| | |  | ANI-MANGA | Home » » » » The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Vol. 1 | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | The Legend of Zelda is a high-fantasy adventure based on the wildly successful and long-running video game series by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. In February 2000, Shogakukan began publication of manga artist Akira Himekawa’s adaptation of nine of the most well known Nintendo games in the series. Each story follows the adventures of Link, the hero of the video game series, as he battles the forces of evil to save the Sacred Realm. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Akira Himekawa | | Paperback:
| 200 pages | | Publisher:
| VIZ Media LLC | | Publication Date:
| October 07, 2008 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1421523272 | | Product Length:
| 7.54 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.07 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.59 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.4 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.9 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.3 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.7 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.4 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 37 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 37 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 found the following review helpful:
 ZeldaOct 17, 2008
By Stephen M. Sturgeon
First, let me just clear one thing up. This is a Manga. Reading it back to front, right to left does not mean it's a defective book. All Manga are like that, keeping it true to the original Japanese manga. I'm surprised that even needs mentioning. It clearly says as much on the back (or front depending on how you look at it) cover.
Anyway, this manga is really great. It captures the story of the video game smash hit "Ocarina of Time" really well. Granted, it takes some liberties with the story. If you've played the game, you'll have many points where you'll be saying, "That's not how it happened!" But then that seems to happen any time any story is translated from one medium to another. So I'm not about to nock my rating down too many stars for that. Bottom line, I enjoyed reading it. I loved the game. I loved the Manga.
Parents can also buy this with confidence. It may be a little different for kids reading right to left. But as far as content goes, this is very kid friendly. It is by far the most kid friendly Manga I've personally ever read. So much so that it was in the kids section at my local bookstore instead of in the Manga section.
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 Well DoneOct 20, 2008
By Mechelle A. Buis
I remember being introduced to the Japanese edition of this manga at the early part of this decade, and at that time fans all over the world wondered if it would be released elsewhere. Nearly ten years later, that speculation finally proved to be true.
"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Volume 1" is a charming take on the story that took place within the award-winning videogame by Nintendo. It covers the first half of the story, ending shortly after the completion of the Fire Temple; the rest, obviously, will be covered in the next volume. There are some liberties taken with the story -- it's not exactly a straight-on translation of the game -- but I feel the additions are refreshing, and enhance the storyline already established by the game, making it a worthwhile read that stands on its own, even for those who are already intimate with the game's storyline.
Those who like heavy action and lots of blood will probably be a little disappointed, but that isn't to say there isn't any at all in the book. There's enough to make things interesting, without making it unsuitable for children -- I wouldn't be shy about letting my kids read it. There are a few pages where cropping issues make it difficult to read some of the speech bubbles, but those pages are few, and don't detract very much from one's overall enjoyment of the book.
It is, of course, a book that is supposed to be read from right to left (or back to front), to preserve the original orientation of the art, which can be confusing at first. But one gets used to it fairly quickly. The art, by the way, is beautiful and expressive; the two misses who make up Akira Himekawa are definitely skilled in their craft. And, while I'm relying on third-party translations of the Japanese edition to make the comparison (since I can't read Japanese, myself), the translation of dialogue seems pretty faithful to the original dialogue of the Japanese manga.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the game, or the Zelda franchise in general, who isn't a slave to pure, 100% translation of the elements of the game. Children and young adults who like a good sword-and-armor tale, with moderate fantasy elements, might like this manga, too. The printing does have its flaws, but everything else, I feel, more than outweighs them.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
The Legend of Zelda: Manga of TimeNov 06, 2008
By Chelle Rey
"Zeldaru"
Like all good things in the world, Zelda has finally become a manga, and a great one by two very insightful artists!
Of course, first thing's first, if you have a problem reading right-to-left, manga isn't your thing :(
Nextly, this manga was beautifully drawn and well-written! In the first part, with Link as a child, the attitude is carefree and light. I love the talkative and naive Link (with dialogue!) as I can now actually see and almost feel his reactions to certain situations. Although it doesn't stay true to the video game except for the plotline (then again, what movie stays really true to the book?), it doesn't matter to me as I prefer to have a different spin on the manga then the video game. After all, I know the videogame by heart. The manga doesn't elaborate on boss battles but that's fine.
I'd say the best part about the "Child Saga" would be when Link first meets Zelda incogneto. It shows how mature yet playful she really is. We realize that Zelda is only a princess at birth, but Sage by choice when she accepts her dreams.
When finally getting to the "Adult Saga," the tone is still carefree but a lot more darker and serious. The grown enigmatic Link we knew in the OoT video game is actually a grown child who's struggling to survive in order to destroy Ganon.
Again, the manga is well-written and beautifully made! It is a MUST for all true Zelda fans!
The only beef I have with the manga actually involves the translation. In Japan, manga is aimed towards young adults and older, but VIZ always dumbs down the language. I would have liked mild swearing and deeper dialogue as some conversations in the book are a bit shallow (it's rated A for all ages) but VIZ always dumbs down the language (like in Kingdom Hearts).
But, nonetheless, it's still deserves a spot on your shelf!
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
I miss these games......May 07, 2011
By Chris Nash
These books are great. They relive the adventure of Link. I know it's a bit different from the game but you can't expect the manga to follow exactly like the game. That would be dumb. A silent Link in a manga? Nope. Anyway, great books for fans. Not so great for nitpickers.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Excellent addition to an excellent video game storySep 17, 2011
By Riccardo
Ocarina of Time has always been one of my favorite video games, along with Majora's Mask, they have to be, hands down, the best games I've ever played. Part of what made me like them so much was their deep story and rich characters. But, being N64 games, the technology wasn't quite there for the developers to be able to tell a complete story with 100% full character development and structure. The cutscenes had to be reduced in order to leave room for actual gameplay; this was great since it left it to the player's imagination to fill in the blanks and connect the dots to make the story complete. What this manga does (along with Majora's Mask's manga) is expand on the game's story and focus on characters instead of fighting/battles. It's a great purchase if you're a fan of both games and I fully recommend it. The drawing are beautiful, taking inspiration from the anime-like style of the games' actual artwork.
That being said there are some parts where they left out some important things but overall, it's a great storybook.
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