10)
(3 estrellas) Buen libro, me ha gustado. (7-8 sobre 10)
(2 estrellas) Normal, no es una mala lectura pero o tiene defectos relevantes o no he encontrado nada especial. (4-6 sobre 10)
(1 estrella) El libro no me ha gustado. (0-4 sobre 10)

[Ricki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptionally well done! Loved how the story was handled by skilled mangaka KUMA. Emotionally impactful. Appreciated the foreword and afterword about the history of the novel.

My biggest disappointment with it is that they kept too much of the original language. I almost never say this, but they didn’t dumb it down enough! There were quite a few parts I had difficulty understanding. E.g. “Warn’ dat de beatenes’ notion in de worl’?” Google could not help me understand what beatenes’ meant, so I had to read the entire next page in mild confusion before deciding that whatever it was, it must be a bad thing. I so wish there had been some footnotes.

Therefore, the earliest I can recommend this is high school, and even then I might have to read it with my kids to make sure they understand it. Anyways, there are a lot of important talking points and takeaways that a parent or teacher can discuss with a student as well.

Note also that there is no general profanity, but the “n” word is used constantly, and this should be discussed with kids as well.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winsome Manga Classics edition! While I have never cared as much for Huck's book as for Tom Sawyer's, I really enjoyed reading this manga. The pacing was wonderful, the characterization was thoughtful, and the artwork was charming.

They included much of the original language of Twain's novel, so be aware there are words and racial slurs used here that may offend some people -- but the manga team make a point of explaining that the reason they included them is the same reason Twain originally used them: to show the cruel thoughtlessness of racism. Huck spends a great time grappling with the fact that he's been taught all his life it's wrong to help a slave escape... but he eventually decides he's just going to have to give up trying to be good if it means stopping Jim from escaping slavery. He doesn't realize it, but he's learning to follow his God-given conscience instead of society's dictates, and they bring that through so eloquently here!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I disagree with some of the artistic choices it is well done over all. While being nearly 5 decades removed from my read of the original text and multiple adaptations I have much respect for this manga classics edition. They chose to stick close to the original text which could benefit from some *translation in areas. The manga made it much more approachable being broken into smaller chunks without taking away from the intention of the original work.

I applaud the integrity of the adapter in today's pc climate. The original work is honest in its presentation of a time period. Shining a light on the problems of the era. Embracing the main character as he struggles with his own growth and war of consciousness. Showing that what we are taught can always be challenged. It brings me hope.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did a great job in staying faithful to the source material while balancing the troubling and problematic parts of it. I really love how this highlights how far Huck will go to save Jim. Their relationship is such an important one. The artwork was beautiful and really helped highlight the story elements. I enjoyed the characterization and how everything was balanced. The story is a product of its time but I think the team creating the manga made smart choices when creating this book, and I understand why the choices were made. I did enjoy reading this version of the book.

Read through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my 2nd in this series (Anne of Green Gables was first) of a Manga adaption of a classic novel. I want to read "James", but decided I needed to revisit Huckleberry Finn first. I listened to the audio, then decided to read the manga to fill in a few of the gaps where my mind may have wandered off just a tad.

These aren't short...almost 400 pages, but they retain a lot of the original text. Including Jim's dialect. Which it was very helpful to have just listened to the audio to get the context of it correctly.

I have a hunch I'm going to keep working through the series. Substitute for reading the classic...no. Faithful adaption....yes.

[Mary]

The art is absolutely lovely in this adaptation, and makes for a very pleasant visual read. Obviously, the story itself is a product of its time, often uncomfortable. I've read Tom Sawyer, but haven't actually read the original Huck Finn, so I can't give a proper comparison between the two, but I'd certainly recommend this for anyone who wanted to get a little further into some classic stories but might not be prepared for a whole, full-length book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital copy for review.

[Angel (akoyfish) · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the art is fine, I don't find it to have added anything to the story. I enjoyed the novel when I first read it. I was quite moved by the scene when Huck resolves to go to Hell if that's what helping Jim means. However, this is a classic that I probably will never revisit. If this manga version does anything at all, it perfectly illustrates how many meandering sidequests there are that I simply don't care about.

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good. To be honest, I was intimidated by the original, as I know it’s kinda old, but this was less intimidating. I should probably go read the original now…

This has really good character and setting. I loved how distinguished each accent was. There isn’t much by way of plot, but I don’t think this story really needs much. This was really good; it’s a classic for a reason.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid adaptation of the original work, but it also reconfirmed to me why I don't enjoy manga. I'm not a fan of the abstract art and there wasn't enough dialogue for me to really know what was happening if I hadn't read the original story. 3 stars instead of 2 because it's not the book's fault that I don't enjoy manga.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the novel a long time ago, and I think I understood it better with the manga. It does a great job of summarizing the main points, though I had to puzzle through some of the dialects they kept. Such an interesting read after digging deeper into racism and US history.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

All of my stars for this one go the art style.  I really liked the character design, and I liked how clear and visual the story was.  However, I didn't enjoy revisiting the story of Huck Finn.  I recognize that it is a piece of its time, but it didn't age well and I didn't have fun reading it.

[Tami DuBow`` · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed cliff notes for Huck ginn before reading James. Cliff notes don’t seem to exist anymore, so I got the manga. Co fusing sometimes, but hopefully enough of a reminder to put James into context

[Yami · Rating 5 out of 5]

if I like Tom Sawyer then I LOVE Huckleberry Finn, I think I watched and read every version of it out there , this is a perfect adaptation especially if you wish for a quick reminder of the classic event
I don't think I ever read any thing which is so full.of events , with adventure and heart.

[Elizabeth Ricks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forty years ago I would have been appalled at the treatment of Mark Twain's classic. Today, I suppose I'm grateful that this book will reach some people who wouldn't otherwise read the original.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I had no idea Manga reads backwards.

[LeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manga is a new genre for me and was fun to read simultaneously with the new book James.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the art and on point dialect.

[Jack S · Rating 1 out of 5]

I always read the worst books when I’m sick I got like a throat infection on the last day