What do you think?
Rate this book
Les Misérables #1-2
Les Misérables (Omnibus) Vol. 1-2
Experience Victor Hugo’s classic tale of love, tragedy, and redemption in this gorgeously illustrated manga adaptation by mangaka Takahiro Arai (Cirque Du Freak: The Manga, Detective Conan: Zero’s Tea Time)!
Jean Valjean, a starving man who commits an act that will haunt him for the rest of his life; Cosette, a young orphan girl; Javert, an obsessed policeman; Marius, a revolutionary who inspires the working classes. These unforgettable characters and more make up the cast of Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Les Misérables, renowned as one of the greatest works of Western literature. Its countless adaptations have appeared in film, TV, and on stage alike. Now, experience the epic tale of love, tragedy, and redemption in this gorgeously illustrated and faithfully adapted manga series!
Jean Valjean, a starving man who commits an act that will haunt him for the rest of his life; Cosette, a young orphan girl; Javert, an obsessed policeman; Marius, a revolutionary who inspires the working classes. These unforgettable characters and more make up the cast of Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Les Misérables, renowned as one of the greatest works of Western literature. Its countless adaptations have appeared in film, TV, and on stage alike. Now, experience the epic tale of love, tragedy, and redemption in this gorgeously illustrated and faithfully adapted manga series!
456 pages, Paperback
Published December 13, 2022
7 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 3, 2023
I’ve never actually read Victor Hugo’s novel, but I imagine it’s as beautifully done as this is!
March 2, 2023
Fan-freakin-tastic!
I like to read adaptations of classic literature from time to time so when I saw Seven Seas had put out a Les Miserables book I figured why not. The problem with adapting classic books is not that you can't do so but that you have to often cut certain things out when they are super long like this one even though some of the descriptions can be avoided simply by showing them instead of having them read. This book though is unlike any of the manga adaptations I have read in the past which were all single volume books (thus the need to cut certain things often) but this book is only part of the series and although it has been a bit of time since I listened to the audio book of the original it seems to me that things are moving along just fine with little cut as far as I can tell.
One of my favorite things about this adaptation though is the animal symbolism of various characters with Jean being a viscous lion (especially when chained psychological he breaks free from his beastial need for revenge against society and God), Javert being a hound of sorts (possibly a greyhound), and Monsieur Thénardier showing up as a snake dripping with miasma through an open door as he negotiates Cosette's keeping fees.
Of course this is a translation of an adaptation of a translation of an original English story so I wouldn't be surprised if we lose some things in the process but this book is not just about fancy words and expressive art but rather it is about the raw emotions of a world where the rich and spiritually broken cast away those unfortunate enough to have to choose to die of starvation or chance breaking the law and be branded a criminal for life (not unlike the situation some must face even now.) The fury and sorrow of Jean Valjean, the peace of father Myriel, and the desperation and sadness of poor Fantine pour forth from this manga in waves grabbing onto you and pulling you into their world. Of course Javert, the Thenardiers, and little Cosette each have their own roles and are expressed equally as are the various lesser characters that help bring the world narrative to life but they will have more time to come when next our paths meet in the next volume. :)
I like to read adaptations of classic literature from time to time so when I saw Seven Seas had put out a Les Miserables book I figured why not. The problem with adapting classic books is not that you can't do so but that you have to often cut certain things out when they are super long like this one even though some of the descriptions can be avoided simply by showing them instead of having them read. This book though is unlike any of the manga adaptations I have read in the past which were all single volume books (thus the need to cut certain things often) but this book is only part of the series and although it has been a bit of time since I listened to the audio book of the original it seems to me that things are moving along just fine with little cut as far as I can tell.
One of my favorite things about this adaptation though is the animal symbolism of various characters with Jean being a viscous lion (especially when chained psychological he breaks free from his beastial need for revenge against society and God), Javert being a hound of sorts (possibly a greyhound), and Monsieur Thénardier showing up as a snake dripping with miasma through an open door as he negotiates Cosette's keeping fees.
Of course this is a translation of an adaptation of a translation of an original English story so I wouldn't be surprised if we lose some things in the process but this book is not just about fancy words and expressive art but rather it is about the raw emotions of a world where the rich and spiritually broken cast away those unfortunate enough to have to choose to die of starvation or chance breaking the law and be branded a criminal for life (not unlike the situation some must face even now.) The fury and sorrow of Jean Valjean, the peace of father Myriel, and the desperation and sadness of poor Fantine pour forth from this manga in waves grabbing onto you and pulling you into their world. Of course Javert, the Thenardiers, and little Cosette each have their own roles and are expressed equally as are the various lesser characters that help bring the world narrative to life but they will have more time to come when next our paths meet in the next volume. :)
March 8, 2023
the gasp i let out when i got to the last page and saw that the author had decided to make javert taller than valjean
January 3, 2026
The imagery, and story line could not have better character depth and like character arcs. This is so rich in story and turmoil.
November 16, 2025
Les Miserables is such a beautiful story. It is however long winded and intimidating to tackle, so putting it into manga form is helpful way to digest the story. I will say that some of the art is rather ugly (intentional?) and the metaphorical illustrations (Valjean as the beast, Thernadier as the snake, Javert the dog) get to be too on the nose and bit too much some panels... but I appreciate the dialogue being mostly unchanged and the story moving at a decent pace with still maintaining its heart.
Looking forward to volume 2! This one wraps with Fantine's arrest.
Looking forward to volume 2! This one wraps with Fantine's arrest.
February 13, 2025
It’s been a long time since I read Les Mis, but I’m really impressed by how faithful this adaption of it is (from what I can remember). The art is beautiful and powerful, and god I’m just. So sad about Fantine always.
September 13, 2023
I’ve never read manga before so it took a while to get into the rhythm but I really joined this take on the classic story!
July 18, 2023
Stunning art and very faithful to the original text. One of my favorite pieces of media mashed together with one of my favorite kinds of media? I’m so happy…and the fact that it’s so well done?? I’m so, so pleased.
Read
April 24, 2025this manga is the best adaptation of les mis that exists it includes so many details from the book that other versions cut out .... worth the wait to get an english version
August 18, 2024
Les Miserables is my favorite book and my favorite musical, and I'm always open to sampling a new take. This is, by far, the most faithful and the most thorough adaptation of Les Mis I've ever seen, in any media. This volume includes scenes that I've literally never seen adapted before, and this 450 page omnibus only gets as far as Valjean and Javert facing off over whether Fantine should go to prison. It's clearly a work of immense passion. For once, I can't speak to how closely the text on the page adheres to the original wording: this is based off a Japanese translation of a French work, translated into English by a translator who may or may not know much about the original text. It feels reasonably close to me, at least.
The character designs aren't at all overly mangafied. Of course there's some hallmarks of the style, but most characters are wearing clothes and have hairstyles that don't look entirely unreasonable for an early 19th French setting. The main characters are more stylized, of course. I'm more interested in the stylistic choices. Arai regularly uses animals as visual metaphors for Valjean and Javert, which is also present in the original text. I also liked how he had Javert speak exclusively in boxes instead of regular speech bubbles, incredibly fitting for such a rigid character. He's also great at drawing very expressive eyes, something he uses to great effect in communicating upfront how duplicitous Madame Thenardier will become, or in showing Fantine's growing despair.
So far, I'm incredibly pleased by this adaptation. I'm looking forward to seeing scenes that I love, and scenes that I've never seen adapted before.
The character designs aren't at all overly mangafied. Of course there's some hallmarks of the style, but most characters are wearing clothes and have hairstyles that don't look entirely unreasonable for an early 19th French setting. The main characters are more stylized, of course. I'm more interested in the stylistic choices. Arai regularly uses animals as visual metaphors for Valjean and Javert, which is also present in the original text. I also liked how he had Javert speak exclusively in boxes instead of regular speech bubbles, incredibly fitting for such a rigid character. He's also great at drawing very expressive eyes, something he uses to great effect in communicating upfront how duplicitous Madame Thenardier will become, or in showing Fantine's growing despair.
So far, I'm incredibly pleased by this adaptation. I'm looking forward to seeing scenes that I love, and scenes that I've never seen adapted before.
November 22, 2024
Picked up this because I wanted to get into Les mis because of a friend. I find it hard to read novels these days especially ones as long as Les Mis so this manga was a blessing. And MAN was this a winner for me. Idk how faithful it is but from the author's note it seems that they're trying to make it as faithful as possible.
Also wow this manga is BEAUTIFUL. The art is AMAZING, seriously so many beautiful shots, the visual metaphors, ough, the Fantine mirror scene. Seriously the art really makes the emotional parts hit hard. Geninuely a lot of pages I kinda had to stop for a moment cuz I just got such a wave of emotion. This volume was so good that I'm going to pick up the other volumes asap.
Also compliment to the source material. So much good content is here, genineuly had me thinking like damn. Society.
I am very glad I have a personal copy of this manga now because I will probably flip through it every now and then.
I seriously reccomend this manga to people who hate novels but love manga, seriously doesn't matter what type of manga you like. READ THIS.
Also wow this manga is BEAUTIFUL. The art is AMAZING, seriously so many beautiful shots, the visual metaphors, ough, the Fantine mirror scene. Seriously the art really makes the emotional parts hit hard. Geninuely a lot of pages I kinda had to stop for a moment cuz I just got such a wave of emotion. This volume was so good that I'm going to pick up the other volumes asap.
Also compliment to the source material. So much good content is here, genineuly had me thinking like damn. Society.
I am very glad I have a personal copy of this manga now because I will probably flip through it every now and then.
I seriously reccomend this manga to people who hate novels but love manga, seriously doesn't matter what type of manga you like. READ THIS.
May 5, 2024
I've been a fan of Les Miserables since I was a kid- grew up on the musical, read the novel twice, seen various adaptations of it. None of them have hit the same notes as the novel. Until this manga.
I'd heard nothing but good things about Arai's manga adaptation of Les Miserables and it lives up to it. He includes the majority of the Bishop of Digne, Fantine, and Jean Valjean's backstories. A lot of the imagery is the same. There are some minor details left out but I can't believe he managed to fit so much in.
I'd heard nothing but good things about Arai's manga adaptation of Les Miserables and it lives up to it. He includes the majority of the Bishop of Digne, Fantine, and Jean Valjean's backstories. A lot of the imagery is the same. There are some minor details left out but I can't believe he managed to fit so much in.
December 1, 2024
Part of my 2024 PopSugar Reading Challenge: Prompt 26: A book that was turned into a musical
Okay, so I might be stretching it with this one but there was no way I was going to make it through the novel right now so I went with the manga adaptation. I can't comment on its adaptation and how truthful it is the original (but the reviews I have seen say it is). It seems very thorough and it makes a door stopper of a novel feel much more approachable. The art is lovely, the characters are expressive, and the story is just as heart wrenching as the musical was.
Okay, so I might be stretching it with this one but there was no way I was going to make it through the novel right now so I went with the manga adaptation. I can't comment on its adaptation and how truthful it is the original (but the reviews I have seen say it is). It seems very thorough and it makes a door stopper of a novel feel much more approachable. The art is lovely, the characters are expressive, and the story is just as heart wrenching as the musical was.
March 7, 2025
What a herculean task to adapt this novel into a manga. It took me quite some time to adjust to the beast references.
Love how much of the book scenes that are normally left out of other adaptions can be found here <3
Love how much of the book scenes that are normally left out of other adaptions can be found here <3
January 5, 2026
the start of this year has been full of beautiful visual books! i love massive les mis adaptations and i love les mis adaptions that introduce me to a new form (manga, radio drama, 19th-century parody comic strips…)
December 10, 2023
Um, YES!
I never knew that I needed a manga adaptation of Les Miserables until my friend shared this series with me.
10/10 recommend, especially for those who love Victor Hugo's work.
I never knew that I needed a manga adaptation of Les Miserables until my friend shared this series with me.
10/10 recommend, especially for those who love Victor Hugo's work.
March 4, 2024
this is the start to a very promising series. very book accurate and in depth. looking forward to les amis!
October 8, 2024
Great interpretation of the novel. Looking forward to the next volume
December 21, 2024
Very well done, full of emotion, angst, and pain. The artwork is amazing.
December 20, 2025
I am not sure if the manga style is for me, but I'll be damned if this is not a magnificent work of art, and a solid adaptation of its source material. A few of the artistic choices had me almost in tears. I really hope I get to read the rest of the series, as well as Victor Hugo's original novel.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews