One of the greatest developments of recent years is how we are finally getting localized The Legend of Zelda manga. Penned by the duo known as Akira Himekawa, these manga are beautifully done and now we have a very comprehensive set available.
Thanks to Viz Media, we now have a new Legendary Edition set of five Zelda manga by Akira Himekawa. These manga are The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask / A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap / Phantom Hourglass.
As per previous releases, these manga are retellings of the events from the respective games and often fill out more detail as to the backstory and additional characterization. Some also deviate from the story in the host games for dramatic effect.
While I already reviewed the excellent Ocarina of Time manga, these Legendary Editions cover a vast swathe of the Zelda mythos and make for fascinating reading.
Considering the complex and rather convoluted Zelda timeline, having manga that fleshes out more of the story of the series is very helpful. Admittedly, these manga aren’t exactly canon in terms of what they reveal but they definitely give an interesting perspective on events from the original games.
It is also worth noting here that the A Link to the Past manga is an all-new work by Akira Himekawa and not the original manga adaptation penned by the very talented Shotaro Ishinomori, of Kamen Rider fame.
Thankfully, Viz Media also has the Ishinomori version available and I strongly recommend you pick that up as well because it is incredibly good.
The only major new Himekawa manga that is absent here is the still ongoing Twilight Princess adaptation, of which I have already covered the first volume.
However, even without that this five book selection is very comprehensive and each edition is wonderfully done.
So if you are a fan of The Legend of Zelda, then you should really think about picking this set up. In addition, you can also buy each volume separately if you want.
The Legend of Zelda Legendary Edition Set is out now and available from retailers such as Amazon.
Disclosure: Viz Media sent me copies of these manga for the purposes of this article.
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