"The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Legendary Edition" by Akira Himekawa

 

            The following is a review of “The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Legendary Edition” manga by Akira Himekawa. It is not a review of the video game “The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords.”

            The story of “Four Swords” takes place in the land of Hyrule. Princess Zelda is good friends with the young knight Link. Link’s father is also a knight in the service of Hyrule. Zelda is tasked with protecting the legendary Four Sword, which is said to split its wielder into four parts, each part with a different facet of the wielder’s personality.

            Long ago, the evil Wind Mage Vaati was defeated by a hero who wielded the Four Sword, and Vaati was sealed away into a stone by the Six Maidens, who are sworn to protect it and the seal was held into place by the Four Sword. Zelda is tasked to examine the seal, which has steadily weakening, Zelda asks Link to come along to protect her. Upon arrival, the maidens disappear, and an evil demon emerges, taking on the form of Link. The Shadow Link then abducts Zelda and vanishes into thin air. Link now realizes that he must draw the Four Sword. Upon doing this, Link is separated into four versions of himself: Green, who is focused and motivated; Blue, who is hotheaded and aggressive; Red, who is innocent and optimistic; and Vio, who is calm and collected. In doing so, the evil Vaati is released into the world. The Links are able to defeat one form of Vaati, but this is only a temporary reprieve.

            Hyrule castle is overrun by Vaati’s evil minions, who then eliminate Link’s father. Vaati then hurls Hyrule into the Dark World.

            The Blue Maiden is able to contact the Links to inform them of Vaati’s domain in the Tower of Winds, and that to stop all the world from being pulled into the Dark World and to rescue Princess Zelda and avenge Link’s father, they must travel there to defeat Vaati.

            The Links travel to a land with no adults and battle the monster Stone Arrghus to rescue the Yellow Maiden, but discover the Four Sword has weaknesses and are given the Moon Pearl, which opens the gate to the Dark World when struck by moonbeams.

            The Links travel towards Death Mountain by boat, but the boat crashes and the Links are separated into four different locations.

            Shadow Link encounters Vio and Vio is seduced to the Dark Side.

            Green, Blue and Red continue on, fighting many monsters created by Vaati. Along the way, the Links learn that Vaati is not the ultimate evil and that the King of Evil Ganon is using Vaati in an attempt to be released. Vio then comes into conflict with Shadow Link as the two form lofty ambitions and plan to see who can release Ganon and rule the Dark World by his side. The Links learn that their father is still alive, but has been corrupted and must duel him in battle.

            After many twists and turns, the Links must battle Vio, Shadow Link, and Vaati to prevent Ganon’s return to power.

            I have given prior “The Legend of Zelda” mangas very low praise. Purchasing the book was intriguing for me as the “Four Swords” video game had very little story, more running around as the four Links and battling Vaati and his minions to rescue Zelda, but many “Zelda” games are essentially just battle Ganon and save Zelda, but you do have to consider the first “The Legend of Zelda” video game was released circa-1986 on the original Nintendo Entertainment System and a game you could save your progress on was a huge deal as this was relatively unheard of and that was its appeal. “Four Swords” was released circa-2002, but was featured on the same cartridge as the Game Boy Advance remake of “The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” and really was only made so multiple players could play the same game at the same time and was considered by the developers as an afterthought. So an entire manga based on this sorry excuse for a video game had great potential when I purchases it. I mean, it’s a Japanese comic book that’s 363 pages, so it’s probably bound to be something. And I have to say, I highly enjoyed it. Himekawa actually created an intelligent version of the story, with twists, turns, and surprises, and I was hooked as I read it. Now, as far as graphic novels go, yes, the story is a big deal, but don’t forget the graphic part. Art in comic books is highly important, and can make or break it. Manga does have a highly unique quality of art, very different from comic books people are used to. The style just does not look like other comic books, and is traditionally featured in black and white. I have to say that I am not an expert on mangas, I’m used to Marvel comic books as many of my prior readers know, so this was interesting for me. I’ve also written three other “The Legend of Zelda” manga reviews, so you can look back on them if you wish. Having a slightly sour taste happened with them, and the reviews are mixed. But this! This was something I highly enjoyed. I was also thrilled by the presence of Ganon, who was not in the game. It has to be said that there have been many Links in “The Legend of Zelda” video game series, most of them being different in each game. There has been wonky continuity, with branching paths, alternate timelines, and the games not being released chronologically. But there has been only one iteration of Ganon in all the games. The only difference was his semi-human form as a Gerudo in “Ocarina of Time” that was corrupted into Ganon, and was resealed by several different Princess Zeldas over the course of “The Legend of Zelda” series, who have also changed over the continuity. There are many theories about this among fans, but I honestly do not feel like speculating on them, that would be too long, boring, and highly irrelevant to this review, I’m just going by what is contained in the manga by itself.

Now, none of my reviews would not be complete without a numerical score. I base it on a scale of one to ten. One is that it is so horrible I regret reading this, ten is I would love to read it a million times. Some of my prior readers will know if I really like a book, I will read it multiple times (particularly my “Harry Potter” reviews, which, if you like “Harry Potter” I highly recommend you read). So, taking in everything I felt while reading this manga and writing this review, I score this as an eight. Prior readers know I am a very harsh scorer, so scores eight or over are big deals for me.

What kind of a blogger would I be if I didn’t talk about if I recommend this manga? Well, I have to say I’d recommend it, but there is a little warning for graphic novel fans who have never read a manga before. I said that mangas have a unique style. Well, this style includes how to read it. Mangas are read from right to left. What readers would think is the back cover is actually the front cover. You must read from back to front. You must also read the right page first, then the left page. The trickiest thing is reading the panels from right to left. It does take a bit to get adjusted to at first, especially if you read graphic novels that aren’t mangas before, but I think this book is worth the effort. If you are a fan of “The Legend of Zelda” video games, I highly recommend you read this manga. This manga took a flimsy little game and actually made an intelligent story, so it was actually fun for me to read. If you’ve never had a “The Legend of Zelda” encounter before, I’d still recommend it to you. The book is self-contained and you don’t need to have any prior knowledge of the series. If you’re just looking for a good read, a good graphic novel, a good manga, what-have-you, I think this book is a good choice.

I am now wrapping this up. I do a lot of book reviews on this page, but being a certified, unemployed journalist, I write a lot of essays and editorials, and having a bachelor’s degree in English, I write short fiction and nonfiction and poetry, and am currently working on my first novel. Writing is how I keep busy. So feel free to keep looking at this blog, I’m a frequent poster, and I have several projects in the works, so I have plenty to come back for. I’d appreciate it if you would like, retweet, share, follow, comment on this, and you can even continue a discussion for me and my other readers, that would be great! But rest assured: I will be back. And now, until then, Tim Cubbin… out!

"The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages - Legendary Edition" by Akira Himekawa

            Hey, all, welcome to From the Mind of One Tim Cubbin. I’m your reviewer, Tim Cubbin. The following is a review of “The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages Legendary Edition” Manga by Akira Himekawa. It is NOT a review of the video games.

            Okay, so here’s how this is going to work. I write reviews all the time, as some of you will know. This Manga is a two title adaptation of the video games “The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons” and “The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages” as well as a bonus story “The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons – Short Edition.” This review will break down each story separately. This is going to be a little different than usual compared to my other reviews. After each story review, I will share my thoughts on the specific story. Then I’ll give a numeric score for each story individually. After all three stories have been rated, I’ll rate this book as a whole. I’ll talk a little more after that as to if I actually recommend this book to other readers and who would be best suited to read it. Then I’ll give the blah blah blah closing and send you on your way to whatever else you feel like doing the moment after you finish reading it. Of course, some of you may opt out of finishing this review, but if you stay all the way to my last three words, you are THE BEST! Okay, I know I’m boring you now and you’re thinking “Tim Cubbin, get on to the reviews already,” so you know what…? I will.

            First we’ll discuss “The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons.” The story starts with a young boy named Link. He comes from a family of Knights for the Kingdom of Hyrule. Note that while the series is called “The Legend of Zelda,” our hero is Link, while Zelda is the Princess of Hyrule. Oddly enough, Zelda plays a very little part in the story, but it’s still “The Legend of Zelda” and not “The Legend of Link” for some reason I don’t think I’ll ever understand. Anyway, Link. Link does not want to follow in the family tradition of being a Knight. Link is purported to go on to be a true hero as he was born with the mark of the Triforce on the back of his left hand, a sacred relic, but he just doesn’t want to be one. He is content to farm on the land of his grandma and grandpa, but grandpa has been grooming him to be a Knight for his entire life. He is sent to Hyrule to take part in the Knights’ Trial. Link is greatly overlooked. He decides to sneak off into Hyrule Castle. In the basement, he finds the three golden pyramids that make up the Triforce. Curious, he touches one and finds himself transported to the land of Holodrum. He lands in a troupe with a dancer named Din, a cook named Impa, and a group of other performers. Link joins the troupe and now thinks he has found his calling in life. But his contentment is not to last. The evil General of Darkness Onox discovers the troupe and it is revealed that Din is the Oracle of Seasons. She controls Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn in Holodrum. Onox kidnaps Din (this is based on a video game, so of course SOME woman has to get kidnapped, it’s just how it works), sinks the Temple of Seasons, and locks up Din in a magic crystal enchantment. This now throws the seasons out of whack. You can be in one spot and it will be snowing, but if you take two steps in another direction, the sun will be beaming down. Link meets his new best friend Ricky at a boxing gym, and the two begin to travel together. Ricky is a kangaroo and Link now realizes he can talk to animals and even the Maku Tree. Link must discover the Rod of Seasons so he can temporarily stabilize the seasons so he and Ricky can travel to Onox’s castle and then set Din free. Unfortunately, upon Link and Ricky arriving at the Temple of Seasons, the BFFs meet the “Great Witch” Maple, who is after the Rod of Seasons herself to grant her powers so she actually CAN become a “Great Witch.” Of course Link finds it first, but Maple tags along with Link and Ricky, planning to steal it when Link isn’t looking. Link arrives at Onox’s Castle and battles Onox in his true form and rescues Din. What Link doesn’t know is that upon defeating Onox, he inadvertently lights the Flame of Destruction that the evil witch sisters the Twinrova have been trying to ignite for a very long time. I know, spoilers, but you obviously know that Link will defeat his enemies because this is, after all, an adaptation of a video game and the protagonist always defeats the main antagonist at the end of the game (if you’re actually a good player and make it to the end, of course). Link is able to return to his homeland and is now given Knighthood and becomes a Knight of Hyrule, a role he now willingly accepts, making his grandpa proud.

            Okay, now, as promised, my thoughts. I’ve actually played and finished the video game, and unfortunately, this is just NOT the video game AT ALL. I mean, yes, it must be compressed since this IS a Manga after all, but the comparisons are VERY minimal. The video game DID NOT put such an emphasis on Ricky and Maple, and the video game DID NOT have the plot of Link being raised by his grandparents, or any backstory of Link prior to discovering the Triforce, the video game DID NOT have any content of Link joining Din’s troupe, the book DID NOT have ANY scenes in the land of Subrosia that Link travelled to in the game, and this book DID NOT spend much time with Link fighting enemies as he does in the game. This is VERY MUCH unrecognizable to the game, and I rather enjoyed this game, so I was pretty disappointed.

            Okay, now for the score; I always base this score on a scale of one-to-ten, one being this book was a waste of time and I regret spending my time reading it, ten being this was awesome and I’m totally going to read it again. So I said that this Manga was unrecognizable to the game that I enjoyed the game, and I was disappointed. BUT! This is NOT a review scored on a comparison to the game, this is a review about the Manga. I have to accept the Manga on face value. I felt that the Manga on its own was actually an interesting story. I enjoyed the development of the characters, except for the lack of Subrosia. And the video game spent no time on Link’s history nor Link’s growing from a farmer to a Knight, so I found Link’s personal story to be compelling, and the story of Link’s friendship with Ricky and “alliance” with Maple actually interested me and I got to actually KNOW the characters as compared to the video games, so I felt that this was a plus. SO! ON ITS OWN, ignoring that this was based on a video game, I give it a seven. I felt that the story itself was good, and I did enjoy it, especially my investment with the characters.

            Now, I’ll move on to “The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages.” This continues from where “Oracle of Seasons” left off. Players of the games will know that there was a feature that united the video games and you could play “Oracle of Seasons” or “Oracle of Ages” in either story and actually connect the story and items together and then go on to the final ending after both games connected are completed. We’ll get back to this feature in a little while, I still have to review “Oracle of Ages” first. In this story, the Twinrova send out Veran, the Sorceress of Shadow out to fight Link to ignite the Flame of Sorrow to resurrect Ganon, the King of Evil. Princess Zelda sends out Link and Impa on a quest to find Nayru, the Oracle of Ages and bring her back to Hyrule Castle after Zelda has a premonition of great evil approaching, namely the return of Ganon. Unfortunately, Veran can possess people. She sets out to possess Impa in order to obtain the powers of Nayru, the Oracle of Ages. Nayru has the Harp of Ages and can travel through time. When Veran makes her way to Nayru, she possesses the Oracle of Ages and now controls her. Veran travels back in time to influence Queen Ambi of Labrynna into building a tower to the heavens. Ambi forces the male citizens of Labrynna into constructing the tower. Link and Nayru’s old friend Ralph travel back in time to fight Veran. Link allies with Sir Raven, a double agent who claims to kidnap and kill traitors for Queen Ambi while actually rescuing them and bringing to the safe haven of Lynna. It turns out Raven is actually an ancestor of Link, forcing Link to provide extra protection for Raven to ensure Link is not erased from history in the event of Raven’s death. Ralph is also unwilling to kill the evil Queen Ambi as she is an ancestor of Ralph and killing her will erase Ralph from history as well. Link, Ralph and Raven are able to separate Veran from Nayru and fight Veran in her true form. Upon her death, the Flame of Sorrow is lit and Ganon is resurrected. Fortunately, the Twinrova’s spell is not completed properly and Ganon does not possess intelligence, leaving Link, Ralph and Raven to fight a ferocious beast.

            Okay, that’ll do for that. As I said before, the connectivity feature of the games makes it so that the two games are actually one story and completing both games unlocks the final ending where Link must save Zelda by killing the Twinrova and Ganon. If you have read one of my other two “The Legend of Zelda” Manga reviews, or actually read the Manga separately yourself and are just reading this review for my opinion, or even have ever played a “The Legend of Zelda” video game, you may be familiar with Ganon by now. I have played the game “Oracle of Ages” prior to writing this review, and I’ll say that this had more similarities to the game than the “Oracle of Seasons” Manga. However, the game DID NOT have Sir Raven AT ALL! In the game, Ralph wasn’t prominent in the defeat of Veran. In the game, more time travel was involved. And in the final ending, Link faced the Twinrova in battle and their fight interrupted the spell that resurrected Ganon.

            Again, taking this Manga at face value, I actually really enjoyed it. The character of Sir Raven was a welcome addition for me, and I felt it really helped with character development that actually compelled me as I read the Manga. As far as giving this a score, I actually have to give it an eight. And prior readers of one of my review posts know I am a VERY difficult scorer, so an eight on a video game Manga is a REALLY good score, especially since I enjoyed the game and there were a substantial amount of inconsistencies. Still, I thought it was a good effort and I have to applaud Akira Himekawa for what I felt was a job well done.

            Finally, we have “The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons – Short Edition.” Yes, in this, Din was captured by Onox, yes Link had to come and rescue her and get the Rod of Seasons, but in this he had to fight the Great Moblin and another monster from the game and battle Maple for the Rod of Seasons.

But taking a story of considerable length such as the full-length Manga of one-hundred-eighty-six pages and condensing it into twenty pages just DID NOT work. If I said the full-length Manga was not the game, this version was nothing like the game. I thought it was rather pitiful. It even almost seemed that Akira Himekawa just did it as a joke. Granted seeing monsters from “The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons” the video game was slightly a perk, but it wasn’t enough for me.

So now that I put down the little story, I have to give my numeric score. I hate to do this, to say this, I really do, but I have to score it as a two. I’d totally say you’d probably not miss much by getting this book and not reading “Oracle of Seasons – Short Edition.” It was a weak attempt, and reading it was totally a waste of six minutes or however long it took (I totally didn’t time it). The score was only a two and not a one because of the Great Moblin and the giant lizard dragon that made me have a slight appreciation, and without them I probably WOULD have given this story a one.

Alright, now we’re up to my score for the book as a whole. Linking (no pun intended) the two stories from the separate titles and having the final ending was fun for me to read. It’s been twenty years since I played the games, so revisiting the stories in a new interpretation was welcoming for me. I know I dissed this due to the Manga not being the games, but I appreciated it as the adaptation it was. And speaking of appreciating the adaptations, I’m giving my score of the entire book. I have to give it a (drumroll please!) six. Look, I liked “Oracle of Seasons” and “Oracle of Ages” quite a bit, but “Oracle of Seasons – Short Edition” had to bring it down. I’m sorry Akira Himekawa, you did a good job at most of the book, but there was so much for me to dislike. I don’t regret reading this book, that’s for sure, and, hey, maybe I’ll end up reading it again someday, but ultimately this book was rather flawed for me.

Okay, finally, do I recommend this book to you? I say this every time, but for you newbs, I can’t tell you if the book was a good book. I can tell you to me it was a fun book, but you don’t think the same way I do, you won’t have the same opinions as me. You might read this and think it’s trash and say “Tim Cubbin, how could you like this piece of garbage?” but you may also think it was so good and say “Tim Cubbin, what is wrong with you, this is an awesome book, how could you find flaws in this epic, great Masterpiece?” that’s all you. I’m just telling you in MY opinion, how I feel about it, but leave everything else to you. If you want to read this, go right ahead. I would recommend this book to you, but if you played and loved the games, you might love this new interpretation or you might hate that it’s not the game, that’s a tricky gray area, but not knowing anything about “The Legend of Zelda” could welcome you to Link’s world or just totally turn you off and not want to get involved, again, tricky gray area, I leave the opinion up to you. This makes telling a demographic audience impossible. We’ll leave it as that I played the games and loved them, then read the Manga of those same games and fairly enjoyed it, there’s nothing more I can say. BUT! I do have a warning for those of you who have never read a Manga before. A Manga is a Japanese comic book. There’s a consistent look to them, the art style (which, I didn’t mention before, but I personally loved it), in black and white, the exaggerated sound effects, the quirky little words appearing a points. The BIGGEST THING I can tell you is how to read it. I’m American, I’ve been reading comic books since I was five years old, and getting into my first Manga was an effort. That might sound strange to say… until you actually look at one. A Manga is read from back to front, from right to left. In other words, to American comic book readers like myself, it’s backwards! It will take some practice to get into a Manga, but once you get the hang of it, it’s actually kind of cool. And yes, you may have slips in learning it, mastering a Manga to regular comic book readers is an effort, but for “The Legend of Zelda” fans like myself, I think it is worth the work.

And now, I will bid you adieu. First, though, know that I am a rather frequent blogger. I don’t work on a schedule, I just post when I have something to post. I’m rather busy right now, so my posts won’t be as frequent as they were in the past, but keep looking for me in the future. I also do reviews of other graphic or prose novels I read (almost entirely Marvel, I am a die-hard Marvelite), I do editorials and essays and articles (as a certified, currently unemployed journalist), I have a complaint series B’ings, I write short fiction and nonfiction stories, I do poetry, I do a lot of stuff other than just this, so check out some more of my posts if you’ve enjoyed this review (and you’re still here, you are THE BEST!). I hope you come back for more, but for now, Tim Cubbin… out! 

"The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask/A Link to the Past- Legendary Edition" by Akira Himekawa

               This is a review of the Manga “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask/A Link to the Past- Legendary Edition” by Akira Himekawa and not a review of “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” and “The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” video games.

            In “Majora’s Mask” there is what appears to be a man (but it’s possibly he may be either a demon or god) called the Happy Mask Salesman, who travels around selling masks. He possesses a mask named Majora’s Mask that is considered to be a “Demon Mask” that will grant the wearer’s wishes, one he will absolutely refuse to sell, and yet dangerously (and stupidly) carries with him. A creature called Skull Kid wants a special mask and fancies Majora’s Mask. The Happy Mask Salesman, true to form, will not part with it. Skull Kid, in a rage, attacks the Happy Mask Salesman and then steals Majora’s Mask and immediately puts it on and becomes possessed by the mask.

            Meanwhile, a boy named Link is missing his best friend, a fairy named Navi who inexplicably has gone missing, and so Link starts a quest to find her. Link is traveling with his horse Epona. His search takes him to a dark forest, and leads him to the Skull Kid. A Skull Kid is, by nature, a mischievous creature who loves to play tricks. Skull Kid is traveling with the two sister and brother fairies Tatl and Tael (yeah, a lame pun). Link possesses a magical item called the Ocarina of Time which (obviously) can effect time. Link also carries a sword and shield. These items are items Link has obtained over the course of his adventures. Skull Kid gets angry at Link and plays a trick on Link, transforming him into another creature called a Deku Scrub, which robs him of his sword and shield. On top of that, Skull Kid also steals the Ocarina of Time and rides off with Epona.

            Link finds he is no longer in his home world of Hyrule, but now in a world called Termina. There are people which look exactly like people Link has met in his adventures in Hyrule and yet are not, which suggests Termina is an alternate reality world of Hyrule. Link, now being a Deku Scrub, is not taken seriously by anyone. On top of that, the moon has a face, which is very furious-looking, and also is very low down in the sky, which, this being a new world, throws Link off a bit. He also realizes Tatl has been left behind, and now wishes to reunite with her brother, so joins Link on his travels.

            Link’s first stop in Termina is Clock Town, obviously named due to its central clock. The folks are preparing for the Festival of Time, obviously not put off by the moon. Link arrives at the Central Clock to confront Skull Kid. Link sees the moon about to impact with Clock Town. He is able to reobtain the Ocarina of Time. Tael goes into a trance and says “Bring four people… one each from the swamp, mountain, sea and valley.” Link is able to hold off Skull Kid and reobtain the Ocarina of Time, just as the moon impacts into Clock Town. He then plays the Ocarina of Time, and time goes backwards, and he is again in the Central Clock, still with Tatl, and now no longer a Deku Scrub. He is now Hylian again, but is left with the Deku Mask. He now is also three days in the past. The Happy Mask Salesman is there, and tells Link the threat of Majora’s Mask. Link then leaves Clock Town to travel to the swamp and seek out the “person.” He goes on his journey to find these “people,” defeat Skull Kid, save Termina from certain destruction, and find a way to return to Hyrule to continue his quest to find Navi.

            Then, in “A Link to the Past,” a boy named Link lives with his Uncle. Link’s parents were Hylian heroes and mysteriously disappeared. Link is raised as an apple farmer. Link receives a telepathic message from Princess Zelda one night. She is being imprisoned by the evil wizard Agahnim and being prepared for a sacrifice. She is the descendant of one of the Seven Sages, who long ago sealed the evil Ganondorf in the Dark World. To free Ganondorf, Agahnim must sacrifice all descendants of the Seven Sages. Link is forced to watch Agahnim slay his Uncle. Link is able to temporarily free Princess Zelda, who tells Link the Legend of the Triforce. This was a relic that was left behind by the Goddesses of Wisdom, Power, and Courage. The Triforce will grant the first wish of any person who touches it. There is another relic called the Master Sword which is able to destroy evil, namely Agahnim. Zelda gives Link the Pendant of Courage and tell him he must obtain the Pendant of Wisdom and the Pendant of Power, which will lead him to the Master Sword and give Link the tool he needs to defeat Agahnim. Upon the completion of the Legend, Zelda (like any good princess) is caught by Agahnim and sent to the Dark World. Obviously, Link sets off the find the Pendant of Wisdom of Power, the Pendant of Power, and the Master Sword, defeat Agahnim and Ganondorf, who is now in the Dark World called Ganon.

            Along on the quest, Link meets Ghanti, a bandit with a grudge against Link’s ancestors and a desire to obtain the Triforce. She is not shy about her convictions, but agrees to travel with Link to aid him on his quest.

            Obviously to go any further will spoil the stories, so now I’ll give you my thoughts of the Manga. First off, these stories should not have been combined. They are in completely different realities and have nothing to do with each other. “Majora’s Mask” is actually a direct continuation of “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,” so for accessibility, if you wish to read “Majora’s Mask” I would highly recommend reading the “Ocarina of Time” Manga first, but if you don’t want to read “Ocarina of Time” you should be able to pick up on “Majora’s Mask” with slight difficulty. If you are interested, I have also written a review of “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time- Legendary Edition” on this blog, so feel free to check that out as well.

            I must give a warning. While a Manga is a Japanese comic book, readers of other comic books must be informed the book is read from right to left. What most people would consider to be the back cover, to a Manga it’s actually the front cover, and the panels are read from the right side page from back of the page to the front. And Manga’s are traditionally black and white. If you’re used to comic books and never read a Manga before, it will take some practice to read properly. I had to work on it being a huge Marvel comics fan.

“Majora’s Mask” was originally a video game as well, and the Manga was, in my opinion, an insult to the game. I played the game when I was in middle school and loved it. This just does not live up to its namesake. The whole point of the video game was to continuously relive the three days until all four of the “People” were able to be found, as well as to collect masks from all different people and learn their stories along the way, then play the Ocarina of Time before impact to reset the three days. In the Manga, Link played the Ocarina of Time once and amassed masks only from the indigenous peoples of Termina. The whole fun of the game was to collect the masks and in the ending cut scenes you saw a clip of all the people you obtain their masks from and see their stories of what they did at the Festival of Time after Link’s success. This was such a letdown as the Manga involved very few of the people Link helps along the way. The Manga also felt very rushed. I feel that a longer Manga would have been a better way to tell the story. So you’re probably wondering how I would rate this. I always go on a scale of one to ten, one being a Godawful piece of trash that should never have been written, ten being so oh my God awesome that I’ll talk about it incessantly for six months to anyone I see even complete strangers on the street, I rate it at a three.

Moving off to “A Link to the Past.” Okay, I also played this game in elementary school and absolutely loved it. In fact, Game Informer Magazine gave a list of the three-hundred best video games at the time of publication and was named number one. The game was amazing, and my friends in elementary school and I had many conversations about the game. This Manga was, again, not the game. It was, in my opinion, complete trash. This story also felt rushed. Ghanti was a character made up just for the Manga. In fact, a lot of characters in the Manga were not in the game. The fill-in points of the story to give a narrative in-between the points of the game with no dialogue was just awful. Too much of a new Manga narrative mutilated the narrative of the game. My score on this is a two. Let’s quickly go to my accessibility rating. All that said, you don’t need to know anything about “The Legend of Zelda” to follow this Manga, but if you played the game and loved it, I strongly suggest you do not read this Manga.

So, on the book as a totality; it was a total fail. To combine the stories into one rating, this book gets a two. My regular readers know I’m very fair at reviews and very receptive to stories and very easy to please. So if I rate something as low as this, you know it must be godawful. In other words, I suggest you don’t read this. Keep away! But if you still do read this Manga and liked it, you totally need to get in touch with me so we can get a discussion going because I really want to know what you thought was good about it.

And that’s all for now. Expect plenty more reviews in the near future, so hopefully you keep reading my blog and feel free to share my blog site with your friends as I’m always hoping for new readers, and if you want, please comment. Until next time, Tim Cubbin… out!

"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time- Legendary Edition" by Akira Himekawa

 

            This is a review of the Manga “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time- Legendary Edition” by Akira Himekawa and not a review of “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” video game.

            As the story begins, we find young Link, a boy living in the Kokiri Forest. The Kokiri are all children who don’t grow up any farther after they reach a certain age. This age is never disclosed in the whole Manga. So there are no adults. Every Kokiri has a fairy partner, except for Link. The Kokiri Forest is under the protection of the Great Deku Tree, who is called their father. The Kokiri are basically unaware of the world outside of the Kokiri Forest as they are told that the Kokiri would die if the left the safety of the Kokiri Forest. Link has a best friend named Saria. He often butts heads with the “boss” of the Kokiri, Mido, who is jealous of the attention Saria gives Link.

            A drama has to start somewhere, so one day, a parasite named Gohma takes residence in the Great Deku Tree. This basically gives him a death sentence. Link is given Navi as a fairy partner as Link and Mido enter into the Great Deku tree to slay Gohma. Link and Mido are successful, but it is too late and the damage is done. As the Great Deku Tree dies, he imparts with Link the Kokiri Emerald and tells Link that he is not really a Kokiri but a Hylian. The outside world is called Hyrule, and Link’s mother escaped and died in the Kokiri Forest. The Great Deku Tree tells Link that he must defeat the Gerudo pirate named Ganondorf who plans to use the Triforce to enslave Hyrule. The Triforce is a symbol left by the goddesses who created Hyrule and the person who touches the Triforce will have the world mold to their own image. If a good and just person touches the Triforce, the world will be good. If an evil person, however, touches the Triforce, Hyrule will turn into a living hell. The Great Deku Tree tells Link he must find a princess in Hyrule who will guide him on his path. With that, Link begins his adventure.

            Upon arriving at Hyrule Castle Town, he meets Zelda. The two feel they must enter the Sacred Realm to obtain the Triforce. To open the door to enter the Sacred Realm, they will need the Goron’s Ruby, the Zora’s Sapphire, and the Ocarina of Time.

            Link continues his journey and obtains the needed items to open the Sacred Realm. As Link returns to Hyrule Castle Town, he finds Ganondorf has taken over and destroyed it. Link sees Zelda and her protector Impa escape on horseback and tosses Link the sacred Ocarina of Time. Link enters the Temple of Time, the doorway to the Sacred Realm and plays the Ocarina of Time to enter. Link sees the legendary Master Sword and picks it up. He becomes the Hero of Time. However, he is too young to wield the Master Sword and is put in stasis for seven years until he reaches a proper age. Unfortunately, Ganondorf has obtained the Triforce and made Hyrule a living hell.

            Link’s new mission as Hero of Time is to awaken the Five Sages and seal away Ganondorf. Ganondorf has a servant named Sheik who is from the Sheikah Tribe. But he does not faithfully serve him and provides aid to Link on his journey.

            Now I will give my opinion on the Manga. I felt it was well written and drawn. The story was engaging to me, I read the whole book in one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down. On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest, ten being the highest, I give the book an eight. I played the video game years ago, and there were important parts left out and also parts added that made the story a little cheesy. Link also only ages once in the Manga, while in the game Link does travel back and forth at some time where it is essential for Link to complete tasks while he is a child to reshape the past by the seven years as he places the Master Sword back in its pedestal. The dungeon locations of the Sages were also greatly shortened to prevent the story from taking unnecessarily lengthen the story into multiple volumes, which could have benefitted the story, yet the writers decided to contain it in one volume. My regular readers know I give an accessibility rating. This story requires no background knowledge of the video game series, pretty much anyone can pick up the story, except I must give a warning. While a Manga is a Japanese comic book, readers of other comic books must be informed the book is read from right to left. What most people would consider to be the back cover, to a Manga it’s actually the front cover, and the panels are read from the right side page from back of the page to the front. And Manga’s are traditionally black and white. If you’re used to comic books and never read a Manga before, it will take some practice to read properly. I had to work on it being a huge Marvel comics fan. All-in-all, I felt it was a good read, and if you are a fan of the video game and the series, you will likely enjoy the Manga, but again, die-hards may find several complaints like the ones I gave. It totally did not ruin my childhood impression of the game. Maybe consider giving it a try!