The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Volume 2

Manga
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Volume 2
By Leroy Douresseaux
September 27, 2017 - 23:08

Viz Media
Writer(s): Akira Himekawa John Werry Stan
Artist(s): Akira Himekawa
Letterer(s): Evan Waldinger
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9656-3
$9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K., 192pp, B&W, paperback
Rating: T (Teen)

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Graphic Novel, Volume 2

Rated “T” for “Teen”

The Legend of Zelda is a high-fantasy themed action-adventure video game series that debuted in 1986 and is published by Nintendo. Nintendo has also officially endorsed and commissioned manga adaptations of The Legend of Zelda for over two decades. The Legend of Zelda revolves around Link, a brave knight/warrior, and Princess Zelda of Hyrule, who guides, encourages, instructs, and summons Link to battle evil.

VIZ Media has been publishing manga based on The Legend of Zelda in America, and the latest is The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which is written and drawn by mangaka duo known as Akira Himekawa. The series focuses on a great darkness that is trying to rule over Hyrule and the World of Light and the Twilight Realm.

As The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 2 (Chapters 9 to 17) opens, Link is shocked to find that he has been transformed into a wolf. He is also being plagued by an imp named Midna who was once the “Twilight Princess.” Now, it is time to meet Zelda, who describes to Link the forces arrayed against them. She bestows a quest upon him: find the shards of the “Shadow Crystal” to save the world from the encroaching darkness. When he is finally transformed into a warrior, however, Link immediately doubts that he is really the right person to be a hero.

THE LOWDOWN: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess manga features some truly beautiful art, and that art ably depicts how dark this series is. This is not as playful a Zelda manga as the two earlier titles I read.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Volume 2 is set in a Hyrule steeped in a foreboding atmosphere. I don't have a problem with that, but the forces of evil seem to come in too many variations. Who, what, when, why, and how? Even after Zelda bestows a quest upon Link, it seems different from the quest he already joined. At times, I think Link must have a new mission every other chapter or so. Things seem to coalesce by the end of the second volume. I hope so; this manga with such pretty art deserves a more coherent story.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of The Legend of Zelda and of dark fantasy manga will want to try The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

B+
7 out of 10

Rating: 7/10