On November 23 (when I should have posted this), the N64 game Zelda: Ocarina of Time celebrated its tenth birthday.

OoT is well known among gamers, as both a turning point in video games and a fond experience. In 2006 the magazine Nintendo Power named it the number one Greatest Nintendo Game ever produced.

But for me, it holds an especially sentimental place as my favorite game of my favorite series. OoT was the first video game I ever saw, watched, and played. One of my early fanfictions was based entirely on its plotline.

But in October of this year, VizKids came out with the manga version of the game. Naturally, as the obsessive fangirl I am, I jumped to buy and read it.

I’m sorry to say, I was thoroughly disappointed.

The first two chapters were fine, in their way. They quickly and clearly set up the plot. In summary, Link is brought to the Great Deku Tree as an infant, and his mother dies at its roots. He is brought up among the Deku Tree’s children, the Kokori, and is shunned due to his lack of a fairy, which, according to Mido, is “Just another part of [a kokori]. Like [their] hands and feet!”

Soon, though, Link does receive a fairy- Navi is sent to call him to his destiny. Link, followed by a jealous Mido, goes to the great Deku Tree, who is being eaten away by Gohma.

Thus the story begins. From here, the story bolts from a decent, if slightly brisk pace to a full-on sprint, as though the authors were trying to fit as much into the near 200 pages as they possibly could. Volume one spans every level from Gohma to the end of the fire temple, plus a modified encounter with Shadow Link and several extra plot additives, including an unsuspecting play-date with Princess Zelda. While the extras were entertaining, they were rushed and not fully fleshed out. For example, during Link’s fight with Volvagia in the Fire Temple, there is a flashback that depicts a scene where a young Link spent every rupee he had to purchase a baby dragon in Hyrule market, claiming that he was “rescuing it”. Their relationship is rocky, with our hero being burnt and bit at every turn, but they quickly become friends. As it turned out, Volvagia was that same baby dragon, who had been cursed by Ganon, and no longer remembered Link. Sheik informs Link that the only way to break the spell is to kill Volvagia, which our hero first refuses, but is then forced to do.

Now, while the idea is a good one, the execution of it was poorly done. The whole scene, from the dragon’s purchase to their friendship spans all of three pages. Including the battle, everything is squashed to a mere fifteen. The rest of the book runs at this break-neck speed, stretching each scene from five to seven pages on average. Parts that could have been emotionally moving were so hurried they failed to leave any impact at all.

It might be interesting to note that while the book does span several levels, the chapters only deal directly with battling the bosses. Parts of the game, such as puzzle solving and making one’s way through the temples are cut. It is understandable, though, as a description of every little puzzle would grow tedious. However, this also cuts out some interesting mini-bosses, or, in the case of the Fire Temple, the imprisonment of all the Gorons, which is only mentioned in passing, and only as a direct reference to Darunia.

The plot, however, is the only thing working against it. The art itself is beautifully rendered, staying rather close to the concept art of the original game. No detail is spared, and the page layout is rendered in an aesthetic and easy-to-read style.

The characters receive the same rushed treatment as the plot, but not to such an extent. Several secondary characters, such as Mido and Ruto, are reinvented to contain more depth than their video game counter-parts. Ruto, who is swallowed by Lord Jabu-Jabu, is actually in hiding from an arranged marriage, a personal statement against her treatment as more her father’s doll than a person. More central characters, though, such as Impa and even Zelda herself do not receive this same “fleshing out”.

As a manga, it’s probably only enjoyable for die-hard fans of the game. The average reader, having no background in the series, will likely find themselves lost among the plot and numerous characters.