The translated American adaptation of the Cirque Du Freak manga arrive this morning, and I spent most of the day reading through it, editing pen close to hand. I'm delighted to report that I rarely needed to put that pen to use. The translation is VERY good. The translator has captured the style of the book, not just translated literally from Japanese to English. I made a few small tweaks here and there, when I thought it was necessary (e.g. to make sure Mr Crepsley's speech patterns were JUST right), but for the most part I was just a happy reader.

I think the manga works splendidly. That was my opinion when I was "reading" the japanese version as it came out, and that opinion has been fortified now that I can properly read it. The artist has made changes, of course, to the structure and plot, but kept the feel and spirit of the story. And the changes are all positive changes, necessary to make the story work in a visual format. That's what fans who moan about the changes movie-makers and comic-artists make to books often don't realise -- you can't be TOO faithful to your source material if you want to make a story work in another medium. Books work in a certain way. Movies work in a different way. Comics work in another way. For a story to survive an adaptation, it needs to be re-thought.

To give an example. In Cirque Du Freak, I spend a lot of time describing the freak show when Darren and Steve first attend. I describe each performer and go through their act in quite a lot of detail. The plot slows down to a standstill in those sections -- apart from Steve's gasp when he recognises Mr Crepsley, and Darren's reaction to Madam Octa, there's nothing in those scenes which is essential to the book. But they work regardless, because readers of books are happy to be sidetracked every now and then, to be taken on detours and treated to non-essential scenes. I've never had a letter or email from a fan complaining about the "slowness" of that section, because in a book it doesn't matter if you slow things down occasionally -- indeed, sometimes it's vital that you do, so that chracters have a chance to breathe and develop.

In comics, especially manga, it's different. Because it's a visual medium, movement is vital to maintain interest. Not just physical movement, but plot movement, character movement. If the circus scenes had been laid out in comic format the same way I laid them out in the book, those scenes would drag. Big time. The story would start to lose readers, no matter how nicely the characters were drawn, and minds would start to wonder. So the artist, wisely, trims the circus scenes down a lot (as, I imagine, the movie-makers will do too). Fans of the books might not like that ("Hey! I wanted to see Truska's act! And Hans Hands running! And Sive and Seersa twisting! And ..."), but trust me, the story is better off this way. Any good adaptation must be made for neutrals, people who have never read the books. If a movie or comic is to be worth the making, it needs to stand on its own two legs, in its own right, and work in its own way.

The Cirque Du Freak manga does all that. It will be a blast for those of us familiar with the story, and provide us with a fresh way of seeing the story. But it will also hopefully prove just as much of a winner with manga fans who haven't read the books. And if some of those decide to come check out the books afterwards, well, that's good for all of us. It will give me more fans, of course, but it will also give YOU guys more people to discuss the books with and gloat in front of ("Hah! I was a fan way back when!!!!") I'm always trying to expand the Darren Shan family. The more of us, the merrier, as far as I'm concerned!!!!!