Nov 18, 2023
2023 is looking to be an amazing year for The Legend of Zelda franchise. Not only are we a few weeks away from getting Tears of the Kingdom, the long-awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild, we have just gotten the final volume in the Twilight Princess manga adaptation by Akira Himekawa. And I must say, I'm going to be disappointed in TotK, because this manga is one of the greatest pieces of media to ever exist.
The plot follows the game faithfully: while living in Ordon Village, Link is sent on a quest across the world of Hyrule to stop the forces of Twilight King
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Zant and Ganondorf, the ultimate big bad of the Zelda franchise. Every essential point in the game is hit here, save for the items Link receives from the dungeons. Anyone who has played the game will not be shocked by what happens in the story. Even so, this is more than worth any Zelda fan's time for two reasons: artwork and character.
First, the artwork. Arguably the most important aspect of any manga, as the still imagery sets it in a nice in-between of other forms of reading- and image-based media. The duo known as Akira Himekawa have knocked it out of the park in this regard, as the beauty of Hyrule is on full display here. Every page captures what makes TP's darker interpretation of Hyrule so unique, making it feel a little more like Berserk than Zelda. And just like Miura's masterpiece, moments of humor and emotion are met with images that match perfectly. Any time two characters hug, or someone's face is drawn simpler to enunciate a comedic moment, the shading is immaculate. Assuming we ever get a live-action adaptation of Zelda, the Director of Photography should take notes from this manga on how to do the lighting.
As for the characters, everyone feels so fleshed out here. The side characters, while very one-note and quick to disappear in the game, show up much more often and have more relevance to the story, though not enough to upstage the central ones. New characters are brought in, and their introduction serves to add a nice aspect of the story in regards to Link's backstory. Zelda and Midna, the titular princesses, are both standouts in their own rights with memorable moments, especially near the beginning. And, of course, there's the not-so-silent hero.
Link is a different character. Or rather, he is a character. While a silent protagonist works perfectly in a video game and could work in an adaptation, Himekawa decided to give Link a personality, a backstory, a character arc, and plenty of memorable moments. And this Link works perfectly here. Instead of a silent hero who willingly accepts the task given to him, this incarnation of the Hero is reluctant, denying, self-doubting, and flawed. From beginning to end, he grows from simple farmhand into the role he was born for. That's not to say he goes from zero to hero; he makes mistakes, gets cocky, and even at the end exhibits a selfishness that, while not compromising to the story, makes him completely different from the rest of his forms. And while a bit of a surprise at first, it eventually fits perfectly into the story.
If there's one thing that I would nitpick, it would be the lack of dungeon boss fights that the game has. This means that there is never a panel of Link riding on top of a giant Beyblade and fighting a floating fossilized skull possessed by a shard of magical mirror. However, it does give way for meaningful moments between characters, especially Link and Midna. In fact, a few are cut short specifically for Link's journey to becoming the Hero of Twilight. And anyway, it would be difficult to perfectly capture the fun of these fights in a manga page. (Though if this ever gets an anime adaptation, they really should include the proper boss fights, especially Twilit Fossil Stallord.)
In the end, this is an amazing series. I highly recommend you pick it up, especially if you play the games and think, "This is fun, but Link is too much of a blank slate for me." I eagerly look forward to Himekawa's next series, especially if it's an adaptation of Breath of the Wild.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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