Sam Strives for 55 - Week Twelve

Here is week 12 of Sam's reading journey, the metrics and first week can be found here

Manga Shakespeare: Much Ado about Nothing (Manga Shakespeare) by Richard Appignanesi (Adapter), William Shakespeare, Emma Vieceli
 

1. Intrigue 
   1. It’s Shakespeare. It’s a love story. It’s a comedy. David Tennant starred in this play and it’s incredible. Go see if it’s still on YouTube.
   2. It’s also Mango, and it’s a fresh way to see an old story portrayed. Watching enemies Beatrice and Benedick inch towards lovers is as powerful as ever. 
2. Writing Style
   1. It is very difficult to review Shakespeare. I will say that this Manga adaptation is very faithful to the vision of the stage directions. 
3. Flow of Storytelling
   1. You don’t need me to tell you that this is one of the great enemies to lovers stories out there. What you do need from me, maybe, is that this is a great alternative way for students to work with this text. Teachers, parents, guardians, people who love children around them, take note!
4. Re-readability
   1. Yeah of course this is re-readable. However, I would say that this is simply because I love this story, and it’s an exceptionally easy read in Manga form. 
5. TESS
   1. At the end of the day, it’s difficult to put this on the 5 star rating. Why, it functions for me as tool more than a read for fun type of story. Much Ado About Nothing is a 5 star story, Manga is a wonderful format, but this, for me, was all about finding alternatives for students. This way I could get something for different types of readers. So the utilitarian nature of my own exploration is what is putting this at a 4, but I highly, highly recommend it. 

​Final Rating: ★★★★

J. Sam Williams is an illustrious black-tailed hawk, longing to eat as many vegan mice as possible. In his human form, he is a High School English Teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lives with his wife, one dog and two cats. A somewhat retired breakdancing teacher, he is now a co-host on the Alohomora Podcast! He has been published on Lunch Ticket, immix: a journal for justice, Mugglenet, and a slew of small sports journalism publications. You can find him on twitter @Jabbernator.