
So what's there to say about Ito's Frankenstein? spoke to me on a personal level, so the first moment I noticed on Book Depository, that an english translation of Junji Ito's Frankenstein manga was available, I immediately grabbed my credit card and ordered it. The general idea of the story was always really compelling to me: a man wanting to surpass god, as well as the sympathetic attempts of the monster, who was shunned out of society for being different always

Then again, just like the titular character, who wouldn't have things some other person's or force's way, I saw the films, read and researched on things and somehow patched together a plot summary of my own over the years. Nevertheless, I think this adaptation is really enjoyable if you have read Shelley's original book, since you will probably understand the messages and characters of the story a lot better.įrankenstein has always been one of my favourite stories of any medium - I know, kind of ironic considering, I still haven't finished the original book by Mary Shelley. Although maybe I'm biased because I'm a monster sympathiser. We pretty much only see him as the monster that everyone believes him to be, when he is just a lonely child. This adaptation is very much a summary, and the monster's true development is completely neglected. I found Ito's ending just as enjoyable as Shelley's, so I wouldn't say this is a bad thing. That said, it does a good job of summarizing the first half of the book, but then the second half starts to change somewhat significantly. Ito's artwork is captivating and complicated, and it really adds to the story of Frankenstein. This is also my first Junji Ito work that I've ever read, so I can initially say that the art style is incredible. The main reason I'm writing this review is because in the majority of the reviews I've seen, no one has read the original book.
