Title: The Heroic Legend of Arslan (Arslan Senki)
Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Action
Publisher: Kodansha (JP/US)
Story/Artist: Yoshiki Tanaka, Hiromu Arakawa
Serialized in: Bessatsu Shonen Magazine
Translation: Lindsey Akashi
Original Release Date: August 19, 2014
Arakawa’s take on Yoshiki Tanaka’s The Heroic Legend of Arslan, which started way back in 1986 in Japan as a novel (and continues today), is a fantastic read that showcases a potential that draws you in to keep reading while establishing how, in simple terms, the seemingly mighty can crumble in a matter of time due to arrogance and lack of respect in one volume. With some quiet touches that enhance some of the characters and the action scenes drawn well, this is one title that will fulfill your need for fantasy, action, and intrigue this year.
Taking place in what is loosely based on Persia (the Kingdom is called Pers in the series), this manga tells the story of Arslan, a wimpy, weak prince who seems to be neither as intimidating or aggressive as his father, King Andragoras III, or as cold and stubborn as his mother, Queen Tahamenay. One day Arslan ends up getting abducted by a Lusitanian escape who’s the same age as him, but one has already been sent to fight, and the other is a long ways away from fighting. The Lusitanian escapes, and Arslan is only to ponder who he was, his purpose, and the purpose of his kingdom killing Lusitanians. Not much actually changes from the three years since this encounter, but this time, he is drawn into his first battle that ultimately changes the course of history…and that involves him rising to save his kingdom from ruin.
What I liked about Arslan is how deft some moments happen to be that build up the story and take greater precedence later on. For example, Arslan, in his first battle, was curious why his bird was wet after coming from the direction the Pers army was marching, and ended up mentioning this for anyone in the area to hear. This led to speculation about the weather and fog, but it was nothing but chatter. Then the fog shows up. This showed a few things: one, how Arslan’s not ready to actually lead yet, but he’s already able to notice things that can make him a great leader, and two, how extremely elitist the army actually is. Well, you don’t really see this at the start, and especially since the King was undefeated in battle, but once the fog rolls in, the obvious arrogance starts to show itself through action, and that’s where this manga gets good. Yeah, you know whenever someone says “undefeated,” “never lost,” etc, that generally means they’re going to lose. That’s when it comes down to execution and layers — and just from noticing what happened to the bird, the layers are building, and seeing what actually happens is entertaining, and not half-hearted.
The action for the most part is also what sets this series apart — it’s fairly violent, with lances going through necks, bodies cut in half…it’s definitely war out there. Maybe it’s been a while since I’ve seen Arakawa draw action like this (Hero Tales might have had it, but hey), so I find it pretty impressive. Also this is a good reminder that this is in a shounen magazine. The characters for the most part…are ok. I mean Arslan will get development, and I find the Lusitanian kid fascinating and I’ll be looking forward to seeing him again in future volumes, but aside from some side characters, the characters weren’t all that developed and felt one-note. It makes sense since it’s just the first volume, but where I should have felt impact — an example being when the masked man who commands the Lusitanian army shows up — lacked any emotion, and what happened when he showed up came off as expected and not much else, aside from how it affected the story and Arslan.
That’s not really enough to say it’s bad. The characters work out well enough now, and the storyline is exciting and engaging. There’s a lot that needs to get resolved, and there are characters worth learning about, especially after what took place in this volume, and I’m looking forward to more. This is definitely worth a look when you can.
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Justin
Justin is the founder of Organization Anti-Social Geniuses. Anime & manga fan that likes to blog about anime and manga, is addicted to sports, and weak to crossovers. You can follow Justin on Twitter @Kami_nomi.
Latest posts by Justin (see all)
- The Heroic Legend of Arslan Vol 1 Review - September 3, 2014
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- Notes of Great Teacher Onizuka 2014 Episode 8 - August 29, 2014
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