Nov 27, 2024
Assassin's Creed: The Blade of Shao Jun is an extended literature surrounding the events depicted in the side scroller game "Assassin's Creed Chronicles China (try out the game if you are bored, it's fun). For those very thorough with the lore of the Game franchise, Shao Jun will come across as an "underrated" or "underused" character. This manga attempts to strengthen the lore behind her, but there's only so little to start with. For general readers, who have no idea who these characters are, maybe there is something in store. But for those who know Shao Jun from the game or from the short film
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(It's called AC Embers depicting Ezio's last days), this is yet another disappointment, and it's not the manga's fault. It tries to express itself in between vital events that take place in Shao Jun's life but all it does is show what the "scrolls" in the animus database contain. Perhaps, the only new inclusion is the modern day animus user story and the kid Kotetsu, which is a good addition but that's all there is to this story. Shao Jun's story is an adventure, she went from almost being the Imperial consort of the Ming dynasty to a damsel in distress who later redeemed herself but then only had a life full of regrets. The game touches upon these points but that is if you read all the extra animus content, not from the gameplay itself. The Manga too, does the same, at one point it tells she suffers, the next page it tells you she swore revenge, the next page it tells you she won over the templars. It's all rushed and incomplete, exactly like how it was in the game. To conclude, the Manga should have been much longer, slower and should have taken its time in setting up the life of Shao Jun. It should have had more to tell us than what the game has already told. Illustration wise, the panels are clear and comprehensible. It's just that this manga, or any Shao Jun related literature for that matter, will never work if it just ripped off from the game.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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