The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (manga)
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Paperback - USA - 1st edition. |
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a compilation of the The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past-themed manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori and published on 2015-05-05. It consisting of the serialized comics originally published in Nintendo Power from January 1992 to December 1992. The comic book is drawn in traditional Japanese manga style, however, because it was intended for Western audiences, panels are drawn from left-to-right and is written in English with English onamonapia. The comic follows the general story line from the video game in the sense that Princess Zelda has been kidnapped by the sorcerer Agahnim and Link must fight to rescue her by traveling from Hyrule to the Dark World, however, in order to not spoil the game, which wasn't released in the USA until several chapters of the comic had already been released, the comic takes many liberties with the plot including adding several new characters, monsters, and dungeons.
Due to the popularity of the game and manga author, a Japanese translation was made, but it retains the English reading direction and onamonapia.
Personal
| Own? | Paperback, USA. |
| Read? | Paperback, USA. |
| Finished | 2018. |
I remember reading parts of this when it was published in Nintendo Power in 1992, but, since I didn't have a subscription, I only read a few sections, and I wasn't really sure what was going on. I bought the compiled book at MAG Fest, I think in 2018, and then read it shortly after getting home. It was nice to finally finish it, and I didn't remember much from 1992, so it was all fresh.
Review
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Overall: |
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Good
- The entire comic is painted in vibrant watercolors giving it a much higher production value than most manga.
- The backgrounds are stunning, and many of the character designs are really impressive.
- The story remains interesting throughout all twelve chapters.
Bad
- I don't care much for Link's character design. His feet are comically stubby, his hair always covering one eye looks dumb, and he frequently makes ridiculous faces.
- The comic diverges far from the game many times, too much for my tastes. Although the additions are generally interesting, I'd prefer to see more of the story from the game.
- As is typical with Japanese manga, the style often shifts from very realistic to overtly childish cartoon. This tends to bug me. I wish the designers would choose a style and stick with it.
Ugly
- Nothing.
Media
Covers
The North American cover uses the final panel of the comic, the Master Sword covered in plant life, waiting until it is needed again. I prefer this cover.
The Japanese cover uses a panel from when Link first obtains the Master Sword.
Documents
The comic.
Links
