[Manga Review] The Legend of Zelda Vol. 4 by Akira Himekawa

While browsing a local book store for my birthday, my fiancé and I spotted The Legend of Zelda manga series. We debated which book I should try first before finally settled on this one. We picked Volume 4 because it would be the first book if I were to read chronologically (at least from the selection they had, anyway!).

I had never read a manga before, so I was a bit worried that I may not be able to read from right to left very easily. Luckily, I had nothing to worry about! Once I started reading, I flew right through the book! There were only a couple of times that I messed up and read from left to right.

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on The Legend of Zelda Vol. 4: The Minish Cap/Phantom Hourglass by Akira Himekawa

I have only played bits and pieces of the Zelda video games, so I’m sure there were many things included in these stories that I didn’t fully understand. But that’s okay! I still had so much fun reading this! The humor was definitely my favorite aspect; I found myself chuckling on almost every page, and I laughed right out loud many times!

The storylines of each story included in this book were interesting! I really enjoyed reading and learning more about the characters, the world, and the items that are picked up along the way.

I also really liked the simple artwork. It was so well done, though I will admit, I wish every page was as colorful as the first few pages! The artwork was still lovely in black and white, but the colored pages were just more fun. Here is a quick comparison:

The Minish Cap

In The Minish Cap, Zelda and Link are attacked by Vaati. Though Link tried to protect her, Zelda was struck with a mage’s curse and turned to stone. Link is told that the Sacred Sword can remove the curse, but unfortunately the sword was also broken in the fight… Only the Picori, who come to this world once every 100 years, can restore it. Luckily, this is the year and Link wants to help!

This story includes items like:

• The Cane of Pacci, which flips things over when it’s light hits the item.
• Mole Mits, which help Link dig.
• Kinstones, items that give great rewards when you find someone that has a stone that fits with yours. 

Above, I had mentioned that I loved the humor. There were just so many pages that I really loved! Like this mine cart scene:

But what I especially loved, was all the little details that got me cracking up! Details like “Minor Miracle” below:

Phantom Hourglass

In Phantom Hourglass, we follow Link as he sails across the sea. Suddenly, the crew member in the lookout tower announces that the Ghost Ship is approaching. When it is right next to them, Tetra climbs onto the ship to see what the deal is, unconvinced that it is actually a ghost ship. When Link tries to get to her, both the Ghost Ship and their ship sail away while he is left floating in the ocean. Luckily, Link washes up on the island of Mercay, where he meets the fairy Ciela, Grandpa Oshus, and Linebeck the sailor. Then, his adventure toward saving Tetra begins.

Just like the first book in this collection, I loved the humor. Take this page for example:

This scene also made me laugh out loud:

And again, I loved the details like this that helped guide the reader along:

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Thanks for reading!