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Suikoden III: The Successor of Fate #1
Suikoden III: The Successor of Fate, Volume 1
The search begins for the legendary Flame Bearer who ended war years ago. The Flame Bearer is the only chance for peace between the countries of the Grasslands and Zeckson.
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 22, 2017
Aki Shimizu's Suikoden III is a relic from a different time. That much is clear from the Tokyopop branding on the cover and the fact that it is an adaptation of a Playstation 2 game from 2002. But Suikoden III also captures the essence of fansites and internet culture of the early 2000s, precisely because of Tokyopop's clever editorial.
After all, few manga would be prefaced by the editor of a (in 2017, basically defunct) fansite. But Udi Hoh does an adequate job of setting up the Suikoden universe. And even if the first two games deserve a more sophisticated reading than suggesting that Suikoden's themes are "friendship, fate, and the importance of a [sic] personal sacrifice," I find Hoh's preface to be charming in spite of any negative qualities.
And I haven't even gotten to the book's contents. Shimizu, according to her post-script, was selected by Fumi Ishikawa (artist for the source material) to adapt the game. By all accounts, she begins doing a splendid job. It has been over a decade since I completed the video game version, but as far as I can remember the plot is intact and the character beats are developed with far more detail and artistry in Shimizu's retelling. In her post-script, Shimizu writes, "there are 1089 characters, so it'll be a little difficult ... I believe that if I write it thinking of the significance of each character, it should turn out great." After reading the first volume, I share Shimizu's optimism.
The volume really hits its stride as the conflict between the Grasslands and Zexen, quite literally, heats up. Shimizu makes both Hugo and Chris sympathetic, laying important foundation with each character's childhood prologues. The notion of war itself and bureaucratic plotting (or incompetence) seem to be the real villains. This is consistent with the storytelling of the Suikoden series as a whole. But Shimizu cleverly sets up questions for the reader that will pay off in spades later. Shimizu's great care in setting up eventual twists and her expression of the chaos of the conflict come through clearly.
After all, few manga would be prefaced by the editor of a (in 2017, basically defunct) fansite. But Udi Hoh does an adequate job of setting up the Suikoden universe. And even if the first two games deserve a more sophisticated reading than suggesting that Suikoden's themes are "friendship, fate, and the importance of a [sic] personal sacrifice," I find Hoh's preface to be charming in spite of any negative qualities.
And I haven't even gotten to the book's contents. Shimizu, according to her post-script, was selected by Fumi Ishikawa (artist for the source material) to adapt the game. By all accounts, she begins doing a splendid job. It has been over a decade since I completed the video game version, but as far as I can remember the plot is intact and the character beats are developed with far more detail and artistry in Shimizu's retelling. In her post-script, Shimizu writes, "there are 1089 characters, so it'll be a little difficult ... I believe that if I write it thinking of the significance of each character, it should turn out great." After reading the first volume, I share Shimizu's optimism.
The volume really hits its stride as the conflict between the Grasslands and Zexen, quite literally, heats up. Shimizu makes both Hugo and Chris sympathetic, laying important foundation with each character's childhood prologues. The notion of war itself and bureaucratic plotting (or incompetence) seem to be the real villains. This is consistent with the storytelling of the Suikoden series as a whole. But Shimizu cleverly sets up questions for the reader that will pay off in spades later. Shimizu's great care in setting up eventual twists and her expression of the chaos of the conflict come through clearly.
June 27, 2017
Cool story, brings me back to my childhood when I used to play Suikoden on the PlayStation. All the characters I remember feature in this volume and I am pretty sure there are more to come as the story progresses. It's like being reunited with old friends!
May 25, 2018
I know nothing about this franchise, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed it. The two main characters were great, and the world seemed quite interesting. I will say, I enjoyed the two backstories at the beginning over what followed, and I wish I had gotten to see more of them growing up, but I still enjoyed the main conflict of manga, and I'm certainly interested in what happens next.
The artwork was pretty good, and in some of the panels were downright adorable. The action was fairly easy to follow, and I enjoyed the various creature designs.
Overall, it was pretty good, and it was fairly easy to follow for a newcomer like me.
The artwork was pretty good, and in some of the panels were downright adorable. The action was fairly easy to follow, and I enjoyed the various creature designs.
Overall, it was pretty good, and it was fairly easy to follow for a newcomer like me.
August 30, 2019
I played the game for 30-40 hours as a kid beforehand it went missing. Years later my mom found it (and other valuables of ours) in my cousins closet. Come to find out he was a compulsive liar and thief!
Unfortunately I never got back into the game, though I love the series.
I bought these to finally play the story out. It is gripping material. Some in the gaming world liken in to Game of Thrones (or A Song of Ice and Fire if you will). There is battle and political maneuvering, along with great characters. Not sex like GoT/ASOIAF though, not to be expected, this is manga not seinen.
Unfortunately I never got back into the game, though I love the series.
I bought these to finally play the story out. It is gripping material. Some in the gaming world liken in to Game of Thrones (or A Song of Ice and Fire if you will). There is battle and political maneuvering, along with great characters. Not sex like GoT/ASOIAF though, not to be expected, this is manga not seinen.
January 29, 2022
I first played the game this is based on 20 years ago, and it held a spot in my heart through the years. I've wanted to see it more fleshed out for a while, and now I finally have the opportunity. This first volume was really good.
July 4, 2019
--- Genso Suikoden III 1-11 ---
Plot: Kurasa, sejalan dengan gamenya. Entahlah. Cuma ini satu-satunya Suikoden yang saya TIDAK ikuti gamenya; selain yang kakak saya mainkan (itupun cuma sekilas karena bosan dengan prolognya). Yah tapi; mereka yang bermain pasti mengerti. Yang tidak main pun... ... ...yah, kurasa bisa mengerti kurang lebihnya(?) XD.
Penokohan: Ok.
Gambar: Ok!
Percival! Karakter favorit saya di Suikoden III karena ketampanannya! //lemahdenganmodelcowokbegini X"D.
Jujur saja; ini satu-satunya adegan yang paling saya suka sepanjang membaca Suikoden III ini. Satu-satunya bagian yang menggambarkan Luc di Suikoden dan Suikoden II.
Suikoden (in a nutshell) itu... cuma masalah politik dan sudut pandang. Begitulah u w u.
[7.8/10]
Plot: Kurasa, sejalan dengan gamenya. Entahlah. Cuma ini satu-satunya Suikoden yang saya TIDAK ikuti gamenya; selain yang kakak saya mainkan (itupun cuma sekilas karena bosan dengan prolognya). Yah tapi; mereka yang bermain pasti mengerti. Yang tidak main pun... ... ...yah, kurasa bisa mengerti kurang lebihnya(?) XD.
Penokohan: Ok.
Gambar: Ok!
Percival! Karakter favorit saya di Suikoden III karena ketampanannya! //lemahdenganmodelcowokbegini X"D.
Jujur saja; ini satu-satunya adegan yang paling saya suka sepanjang membaca Suikoden III ini. Satu-satunya bagian yang menggambarkan Luc di Suikoden dan Suikoden II.
Suikoden (in a nutshell) itu... cuma masalah politik dan sudut pandang. Begitulah u w u.
[7.8/10]
February 14, 2020
Poor Hugo.
July 4, 2020
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
June 24, 2024
Melihat tokoh tokoh Suikoden di manga sungguh mengesankan.
October 4, 2014
A great retelling of a great game.
Suikoden III is based off a video game of the same title. Even having played the game (but never beating it) and rereading this manga dozens of times, I still find details I never noticed before (perhaps now because I'm older). This manga is good for people who have played the game and those entirely new to Suikoden.
The art is beautiful, the story is far more cohesive than you'd expect from three different PoVs. You get back story on the characters that are barely hinted at in the game. Tehe world is massive and goes beyond the borders of this story (and even better, there's world building galore).
Also worth noting is that one of the features of the Suikoden games is the "108 Stars." In Suikoden III, there are 108 "main" characters, most of whom you can collect to join your team (and you can mix and match in different parties). In the manga, every one of these 108 stars makes an appearance at some point during the series (speaking roles optional). As someone who enjoyed playing the game, I really liked this aspect of the manga.
And even though this is Tokyopop, this translation seems pretty sound. Nothing stood out to me as particularly awkward phrasing or downright egregious (without getting a Japanese copy I can't be sure, though).
So if you can get this, I highly recommend reading it.
Suikoden III is based off a video game of the same title. Even having played the game (but never beating it) and rereading this manga dozens of times, I still find details I never noticed before (perhaps now because I'm older). This manga is good for people who have played the game and those entirely new to Suikoden.
The art is beautiful, the story is far more cohesive than you'd expect from three different PoVs. You get back story on the characters that are barely hinted at in the game. Tehe world is massive and goes beyond the borders of this story (and even better, there's world building galore).
Also worth noting is that one of the features of the Suikoden games is the "108 Stars." In Suikoden III, there are 108 "main" characters, most of whom you can collect to join your team (and you can mix and match in different parties). In the manga, every one of these 108 stars makes an appearance at some point during the series (speaking roles optional). As someone who enjoyed playing the game, I really liked this aspect of the manga.
And even though this is Tokyopop, this translation seems pretty sound. Nothing stood out to me as particularly awkward phrasing or downright egregious (without getting a Japanese copy I can't be sure, though).
So if you can get this, I highly recommend reading it.
March 6, 2015
Genso Suikoden III dan IV adalah seri game yang belum pernah saya mainkan seumur hidup saya. Seri Suikoden sendiri adalah game buatan bandai bergenre RPG. Sebenarnya saya berharap Suikoden II atau V yang dikomikan, tapi ternyata seri ke III. Ya sebenarnya beruntung juga si, karena pasti saya akan merasakan keseruan cerita karena belum pernah merasakan bermain game-nya.
Kisah dalam seri ini berkutat pada perang berkepanjangan Grassland melawan Zexen. Kostum khas rakyat jelata dan kerajaan biasanya selalu dikenakan para tokoh. Seperti cerita Suikoden lainnya, biasanya sang tokoh utama adalah seorang pangeran, atau keluarga atau kerabatnya bagian dari orang penting. Konsep Genso Suikoden yang mengusung tema dunia pra-modern dengan settingnya yang jadul terlihat disini. Membuat saya jadi sedikit nostalgia.
Serial Suikoden III ini akan saya ikuti sampai akhir, saya yang sudah bosan bermain game atau lebih tepatnya tak ada waktu, akhirnya bisa terpuaskan kembali dengan cerita komik ini. :)
Kisah dalam seri ini berkutat pada perang berkepanjangan Grassland melawan Zexen. Kostum khas rakyat jelata dan kerajaan biasanya selalu dikenakan para tokoh. Seperti cerita Suikoden lainnya, biasanya sang tokoh utama adalah seorang pangeran, atau keluarga atau kerabatnya bagian dari orang penting. Konsep Genso Suikoden yang mengusung tema dunia pra-modern dengan settingnya yang jadul terlihat disini. Membuat saya jadi sedikit nostalgia.
Serial Suikoden III ini akan saya ikuti sampai akhir, saya yang sudah bosan bermain game atau lebih tepatnya tak ada waktu, akhirnya bisa terpuaskan kembali dengan cerita komik ini. :)
April 11, 2020
This is the first book of a manga series based on the video game Suikoden III. This is a must-read series for anyone who is a fan of the Suikoden games. I hadn't read the series in a long time, but a friend and I were talking of our mutual enjoyment of the series. I then found myself wanting to read the series.
The thing I love about this book is that you get a lot of Chris and Hugo's back story in this volume, and you get to see more of the characterization and motives behind Lucia, who is awesome and underutilized in the game. You also get to see the meeting of the Chris's Zexen Knights, who are interesting in the games, but are even more so in the manga. These details are things they don't take the time to fully explain in the game. I am a huge fan of the characters of these games, so I really enjoy getting to know their full story.
The thing I love about this book is that you get a lot of Chris and Hugo's back story in this volume, and you get to see more of the characterization and motives behind Lucia, who is awesome and underutilized in the game. You also get to see the meeting of the Chris's Zexen Knights, who are interesting in the games, but are even more so in the manga. These details are things they don't take the time to fully explain in the game. I am a huge fan of the characters of these games, so I really enjoy getting to know their full story.
July 16, 2015
Just... decent, I guess? I know nothing of Suikoden, so it's possible the interest and complexity of the story went right over my head. I did like the characters, but I didn't spend enough time with them to grown attachment and care about the conflict and the fact that the two mains are from different sides and are at war.
The art is nothing special (the art of the game is much better from what I remember) and all in all, just very normal japanese take on traditional european fantasy.
Also a giant Duck sargeant. Don't ask.
The art is nothing special (the art of the game is much better from what I remember) and all in all, just very normal japanese take on traditional european fantasy.
Also a giant Duck sargeant. Don't ask.
August 26, 2007
It's not often that a manga is based on a video game (instead of the other way around). But the manga does a good job of telling the same story, but with slightly different points of view and more depth and character interaction, so that it is a good retelling. A friend who hadn't played the game also enjoyed the story, so it's not necessary to play the video game to read this action/drama manga.
November 14, 2014
I'm a big fans of the Suikoden series. I fell in love thanks to Suioden II and I've played number I, II, IV, V, and Tactics so far. Yeah, number III is missing.
I don't know why, but back then I didn't like the "Trinity" system of the third series. It felt so slow and kinda bored me out.
But now after reading this (and after "participating" online at Suikoden Days), I really want to replay the game. I just hope the console and the game is still playable at home :)).
I don't know why, but back then I didn't like the "Trinity" system of the third series. It felt so slow and kinda bored me out.
But now after reading this (and after "participating" online at Suikoden Days), I really want to replay the game. I just hope the console and the game is still playable at home :)).
January 1, 2025
Loved it! Suikoden is one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to fantasy writing, and seeing the story of 3 in Manga form is fantastic. My biggest gripes with Suikoden 3 is mostly problems with the gameplay, so being able to only focus on the character work is refreshing!
August 29, 2009
Well, to my suprise, I really liked this one. I'm going to keep going with the series
November 5, 2012
Read all the volumes available in the library system. I loved it just as much the second time around!
September 28, 2015
Suka pertempuran + strateginya (^,^)
Seandainya 'ngeh' sama game-nya mungkin bakalan makin suka (^^;)
Tapi karena nggak, bacanya kadang agak bingung~(〃￣ω￣〃ゞ
Seandainya 'ngeh' sama game-nya mungkin bakalan makin suka (^^;)
Tapi karena nggak, bacanya kadang agak bingung~(〃￣ω￣〃ゞ
March 8, 2016
Lots of characters and some discontinuities make it difficult to follow in places.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews