PRODUCT REVIEW: ‘The Legend of Zelda’ – Legendary Edition Box Set

The Legend of Zelda video game franchise is one of the most popular and beloved franchises around.  Many people worldwide are familiar with the widely popular high fantasy action-adventure video game franchise that is loved by long-time and newcomers alike. Over the years, numerous manga based on The Legend of Zelda series has been published that mostly follow condensed non-canon plots inspired by various games in the franchise, introduce new characters, and sometimes include the addition of original side-stories.

The Legend of Zelda – Legendary Edition Box Set collects The Legend of Zelda manga series written and illustrated by Akira Himekawa in a deluxe box set of exclusive hardcover editions from VIZ Media. This beautiful and massive collection contains Akira Himekawa’s five best-selling volumes of The Legend of Zelda – Legendary Edition manga series and an exclusive new poster drawn by Akira Himekawa that can not be found anywhere else. In this manga collection, you can read about the battle for Hyrule and the Sacred Realm as a young boy named Link tries to defeat evil on his long, dangerous quest to find the spiritual stones that hold the key to the Triforce and deliver them to Zelda, princess of the land of Hyrule.

This collection is massive and beautiful! The hardcover designs are fairly simple in design, with a smaller cover image featuring Link from the manga title cover. I really like the shiny gold font printed on the covers as it contrasts and stands out on each book’s different colors.

Something worth noting is the quality and value of each book in this box set. These books print the manga in a much larger size than the original releases. The manga is sown and bound, instead of just being glued, in gorgeous hardcovers. Each book’s paper quality is great, as the manga is printed on a thicker stock than a usual manga is printed. The books also include some beautiful glossy full-colored pages at the beginning of the manga.

One of my favorite things about this box set is the packaging. I absolutely love that this collection’s packing is a replicated treasure chest, just like the chests from the Legend of Zelda games. The treasure chest even has a working lock. The lock, however, can get a little tricky and be hard to open. So it would help if you were careful when opening the chest, so you don’t damage it. The best part of the treasure chest is that it plays the same theme in the game when you open the treasure chest.

All of the books in this deluxe collection are written and illustrated by Akira Himekawa. Akira Himekawa is the collaboration of two women, mangaka, A. Honda and S. Nagano. Their The Legend of Zelda manga series started in 1999 with the release of Ocarina of Time. This team has released manga for nearly every main entry in the series. Their series include alternative storylines to the games, as well as new ones. These include a background story for Majora’s Mask and the creation of new characters and races.

Akira Himekawa creates beautiful artwork that really captures the beauty, action, and adventure that makes The Legend of Zelda series so unique. Additionally, each manga’s story contains in-depth lore that any long-time fan of the franchise will enjoy. I especially liked that the manga is not a recap of the plot from the games. They go into details about the character and sometimes even diverge a little from the video games’ plots. There are tons of extra features in each book, such as bonus stories, concept art, and even interviews with the creators.

Overall, The Legend of Zelda – Legendary Edition Box Set is the perfect addition for any Legend of Zelda fans’ collection. The treasure chest packaging and hardcover books make the collection stand out from just a usual box set. Readers can appreciate the in-depth story, the massive amount of lore, and the beautiful original artwork by the mangaka duo, Akira Himekawa, in a high box set. And with a price of $125.00, this is a high-quality collection with incredible value for an affordable price.

The Legend of Zelda – Legendary Edition Box Set is available from booksellers now.