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The Legend of Zelda #9
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Una noche, la voz de la princesa Zelda despierta a Link. Decidido a salvar a la princesa de Hyrule , el joven campesino emprende la búsqueda de la espada maestra, que le permitirá derrotar a los que ansían controlar el reino. Una nueva historia basada en el héroe más famoso de los videojuegos!
192 pages, Paperback
First published July 28, 2005
28 people are currently reading
1340 people want to read
About the author
Akira Himekawa
107 books556 followersAkira Himekawa is the collaboration of two women, A. Honda and S. Nagano. Together they have created nine manga adventures featuring Link and the popular video game world of The Legend of Zelda, including Ocarina of Time, Oracle of Seasons and Four Swords. Their most recent work, Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, was serialized in Shogaku Rokunensei.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
December 9, 2018
This was an awesome Manga adaptation of Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I read this manga online at this link: http://www.mangahere.co/manga/the_leg... .
What a great story! When link's uncle is attacked by the Wizard Agunim, Link must save Princess Zelda and the Kingdom of Hyrule from the evil wizard's plan to place the realm into darkness. Can Link find the master sword and stop him before it is too late? Read this manga to find out.
This is a must read for Legend of Zelda fans. Look for this book wherever books are sold and at mangahere.co online
What a great story! When link's uncle is attacked by the Wizard Agunim, Link must save Princess Zelda and the Kingdom of Hyrule from the evil wizard's plan to place the realm into darkness. Can Link find the master sword and stop him before it is too late? Read this manga to find out.
This is a must read for Legend of Zelda fans. Look for this book wherever books are sold and at mangahere.co online
February 13, 2012
Being an adaption, Himekawa as the author (or artist, in this case) is naturally going to make changes to the original storyline in order to fit into a 181 page book. In this case, as in the fan-made Hero of Time movie, most of the adventuring in-dungeon has been cut, but I don't feel that it detracts from the story except for a few panels that don't transition as well as they could and left me confused now and again as to what was going on.
What the manga does really well is adapt the game's back story into a well-told, coherent tale. Seeing the creation myth in pictures and how the Hylians are represented is really powerful. It also did a good job to explain the lore in a way a non-fanatic would understand. It especially does a good job tying in the story of Ocarina of Time into the history. The links to the past (har har) are pretty obvious the way things are told.
A brand new character was added into the manga who serves as an aid for Link. At first I was a little uneasy about her, but I grew to like her, though I wish she played a larger part in the end of the novel (not necessarily the final battle, but the events *after* that).
In game, Link's lineage and mother and father are never really touched upon. All we knew is that he lived with his uncle, and his uncle died. The manga goes ahead and gives them a history that is relevant to Link's personal motivations.
What I like most though is how the dark world is handled. Its link to the Sacred Realm is explained well, and the way the "monsters" are portrayed gives them a chance to be redeemed, even the bosses of the dungeons, which are revealed to have once been normal people transformed by greed.
Overall, the adaption is really powerful. Some of the character motivations are a little weird (like Link wanting to be a master apple farmer) and some of the panels and dialogue bubbles were a little confusing, but they don't detract from the presentation as a whole.
What the manga does really well is adapt the game's back story into a well-told, coherent tale. Seeing the creation myth in pictures and how the Hylians are represented is really powerful. It also did a good job to explain the lore in a way a non-fanatic would understand. It especially does a good job tying in the story of Ocarina of Time into the history. The links to the past (har har) are pretty obvious the way things are told.
A brand new character was added into the manga who serves as an aid for Link. At first I was a little uneasy about her, but I grew to like her, though I wish she played a larger part in the end of the novel (not necessarily the final battle, but the events *after* that).
In game, Link's lineage and mother and father are never really touched upon. All we knew is that he lived with his uncle, and his uncle died. The manga goes ahead and gives them a history that is relevant to Link's personal motivations.
What I like most though is how the dark world is handled. Its link to the Sacred Realm is explained well, and the way the "monsters" are portrayed gives them a chance to be redeemed, even the bosses of the dungeons, which are revealed to have once been normal people transformed by greed.
Overall, the adaption is really powerful. Some of the character motivations are a little weird (like Link wanting to be a master apple farmer) and some of the panels and dialogue bubbles were a little confusing, but they don't detract from the presentation as a whole.
October 9, 2020
...this boy just wants to grow apples. And I want that for him so bad.
January 10, 2025
Beautiful art and the classic story with new stuff added in, including a new character.
February 22, 2025
definitely darker than the previous mangas
May 23, 2022
This book was fun, but it wasn't anything more than that. It was fine, but it lacked some of the story beats that all the rest of the books hit. Not too long after reading this book I read a different Link to the Past graphic novel, and it was really interesting to see how different the two books ended up being so different even though they had the same source material. I did like this book better than Oracle of Seasons, but it was still a big step down from the book that originally was second-worse, Ocarina of Time Part 2. It started out strong with Link's dream, a thunder storm, Link having to journey to a mysterious castle, battling a strange foe, and then being thrust into a quest in which he is not prepared for in the slightest. His uncle dies and he learns about the sinister truth that was kept from him, and now on top of his quest and new responsibilities, he has to deal with his Uncle's death, an entirely different past than what he thought was true, monsters at every turn, and the fact that he's the chosen hero destined to save Hyrule. It's a lot of responsibility for a kid, especially one who didn't have any sort of combat training before. I like the set up and it pushes the story down an exciting and gripping path.
++Potential spoilers ahead++
I thought that the book was strongest starting at the beginning of the book till when Link went to the Eastern Palace and got the Pendant of Courage. Once we got to that point we actually had a good idea of the direction Link's journey was going on, we met Ghanti, and learned about how Ganondorf got his powers. It was all fine and dandy, but then within a few pages Link has gotten the other two pendants, gotten the Master Sword, and goes to the Dark World. That portion of the story felt way too rushed, because getting the Master Sword is supposed to be a big turning point in Link's story, and then we're supposed to see as Link grows using the Master Sword until he has the strength to defeat the villain. However, that story arc was WAY too rushed and I understand that in a story like this things are going to need to be cut for length issues, but I don't know why this section had so many parts cut out. It made me feel that he was plunging into the thick of the story way too early.
Another aspect of the story that I felt was not dealt with was the idea of turning into a monster if your heart isn't pure. Maybe I'm just stupid, but the whole idea went over my head, so when Link almost turns into a monster I was quite confused about what was going on. Now that I look back on the story, it was quite obvious that it was being set up, but it still feels weird. We had Link have that interaction with that guy who turned into a lion, and I got what was going on, but I was a little taken aback because I was under the impression that this character was going to be important, seeing as he was on the back of the book. But in the end the character didn't add that much to the story and neither did the scene in general. That scene should have been cut out of the book, and an extra scene should have been devoted to somewhere else in the story instead. Later in the book we see Ghanti as a fox, and it was not fully explained why she was a fox, either. It was just pushed off to the side and not really mentioned again. Although I felt as if the whole "turning into a beast" thing was not handled well, at least it explains why Ganon is this giant pig monster.
The story definitely picked back up more once Link got to the Dark World. We see Link figure out where he is and try his best to save Zelda from Ganon. I liked the setting of this dark and twisted version of Hyrule, because it took a setting that readers are already familiar with and made it more interesting and exciting. Link had such a personal connection to it despite having just learned about it in the story. Due to time we didn't get to see that much of the Dark World, but what we did get to see was amazing and mysterious. I liked how this book focused on Link's relationship with his family, especially his parents, whom he never knew. It was heartbreaking seeing him discover his parents home and realize just how much they loved him. It was really sweet, and it made the story feel more than just a quest. Link had personal motives, he had to fight for the people he loved, and in the end he had the strength to say goodbye for real.
Now, before I talk about the end of the book I want to talk about Ghanti. I don't think she added very much to the story, and if it wasn't for the Silver Arrow that she had, her character would be useless. I cannot remember for the life of me if her arrow earring had been shown before the final battle, but even if it had it felt so out of place. There was no setup to the importance of the arrow, and it felt so out of place when Zelda went "yo Ghanti, that earring is a magical arrow that we need to defeat Ganon." At least the reveal was interesting? For the most part, the final battle was good, but then that happened and Ghanti's character arc was clumsily concluded. In general I don't understand Ghanti's motives to begin with. Her parents were killed by Knights of Hyrule apparently, so she decides to kill Link as revenge? Link is a literal kid who didn't know anything about his past up until a few days ago, so why was she resenting him? Even when she wasn't brooding over her vendetta of Link, she was still being a hindrance, whining about Link's dedication to the quest, and just being plain annoying.
As I was writing this review I came to realize how little I actually remembered from this book, not because I found this book boring or dull, but because I immediately read another Link to the Past graphic novel, and apparently my brain only has room for one of them. So if you're reading this and I mentioned something that did not happen in the book, I apologize. I didn't hate this book by any means, but I wanted more from it. I wanted a story with more depth, I wanted to see more of the action, learn more about the Dark World, and see more of Link's struggles as he went along his quest. I just felt like the book was over in the blink of an eye, and I really wished the pace had been slowed down a bit. There were a lot of details to fit into the story, and I get that, but I would have preferred for this book to have been longer but then risk having too much extra stuff, than not enough extra stuff, or extra stuff that feels out of place.
My review of Shotaro Ishinomori's A Link to the Past- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
++Potential spoilers ahead++
I thought that the book was strongest starting at the beginning of the book till when Link went to the Eastern Palace and got the Pendant of Courage. Once we got to that point we actually had a good idea of the direction Link's journey was going on, we met Ghanti, and learned about how Ganondorf got his powers. It was all fine and dandy, but then within a few pages Link has gotten the other two pendants, gotten the Master Sword, and goes to the Dark World. That portion of the story felt way too rushed, because getting the Master Sword is supposed to be a big turning point in Link's story, and then we're supposed to see as Link grows using the Master Sword until he has the strength to defeat the villain. However, that story arc was WAY too rushed and I understand that in a story like this things are going to need to be cut for length issues, but I don't know why this section had so many parts cut out. It made me feel that he was plunging into the thick of the story way too early.
Another aspect of the story that I felt was not dealt with was the idea of turning into a monster if your heart isn't pure. Maybe I'm just stupid, but the whole idea went over my head, so when Link almost turns into a monster I was quite confused about what was going on. Now that I look back on the story, it was quite obvious that it was being set up, but it still feels weird. We had Link have that interaction with that guy who turned into a lion, and I got what was going on, but I was a little taken aback because I was under the impression that this character was going to be important, seeing as he was on the back of the book. But in the end the character didn't add that much to the story and neither did the scene in general. That scene should have been cut out of the book, and an extra scene should have been devoted to somewhere else in the story instead. Later in the book we see Ghanti as a fox, and it was not fully explained why she was a fox, either. It was just pushed off to the side and not really mentioned again. Although I felt as if the whole "turning into a beast" thing was not handled well, at least it explains why Ganon is this giant pig monster.
The story definitely picked back up more once Link got to the Dark World. We see Link figure out where he is and try his best to save Zelda from Ganon. I liked the setting of this dark and twisted version of Hyrule, because it took a setting that readers are already familiar with and made it more interesting and exciting. Link had such a personal connection to it despite having just learned about it in the story. Due to time we didn't get to see that much of the Dark World, but what we did get to see was amazing and mysterious. I liked how this book focused on Link's relationship with his family, especially his parents, whom he never knew. It was heartbreaking seeing him discover his parents home and realize just how much they loved him. It was really sweet, and it made the story feel more than just a quest. Link had personal motives, he had to fight for the people he loved, and in the end he had the strength to say goodbye for real.
Now, before I talk about the end of the book I want to talk about Ghanti. I don't think she added very much to the story, and if it wasn't for the Silver Arrow that she had, her character would be useless. I cannot remember for the life of me if her arrow earring had been shown before the final battle, but even if it had it felt so out of place. There was no setup to the importance of the arrow, and it felt so out of place when Zelda went "yo Ghanti, that earring is a magical arrow that we need to defeat Ganon." At least the reveal was interesting? For the most part, the final battle was good, but then that happened and Ghanti's character arc was clumsily concluded. In general I don't understand Ghanti's motives to begin with. Her parents were killed by Knights of Hyrule apparently, so she decides to kill Link as revenge? Link is a literal kid who didn't know anything about his past up until a few days ago, so why was she resenting him? Even when she wasn't brooding over her vendetta of Link, she was still being a hindrance, whining about Link's dedication to the quest, and just being plain annoying.
As I was writing this review I came to realize how little I actually remembered from this book, not because I found this book boring or dull, but because I immediately read another Link to the Past graphic novel, and apparently my brain only has room for one of them. So if you're reading this and I mentioned something that did not happen in the book, I apologize. I didn't hate this book by any means, but I wanted more from it. I wanted a story with more depth, I wanted to see more of the action, learn more about the Dark World, and see more of Link's struggles as he went along his quest. I just felt like the book was over in the blink of an eye, and I really wished the pace had been slowed down a bit. There were a lot of details to fit into the story, and I get that, but I would have preferred for this book to have been longer but then risk having too much extra stuff, than not enough extra stuff, or extra stuff that feels out of place.
My review of Shotaro Ishinomori's A Link to the Past- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 6, 2022
Drei Worte, ICH LIEBE ES! Ich habe dieses Spiel unzählige Male durchgespielt und auch wenn der Manga nicht viel mit der Handlung des Spiels zu tun hat, ist ein Wiedererkennungswert definitiv vorhanden. Man wird regelrecht in die Welt eingesogen und fühlt unfassbar mit den Charakteren mit so wie ich es auch beim durchspielen von A Link to the Past habe. Sehr schöne Geschichte, tolle Zeichnungen und ein cooles Interview mit dem Mangaka Akira Himekawa erwarten Euch hier. 1++
August 18, 2024
I think Link to the Past has a lot of potential for plot development that wasn't present in the game and I believe this adds a satisfying layer to the narrative. The art is really dynamic and I really loved the characterisation of Link. Whilst I feel like problems arise and get solved far too quickly, I still found this an enjoyable short fantasy story all things considered.
June 30, 2022
While I thought the artwork was super cute here, the direction of this manga wasn't it. It was very quick and episodic but I needed more. Like nothing here really stood out outside of the premise. This is yet again a Link from a different universe and he's from a long line of knights. But until the last chapter they didn't even mention the TriForce or its relevance really. Meh. Not my favorite Zelda manga.
April 19, 2025
The Akira Himekawa Zelda adaptations are really art showcases; the stories largely follow the structure of the games but are an excuse for the two women who collaborate under the Himekawa name to create impressive set pieces and epic scenes.
September 27, 2020
This was really fun and a nice quick story to read. I've never played the game so this was really new to me. I especially like how they've done Link's dialogue in these mangas. Can't wait to read more of them
February 21, 2022
[3.5] I haven't played the game so I'm rating this more for the actual story.
August 30, 2018
The Legend of Zelda es de mis videojuegos favoritos, y aunque me ha encantado la historia la he encontrado demasiado corta, se podría haber explayado más.
December 9, 2025
For the past however long I have been doing this for now, I have read and reviewed plenty of different manga adaptations of the many different Legend of Zelda games, and so far, as a whole, I would say that I have been having a pretty good time with the series. Sure, not all of the adaptations that we have gotten here have been anything too spectacular, what with them either being extremely basic or not offering nearly as much to enjoy as some of the other adaptations in the series so far, but all of them still managed to be really enjoyable reads so far, not just because of how well they follow the games, but also with having a lot of shared, really solid elements, such as good stories, some really solid characters, great artwork and plenty of good action scenes to be seen throughout the books. And this level of quality has kept up for the most part all the way from the first adaptation, Ocarina of Time, all the way to the most recent installment that we have reviewed, The Minish Cap, and at this point, I didn't think that we would ever reach a point where the quality of the series would ever see any kind of substantial drop. However, unfortunately, I think we have finally found that metaphorical drop that I figured wouldn't exist, which can be found in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past manga adaptation.
Like with all of the previous adaptations beforehand, this is yet another adaptation that I read as a kid, and one that I was familiar enough with when going into it given the fact that it is based on A Link to the Past, a game that I have played through multiple different times over and one that I enjoy quite a lot, which did make it so that I was excited to get to this entry in the series. Although, admittedly, I was a little worried about what we would get out of this adaptation, considering that, compared to future Zelda titles, A Link to the Past is very simple in terms of the plot and all of the things that happen in it, so I figured that this manga would be a snoozefest when compared to all of the other ones we have covered so far, but hey, who knows? Maybe they would end up shaking things up with something more original or exciting, or everything in here would just be executed upon really well, so I dove into it to find out, and unfortunately it ended up being..... disappointing. I wouldn't say it is a bad adaptation whatsoever, as it does hold a lot of the same great qualities that previous adaptations had, along with it having some core strengths that do make it stand out amongst the rest, but this is easily the worst adaptation we have gotten in this series so far, one that doesn't manage to do anything all too new or exciting compared to the others, while also having plenty of different pacing and characterization errors that end up dragging it down to where I can say that the manga is alright, but nothing more.
The story is more or less exactly what you would expect, with the manga following along with the game's plot close enough, but not only does it end up making some changes that definitely did not help it in its favor whatsoever, but it also ended up making for yet another incredibly standard and sometimes dull experience, making it a story I couldn't care too much about, the characters are pretty good at least, where Link is still really good here, even if he isn't quite as lovable or memorable as other versions of the character we have seen in these adaptations, and others like Zelda, Ghanti and Agahnim also manage to be good in their own ways as well, even if they are all also pretty plain for this series and don't have too many character traits or great moments that make me love them even more, the writing is solid enough, to where we get a lot of the usual kind of dialogue that you would expect, but it does do a good enough job at keeping you entertained, engaged and caring about whatever is going on at any point, which is good, even if whatever is going on isn't all that interesting, the art is extremely solid, with this adaptation going back to the more "realistic" style of these adaptations once again, and it works out pretty well, with us getting plenty of great designs, visuals and sequences throughout the whole manga that definitely keeps your eyes glued to the pages to see what will happen next, and the action is.... severely lacking, not because of the fact that the action that we get is bad, but it is more or less because of the fact that there is barely any action at all, as aside from some fights with Ganon and Agahnim in this book, we barely get to see Link engage in any kind of fights for all too long, which is a major disappointment, considering that was one of the things every single adaptation before this managed to nail for the most part.
Those aren't the only issues that this manga and adaptation suffer from though, as there were several other factors that played into this becoming my least favorite entry in the series so far. For one thing, as to be expected, this is just more or less the same as you have come to expect from the series: this adaptation features no real surprises or interesting new additions to the formula to shake things up or make things too much different compared to the other adaptations, which doesn't make it much worse, but it makes it so that those who aren't big fans of these adaptations, or those who aren't fans of these kinds of manga in general, probably wouldn't like this one. Out of everything though, the one thing that I think dragged this whole thing down at the end of the day is the structure of the manga, and how it handled all of its elements. For about 90% of this entire manga, it focuses entirely on story exposition and pushing along meaningless plotlines, as while the manga does start out on a relatively solid beat, with it having a nice opening and following along the events of the game pretty smoothly, it then goes into a steep decline in quality afterwards, where the manga pretty much speedruns a lot of the different dungeons and enemy encounters that Link goes through in order to get to the stuff that the manga wants to focus more on, such as with expanding upon the game's initial backstory and providing some more character growth for Link, along with giving him some dead parents to push in some more drama. Now, on paper, I'm not actually against this kind of change all that much, as the added detail they do give to the backstory of the game is very much appreciated, and the stuff with him wanting to know more about his parents is cliche and predictable, but pretty sweet, but again, all of this takes up most of the manga to where there barely feels like any action or most of the stuff people come to read these manga adaptations for, which is a huge disappointment. That's not to say that I want all of this cut out entirely, as I would much rather see a good balance of both of these different elements working together in harmony, those being all the story beats and character moments working alongside plenty more action and proper adventure, and it's not as if the authors behind this adaptation haven't been able to pull that off before, so why couldn't they do it here? Who knows, maybe they were under a tight schedule or something, but either way, someone screwed up here, and that is a massive shame.
Overall, despite a lot of the issues that I did have with the manga and how it did turn out to be a big disappointment for me, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past manga, if I were to be nice to it, is fine for what it is, having a lot of the same great factors that a lot of the previous adaptations had that made them so great in the first place that still look really solid here, but it is all held back too much by some questionable story and structure choices and other noteworthy problems, making it an adaptation that is just ok at the end of the day, what with its generic and rushed story on occasions, a set of decent enough characters paired up with some good writing, art that still manages to be just as great as ever before, and action scenes that, while being few and far between, do provide some great visuals and plenty of sweet action that do make them reading all the way through in the brief moments when they do pop up. I would recommend it for those that were huge fans of the previous manga adaptations in this series, as well as for those that are huge fans of both A Link to the Past and The Legend of Zelda in general, but for everyone else, there isn't too much of a reason for you to check this one out, especially when there are plenty of other, much better video game manga adaptations out there, even from the same franchise, that would be much more worth reading and checking out over this. But hey, look on the bright side, even if this adaptation didn't turn out to be anything all that special or great, at least we just have one more of these adaptations to go before we are finally done with this whole series! That's exciting, and the last adaptation that we will be doing for now is....... one of the Zelda DS games.............. hooooooooo boy.
Book #29
Like with all of the previous adaptations beforehand, this is yet another adaptation that I read as a kid, and one that I was familiar enough with when going into it given the fact that it is based on A Link to the Past, a game that I have played through multiple different times over and one that I enjoy quite a lot, which did make it so that I was excited to get to this entry in the series. Although, admittedly, I was a little worried about what we would get out of this adaptation, considering that, compared to future Zelda titles, A Link to the Past is very simple in terms of the plot and all of the things that happen in it, so I figured that this manga would be a snoozefest when compared to all of the other ones we have covered so far, but hey, who knows? Maybe they would end up shaking things up with something more original or exciting, or everything in here would just be executed upon really well, so I dove into it to find out, and unfortunately it ended up being..... disappointing. I wouldn't say it is a bad adaptation whatsoever, as it does hold a lot of the same great qualities that previous adaptations had, along with it having some core strengths that do make it stand out amongst the rest, but this is easily the worst adaptation we have gotten in this series so far, one that doesn't manage to do anything all too new or exciting compared to the others, while also having plenty of different pacing and characterization errors that end up dragging it down to where I can say that the manga is alright, but nothing more.
The story is more or less exactly what you would expect, with the manga following along with the game's plot close enough, but not only does it end up making some changes that definitely did not help it in its favor whatsoever, but it also ended up making for yet another incredibly standard and sometimes dull experience, making it a story I couldn't care too much about, the characters are pretty good at least, where Link is still really good here, even if he isn't quite as lovable or memorable as other versions of the character we have seen in these adaptations, and others like Zelda, Ghanti and Agahnim also manage to be good in their own ways as well, even if they are all also pretty plain for this series and don't have too many character traits or great moments that make me love them even more, the writing is solid enough, to where we get a lot of the usual kind of dialogue that you would expect, but it does do a good enough job at keeping you entertained, engaged and caring about whatever is going on at any point, which is good, even if whatever is going on isn't all that interesting, the art is extremely solid, with this adaptation going back to the more "realistic" style of these adaptations once again, and it works out pretty well, with us getting plenty of great designs, visuals and sequences throughout the whole manga that definitely keeps your eyes glued to the pages to see what will happen next, and the action is.... severely lacking, not because of the fact that the action that we get is bad, but it is more or less because of the fact that there is barely any action at all, as aside from some fights with Ganon and Agahnim in this book, we barely get to see Link engage in any kind of fights for all too long, which is a major disappointment, considering that was one of the things every single adaptation before this managed to nail for the most part.
Those aren't the only issues that this manga and adaptation suffer from though, as there were several other factors that played into this becoming my least favorite entry in the series so far. For one thing, as to be expected, this is just more or less the same as you have come to expect from the series: this adaptation features no real surprises or interesting new additions to the formula to shake things up or make things too much different compared to the other adaptations, which doesn't make it much worse, but it makes it so that those who aren't big fans of these adaptations, or those who aren't fans of these kinds of manga in general, probably wouldn't like this one. Out of everything though, the one thing that I think dragged this whole thing down at the end of the day is the structure of the manga, and how it handled all of its elements. For about 90% of this entire manga, it focuses entirely on story exposition and pushing along meaningless plotlines, as while the manga does start out on a relatively solid beat, with it having a nice opening and following along the events of the game pretty smoothly, it then goes into a steep decline in quality afterwards, where the manga pretty much speedruns a lot of the different dungeons and enemy encounters that Link goes through in order to get to the stuff that the manga wants to focus more on, such as with expanding upon the game's initial backstory and providing some more character growth for Link, along with giving him some dead parents to push in some more drama. Now, on paper, I'm not actually against this kind of change all that much, as the added detail they do give to the backstory of the game is very much appreciated, and the stuff with him wanting to know more about his parents is cliche and predictable, but pretty sweet, but again, all of this takes up most of the manga to where there barely feels like any action or most of the stuff people come to read these manga adaptations for, which is a huge disappointment. That's not to say that I want all of this cut out entirely, as I would much rather see a good balance of both of these different elements working together in harmony, those being all the story beats and character moments working alongside plenty more action and proper adventure, and it's not as if the authors behind this adaptation haven't been able to pull that off before, so why couldn't they do it here? Who knows, maybe they were under a tight schedule or something, but either way, someone screwed up here, and that is a massive shame.
Overall, despite a lot of the issues that I did have with the manga and how it did turn out to be a big disappointment for me, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past manga, if I were to be nice to it, is fine for what it is, having a lot of the same great factors that a lot of the previous adaptations had that made them so great in the first place that still look really solid here, but it is all held back too much by some questionable story and structure choices and other noteworthy problems, making it an adaptation that is just ok at the end of the day, what with its generic and rushed story on occasions, a set of decent enough characters paired up with some good writing, art that still manages to be just as great as ever before, and action scenes that, while being few and far between, do provide some great visuals and plenty of sweet action that do make them reading all the way through in the brief moments when they do pop up. I would recommend it for those that were huge fans of the previous manga adaptations in this series, as well as for those that are huge fans of both A Link to the Past and The Legend of Zelda in general, but for everyone else, there isn't too much of a reason for you to check this one out, especially when there are plenty of other, much better video game manga adaptations out there, even from the same franchise, that would be much more worth reading and checking out over this. But hey, look on the bright side, even if this adaptation didn't turn out to be anything all that special or great, at least we just have one more of these adaptations to go before we are finally done with this whole series! That's exciting, and the last adaptation that we will be doing for now is....... one of the Zelda DS games.............. hooooooooo boy.
Book #29
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2015
I was pretty surprised about this manga adaptation of the 1991/92 game.
For one, I checked, this was pretty different from the game, so knowing either will not help you much. Sure it starts similar and there of course are the same main characters and even a new one who wasn't in the game, but the majority of characters and monsters from the game was not included. Whether you like that or not is probably up to your taste, however as a video game adaptation this was pretty good. It started well and promising and this more sophisticated art style is way more of my taste than the other Zelda mangas I read. The art was always well done no doubt about it and I thought that the higher estrogen level, when compared to the game, was a good change. For the most part it was a good read and when you consider the record of the franchise regarding feminism, what Zelda did here was outright Super Woman. Sure what she does here is not perfect but it is a huge step up from the game and in fact Ganon's new design is also a big improvement in my eyes. And especially the ending was quite different from the game
However, for all of me liking this book, there were some minor and major screw ups that I think could have easily been avoided:
1) The story had a few minor to medium plotholes
2) The narrative flow was sometimes a bid clumsy and was a tad too fast sometimes, as if they had to squeeze it in. It could have been a bit slower sometimes from my point of view.
Seriously, if they had gotten rid of this, this would have been an excellent manga.
For one, I checked, this was pretty different from the game, so knowing either will not help you much. Sure it starts similar and there of course are the same main characters and even a new one who wasn't in the game, but the majority of characters and monsters from the game was not included. Whether you like that or not is probably up to your taste, however as a video game adaptation this was pretty good. It started well and promising and this more sophisticated art style is way more of my taste than the other Zelda mangas I read. The art was always well done no doubt about it and I thought that the higher estrogen level, when compared to the game, was a good change. For the most part it was a good read and when you consider the record of the franchise regarding feminism, what Zelda did here was outright Super Woman. Sure what she does here is not perfect but it is a huge step up from the game and in fact Ganon's new design is also a big improvement in my eyes. And especially the ending was quite different from the game
However, for all of me liking this book, there were some minor and major screw ups that I think could have easily been avoided:
1) The story had a few minor to medium plotholes
2) The narrative flow was sometimes a bid clumsy and was a tad too fast sometimes, as if they had to squeeze it in. It could have been a bit slower sometimes from my point of view.
Seriously, if they had gotten rid of this, this would have been an excellent manga.
January 31, 2019
Something about that classic art approach to Link's design and the characters really takes this book into a whole new level of awesome compared to its fellows.
They really nailed it. It's wonderfully nostalgic and aesthetically pleasing to read through.
The story itself is a rather "embellished" take on the original game's plot. There is an original character added by the way of, Ghanti, who takes on the role of a somewhat flirtatious, almost love interest, dual protagonist that has a little wink towards a touch of furry interest. It's odd. She is both awful and fun in a weird medley of motivations that are never fully pursued or developed.
This story is perhaps one of the strongest in the Zelda series of games. Unfortunately this manga takes that story on a rush order speed race and shortcuts through most of the great content that existed in an effort to focus on Ghanti and her motivations. Link is a pure of heart apple farmer and a specific apple is focused on way too much for the lackluster delivery it's given as a plot point.
The Dark World doesn't simply give you a reflection of your heart it transforms people based on their darker emotions in real time. Link frees transformed people by slaying the beast that they had transformed into. A brief focus on a few bosses and why they become the beast they were is one of the best albeit brief portions of the tale.
It's definitely an interesting take on the story.
Aganhim is given some back story that feels mostly pointless in an effort to help Link's own backstory which is also pointless.
All in all a lot of original content used in spite of the wealth of content that previously existed which honestly pulled the story down and made it feel weaker than it should have been.
It still comes off as fairly solid, though you can't help but feel like the entire experience is on fast foward and rushed to fit one book.
Easily could have been 2 separate books and given the dungeons at least a glance.
They really nailed it. It's wonderfully nostalgic and aesthetically pleasing to read through.
The story itself is a rather "embellished" take on the original game's plot. There is an original character added by the way of, Ghanti, who takes on the role of a somewhat flirtatious, almost love interest, dual protagonist that has a little wink towards a touch of furry interest. It's odd. She is both awful and fun in a weird medley of motivations that are never fully pursued or developed.
This story is perhaps one of the strongest in the Zelda series of games. Unfortunately this manga takes that story on a rush order speed race and shortcuts through most of the great content that existed in an effort to focus on Ghanti and her motivations. Link is a pure of heart apple farmer and a specific apple is focused on way too much for the lackluster delivery it's given as a plot point.
The Dark World doesn't simply give you a reflection of your heart it transforms people based on their darker emotions in real time. Link frees transformed people by slaying the beast that they had transformed into. A brief focus on a few bosses and why they become the beast they were is one of the best albeit brief portions of the tale.
It's definitely an interesting take on the story.
Aganhim is given some back story that feels mostly pointless in an effort to help Link's own backstory which is also pointless.
All in all a lot of original content used in spite of the wealth of content that previously existed which honestly pulled the story down and made it feel weaker than it should have been.
It still comes off as fairly solid, though you can't help but feel like the entire experience is on fast foward and rushed to fit one book.
Easily could have been 2 separate books and given the dungeons at least a glance.
July 12, 2021
Having read all of the Zelda mangas (excluding the still ongoing Twilight Princess series), this one is by far my favorite. The characters actually feel like real people- Link really is just a farmboy who takes up his uncle's sword to avenge his death and save the kingdom. Instead of a stoic badass, Link really is a person who is just doing what they have to do. Have *clap* more *clap* action heroes with sad backstories that they actually cry over! Plus, the female characters actually have agency in this book! I mean, Zelda is still just the princess who gets kidnapped, but since she wasn't the only female character in the novel, she felt a lot more human.
The addition of Ghanti really made the book that much more interesting. Although her ending felt like a bit of a cop-out (I mean, really? I felt that a lot of the weaknesses were more due to running out of pages to finish the story with than anything else. But you could tell that she and Link really cared about each other, and it felt well founded- unlike Link's relationship with Zelda. Anyways my rewrite of this has Ghanti saving Zelda while Link distracts Agamemnon and then they all have to fight Ganon together and they are my polyam babez :)
EITHER WAY. I WANT GHANTI IN THE ZELDAVERSE. Even if she's just a random side-character that you have the option to talk to. She would have fit in PERFECTLY in botw as a yiga clan member!
The addition of Ghanti really made the book that much more interesting. Although her ending felt like a bit of a cop-out (I mean, really? I felt that a lot of the weaknesses were more due to running out of pages to finish the story with than anything else. But you could tell that she and Link really cared about each other, and it felt well founded- unlike Link's relationship with Zelda. Anyways my rewrite of this has Ghanti saving Zelda while Link distracts Agamemnon and then they all have to fight Ganon together and they are my polyam babez :)
EITHER WAY. I WANT GHANTI IN THE ZELDAVERSE. Even if she's just a random side-character that you have the option to talk to. She would have fit in PERFECTLY in botw as a yiga clan member!
August 15, 2019
I am such a HUGE fan of the LOZ games and have wanted to read the manga based on the games. My hubby's cousin grought this home from the library today and I read it after she went to bed. Completely enjoyed it!!!
October 15, 2018
I enjoyed this one more than I did Majora's Mask. The authors chose to condense certain parts of the story and expand on others, and I thought they did a good job. Interestingly, the seven dungeons are both condensed and expanded; they're all summarized in less than a page each, but each boss actually gets its own small backstory that adds to the story as a whole.
The manga is its own entity aside from the game, but it does a lot in terms of world building and characterization. I particularly liked that Agahnim got a backstory. I feel like I actually understand the game better now that I've read the manga.
I also feel like I got more accustomed to reading manga by the time I got through this one.
The manga is its own entity aside from the game, but it does a lot in terms of world building and characterization. I particularly liked that Agahnim got a backstory. I feel like I actually understand the game better now that I've read the manga.
I also feel like I got more accustomed to reading manga by the time I got through this one.
March 26, 2016
I'm torn. I hated the game because of a bug and we could never finished it. Later on the Gameboy that colored my gameplaying. So with that kind of prejudice I started reading this... And I was surprised because although so very short the story was actually better than the one in the game...
March 8, 2010
Kiddie Manga! The kids and I are TOTALLY addicted to the games, and now, we're equally in love with the books. Don't forget to read them backwards.
November 2, 2018
I loved it!! Link is one of the greatest heros!!!
March 1, 2026
The Legend of Zelda video game series turned 40 this year (February 21, 2026). Since Nintendo has apparently made the baffling decision to ignore its milestone anniversaries, it’s up to fans like myself to celebrate in whatever way we can. I’m no artist, and my piano skills and musicality are questionable, so I’m sticking to reading.
I chose A Link to the Past because it’s my first Zelda game (and you never forget your first). I’ve played the series except for Zelda I, Zelda II, and Four Swords/Four Swords Adventures, and for all their grand sense of adventure and space, Zelda games tend to lack strong stories; sure, the more recent ones are more narrative driven, but exploration remains the focus. Akira Himekawa does their darndest to shoehorn a story between all the temple-diving and fighting, to which I give them a lot of credit. Unlike the game, they emphasize “the past” part of A Link to the Past, granting our no-longer-silent protagonist a backstory and a motivation: to find out what happened to his parents.
Which is related to another notable improvement, the removal of the “Zelda is your…” line dropped by Link’s uncle ambiguously before he has the absolute audacity to die. It’s never addressed again in the game, leaving the player to wonder what Zelda exactly is to Link: his destiny, sister, cousin, problem now? In the manga, Uncle instead hints that Link’s parents might still be alive, which gives our courageous hero more incentive to go on his quest than to save a princess he’s never met before. Sure, he’s pure of heart or whatever, but that’s narratively boring. We want conflict and character growth!
Now it’s time for me to take off my nostalgia glasses, for there was much about this adaptation that didn’t work for me. And “much” is named Ghanti. I’m not opposed to Himekawa creating original characters; the ones they added to the Twilight Princess manga fit well with both the story being told and Link’s character growth (see volume 7 in particular). But what purpose did Ghanti serve? Certainly not tension, for her desire to take revenge on Link lasts two seconds before she’s saving him in the desert. She doesn’t add to Link’s backstory or drive to learn about his past, and, most egregious of all, she’s given the honour of killing Ganon, which felt incredibly unearned and cheapens the mythology of the Legend of Zelda series: the bearers of Courage, Wisdom, and Power in conflict with each other over generations.
When you have only one volume to depict a 20-hour game, it’s important to be parsimonious. The pages given to Ghanti’s non-story could have been better spent on the main plot or Link’s backstory. No exaggeration, the authors cover the six Dark World temples in six pages. If my math is correct (questionable), that’s at least half the game depicted in 0.03% of the manga. Why not show us more of how Link, who hasn’t held a sword until now, grows in both skill and courage as he battles monsters? Or show the doubt he may feel at having to fight bosses who are simply Hylians corrupted into monstrous forms? The pacing was much too quick, and I felt like I was always missing a piece of the story.
Lastly, and maybe not as important, we never see Link in his pink bunny form, minus one short scene that never reveals his face, and Zelda appears in her classic gown only once. Again, the manga doesn’t have to, nor should it, follow the game exactly, but these aspects are part of the DNA of A Link to the Past. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Does this manga deserve 3 (actually 2.5) stars? Maybe not, but that’s nostalgia inflation for you.
I chose A Link to the Past because it’s my first Zelda game (and you never forget your first). I’ve played the series except for Zelda I, Zelda II, and Four Swords/Four Swords Adventures, and for all their grand sense of adventure and space, Zelda games tend to lack strong stories; sure, the more recent ones are more narrative driven, but exploration remains the focus. Akira Himekawa does their darndest to shoehorn a story between all the temple-diving and fighting, to which I give them a lot of credit. Unlike the game, they emphasize “the past” part of A Link to the Past, granting our no-longer-silent protagonist a backstory and a motivation: to find out what happened to his parents.
Which is related to another notable improvement, the removal of the “Zelda is your…” line dropped by Link’s uncle ambiguously before he has the absolute audacity to die. It’s never addressed again in the game, leaving the player to wonder what Zelda exactly is to Link: his destiny, sister, cousin, problem now? In the manga, Uncle instead hints that Link’s parents might still be alive, which gives our courageous hero more incentive to go on his quest than to save a princess he’s never met before. Sure, he’s pure of heart or whatever, but that’s narratively boring. We want conflict and character growth!
Now it’s time for me to take off my nostalgia glasses, for there was much about this adaptation that didn’t work for me. And “much” is named Ghanti. I’m not opposed to Himekawa creating original characters; the ones they added to the Twilight Princess manga fit well with both the story being told and Link’s character growth (see volume 7 in particular). But what purpose did Ghanti serve? Certainly not tension, for her desire to take revenge on Link lasts two seconds before she’s saving him in the desert. She doesn’t add to Link’s backstory or drive to learn about his past, and, most egregious of all, she’s given the honour of killing Ganon, which felt incredibly unearned and cheapens the mythology of the Legend of Zelda series: the bearers of Courage, Wisdom, and Power in conflict with each other over generations.
When you have only one volume to depict a 20-hour game, it’s important to be parsimonious. The pages given to Ghanti’s non-story could have been better spent on the main plot or Link’s backstory. No exaggeration, the authors cover the six Dark World temples in six pages. If my math is correct (questionable), that’s at least half the game depicted in 0.03% of the manga. Why not show us more of how Link, who hasn’t held a sword until now, grows in both skill and courage as he battles monsters? Or show the doubt he may feel at having to fight bosses who are simply Hylians corrupted into monstrous forms? The pacing was much too quick, and I felt like I was always missing a piece of the story.
Lastly, and maybe not as important, we never see Link in his pink bunny form, minus one short scene that never reveals his face, and Zelda appears in her classic gown only once. Again, the manga doesn’t have to, nor should it, follow the game exactly, but these aspects are part of the DNA of A Link to the Past. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Does this manga deserve 3 (actually 2.5) stars? Maybe not, but that’s nostalgia inflation for you.
February 12, 2022
Real 3.5 ⭐
Así es como las cosas se deben hacer.
Este es el segundo manga que leo de "The Legend of Zelda" (el primero fue "Majora's Mask"), y te gobque decir que este me gustó más por mucho.
A ver, si es cierto que siguen habiendo saltos dramáticos entre escenas, básicamente pasamos de una taberna o un páramo al golpe final del jefe de una mazmorra (las 6 doncellas literalmente fueron salvadas en 3 páginas), pero esto es entendible y justificable si tomamos en cuenta que jamás será posible adaptar toda la obra de un videojuego como "Zelda" (con sus acertijos, monstruos, misiones secundarias, puzzles y mázmorras) a un formato gráfico como el manga, pero en compensación este tomo nos regala una excelente ambientación, historia coherente y fluida (dentro de las limitaciones mencionadas) y personajes sumamente bien construidos (algunos totalmente nuevos como los padres de Link o Ganty, su acompañante y especie de némesis sumamente cómica), que le dan a la historia mayor profundidad, carisma y desarrollo argumental que de otra forma se hubiera quedado plano y sin sentido como ya me pasó en la historia anterior (y si, también he de reconocer que "A Link to the Past" me gusta 10 veces más que "Majora's" hasta en los videojuegos, es lo que hay 🤷🏼♂️).
En resumen, cuando me enteré que había adaptaciones de las entregas de "Zelda" a formato manga, esto fue exactamente lo que me imaginé, una historia si, que se tome libertades en pro del formato, pero que sea fluida, carismática y bien narrada; que nos recuerde la experiencia que nos dio el jugarlos por primera vez, pero que también nos llene de contextos he historias nuevas que los juegos no nos pidieron dar.
Y todo esto es lo que está manga nos ofrece para nuestro corazón Fanboy y Zeldero que siempre estará en busca de más
Confío que los demás que lleguen en un futuro a mi mundo lector sean, por lo menos, tan buenos como este... O más 😍🤩
Así es como las cosas se deben hacer.
Este es el segundo manga que leo de "The Legend of Zelda" (el primero fue "Majora's Mask"), y te gobque decir que este me gustó más por mucho.
A ver, si es cierto que siguen habiendo saltos dramáticos entre escenas, básicamente pasamos de una taberna o un páramo al golpe final del jefe de una mazmorra (las 6 doncellas literalmente fueron salvadas en 3 páginas), pero esto es entendible y justificable si tomamos en cuenta que jamás será posible adaptar toda la obra de un videojuego como "Zelda" (con sus acertijos, monstruos, misiones secundarias, puzzles y mázmorras) a un formato gráfico como el manga, pero en compensación este tomo nos regala una excelente ambientación, historia coherente y fluida (dentro de las limitaciones mencionadas) y personajes sumamente bien construidos (algunos totalmente nuevos como los padres de Link o Ganty, su acompañante y especie de némesis sumamente cómica), que le dan a la historia mayor profundidad, carisma y desarrollo argumental que de otra forma se hubiera quedado plano y sin sentido como ya me pasó en la historia anterior (y si, también he de reconocer que "A Link to the Past" me gusta 10 veces más que "Majora's" hasta en los videojuegos, es lo que hay 🤷🏼♂️).
En resumen, cuando me enteré que había adaptaciones de las entregas de "Zelda" a formato manga, esto fue exactamente lo que me imaginé, una historia si, que se tome libertades en pro del formato, pero que sea fluida, carismática y bien narrada; que nos recuerde la experiencia que nos dio el jugarlos por primera vez, pero que también nos llene de contextos he historias nuevas que los juegos no nos pidieron dar.
Y todo esto es lo que está manga nos ofrece para nuestro corazón Fanboy y Zeldero que siempre estará en busca de más
Confío que los demás que lleguen en un futuro a mi mundo lector sean, por lo menos, tan buenos como este... O más 😍🤩
January 11, 2023
Book 9.
A Manga adaptation of the iconic SNES game from 1992 in which Zelda is captured (of course) and Link must set out on a quest (of course) to free the Sages and defeat the evil Ganon.
Reading my way through the Zelda Manga stories, I was particularly excited to get to this one since the game is second only to 'Ocarina of Time' in my (admittedly limited) experience of the Zelda games. So much of that game was iconic that it not only changed the Zelda franchise forever, but influenced action RPGs forever after.
I was therefore pretty devastated to find that this is the worst book of the series so far.
All of these Zelda stories have pretty similar set-up, villains and Link is, of course, ubiquitous but what gives each their unique strengths are the settings and individual quests. Perhaps because the game was the basis for all that came after, this book feels more samey than any of the others and the elements which could've made it stand out are rushed and poorly developed.
The most egregious example of this is where all of Link's fetch quests are montaged-through in a summary lasting a couple of pages. Whilst those fetch quests could've felt a bit repetitive, that would've been better than them being hand-waved away as not worth bothering with.
Perhaps it was in part due to my expectations, but this book was a big disappointment for me.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
A Manga adaptation of the iconic SNES game from 1992 in which Zelda is captured (of course) and Link must set out on a quest (of course) to free the Sages and defeat the evil Ganon.
Reading my way through the Zelda Manga stories, I was particularly excited to get to this one since the game is second only to 'Ocarina of Time' in my (admittedly limited) experience of the Zelda games. So much of that game was iconic that it not only changed the Zelda franchise forever, but influenced action RPGs forever after.
I was therefore pretty devastated to find that this is the worst book of the series so far.
All of these Zelda stories have pretty similar set-up, villains and Link is, of course, ubiquitous but what gives each their unique strengths are the settings and individual quests. Perhaps because the game was the basis for all that came after, this book feels more samey than any of the others and the elements which could've made it stand out are rushed and poorly developed.
The most egregious example of this is where all of Link's fetch quests are montaged-through in a summary lasting a couple of pages. Whilst those fetch quests could've felt a bit repetitive, that would've been better than them being hand-waved away as not worth bothering with.
Perhaps it was in part due to my expectations, but this book was a big disappointment for me.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
September 5, 2023
I wanted to give a better rating, but i just simply could not. Before this one I read the Majoras Mask one (these two games are my favorite games of all time), and really enjoyed the Majoras Mask book. But this one was a different case. I completely understand that writers have to take some creative liberties anytime making an adaptation and I’m cool with that. The Majora book did a pretty job doing so and still staying true to the heart of the story. A Link to the Past on the other hand did not in my opinion, it added so much that strayed from the heart of the story and added main characters that are not in the game and gave them massive plot involvements. And there it strayed too far for me and did not feel like i was reading a story about the same game at all. That’s what really ruined for me time and time again. Majora never took me away from the game. Definitely was disappointed in this one. I’m sure the book itself with no knowledge of the game would be fine to read, but that is not ever gonna be the case with any books like this. Again, the main point: it took me out of the heart and majesty of the story for most of the read.
But I still am excited to read more of the Zelda mangas. And Majoras Mask gives me hope for other good ones.
I’m not a hater at all. I just want to say. I don’t like giving bad ratings or reviews. I really wish i would have liked it more! And i hope that if you read it, that you do like it more.
But I still am excited to read more of the Zelda mangas. And Majoras Mask gives me hope for other good ones.
I’m not a hater at all. I just want to say. I don’t like giving bad ratings or reviews. I really wish i would have liked it more! And i hope that if you read it, that you do like it more.
March 14, 2022
Uneven, just like the series its based on!
Beautiful to look at, the two mangaka who create as Himekawa are genuinely impressive in their ability to slide into so many different styles. I would say that it was perhaps a bit childish and oversimple, but then I have to remind myself that the Zelda games, like so many Nintendo games that have become staples for many GenX and Millienial adults, were originally intended for kids. I wonder if the later ones, such as the longer-running Twilight Princess adaptations, have the same vibe. Maybe they match the maturity of the respective games themselves? The opening was pretty strong, as Link losing his uncle and joining the quest was surprisingly effective. From there, things bob up and down. The addition of the thief character not in the games was interesting to me, as I am not sure that it was really needed? If they needed to fill a lot of space that would be one thing, but they end up skipping a lot of the game content and using that space on their created scenes. The inclusion of multiple furry-esque characters in the Dark World, as well, was...interesting? No shade to Furries, but I wasn't quite expecting that to show up in the middle of a aLttP adaptation.
Had some cool moments, but I'm hoping some of the other ones are a little stronger. (We just got the entire box set in our library.)
Beautiful to look at, the two mangaka who create as Himekawa are genuinely impressive in their ability to slide into so many different styles. I would say that it was perhaps a bit childish and oversimple, but then I have to remind myself that the Zelda games, like so many Nintendo games that have become staples for many GenX and Millienial adults, were originally intended for kids. I wonder if the later ones, such as the longer-running Twilight Princess adaptations, have the same vibe. Maybe they match the maturity of the respective games themselves? The opening was pretty strong, as Link losing his uncle and joining the quest was surprisingly effective. From there, things bob up and down. The addition of the thief character not in the games was interesting to me, as I am not sure that it was really needed? If they needed to fill a lot of space that would be one thing, but they end up skipping a lot of the game content and using that space on their created scenes. The inclusion of multiple furry-esque characters in the Dark World, as well, was...interesting? No shade to Furries, but I wasn't quite expecting that to show up in the middle of a aLttP adaptation.
Had some cool moments, but I'm hoping some of the other ones are a little stronger. (We just got the entire box set in our library.)
September 5, 2020
The Legend of Zelda is one of the greatest modern fairytales. I love Link and Zelda because I grew up with their stories and heroism. Link to the Past is by far my favorite game, so I was pretty excited to read this.
I can appreciate the author taking creative license and adapting this story (even though a word for word, action for action duplicate of the game would be freaking incredible), but I do wish she had kept some of the more iconic elements in the manga. For example, more action sequences - like Link fighting the Minotaurs (that was his first real boss battle after all). Or some of the iconic side characters like the fairies and King Zora.
I also really didn’t appreciate the author throwing in Ghanti. First, because she just doesn’t really fit well in the story. Second, Link doesn’t need a freaking side kick. One of the appeals to Link is the fact that he takes on evil alone. Sure he gets advice from different characters at times, but he doesn’t need or have a follower. He faces the greatest dangers by himself, which emphasizes his courage and purity of heart.
Despite the differences in this manga from the game, reading this was so nostalgic. It really brought me back to the golden days when I was a kid whose sole responsibility (at least during the summer) was to have fun. Sitting down three feet from my family’s tiny TV and grabbing the SNES controller to spend several hours playing as Link to defeat evil is something I’ll never be able to do again now that I’m an adult.
This manga does especially well with the opening scenes where Zelda calls to Link in his dreams and he rescues her from Hyrule’s castle. I’ve seen that scene over and over again in the game and it was awesome to open up this book and see it again with beautiful artwork.
I can appreciate the author taking creative license and adapting this story (even though a word for word, action for action duplicate of the game would be freaking incredible), but I do wish she had kept some of the more iconic elements in the manga. For example, more action sequences - like Link fighting the Minotaurs (that was his first real boss battle after all). Or some of the iconic side characters like the fairies and King Zora.
I also really didn’t appreciate the author throwing in Ghanti. First, because she just doesn’t really fit well in the story. Second, Link doesn’t need a freaking side kick. One of the appeals to Link is the fact that he takes on evil alone. Sure he gets advice from different characters at times, but he doesn’t need or have a follower. He faces the greatest dangers by himself, which emphasizes his courage and purity of heart.
Despite the differences in this manga from the game, reading this was so nostalgic. It really brought me back to the golden days when I was a kid whose sole responsibility (at least during the summer) was to have fun. Sitting down three feet from my family’s tiny TV and grabbing the SNES controller to spend several hours playing as Link to defeat evil is something I’ll never be able to do again now that I’m an adult.
This manga does especially well with the opening scenes where Zelda calls to Link in his dreams and he rescues her from Hyrule’s castle. I’ve seen that scene over and over again in the game and it was awesome to open up this book and see it again with beautiful artwork.
August 28, 2023
Kind of was hoping more considering this is my favorite Zelda game.
This is the story of Link, a farmer boy who one day has a grange dream. A woman named Zelda asks for his help, and as he wakes up he finds his uncle, and his sword, gone.
Link ventures to the castle where he finds out his uncle, with a deathly wound, was a knight charged with protecting princess Zelda. Link takes his sword and swears revenge against the would be captors.
Some things happen just like in the game and Link is sent to get the Triforce to save Zelda. If you played the game, we have many of the events playing out in less than a quarter of a page here.
What’s interesting however is the introduction of Ghanti, a bandit who’s also looking for the wish granting Triforce. I think there was some sort of romantic build up between the two, which I really liked, but I guess it wasn’t possible to do. Either due to Nintendo's interference, or the short nature of this comic.
I really wish this comic was longer, since the exploration of the knights, and Link and Ghanti's relationship was a well thought change to the game.
This is the story of Link, a farmer boy who one day has a grange dream. A woman named Zelda asks for his help, and as he wakes up he finds his uncle, and his sword, gone.
Link ventures to the castle where he finds out his uncle, with a deathly wound, was a knight charged with protecting princess Zelda. Link takes his sword and swears revenge against the would be captors.
Some things happen just like in the game and Link is sent to get the Triforce to save Zelda. If you played the game, we have many of the events playing out in less than a quarter of a page here.
What’s interesting however is the introduction of Ghanti, a bandit who’s also looking for the wish granting Triforce. I think there was some sort of romantic build up between the two, which I really liked, but I guess it wasn’t possible to do. Either due to Nintendo's interference, or the short nature of this comic.
I really wish this comic was longer, since the exploration of the knights, and Link and Ghanti's relationship was a well thought change to the game.
September 4, 2023
As someone who’s never played the game this book is based off of (and therefore reading it as its own book instead of an adaptation), this was the kind of book that had themes that were used well and had me still thinking about it the next day because of the good story.
There are just two things I would have liked to see:
1. When Ghanti found out she was a Hylian, I would have preferred to spend longer watching her process and come to terms with her actual heritage, even if it happened more in the background. I really like Ghanti and the details that were put in to kinda foreshadow the reveal about her parents; however, I can understand not showing too much of her due to only being added for the manga.
2. When Zelda cured Link of the hate that turned him into a monster, I wanted to have a better idea of what she actually did: all the manga showed was her touching his forehead, and it takes more than that to help someone stop harping someone else. Did her own purity purify him? Was she sharing a general feeling of forgiveness with him? The manga mostly leaves us to guess something that, to me, seems an important explanation.
Anyway, I still really enjoyed this book and would read it again for more reasons than boredom. 😁
There are just two things I would have liked to see:
1. When Ghanti found out she was a Hylian, I would have preferred to spend longer watching her process and come to terms with her actual heritage, even if it happened more in the background. I really like Ghanti and the details that were put in to kinda foreshadow the reveal about her parents; however, I can understand not showing too much of her due to only being added for the manga.
2. When Zelda cured Link of the hate that turned him into a monster, I wanted to have a better idea of what she actually did: all the manga showed was her touching his forehead, and it takes more than that to help someone stop harping someone else. Did her own purity purify him? Was she sharing a general feeling of forgiveness with him? The manga mostly leaves us to guess something that, to me, seems an important explanation.
Anyway, I still really enjoyed this book and would read it again for more reasons than boredom. 😁
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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