The Legend of Zelda: OoT Manga vol. 1 Review
Hard4Games' User Review of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Manga vol. 1
I have not done a review for about a month now so I figured I would do one, this one is gonna be a little different as it is based on my opinions of the first volume of the Zelda manga series.
The Zelda manga series started in 1999 in Japan with the first volume of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The series didn't see an English translation until 2008. the series was created by Akira Himekawa and is officially licensed by Nintendo.
There are ten books in the series at this present time. The first two books being the Ocarina of Time, the first part of the Ocarina of Time sees Link begin his journey and ends after he pulls the master sword and has helped Saria at the forest temple. The second book then finishes the story. The third book is based on the Majora's mask, the fourth and fifth books are based on the Oracle of Ages and the Oracle of Seasons, the sixth book is based on the Four Swords, the seventh book is based on the Minish Cap, the eighth book is based on A Link to the Past, the ninth book is based on the Phantom Hourglass and the tenth book is loosely base on the events in the Wind Waker however it is unclear whether the Wind Waker book was fan made. The last two books have not had an English translation from my knowledge.
Having only read the first volume of the manga I can say that im a fan and it gives a lot more detail and backstory into the Ocarina of Times narrative, some people could see this as being not canon as some events in the game are slightly changes such as in the manga Link meets Zelda in the marketplace in Castle Town but she only reveals herself as the princess when he meets her at the castle. I personally like the changes as I believe it gives a slightly different and more in depth view on the narrative of the game.
This is a picture of a fan translation but it s accurate to the official English translation.
I love the artwork in this book, the drawings are spectacular and achieve their goal of giving each character a lot of personality. Also the writing and dialogue in this manga is excellent as it captures the Zelda universe and gives the series a new burst of imagination as Link has a voice in this book so we can see his reactions to places and events. Some fans may not like this fact as Link is known as the silent hero of Hyrule. I again think that it gives a different view on the Ocarina of time story and has allowed the writers to use their imaginations to create the dialogue for the characters from a game where the hero doesn’t speak.
I defiantly recommend this to fans of the Legend of Zelda series, it gives a new spin on the narrative of the game and many of them I think will find this interesting. Personally I love it and I’m going to buy the rest of the series as I am a fan of the games and now a fan of the manga series also. It's a shame I have to wait till after Christmas as Amazon have now stopped shipping. I urge Zelda fans to at least buy the first volume and see if you like it.
As always thanks for taking the time to read this review, it means a lot to me. Let me know what you think. And tell me if you enjoy the manga series if you plan on buying it or even if you have already read it. I can't wait to read a Link to the Past as it is my favourite Zelda game. Merry Christmas to you all.
Sulley
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