The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Graphic Novel Volume 5 cover image

The Legend of Zelda is a high-fantasy themed action-adventure video game series that Nintendo debuted in 1986.  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 the mangaka duo known as Akira Himekawa.  The series focuses on a great darkness that is trying to conquer both Hyrule and the “World of Light,” while also trying to control the shadowy “Twilight Realm.”

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 5 (Chapters 31 to 34) opens in an underground cavern.  There, Link and the imp Midna (who was once the “Twilight Princess”) battle the evil Zant.  Although Zink and Midna escape Zant's clutches, Midna is gravely wounded.  A voice tells Link that he must visit Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle.

There, Link will learn that to stop the ultimate evil, Ganondorf, he must find a particular weapon, “the Master Sword.”  To get this weapon, however, Link will have to prove himself worthy.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess manga continues to be a surprising series.  I have never played any games in The Legend of Zelda series, but I have always found manga based on the franchise to be pleasant, enjoyable, and sometimes exciting to read.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Graphic Novel Volume 5, like the previous volumes, typifies this series' high-quality storytelling and lovable cast.  Creator Akira Himekawa (the pen name of manga creators, A. Honda and S. Nagano) frequently introduces interesting new characters, but in Vol. 5, Himekawa mostly focuses on the series' mainstays.  This volume is about Link and Midna, their struggles, and how they overcome them.

Himekawa also provides two flashbacks focusing on the relationship between Midna and Princess Zelda before things turned bad.  The translation by John Werry and the English adaptation by Stan! capture the intimacy of an important friendship between earlier versions of these characters.  The English version of this back story leaves you wanting more.  So, dear readers, I recommend this sometimes complex and always dynamic series to you.

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.

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7.5 out of 10