Darren Shan

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Japanese: ダレン・シャン

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 12

Chapters: 114

Status: Finished

Published: Aug 9, 2006 to Feb 4, 2009

Genre: Adventure

Theme: Vampire

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: Shounen Sunday

Authors: Arai, Takahiro (Story & Art), Shan, Darren (Story)

Statistics

Score: 7.85¹ (scored by 3,106 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #1229²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #3214

Members: 7,758

Favorites: 334

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7.85

Ranked #1229Popularity #3214Members 7,758

MangaShounen SundayArai, Takahiro (Story & Art), Shan, Darren (Story)

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Volumes: /12

Chapters: /114

Cirque Du Freak: The Manga

Vol. 1
$6.99

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Synopsis

Darren Shan was an average kid until destiny brought him to the Cirque du Freak. Now Darren's been immersed into a shadowy world inhabited by vampires, werewolves, and strange creatures the likes of which he's never imagined, and his life will be changed forever!

(Source: Yen Press)

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Background

Darren Shan is based on the novel Cirque Du Freak from The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan from 2000.

The series was published in English as Cirque du Freak by Yen Press from June 9, 2009 to January 24, 2012.

More characters
Characters

Shan, Darren

Main

Crepsley, Larten

Main

Leonard, Steve

Main

Mulds, Harkat

Main

Hemlock, Debbie

Main

Von, Evra

Supporting

Smahlt, Kurda

Supporting

Purl, Gavner

Supporting

Burgess, Alice

Supporting

Dunyck, Alicia

Supporting

Reviews

Oct 14, 2018

jampot_298

Recommended

This manga is great, don't get me wrong.

The only thing I would say to anyone looking to get into this is that the books are 100 times better, and the manga should only be read once you have read the books imo.

I gave the story outstanding because after all, it is a masterpiece. Darren shan is an amazing writer and having read all the books myself (as well as the saga of larten crepsley), I can say that having this level of art gives a bit more context and value to the story.

This is my 1st ever review so don't judge. thx =)

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Mar 28, 2015

zauru

Recommended

for those who do not know, the darren shan manga adaption is derived from a series of english novels known as cirque du freak. the original author shares the name of the main character, while the manga art is done by takahiro arai.

story:
[spoiler free]
the story starts off with two young boys, darren shan and his friend steve leonard. darren has an infatuation for spiders, while steve is obsessed with vampires. the two of them wind up going to a traveling circus known as the cirque du freak. within this circus is a vampire by the name of larten crepsley, whom steve recognizes. steve wants to ... become a vampire, but is rejected due to his 'evil blood', foreshadowing his destiny. in the end, darren ends up becoming a vampire in order to save steve, but is forced to leave him and his family behind.

however, this is only the prologue to the story. i am leaving out some details to avoid giving too much away, as the story takes many unexpected turns. what you can expect from this point on, however, is darren's journey as mr. crepsley's assistant. there are also a handful of time skips, so you'll be able to see the characters as they age and mature.

now, getting into some nitty-gritty stuff
in essence, darren shan is a story about vampires, which can either be an automatic interest or turn-off, depending on who you are. however, i can assure you that this manga takes an interesting perspective when it comes to the supernatural.

for starters, vampires in this series are fairly docile, and only feed when they need too. however, there are some cliches, such as them being unable to withstand sunlight. the great part about this series, though, is that the existence of vampires is not the focus - you'll find yourself forgetting that the main character himself is no longer human, except for when he mentions it directly.

however, there is a subdivision of vampires known as the vampaneze. vampaneze are rogue vampires who prefer to kill humans they feed off of. although their customs may be similar to regular vampires, they are much more aggressive and hostile. their appearances are also very different, as they are most commonly described as having purple skin and black-red eyes.

along with a cast of vampires, there are also several 'freaks' that darren befriends at the circus. many of these characters play important reoccurring roles in the series.

character + art:
now, the art for this series is far from top-notch, and can be VERY wonky at the beginning, but this improves drastically over time. if the art style is not favorable to you, you'll have to sit through it for a few books - or perhaps the entire series. i personally liked the artwork from the beginning, and loved it towards the end.

in my opinion, the last 6 volumes have amazing artwork. expressions are on-point and dramatic, and the shading of panels adds a horror-esque feel. a lot of the mediocre anatomy and fighting sequences are heavily worked on, and you can see the effort the artist has put into the series.

the characters, although not being written by the artist himself, are also very well represented through the artwork. i absolutely loved the designs, as i thought they fit the personalities of each character perfectly. takahiro arai has successfully retold a story from his own perspective, making it much more interesting for those who prefer to visually experience a novel. the main characters have obvious flaws and realistic qualities. the cast overall is varied, from personalities to appearance. i found myself becoming attached to the characters for this very reason.

overall:
i'd recommend this series to anybody, as i have enjoyed it immensely. it breaks away from typical vampire and shounen stereotypes, and introduces a variety of characters in a refreshing art style. although the original novels appear to be aimed towards children/teens, the manga adaption adds much more emotion. the art progresses along with the story, and main character is constantly thrown into new environments, meeting new friends and enemies along the way.

i'd honestly love to see more people read this. its a shame that most people don't know about this manga - or the artist behind it. takahiro arai has also written and drawn his own manga known as arago, which is heavily influenced from his work on darren shan. both are great reads, and deserve more recognition.

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Apr 20, 2014

ernietinkle

Recommended

"I don't like it, but my hands are tied. I just want you to know this: if I ever get the chance to betray you, I will. If the opportunity arises to pay you back, I'll take it. You'll never be able to trust me." ~ Darren Shan (the character)

Cirque du Freak, also known as Darren Shan, is a manga based off of a popular vampire novel from one of my favorite authors, Darren Shan (yes, he named the character in the book after himself). This isn't your normal vampire manga, however; it is a rollercoaster of twists and turns, and if you can get ...

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No group translating darren shan? PhoenixIce - Feb 11, 2011	5 replies	by Kryk »» Jun 8, 2025 6:23 AM
This NEEDS an anime adaptation ScatteredCat - Sep 9, 2022	1 replies	by baldynose-hair »» May 11, 2024 2:18 AM
Poll: Darren Shan Chapter 24 Discussion kage-bunshin - Jan 31, 2010	1 replies	by nidoqueen106_2 »» Feb 16, 2024 1:18 PM
Does this adapt all the books Klerj - May 5, 2022	0 replies	by Klerj »» May 5, 2022 1:07 AM
Chances of this getting an anime? ittou_shura - Jun 18, 2014	4 replies	by ramenyst »» Mar 1, 2019 7:42 AM

Darren Shan
Cirque du Freak
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