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supremeleaderev 's review for:
The Legend of Zelda, Vol. 9, Volume 9: A Link to the Past
by Akira Himekawa
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was fun, but it wasn't anything more than that. It was fine, but it lacked some of the story beats that all the rest of the books hit. Not too long after reading this book I read a different Link to the Past graphic novel, and it was really interesting to see how different the two books ended up being so different even though they had the same source material. I did like this book better than Oracle of Seasons, but it was still a big step down from the book that originally was second-worse, Ocarina of Time Part 2. It started out strong with Link's dream, a thunder storm, Link having to journey to a mysterious castle, battling a strange foe, and then being thrust into a quest in which he is not prepared for in the slightest. His uncle dies and he learns about the sinister truth that was kept from him, and now on top of his quest and new responsibilities, he has to deal with his Uncle's death, an entirely different past than what he thought was true, monsters at every turn, and the fact that he's the chosen hero destined to save Hyrule. It's a lot of responsibility for a kid, especially one who didn't have any sort of combat training before. I like the set up and it pushes the story down an exciting and gripping path.
++Potential spoilers ahead++
I thought that the book was strongest starting at the beginning of the book till when Link went to the Eastern Palace and got the Pendant of Courage. Once we got to that point we actually had a good idea of the direction Link's journey was going on, we met Ghanti, and learned about how Ganondorf got his powers. It was all fine and dandy, but then within a few pages Link has gotten the other two pendants, gotten the Master Sword, and goes to the Dark World. That portion of the story felt way too rushed, because getting the Master Sword is supposed to be a big turning point in Link's story, and then we're supposed to see as Link grows using the Master Sword until he has the strength to defeat the villain. However, that story arc was WAY too rushed and I understand that in a story like this things are going to need to be cut for length issues, but I don't know why this section had so many parts cut out. It made me feel that he was plunging into the thick of the story way too early.
Another aspect of the story that I felt was not dealt with was the idea of turning into a monster if your heart isn't pure. Maybe I'm just stupid, but the whole idea went over my head, so when Link almost turns into a monster I was quite confused about what was going on. Now that I look back on the story, it was quite obvious that it was being set up, but it still feels weird. We had Link have that interaction with that guy who turned into a lion, and I got what was going on, but I was a little taken aback because I was under the impression that this character was going to be important, seeing as he was on the back of the book. But in the end the character didn't add that much to the story and neither did the scene in general. That scene should have been cut out of the book, and an extra scene should have been devoted to somewhere else in the story instead. Later in the book we see Ghanti as a fox, and it was not fully explained why she was a fox, either. It was just pushed off to the side and not really mentioned again. Although I felt as if the whole "turning into a beast" thing was not handled well, at least it explains why Ganon is this giant pig monster.
The story definitely picked back up more once Link got to the Dark World. We see Link figure out where he is and try his best to save Zelda from Ganon. I liked the setting of this dark and twisted version of Hyrule, because it took a setting that readers are already familiar with and made it more interesting and exciting. Link had such a personal connection to it despite having just learned about it in the story. Due to time we didn't get to see that much of the Dark World, but what we did get to see was amazing and mysterious. I liked how this book focused on Link's relationship with his family, especially his parents, whom he never knew. It was heartbreaking seeing him discover his parents home and realize just how much they loved him. It was really sweet, and it made the story feel more than just a quest. Link had personal motives, he had to fight for the people he loved, and in the end he had the strength to say goodbye for real.
Now, before I talk about the end of the book I want to talk about Ghanti. I don't think she added very much to the story, and if it wasn't for the Silver Arrow that she had, her character would be useless. I cannot remember for the life of me if her arrow earring had been shown before the final battle, but even if it had it felt so out of place. There was no setup to the importance of the arrow, and it felt so out of place when Zelda went "yo Ghanti, that earring is a magical arrow that we need to defeat Ganon." At least the reveal was interesting? For the most part, the final battle was good, but then that happened and Ghanti's character arc was clumsily concluded. In general I don't understand Ghanti's motives to begin with. Her parents were killed by Knights of Hyrule apparently, so she decides to kill Link as revenge? Link is a literal kid who didn't know anything about his past up until a few days ago, so why was she resenting him? Even when she wasn't brooding over her vendetta of Link, she was still being a hindrance, whining about Link's dedication to the quest, and just being plain annoying.
As I was writing this review I came to realize how little I actually remembered from this book, not because I found this book boring or dull, but because I immediately read another Link to the Past graphic novel, and apparently my brain only has room for one of them. So if you're reading this and I mentioned something that did not happen in the book, I apologize. I didn't hate this book by any means, but I wanted more from it. I wanted a story with more depth, I wanted to see more of the action, learn more about the Dark World, and see more of Link's struggles as he went along his quest. I just felt like the book was over in the blink of an eye, and I really wished the pace had been slowed down a bit. There were a lot of details to fit into the story, and I get that, but I would have preferred for this book to have been longer but then risk having too much extra stuff, than not enough extra stuff, or extra stuff that feels out of place.
My review of Shotaro Ishinomori's A Link to the Past- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4686209339
++Potential spoilers ahead++
I thought that the book was strongest starting at the beginning of the book till when Link went to the Eastern Palace and got the Pendant of Courage. Once we got to that point we actually had a good idea of the direction Link's journey was going on, we met Ghanti, and learned about how Ganondorf got his powers. It was all fine and dandy, but then within a few pages Link has gotten the other two pendants, gotten the Master Sword, and goes to the Dark World. That portion of the story felt way too rushed, because getting the Master Sword is supposed to be a big turning point in Link's story, and then we're supposed to see as Link grows using the Master Sword until he has the strength to defeat the villain. However, that story arc was WAY too rushed and I understand that in a story like this things are going to need to be cut for length issues, but I don't know why this section had so many parts cut out. It made me feel that he was plunging into the thick of the story way too early.
Another aspect of the story that I felt was not dealt with was the idea of turning into a monster if your heart isn't pure. Maybe I'm just stupid, but the whole idea went over my head, so when Link almost turns into a monster I was quite confused about what was going on. Now that I look back on the story, it was quite obvious that it was being set up, but it still feels weird. We had Link have that interaction with that guy who turned into a lion, and I got what was going on, but I was a little taken aback because I was under the impression that this character was going to be important, seeing as he was on the back of the book. But in the end the character didn't add that much to the story and neither did the scene in general. That scene should have been cut out of the book, and an extra scene should have been devoted to somewhere else in the story instead. Later in the book we see Ghanti as a fox, and it was not fully explained why she was a fox, either. It was just pushed off to the side and not really mentioned again. Although I felt as if the whole "turning into a beast" thing was not handled well, at least it explains why Ganon is this giant pig monster.
The story definitely picked back up more once Link got to the Dark World. We see Link figure out where he is and try his best to save Zelda from Ganon. I liked the setting of this dark and twisted version of Hyrule, because it took a setting that readers are already familiar with and made it more interesting and exciting. Link had such a personal connection to it despite having just learned about it in the story. Due to time we didn't get to see that much of the Dark World, but what we did get to see was amazing and mysterious. I liked how this book focused on Link's relationship with his family, especially his parents, whom he never knew. It was heartbreaking seeing him discover his parents home and realize just how much they loved him. It was really sweet, and it made the story feel more than just a quest. Link had personal motives, he had to fight for the people he loved, and in the end he had the strength to say goodbye for real.
Now, before I talk about the end of the book I want to talk about Ghanti. I don't think she added very much to the story, and if it wasn't for the Silver Arrow that she had, her character would be useless. I cannot remember for the life of me if her arrow earring had been shown before the final battle, but even if it had it felt so out of place. There was no setup to the importance of the arrow, and it felt so out of place when Zelda went "yo Ghanti, that earring is a magical arrow that we need to defeat Ganon." At least the reveal was interesting? For the most part, the final battle was good, but then that happened and Ghanti's character arc was clumsily concluded. In general I don't understand Ghanti's motives to begin with. Her parents were killed by Knights of Hyrule apparently, so she decides to kill Link as revenge? Link is a literal kid who didn't know anything about his past up until a few days ago, so why was she resenting him? Even when she wasn't brooding over her vendetta of Link, she was still being a hindrance, whining about Link's dedication to the quest, and just being plain annoying.
As I was writing this review I came to realize how little I actually remembered from this book, not because I found this book boring or dull, but because I immediately read another Link to the Past graphic novel, and apparently my brain only has room for one of them. So if you're reading this and I mentioned something that did not happen in the book, I apologize. I didn't hate this book by any means, but I wanted more from it. I wanted a story with more depth, I wanted to see more of the action, learn more about the Dark World, and see more of Link's struggles as he went along his quest. I just felt like the book was over in the blink of an eye, and I really wished the pace had been slowed down a bit. There were a lot of details to fit into the story, and I get that, but I would have preferred for this book to have been longer but then risk having too much extra stuff, than not enough extra stuff, or extra stuff that feels out of place.
My review of Shotaro Ishinomori's A Link to the Past- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4686209339