The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords+ (2004)

[ゼルダの伝説：４つの剣士+]

Volume 1

Author/Artist: Akira Himekawa
Publisher: Tentomushi Comics

Synopsis:
A brash young hero is split into four copies of himself when he draws the legendary Four Sword to combat a resurgent evil power.

Story/Characters:
I haven't played the game this story is based on, so I don't have that as a frame of reference. It may work in the adaptation's favor as I don't have any preconceptions or expectations to impose on it. I may be wrong, but I don't think the source material was particularly narrative-heavy, which gives Himekawa a lot of room to maneuver. Getting two full volumes to develop the story also helps, which largely removes the usual pacing issues. I like how the Link here is a bit on the arrogant side as it gives him some character flaws to overcome rather than simply being a matter of him needing to gain physical (and metaphysical) strength to beat the big bad. I'm also a sucker for Zelda stories where Link and Zelda are childhood friends. It's helpful that the copies of Link have distinct enough personalities to make them unique characters, but contrary to their claims, their personalities are so pronounced that you never think of any of them as the original. As Blue, Red and Vio are more pronounced exaggerations of aspects of Link's personality, Green doesn't seem particularly distinct, which may or may not be an issue if you think he should be anything more than the base template. The conflict among the Links, particularly Blue and Red, may annoy more than anything. The first volume most serves to set things up for the second half and does well enough in that regard.

Art:
The art is fairly kiddie, about on the same level as the Oracle stories. It's not a bad thing, but the fact that it seems geared to a younger audience may not appeal to all older readers. Because it's in black and white, the character designs of the copy Links are varied enough to distinguish one from the other (though sometimes the artist adds helpful notes as to who's who).

Conclusion:
This is a decent story with better pacing than some of Himekawa's other work. If you're looking for a more grown-up Zelda story, this isn't it, but if you want a fun all audience adventure romp, it's worth a read.

Rating:
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