ZELDA NO DENSETSU

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MANGA ActionZelda no Densetsu

REVIEWS

• 

  JAPfrv

  65/100
  A charming but flawed manga adaptation of the original Zelda.

  Maru Ran’s The Hyrule Fantasy: The Legend of Zelda is an adaptation of the original The Legend of Zelda, following the game’s basic story while adding several original characters and expanding the world.

  Zelda, the princess of Hyrule, is captured by Ganon, and Link, the chosen hero, must rescue her by finding all eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom and defeating Ganon. It’s a simple story, there’s nothing particularly complicated about it, but the manga does a good job of turning the basic premise of the game into an actual narrative. The original characters also give the journey more personality than the mostly silent adventure of the game.
  The art is good. It has a very simple art style, but I think that fits Zelda 1 extremely well. The character proportions and action are generally well done. My main complaint is the lack of backgrounds, as there are quite a few panels where the background is simply white, making some scenes feel empty. There is also some gore, but nothing that would really make it an 18+ manga.
  The characters are decent. One notable change is that Link actually talks. He’s your typical determined hero who wants to save the world, but he does receive some character development. Watt, one of the original characters, accompanies Link throughout the story. He mostly serves as comic relief at first, but thankfully becomes much more useful in the second half. I liked him and thought he added some charm. Zelda isn’t present much because she is held captive by Ganon, but, like in the games, she still plays an important role, especially in saving Link. Ganon is also mostly absent until the end, although his enormous size makes him feel like a much greater threat than he does in the game. There are also several other original characters, such as Billy, a kid who helps Link during the second half, and... Hercules. Yeah. On the villain side, the general of the Darknuts has a short but cool backstory. Overall, though, Link is pretty much the only character who gets significant development.
  The pacing is the weakest part. The story somehow feels both too slow and too fast at the same time. Some parts drag on and could have been cut entirely, while practically everything between the first and final dungeons is skipped. This is a shame, since I would have liked to see Link fight enemies like Manhandla or Digdogger and figure out how to defeat them. The final boss, however, was handled perfectly.
  The world-building is good. I really like the creativity used to expand the game’s world. The dungeons and overworld feel much more three-dimensional than they do in the original game, making Hyrule feel like an actual world rather than a collection of 2D screens. The manga also adds villages, which weren’t present in the original game, giving the world more life.

  As an adaptation, it’s pretty good. The story is adapted well, and I especially appreciated the manga vaguely explaining how Link can respawn. The items and world also make it genuinely feel like you’re reading Zelda 1, if that makes sense. The original characters are another welcome addition, giving some much-needed charm to what is otherwise a very straightforward journey.

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