I can’t overstate how happy and impressed I was with this manga. The book ends at a natural stopping point in the story, when Link was transformed into a Wolf by being dragged into the Twilight and Imp-Midna looking on from a distance, saying how he would be useful to serve her. The monsters are scary in this world, they present a deadly threat, and they are not to be taken lightly. One villager is stabbed through chest with a spear while his neck is bitten by the fangs of a bokoblin, Ilia is shot in the shoulder by an arrow, and Link’s arm is cleaved from his body by King Bulblin’s axe. Not as graphically as Berserk or Battle Angel Alita, nothing horrifyingly grotesque-but blunt, and open to see. That’s when you learn that, despite how cute and heartwarming the beginning of the story was, this manga is not afraid to be deadly serious as well. The inciting incident comes about three quarters the way through the first volume, and mirrors the game: King Bulblin comes charging out of the forest on his giant boar, leading an army of monsters that attacks the village. When we eventually learn what this hidden past of his is, it’s emotionally potent and very satisfying. And Colin was surprised when he discovered that Link had an extensive library, the largest collection of books in the village for sure, all about magic. When Talo declares he’s going to go into the forest, which is exciting because it’s dark and dangerous, Link furiously yells at him with an anger none of the villagers had ever seen from him. But all throughout this happy time we keep getting hints that something deeper and potentially darker is going on with Link’s past.
![the silent swordsman zelda the silent swordsman zelda](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JWBjKONm5lQ/hqdefault.jpg)
His interaction with the kids, and with Ilia the obvious love interest, is heartwarming and will make you laugh.
![the silent swordsman zelda the silent swordsman zelda](https://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki/apis.ign.com/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword/4/49/Sword_3037.jpg)
He was quickly accepted by the village he’s cheerful and cool, great at riding his horse and working at the ranch, and gets along well with all the children, each of whom idolize him. Unlike the game, where we assume Link has lived in Ordon Village all his life, here Link has only lived in the village for six months. But in the first few pages of his interaction with Rusl, the village swordsman, you see a hint at serious thought and distant reflection. He’s glib and humorous, and at first seems shallow-asking about his pay and talking about how hungry he is. He’s a distinct character with his own personality and history. Link, in this story, is not the silent protagonist you play as in the game. It’s absolutely delightful, adorable, hilarious, and serves its purpose in the story flawlessly: it builds your investment in Link and this life he’s come to love so much, and creates tension and dread for the foreshadowed day it will come crashing to an end. This might sound boring, but it isn’t in the slightest. This first volume spends the majority of its time exploring Link’s peaceful everyday life in Ordon Village. I haven’t read any of the other Zelda manga in about six years, but from what I remember of them the skill of the storytelling in Twilight Princess is vastly superior to what came before it. Everything about it was fantastic, leaps and bounds above what I expected. I was absolutely blown away by the quality of this manga. This review contains no spoilers except what anyone who’s already played the game would know.