Disney Manga: Beauty and the Beast Duology - Book Review

Disney Manga: Beauty and the Beast – Beast’s Tale (Full-Color Edition) by Mallory Reaves, Gabriella Sinopoli Sinopoli (Illustrations), Studio Dice (Illustrations)

Publication Date: 15th March 2022

Genre: Manga

3.7 Stars 

Imagine reading Beauty and Beast in a live animation Manga edition. The color scheme worked really well to set the mood. It took me a while to understand how to read (the instructions are the end, which I read after finishing the book. That’s the trouble with e-copies), and yet, it felt as if the dialogues didn’t follow the same pattern throughout. 

I love how the servants are creepy cute. Sounds like an oxymoron, but the book had The Addams Family vibes (one of my favorite shows as a kid). Reading the Beast’s POV was interesting. His vulnerability came out well, even though the book seemed a bit rushed. Guess it’s probably because of the format. 

I’m not sure how much I enjoyed the live animation art. Some of it was superb. However, in some scenes, the expressions seemed forceful. Maybe that’s how it’s done. I confess I have almost no knowledge of this art form. I requested the ARC just to enjoy the fairytale in the full-color edition. 

To sum up, the Beast’s version is a good take on the original and adds depth to the storyline. I love the illustrations of the rose in the glass jar. The magic and power translate to the page perfectly. 

*****

Disney Manga: Beauty and the Beast - Belle's Tale (Full-Color Edition) by Mallory Reaves, Gabriella Sinopoli Sinopoli (Illustrations), Studio Dice (Illustrations)

Publication Date: 15th March 2022

Genre: Manga

3.5 Stars

This is Belle’s version of the fairytale and has a lighter color scheme to suit her nature. The illustrations felt a bit uneven in this one. Some were beautiful, but a few didn’t reach the mark. 

Since I read this after Beast’s version, I’ll go ahead admit that I like his POV more. Belle’s love for him seemed too sudden. Another thing was the abrupt pacing of the story. I had to check if I skipped a page more than once. 

What I did like were the inventions and stuff. Some of Belle’s illustrations were so pretty and live animation. Her eyes stood out in a couple of pages. That was cool! And the illustrations of the objects were really good in this one. 

Reading the books together might seem a bit boring with a couple of the same pages, but it’ll give a complete picture of the story. Grab them if you want to try reading fairytales in Manga and live animation. 

Thank you, NetGalley and TOKYOPOP, Disney Manga, for the ARC(s) in exchange for an honest review. 

#DisneyMangaBeautyandtheBeastBellesTaleFullColorEdition #NetGalley #DisneyMangaBeautyandtheBeastTheBeastsTaleFullColorEdition