The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Part 1

The Legend of Zelda #1

by Akira Himekawa

In the mystical land of Hyrule, three spiritual stones hold the key to the Triforce, and whoever holds them will control the world! A boy named Link sets out on a quest to deliver the Emerald, the spiritual stone of the Forest, to Zelda, Princess of the land of Hyrule. The journey will be long and perilous, and Link will need all his skill and courage to defeat evil. The battle for Hyrule and the Sacred Realm has begun!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Video Games, Fiction, Adventure

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2000

About the author

Akira Himekawa is the collaboration of two women, A. Honda and S. Nagano. Together they have created nine manga adventures featuring Link and the popular video game world of The Legend of Zelda, including Ocarina of Time, Oracle of Seasons and Four Swords. Their most recent work, Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, was serialized in Shogaku Rokunensei.

Reviews

[Lyyeesshh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so adorable!! Im so used to playing Zelda, it was a different experience to read it! I loved the story very much!

[Matthew Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has never played any form of Zelda, I found this series to be funny, safe for younger readers and perfectly illustrated. I still have no clue to what's going to happen and I'm highly amused by the fact that they made a game into a graphic novel. My wife wants me to play the game now.

I'm looking forward to the next volume, so I can get some of my questions answered.
See you then and there at volume 2.

[Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an extremely funny version of the video game. I've been playing the video game for ages, and so I can tell you that this is not an exact replica. It's got a bunch of small jokes that pick at the video game's weaker points - like why Epona never has a bridle, and yet Link's saddle is so fineley decorated. It's a little fast-paced for my liking, but perhaps that was intended as a comment on the video game's predictability. Himekawa did a wonderful job of throwing in all the major plot steps without making it the same old stuff. The owl has a sense of humor, Link's actually as immature as he should be for his state of mind, and yet everything works out in the end. It was hilarious.

[Jedi JC Daquis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't played ANY Zelda game before, from the original game to Breath of the Wild (yes please, judge me!), So this review comes from a perspective of a newcomer in Link's world with no nostalgic emotional investment.

Ocarina of Time part 1 is an easy read for readers of all ages. It is a high fantasy almost children's book about saving the world through using various MacGuffins scattered across the world. It's as straightforward as it could be, although some other characters act behind the panels, everything else is more or less WYSIWYG.

I have read a number of literary adaptations of video games like Doom, Metal Gear Solid, Assassins' Creed and even Halo. Most of them are above average at best, but this Zelda manga shows some promise.

[rhea · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are so much fun and my Zelda obsessive side wants to put 5 stars. The other side of the same obsession thinks 3 stars are funny to represent, "Courage, Wisdom, Power." I'm sticking with 3. If you've played the games you know the stories. The music was popping in my head the whole time and that was fun. The art was cute and pretty, like you'd expect from this style of book. Still, extremely cheesy, but worth it if you are any form of Zelda fan. I will see what happens when I read the others to see if the reviews change, but this covers part 1 & 2 of Ocarina of Time.

[IzamaRi H. Fabela · Rating 5 out of 5]

RESEÑA COMPLETA ➜ https://goo.gl/fNDJ56

Debo decirles que no soy muy adepta a los videojuegos (a pesar de tener en casa a un niño de doce años que no deja de darme lata con ellos), pero hay uno que desde el primer juego me atrapó por completo y ese es The Legend of Zelda. De verdad que puedo pasarme horas y horas con este juego y nunca me canso de él (como recientemente me pasó con The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild​) pues me encanta la historia de Link, el héroe del tiempo y siempre estoy deseando saber más de él, así que ya imaginarán lo emocionaba que estaba por leer este manga el cual está divido en dos partes; Link niño y Link adulto.


En la primera parte veremos a Link siendo educado como uno de los Kokiri por el gran árbol Deku, pero él sabe bien que no es como todos los demás pues es el único chico que no posee una hada y los demás chicos Kokiri no le dejarán olvidar esto, en especial Mido, un Kokiri con el que Link siempre ha tenido una rivalidad. A pesar de esta diferencia entre link y los demás, el gran árbol Deku siempre está animándolo y cuidando de él y cuando una Gohma ataca al gran árbol, por fin Link descubre porque es diferente a los demás y ahora tendrá que ir en busca de la princesa Zelda quien le pide que busque las otras dos piedras espirituales para que junto con ellas y la ocarina del tiempo pueda salvar a la trifuerza de las manos de Ganondorf, quien está buscando apoderarse de Hyrule.
En esta parte del manga veremos a un Link risueño, soñador pero sobre todo valiente que dejará atrás todo lo que conoce para explorar el mundo y las distintas razas que viven en él. Debo decir que mi parte favorita de este manga fue ver la relación entre Zelda y la princesa que si bien no es muy extensa si permite al lector entender más a ambos personajes y la relación que los une.

En la segunda parte del manga encontraremos a Link adulto quien acaba de recuperar la espada maestra y al que por fin le explican la verdad sobre su pasado y más importante aún, el rol que tiene que desarrollar para salvar Hyrule ahora que han pasado siete años desde que Ganondorf se hizo con el poder. Ahora Link tendrá que despertar a los sabios del poder de Ganondorf para que juntos puedan traer la paz a Hyrule.
En esta segunda parte del manga me ha gustado un poquito más porque nos cuenta pequeño detallitos inéditos que en ningún juego se habían dicho como la razón de los aros de las orejas de Link o la misma personalidad del personaje. Si han jugado los juegos saben que Link es un personaje callado del cual conocemos muy poco de su personalidad pero en este manga somos capaces de conocerlo más a fondo y debo decir que fue una grata sorpresa para mi pues hasta ahora sólo podía describir a Link como valiente pero después de este manga ahora puedo decir más de él como esa faceta juguetona e inocente que demuestra a lo largo de esta historia.

RESEÑA COMPLETA ➜ https://goo.gl/fNDJ56

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

El dibujo me ha parecido un poco confuso (a veces me costaba ver qué estaba pasando) y me imaginaba una historia más "seguida", con una trama más continuada vs capítulos de shonen con un quest distinto en cada capítulo y con bastante low stakes. Pero bueno, la culpa es más mía que del propio manga, que me lo esperaba menos para niños jaja.
Aunque bueno, trans man Link confirmed (en vdd mi headcanon es nb pero el Link del manga es un chaval trans claramente ok)

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely adorable retelling of one of my favorite games. Part 1 is Kid Link as he is sent from his home in Kokiri forest on an adventure to find the TriForce at the bidding of Princess Zelda. The volume ends with the revelation of his seven year sleep and the title of Hero of Time and being thrust to adulthood. We barely scratched the surface of who Ganondorf is but got some other nice deep lore dives on Hyrule and the TriForce. Link, of course, has to talk as he's now the main character of a different sort of medium and he's a bit goofy but not over the top. Navi didn't say "Hey Listen" once so shennanigans there. But overall, a cute introduction. Kid friendly as well this may be a good introduction manga.

[Jude’s TBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always knew what Zelda was about but not in detail or the origin of the legends and I loved this so much it was very enjoyable and the flow of the story was really relaxing and comfortable. I can't wait to read vol.2!

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

PAGESq!!!!

[Sara’s library · Rating 5 out of 5]

La prima volta che ho giocato a Zelda Ocarina of Time avevo 5 anni. Ora ne ho 21.
Questo libro è stato un tuffo nel passato ❤️‍🩹

[m.・゜゜・・゜゜・． · Rating 4 out of 5]

7 years and they couldn’t have the decency to get the hero of time some trousers??

[Alex Richey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cute. It deviates from the game's plot in interesting ways. The art is really impressive.

[DinoGuy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect. Art style: 5. Story: 5. This is the best (and only) Zelda book I've ever read. Akira Himekawa makes the best Zelda books. Highly recommend this to fans of the best Zelda game on N64.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Wo ist Band 2? Wieso habe ich nicht Band 2? Ich brauche Band 2!

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the Zelda games but couldn't get into this Manga book. It jumped around so much and there were a few sequences that made no sense. Often times I was confused on how the story had gotten to a certain point, even having to go back and read to try and clarify things I had read earlier. Too disjointed and set at a very weird pace.

[Gary Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

12th book read in 2017.

Number 498 out of 577 on my all time book list.


Review Pending:

[Judah Hellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a great game told in a manga style book. it is such a good game.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with PJ (:

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5 Stars**

Link has grown up believing that he is a Kokiri living under the guidance and direction of the Great Deku Tree – until the tree becomes invested with evil. Link defeats the evil but it is too late for the Great Deku Tree. The dying Great Deku Tree sends Link on a mission to find Princess Zelda in the kingdom of Hyrule and defeat the evil one, Ganondorf. Link is faced with many trials in his quest to defeat Ganondorf; and along the way he discovers that is actually Hyrulian royalty.

With the release of the new Legend of Zelda video game, Breath of the Wild, Zelda and Link have once again become popular. This, combined with the popularity of manga in general, means that the interest in reading any of The Legend of Zelda manga books by Akira Himekawa is expected to increase. While many parts of this manga follow the video game by the same name, there are also a great number of parts that are greatly exaggerated for added excitement in the storyline.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Part 1 is read like a traditional manga: left to right and back to front. The “back” of the book does include directions and diagrams on how to properly read the book, which is helpful for someone who has not read manga before. The downfall with Ocarina of Time: Part 1 is in the illustrations. Some of the traditional graphic novel and manga style cells merge together and it makes it harder to determine how that specific page is to be read.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Part 1 is a great recommendation to kids and teenagers who are fans of the video game series, and are familiar with manga format. The diagram instructions are helpful, but it may not be the best choice for learning how to read traditional manga.

[Andrew Sammut · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILERS AHEAD. I never played the video games but the premise sounded intriguing and hence I gave this a shot instead. It lived up to my expectations. It is fast paced, consistent with the characters and themes and has a magnificent storyline. In a way, I see it as having been heavily inspired by Dragon Ball in terms of the journey for growth and the fantastical experience. It follows the tale of Link, a young boy from the forest who is the child of the prophecy, certainly not a cliché, and he is asked to defeat Ganondorf, a mad man who can manipulate people freely. I don't see why he couldn't get through to Link but he did make Link kill his pet dragon in order to save a village :(

Epona the horse has a great character arc and Link's ocarina was introduced in order to call the animal to him. They travel quickly. Link yields a powerful sword and begins to train in order to defeat Ganondorf and grow stronger with the help of bodyguards and advisors. Not unlike, Goku or Jojo... I've read a lot of manga to analyse and appreciate the similarities. Part 2 should take a different turn and end this first arc in the 10 book series :) I'm not really interested about delving into the world of fairies and how link was bullied for not having one at a younger age, that was rather pathetic tbh The death of the Great Deku tree almost brought tears to my eyes seeing how it served as a father figure to Link.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

An endearing interpretation of a classic story. The point-by-point plot follows very closely with the Ocarina of Time game, just as the reader might expect. The character elements, however, are much more thoroughly fleshed out. We get to see a fun and adventurous side of characters such as Zelda and Mido, for example, which gives us a deeper connection to their personalities than the game offers. Their expressions, as with most of the detailed art, are priceless.

Though the story is predictable, fans of the gameplay will be pleased to see in-fiction justifications for many of Link's random treasures. For example, the Deku Shield is literally carved from the Deku Tree and Link's first Kokiri Sword was (ironically) given to him by Mido.

The story skips a few basic plot points, apparently under the premise that this information is assumed by people who have already played the game. It doesn't make it unreadable, but it certainly makes the progression feel choppy at times.

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Link is a Kokiri without a fairy— the only Kokiri without a fairy! Everyday is a fun adventure but Link can’t help but feel down while he waits for his fairy to appear. That is, until one day when something terrible happens to the Great Deku Tree, and Link receives his own fairy! It turns out that there is a great, big world out there waiting for Link, and his journey has only barely just begun…

—

Malon makes me think about how important independence is. Companionship is extremely important too, but independence allows room for individuality to grow. It’s a big part of what makes a person special and unique— the parts of ourselves that sprout and grow during our moments of independent thought, feeling, and action.

When I began reading this volume, it made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside, not just because of its purity and cuteness, but also because my boyfriend and I had just recently begun playing Ocarina of Time together, and it brought me back to that feeling of lounging and playing it with him. However, unfortunately by the end of this volume, my heart ached. Link has had to go through a lot, but there’s little else more terrible than what he had to experience when reuniting with the dragon Valvagia. I’m still fairly new to the fandom, but I’m sensing quite a few similarities between titles, one of which being Link must suffer tremendously, in all of them. Perhaps he’s not mute in most of them, but traumatized.

[‧₊˚ ellie ♡ (إيلي) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so happy I read this. I got Breath Of The Wild for my birthday this year and I’ve been obsessed with any content I can find about Zelda lore. It’s such a fun way for readers to get into the franchise even if they’ve played the games. I won’t be able to play the older video games since I’m pretty sure I’d have to sell a kidney for even a copy of OoT soo 😭 but I am very excited to get into TOTK someday! 💚

It’s such a fun read! It was so exciting to reunite with the characters from BOTW and get a glimpse of Link’s past & childhood (even though this isn’t canon to the video games). The art style is also so nostalgic 🥹 I just love ZeLink and I’m glad to know that they’ve always been for each other in every universe & timeline 🫶🏻

[Collin Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I love about this adaptation of ocarina of time is that it goes out of its way to bring the melancholy, bittersweet subtext of the games narrative to the surface and it does so very well. We learn more about link as a character and see him interact with a lot of people, then see some payoffs later on when he's an adult (who would have known the character of mido could inspire anything other than contempt?). Fast paced due to its serialized nature but great for any fan of the games or series due to the slight but significant liberties it takes with the source material.

[Cam]

The manga tells a very similar tale to that seen in ocarina of time, however it does have its quite notable changes. The start follows the heroes journey more than the game, creating a character equal in impressionability for readers, to make up for the dialogue and characterization Link displays in this interpretation. The piece shares the same award winning story, though it serves as a new medium, a much cheaper one over all and one not requiring a video game system to play. This reaches out to a vast new audience allowing Nintendo's franchises to continue their pop culture spread.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminds me of the game but at the same time a little different (in a good way, not bad). I'm so glad I bought the whole box set because I love the Legend of Zelda games! From now on i've decided to read a manga alongside any book that I am reading because they are so addictive and keep you wanting to read more. 2022 has really been the year of manga for me.

[Mikayla Schuneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good. I'm not much of a gamer, so I was really excited when my brother introduced this book to me. It was definitely a weird transition to go from my usual fantasy books to a fantasy graphic novel, but it was a quick read. I will definitely have to venture on throughout this series.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun to read. I’ve played the game enough times to know what is coming. There’s also fun changes, like how Link first meets Epona or Ganondorf mistaking Saria’s Ocarina for the Ocarina of time.

[Sabrina Wannet · Rating 5 out of 5]

yay zelda blijft geweldig als spel en als manga nu gelijk door in part 2