Kafka by Nishioka Kyouda and translated by David Yang is a graphic novel adaptation of the original works by Franz Kafka. This eerie gothic novel is read manga-style, right to left, presenting 9 classic Kafka short stories through spectacularly detailed, otherworldly illustrations.

I have not read the original Kafka short stories and going in blind, I am not the correct audience for this graphic novel. I do not think anyone who is not already familiar with the original Kafka will appreciate this as for the majority of the novel, I was left confused with none of the stories ending in any sort of satisfying conclusion for me. Perhaps that is the point? To leave you with more of a bizarre reading experience than you did going in?

For example, the first of the nine stories offered no dialogue, but did illustrate ball rolling down the stairs for a couple of pages. I'm not too sure what the takeaway of that story was.

Nonetheless the gothic art was absolutely creepy and gorgeous and, if anything I looked looking at all the little details on the art.

Thank you to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just reviewed Kafka by Nishioka Kyodai. #Kafka #NetGalley

In a world where classical literature often seems remote, the brilliant duo of Nishioka Kyodai has brought a fresh gust of eerie air through their manga adaptation of Franz Kafka's novellas. "Kafka: A Manga Adaptation," translated by David Yang, encapsulates nine of Kafka’s stellar works in a graphic narrative that is as bewildering as it is captivating.

The adaptation is a descent into a surreal realm, with each page turning a leaf into the bizarre yet profound universe of Kafka. It's an endeavor that takes liberties to delve into the abstract and come out with a narrative that's both visually and intellectually stirring.

The meticulous illustration is a spectacle, reminiscent of the surrealism of Salvador Dali, paired with the haunting vibe akin to Junji Ito's works. It’s a concoction of horror, melancholy, and bizarre fairy tale aesthetics that pushes the boundaries of traditional manga, leading the reader into a dance with the surreal and grotesque.

Among the kaleidoscope of stories, "The Metamorphosis" and "A Hunger Artist" stand out with their absorbing visual narrative that provides a vivid entry into Kafka’s mystifying world. The artists have managed to keep the essence of Kafka's existential contemplation intact while presenting it in a digestible manga format. Even for a Kafka novice, by the end of the book, one feels a strange familiarity with Kafka’s abstract narrative, making this adaptation a commendable gateway to Kafka’s literary realm.

However, the brevity of some stories, like "The Country Doctor," might leave readers yearning for more depth or clarity. Yet, even the succinct narrative of each tale does not undermine the profound essence characteristic of Kafka's work. The adaptation has a way of lingering in the mind, urging one to delve deeper into Kafka's original works.

The artwork is a character in itself, enhancing the narrative's surreal nature, sometimes venturing into the realms of horror and melancholy. It's a Daliesque journey into the human psyche, twisting the ordinary into something grotesquely beautiful, with each panel meticulously crafted to keep the eye engaged and the mind intrigued.

For those accustomed to conventional manga or Kafka’s original verbose narrative, this adaptation might require a shift in perspective. It’s a niche piece that may not cater to all, but for the curious mind, it’s a treasure trove of surreal storytelling, a bridge between classical literature and contemporary graphic narrative.

In summary, "Kafka: A Manga Adaptation" is a whimsical, eerie, and intellectually stimulating journey that has rightfully earned a 4-star rating. It's a piece that doesn’t just end at the last page, but opens a doorway to a broader literary and visual exploration, making it a noteworthy addition to the shelves of both Kafka and manga aficionados.

I must confess that I am unfamiliar with Kafka's work. My high school didn't teach it. This looked interesting to me & the description said that I, as a Junji Ito fan, should enjoy it, & I did. I would read a story from here & then look up information about the original. Based on what I saw I think this is great. I have wanted to look into Kafka's work & I enjoy this way of doing it.

📕You are never going to able to read Kafka this fast ever again. Not one of his books, but 9 of them!
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📗I really liked the style of illustrations. I loved that how the bug never showed his face in the Metamorphosis. I liked how shadows were used
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📘Maybe 1 or 2 stories lost bit of meaning, but others were tastefully summarized to fit in manga format. It was a different way to experience Kafka!

I enjoyed how the stories by Franz Kafka was enhanced by the simple artwork by Nishioka Kyodai in "Kafka."

The manga presentation takes a collection of Franz Kafka stories and adds imagery that is stark and complementary to the text. It does include some of Kafka's more well known stories. I like that the imagery doesn't try to take over the story. Instead, the story informs the artwork and helps bring out more meaning for the reader. I've read "The Metamorphosis" so many times over the years and the presentation in this book brought out points in the story that I had missed so I appreciated the story anew.

It did get repetitive if I tried to read too many stories in one sitting. I found reading a story or two and then giving time to let it sit before going back to read more was best. That way, the stories and artwork didn't run together. Otherwise, I quite enjoyed this collection a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for making this digital copy available to read in exchange for an honest opinion and I look forward to possibly purchasing a hard copy in the future for my home library.

Thank you for this ARC.
This is a different approach to Kafka and how I read his works in college. A manga approach. A dark approach. Try to understand that the original German can never get the full feel in English. The art work itself will make you connect to the different ideas and the blends of Kafka novellas.
You'll flip from horizontal to vertical and in return. Which makes you feel and internalize the characters and their paths.
I just reviewed Kafka by Nishioka Kyodai. #Kafka #NetGalley

I cannot imagine a better artistic style to represent Kafka's words in a graphical language. It truly captures his spirit in an off-putting, creepy, and quirky way. As with any short story collection, there are bound to be moments that shine and moments that flounder and that is obviously true of this book as well but overall an enjoyable experience.

Honestly, I don't even know how to rate this one! The art was really brilliant, I loved looking at it. But otherwise, it was so confusing. And the prose felt a bit dry. With Kafka, it could have been intentional. It could have been lost in translation. Or it could have been just written like that for some other reason.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance readers copy

I was clearly not the right audience for this and found it very difficult to try to read .the graphics are quite well done but visually they didn’t work for me,

I’m a huge fan of Kafka’s work, so I was very intrigued when I saw there was a manga interpretation of his most iconic short stories. Retelling something like this is always risky, but this daring duo absolutely perfected it.

Retelling nine of his most impactful short stories, including the eternally memorable The Metamorphosis, each one captures the true, claustrophobic and alienating essence of the stories with illustrations that are both uncomfortable and beautiful at the same time, creating surreal and haunting imagery with clear storytelling.

If you’re already a lover of his work, you’ll enjoy this striking reimagining and it's uniquely dark art style; and if you’re looking for a new way to experience a classic for the first time this is a perfect way to try these stories in a new and engaging format. At times the visuals may be slightly inaccessible but overall it’s very easy to read and the entire book is very clearly a masterful work of art.

I think you're either really going to enjoy this or really hate it. I'm happy to say that I'm in the former camp. It was thoroughly enjoyable and witty.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was interesting to say the least. I really liked the art style and found it to be fascinating, however, I have to admit that I didn't especially enjoy the stories themselves. I hadn't actually read anything by Kafka before. I was hoping that this would motivate me to start, however, it didn't exactly motivate me. I'm still a little curious, but I have to say that I don't think I will be reading it anytime soon. I am, however, curious about finding more from Nishioka Kyodai.

I’ve taught the short fiction of Franz Kafka in a senior-level HS English course for years—and I’ve seen several attempts to render his spare, mysterious, and evocative prose into graphic novels. Some attempts are very prescriptive, telling the reader exactly what to think and how to imagine Kafka’s world. What I appreciated about this volume is that Nishioka Kyodai’s images are elliptical and mysterious, suggesting a world without fully rendering it, allow the reader to imagine and create, much as when reading Kafka’s work in prose form. I thought this was a unique and engrossing attempt at reimagining many of Kafka’s most iconic stories.

Very Kafka, loved the art style. Felt it was very in theme with Kafka's way of questioning realities. A good homage to the author.

This is a short story collection of Franz Kafka’s works depicted as a graphic novel by Nishioka Kyōdai. There is a quality to Kafka’s works which lends itself to the term “Kafkaesque” most of all - the quality of a world with apathy towards absurdity, of which Kafka’s main character is often suffering. Often this quality is shown through undefined characters or central features of the story. For instance, the main character of Metamorphosis isn’t quite turned into a cockroach - that’s just how most readers attribute him; at least, the readers who feel a need to identify him. In the text, however, he is just a bug of senseless creation and therefore senseless identity. To take Kafka’s work, which lacks this determined visual nature to it and intend to capture it all the same, is an interesting feat. How Kyōdai chooses to depict Metamorphosis in this regard is brilliant. The first short story tackled addresses that very feeling in an item, the Odradek, which is explained by Kafka in quite painstaking detail and yet indescribable without so many words and still without purpose. This feels like a similar artistic drive to that of Magritte’s, one of my favorite artists, who created Treachery of Images. Magritte pokes at the difference between words titling an object and the object itself - a pipe is only a pipe because you say it is, so to say. As is the Odradek only undefinable and useless because of our determination. How Kafka-esque, and how apt a way to poke at his work’s finest quality, “The entire form appears useless, yet somehow complete.” I find a stronger connection in the art style to Edward Gorey’s work than Junji Ito, as it was referenced in the provided summary. Like Gorey’s work, this book has dense, static backgrounds that feel claustrophobic at times, capturing the industrial influence in Modernist works effectively. While Ito’s work would accurately capture the industrial influence, as well, the lithographic appearance of both Gorey and Kyōdai’s work here help to place the stories in Kafka’s time. I found the stories to be appropriately retold, but I would still recommend readers to Kafka’s writing before picking this up. Kafka is a favorite author of mine, and I chose this ARC with glee - it is truly a phenomenal rendition of his works.

A book full of eerie and intriguing art work that adds a new layer for engaging with the short stories of Franz Kafka. The versions of The Vulture and The Bucket Knight were my favourites.

This is a book that:
* Offers the perfect crossover between early twentieth century literature and graphic novels
* Could be read and re-read
* Had captivating art work that was the ideal companion to the author’s stories

Note: if the version you read is printed in the original Japanese format, read from RIGHT to left!

Highly recommend!

I picked this up because I thought it would be an easy introduction to Kafka's work. I was wrong. I had only read the Metamorphosis before picking up this graphic novel adaptation, but I don't think Kafka's work translates well to the format. His work is bizarre to say the least, and due to the graphic novel's lack of, well, words it makes the stories even more confusing and hard to follow. I also don't think the art style worked well, either. The art is interesting on its own, but it doesn't work for a graphic novel, and especially THIS graphic novel.

3.5
I didn't love all the stories but thats more of a critic on Kafka and now Kyodai. My favorite story though was the bucket because it was just so funny. My biggest critic about the book is that the text thats written sideways is very hard to read, but also I read this on my computer and i'm sure its much better on paper.

Two cult-favorite Japanese writers present eerie graphic adaptations of 9 classic Kafka short stories, with hypnotic illustrations that will appeal to fans of Junji Ito.

This was fine. I would have preferred actual Junji Ito over the wish.com brand.

First of all I really appreciated the idea of modern classics like this to be adapted into an easier and more digestible form to read as a graphic novel. I’m not familiar with this publisher but after this, I am interested in discovering more from them. The illustrations are soo gorgeous???? I think not only is it gorgeous It also really fits the stories. As someone not familiar with Kafka’s works, this one was a great starter to start reading their books. However, I do think it makes it harder for me to digest the content and I think I would understand this better if I have read Kafka previously. Maybe I’ll try reading his works first and I’ll come back to reread this one.

Thank you to Pushkin Press and NetGalley.