Suikoden III is an A-class manga through and through for both those who've played the game and those who haven't. It's truly one of the best game adaptions in any medium I've seen, for it takes the plot and characters from the game and actually does them better. Hugo is no longer a fairly generic JRPG lead, he has depth and internal conflict about being the hero. Chris isn't a black-and-while coldhearted bitch anymore either, she actually has emotions and becomes really enjoyable to follow. Geddoe is still incredibly badass(and his crew's great too) and Thomas hasn't changed much. The intertwining stories of these people are told in a much smoother way than the game's many intertwining chapters, as expected. Also, while the story is essentially the same for most of the key points, it goes very different for the majority of it. Some supporting characters get more attention than the game and vice-versa, but ultimately all 108 are shown at least a few times.
The art is where this adaption really shines. It starts off good and as the author got more in tune with the series it only got better. Characters are highly detailed and almost lossless from official Konami art. The backgrounds are similarly great, vibrant and a step above what you find in 99% of manga. The art's greatness doesn't stop at simple detail either, the action sequences are slick, easily followable and something to really look at. The war battles too, so good. They feel huge and no corners were cut here.
Like the game a lot? Read this. Wanted to play the game, but hated the battles? Read this. Never played the game and love great fantasy or war stories with lovable casts and compelling drama? Oh hell yeah read this.
