Romeo and Juliet: Manga Shakespeare

Set in modern Tokyo, with the Capulets and Montagues recast as organised-crime rivals, and abridged enough to move quickly without sacrificing content or meaning, this racy retelling gets to the heart of the love story and the foolish rivalry that dooms it.

The opening colour pages with the cast of characters drawn large will help readers follow the story, as will the plot summary at the end. Indeed, graphic format may be the closest text can come to simulating the stage, and the art makes it relevant for a new generation - including an image of a cell phone with 'No Signal' to explain why Romeo doesn't know Juliet is really alive.

Gorgeous, readable, original - a winning representation of one of the greatest love stories ever told.