Manga Review – The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Vol 1 by Yoshiki Tanaka, Hiromu Arakawa (3.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Teen
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 192 pages
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: August 19, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1612629728
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Heroic Legend of Arslan series
Source: Swapped through Paperbackswap.com
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

“In the prosperous kingdom of Pars lies the Royal Capital of Ecbatana, a city of splendor and wonder, ruled by the undefeated and fearsome King Andragoras. Arslan is the young and curious prince of Pars who, despite his best efforts doesn’t seem to have what it takes to be a proper king like his father. At the age of 14, Arslan goes to his first battle and loses everything as the blood-soaked mist of war gives way to scorching flames, bringing him to face the demise of his once glorious kingdom. However, it is Arslan’s destiny to be a ruler, and despite the trials that face him, he must now embark on a journey to reclaim his fallen kingdom.”

This is the first volume in The Heroic Legend of Arslan manga series, there are nine volumes in this series right now with the tenth scheduled to be released in late 2018. This was a pretty typical fantasy war manga; I liked it but didn’t love it.

This book follows the young prince Arslan who is kind-hearted and curious (much to his father’s frustration). We follow Arslan through a number of years as he learns sword fighting and goes to his first battle.

The illustration in this manga is good but not amazing; there is some detail here and it wasn’t hard to follow. I enjoyed Arslan as a character, although he is quiet for much of the book. I wasn’t a huge fan of the storyline which is what I think of as “fantasy war”.

As for the storyline; during a huge battle much of the Pars forces are decimated and Arslan now much fight to reclaim his kingdom. Many pages in here of battles and politics. I enjoyed the sections with Arslan but didn’t enjoy the rest that much.

This series reminded me a bit of Vinland Saga but wasn’t nearly as good as that epic manga series.

Overall this was decent but not spectacular. If you are a huge fan of fantasy war themed manga (which I am not) you might enjoy this. The illustration is decent and the main character of Arslan is well done.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Goodreads Reading Challenge
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge