The Legend of Zelda Box Set [Paperback]

Terms you may not know:
Manga - Japanese comic books read right to left
Mangaka - The author/illustrator of manga
Scanlators - People who scan original Japanese manga and translate them. They then distribute their work for free typically over the internet.

Typically I find that translations available for sale [especially for different audiences] often dampens the enjoyment of the original work due to localisation issues and trying to keep it understandable for the new target audience. Despite that, I bought it [being a Zelda fan]. Although I've only read the first three books so far, the translations are rather nice and jokes have been rather well adapted. I've no qualms at how they condensed the story and removed elements from the games during the adaptation as the mangakas probably had no choice due to the size of each manga. The humour works fine for the target audience and personally, I find it quite enjoyable because the jokes are so obvious and bold.

The character himself receives several overhauls that can only really be summarised with "he talks". If you don't like it like that, it's fine. He becomes a really interesting character like that because no longer does he do whatever you feel like doing, he struggles with himself and why he's doing things sometimes like a normal human [despite the fact that he's ridiculously overpowered].

The parcel however was left outside my door for a day apparently. The corners of the box seems to be damaged. Although that being expected it was also somewhat a disappointment as the box was rather simply made [cardboard]. I guess I'm not too picky.

I honestly miss the Japanese sound effects and terms that you often see in manga. There are often a lot of cases where scanlators choose to leave known terms that can't be translated into English very well as they are. I personally miss them but it works just fine without it. If you feel you're missing them, consider learning Japanese and buying the originals.

Rating: Out of 10
Translation: 9/10
Story: 9/10
Character: 10/10 [Link is awesome]

Overall, very enjoyable. Naturally, the choice to buy it is yours. I was open-minded [still am] and got it out of interest and I definitely don't regret it. Now for my Skyward Sword to arrive~

[EDIT]: I've read through all the individual manga volumes and now I can confidently say I do no regret my decision to purchase the box set. The adaptation from game to Japanese manga and then to an english one have all been done very well and to a high standard. All other issues have been previously mentioned and thus need not be mentioned once again. Also, I've finished Skyward Sword now~

I have a confession to make: While I do enjoy watching anime both obscure and well-known, I've never read a manga before this box set by the duo group Akira Himekawa (I love comics, but that's quite different). I had to learn, from this box set, how to read Manga properly. That's how green I am when it comes to this form of decidedly niche entertainment. I do, however, love the Legend of Zelda. It is by far my favorite series in video gaming, a hobby I personally consider my favorite pastime. That said, when I saw samples of the Zelda manga online and the glowing reception it has received, I took the plunge and bought this box set. From the perspective of a devout Zelda fan, was it worth it? Oh yes, it most certainly was. This is an exceptional rendition of eight different Zelda classics (plus some extra/bonus content), to be sure.

Obviously whenever you try to convert a story between two different forms of media as vastly different as video games and manga, there will be liberties taken with the stories. Temples/dungeon will obviously be shortened and narrative complexities will be added to make reading the story more relatable and compelling. There are details and events added that never existed in the games, and there are details or events in the game that are completely left out or remixed and tweaked for the mangas. Generally speaking, think less action, more exposition, and you've got a general idea of what to expect here. Again, I am a Zelda fanatic, and I did not mind these changes one bit. On the contrary, as the differences between these mangas and the games make for very compelling ideas and concepts that can add depth to stories you may have thought you knew everything about. Really great work here.

It's not just details or events in the stories that have been changed. The characters all have more explored personalities and the relationships between them is developed quite deeply. I really enjoyed this too. Nowhere is this more evident than in Link's character. No longer the silent protagonist, Link is a fully fledged character with a distinct personality, understandable motivation, and a voice! Just as the games make him a main character we rally behind, the tomes in this set make him a character we understand and root for. To translate that conveyance of great character, despite the radically different methods of connecting the audience to Link, is no small feat, but they did a great job here. What's even better is that every story has a Link that, while having similar core personalities, are quite different from each other. A Link to the Past's Link is quite different than Ocarina of Time's Link, for instance. The two-part volumes for Four Swords Adventures has four Links, and each of those are *greatly* different from each other, making for a seriously entertaining and fascinating story. Link's awesome characterization is one of the greatest strengths of this whole set. I love it!

The work done to translate these works into English was done exceptionally well. As I've already said, the dramatic aspects of these manga are great and the translation work was very well done, but so is the humor and none of it is lost in translation. Although I'm not used to the type of quirky nuances of manga in general, I am familiar with the sort of humor you would encounter in any silly, over-the-top anime. That said, I found myself chuckling quite frequently throughout reading the volumes and that was a positive aspect that I had not foreseen before buying the volumes. It's very quirky, to be sure, and some may be put off by it, but I found it to be incredibly endearing.

Lastly, there's the art. The visuals of the manga are, in short, spectacular. Character models and environments are drawn and shaded masterfully and, much like the writing, it not only captures the original focus and style of the game, but adds new depth and characterization to them as well. The duo of Akira Himekawa do have their own distinct art style, and it is beautiful. You can tell they poured their heart and soul into these works, and that they were constantly cognizant of the greatness of the original art design for the games. They emulate that style well, whether it is utilizing the "Toon" aesthetics from The Minish Cap or Phantom Hourglass, or whether it's the more mature style of Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask. Very well done overall, and the versatility on display here is fantastic.

So, as a die-hard Zelda veteran and a complete manga noob, I would heartily recommend these tomes. They're really exceptional, and have piqued my interest in a comic entertainment medium I had never really given the time of day before. You can really tell that, in every aspect, the authors/artists loved every second they spent crafting these stories, and that really makes these volumes a delight to take in. The writing and art is spectacular, Link's characterization is completely awesome, the translation work is fantastic, and overall, these mangas are just an absolute joy. It is worthy of the highest recommendation, with no hesitation. Buy it, take in the splendor of these tomes, and enjoy a new take on timeless tales of good prevailing over evil in the magical land of Hyrule.

This box set is fantastic. For one, it's cheaper than buying the books individually, plus the set displays very well. If you're a huge Zelda fan, you'll love these books as well; they add to the already awesome storylines and even fill in some cool backstories. If you haven't read manga before, don't worry, I hadn't either and I still found these pretty simple to get through.

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