Nine of Franz Kafka’s surreal and unsettling short stories are adapted into manga form, including both well-known works and less prominent ones among the collection.

Like the creators of this book, I didn’t really “get” The Metamorphosis when I first read it. Something about the detail of the killer apple made me snort with laughter – but then my impulse in uneasy situations is generally maniacal giggling so I’m not sure how much that says.

Unlike the creators of this book, I am still not entirely sure I’m sold on Kafka, but I can certainly appreciate the equally surreal and unsettling images that populate this book. By keeping things black and white, the horror and gore somehow makes an even deeper impact.

However, I don’t know how successful Kafka is when translated to visual form overall – I couldn’t always follow what was happening in the stories. And though I understand the difficulty of translating words which have been translated and reinterpreted many times before they became English in my hands, the fact remains that the writing felt oddly flat in many places.

I’m not a Manga reader, but appreciate the dark, intricate artwork that’s a great accompaniment to Kafka’s surreal stories. Sometimes the text literally got lost in the drawings, and it took me a while to get used to reading in the Japanese style of right to left, but all in all an interesting read.

Meticulously drawn artwork supports the spare but devastating text of some of Franz Kafka's best short stories.

Simply put, this is a manga adaptation of a handful of Kafka’s stories. This ended up being a neat read as a way to revisit the authors work, with The Metamorphosis, A Hunger Artist, In The Penal Colony, and more. I think the art fits well for most of the stories and that things such as not seeing Gregor Samsa metamorphosed were handled well. Pretty fun read!

Kafka's stories are incredible, relevant, and very funny, so of course, they should be adapted to manga. Kyodai’s illustration style is a perfect match: unnerving faces, thin lines, and abstractions on top of unconventional panel layouts with densely inked background patterns. Many of their pages remind me of paintings, quilts, and mandellas. It's an unnerving, strange, and contemplative work, just as a Kafka adaptation should be. I hope a publisher considers translating more of Kyodai's work.

I think this was a little too high brow for me and I was lost throughout. This type of illustration is also not my thing. Happy that I had the opportunity to read this one though, thank you to the author and best of luck with your career!

An interesting graphic novel every Kafka fan should be giving a try.

A very interesting take into Kafka's novels with the art perfectly encaptuting the aesthetics of his work.

Kafka's bizzare ( and I mean that as a compliment) and wondrous works were given such justice with this adaptation. If you're struggling to get into Kafka's novels I suggest reading them alongside this graphic novel!

Sometimes it's hard to picture words in a book vividly in your head. This manga perfectly explains through its caricature, through each drawing to evoke the feeling that Kafka wanted his readers to feel. It's a mixture of realism and contemporary texture that makes it very different than any other graphic novels that I have read.

Two favorite Japanese writers present graphic adaptations of nine of Franz Kafka’s classic short stories: The Metamorphosis, A Hunger Artist, In the Penal Colony, A Country Doctor, The Concerns of a Patriarch, The Bucket Rider, Jackals and Arabs, A Fratricide, and The Vulture.

I am a pretty big fan of Kafka. Was first given him in my Fiction II writing course in college and have loved him ever since. My favorites have been The Metamorphosis, The Penal Colony, and The Bucket Rider - so you can bet I was overly excited to see a manga adaptation of these come to life and I wasn’t disappointed in seeing them come to life in manga form.

I especially want to applaud The Metamorphosis not showing what the creature was, but only showing the family and lodger’s reactions to seeing it - just like Kafka had wanted.

Which brings up the fact that it is manga, and was translated from Japanese into English - but it was first translated from German to Japanese. All of these adapted versions. As someone who loves Kafka, I was slightly disappointed in what was missing in some of the stories, but I’m still impressed by David Yang’s job at the translation.

Overall, I think any fans of Kafka would like this version of the stories as it does give them a new translation and a twist in a way.

*Thank you Pushkin Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I'm a fan of Kafka, and I thought the art-style looked interesting, so I was sure I would enjoy this. I had to put it down sadly, because the art-style was hard on my eyes. The art-style (which I like in itself) is just very busy and sharp to look at, plus there is a lot of text, and I am reading this on a screen, so my eyes just can't deal with it. This is a very personal reasoning though, as someone who is easily over-stimulated, and does not reflect on the overall quality of this collection.
In general I really like this concept

The art style of this adaptation undoubtedly captures the essence of Kafka's distinctive narrative, effectively mirroring the eerie and surreal atmosphere that pervades his stories.

However, for those who hold a deep appreciation for Kafka's original prose, this adaptation may prove somewhat divisive. While the art style is impressive, it's not enough to compensate for the dilution of the stories' deep meanings and their sometimes confusing interpretations. Certain tales lose their subtleties, and others may even come across as somewhat pointless. This format just tends to simplify and streamline Kafka's narratives, at times sacrificing the elements that make Kafka's writing so remarkable.

As a big fan of Kafka, I had to read and look at this book, and I was not disappointed. Tho, I think that if you are not really familiar with Kafkas works, you might find some parts strange and not comprehensive, I'm sure everyone can pick up the vibe and general setting Kafka is in.
Personally, I always get happy when I get references and graphics aimed at a specific crowd and I can definitely recommend this to every Kafka fan out there.

An excellent Kafka primer with some astonishing (an unsettling) artwork. I particularly liked the rendition of some of the lesser known stories/parables. My only critique is the inclusion of the length "The Metamorphosis.' While undoubtably a classic and probably Kafka's most recognizable work, it took up more of the book than I would have preferred.

This manga rendition of several Kafka short stories / novellas is really good, especially the artwork. The illustrations capture the bizarre, absurd, ever-so-slightly-creepy vibe of Kafka's writings perfectly. While I liked the book as a whole, I think it would work better if you are already familiar with the original texts. The gist of the story is still there, but some of the nuance and atmosphere is lost when setting aside Kafka's original prose. I say this only because I found myself more engaged with the stories I had read previously, while some of the stories that were new to me felt like they were lacking some of the depth I would have expected from Kafka.

An absolutely stunning visual capitulation of Kafka's most famous works. The text is very true to Kafka's original writing and Kyodai's illustration style perfectly captures the essence of his uncanny and philosophical works. I truly couldn't tear my eyes away!

A graphic novel version of some of Kafka’s short stories including ‘The Metamorphosis’, ‘A Country Doctor’, ‘A Hunger Artist’, and ‘In the Penal Colony’. I really liked it. The illustrations added to the weirdness and atmosphere of the stories.

I went into this knowing that I don't really care about Kafka's work. It's just never been my thing. What I wanted to see was the art. Which I mostly liked. I think it works well with the prose. Not much else to say.

The last time I read Kafka's short stories was more than two decades ago, so while I had some expectations, I approached this manga with semi-fresh eyes. I was not disappointed. In fact, by the end, I was sufficiently compelled to revisit the written versions once more. Nishioka Kyodai's illustrations are eerily disquieting, almost Escher-esque, yet they magnetically draw you into the stories which are absurd, melancholic and horrific, sometimes all at once. Hunger - physical and metaphysical - is the thread that runs through all of the stories, but it is not obvious until one gets to the end, by which time I was twitching with bewilderment, uneasy thoughts running through my head, but still oddly satisfied with the visual experience. I enjoyed reading the English text in the Japanese/Chinese style of right to left, top to bottom. As an Asian reader, the faithful nod to the authors' background and heritage meant - to me - that cultural differences could come together to create a work that was faithful to all creators, not just one narrative, and not just one style of presentation. This manga is an excellent addition to the many interpretations/retellings of Kafka's work.

I found the artwork striking and brilliant, I enjoyed reading this book as a reader unfamiliar with Kafka's work outside of surface-level knowledge of Metamorphosis and The Trial.

I did find the formatting of the text on the page particularly difficult at times, however, the way it's condensed into a narrow tall box. This hindered my reading experience quite a bit but it's a book I will still recommend to graphic novel fans and fans of Junji Ito.

Thank you very much for sending me a copy.

DNF @80pages

I’ve never read anything by Kafka, maybe that was why I found this hard to read and understand? Idk but I didn’t like this.
Also really didn’t like the art style, it’s been compared to Junji Ito, which I guess I can MAYBE understand but also I really can’t.

If you’re a fan of Kafka’s work, you might like this.