Cirque Du Freak: The Manga, Vol. 1

I read the real book some time ago and enjoyed it substantially more than the manga adaptation. If it were not for having read the real book, I would be greatly confused by much of what was happening. Actions are portrayed poorly and much is far too implicit to really parse together unless you are already aware of what is going on. Unless you have the attention span of a gnat, stick with the real book, and skip the manga.

As a huge fan of the book series, I was intrigued when I heard they were making a manga version. Overall, this was a solid adaptation book one: Cirque Du Freak.

I admit, I haven't read the first book in this series for a while, but from what I could tell it was pretty true to the story and any changes made sense. Frankly, I had a huge grin on my face the entire time I read this title. The charm and overall impact of the story seems to still be present.

My only issue is the manga style chosen for this manga. It's good, but brings nothing new to the table. To me, it looked like every other shonen title I've picked up. The drawing style, however, is pretty easy to get over as the story is still as great as it was when I first started show more reading about Darrens journey into the vampire world those many years ago. show less

I really liked this manga adaptation of Darren Shan’s series. It follows fairly honestly to the original with only a few trimmings here and there for pacing and overall book length. The design of the characters is very different from what I imagined when I read the books originally ,but their manga design does still nicely reflect the attitude of the story and plot.

When best friends Darren and Steve visit a mysterious freak show known as the Cirque du Freak, they encounter a vampire and a deadly spider and are forced to make life-changing choices.

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Relive the first novel in the most action-packed, fast-paced thriller of a series ever to rule the human and vampire world with this newly published CIRQUE DU FREAK manga.

The story surrounds Darren Shan, the infamous spider lover. On his way home one night he is given a flyer to a circus. Not just any other regular circus, however - this is the circus of freaks. Accompanied by his friend, Steve, Darren witnesses the most peculiar and amazing acts that no other circus has to offer.

Among these acts are Larten Crepsley and his spider, Madam Octa. It was like love at first sight for Darren as the hypnotic and magnificent spider did her act. Little did Darren know that show more Madam Octa and the brash decisions Darren himself would be making shortly would change his life forever.

Darren's world goes from circus of freaks to the underworld of vampires in a flash.

Takahiro Arai's art is extremely mesmerizing and helps the reader picture what the characters look like, or how they should look in the upcoming Cirque du Freak movie. Each manga will mirror each novel, and the manga is read in a true right-to-left fashion and even incorporates some Japanese, such as gokuku = gulp or hena = flop.

The story itself may be old, but seeing it in this new light is refreshing and brings back memories of when I first read it in 7th grade.

Open up your wallet, because once you read the manga, you are going to want to read the novel itself! show less

Cirque du Freak manga, book 1.

Darren Shan's gory adventures translate well into the manga format.

Best friends Darren and Steve go to a freak show. Darren is fascinated by Madam Octa, a huge, deadly spider and Steve is fascinated by Mr. Crepsley, a real vampire. And that's where the trouble begins...

Cirque Du Freak Vol:1 is the story of a boy named Darren Shan turning into a half vampire and travaling with a vampire named Larten Crepsly. Darren makes a deal with Crepsly after stealing Crepsly's pet spider Madam Octa and causing her to poisoning Darren's best friend Steve. I recommend this book is for people who love thrillers, vampires, and manga.