Fans of the Zelda game series might be familiar with the manga adaptations published by Viz Media but perhaps might not know that the creator, Akira Himekawa, is actually two people. Ms. Honda-A, and Ms. Nagano-S, known together by their nom de plume, Akira Himekawa, have been working on the Legend of Zelda manga series since the Japanese release of their Ocarina of Time adaptation in 1999. Since then, a manga for almost every main-series game has been created, with Twilight Princess being released most recently. The duo made time to sit in on a panel for New York Comic Con and shed some interesting light on the beloved Legend of Zelda manga series.
Some highlights from the panel included Himekawa discussing how they research each game in order to best adapt the story for a manga, how pop-culture, like the Lord of the Rings films, has inspired and influenced them in their creative process, and how they decide upon the art style which will be used for each game’s adaptation as well.
Additionally, the panel moderator posed quite a few questions about Himekawa’s creative work on the series, as well as changes made during the adaptation process. These changes include topics such as the creation of new characters or story elements which are not introduced in the source material, the choice to have Link speak, and how his voice is determined when creating each manga individually. Despite the changes, the creators approach their creation with a great deal of respect for the games. When asked about a new race created for the Ocarina of Time manga, Honda-san said, “when we create original characters, we are very conscious of whether or not something would fit in naturally.”
Throughout the panel, both members worked away on two live-drawings which were given away to members of the audience. The beautifully rendered images included a stylized Wolf Link portrait and a gorgeous piece featuring Twilight Princess’ protagonists Link and Midna.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the creative process behind the Zelda manga series, you can watch the entire panel below.
Not only did Akira Himekawa sign autographs at the Viz Media booth while at New York Comic Con, they also made an appearance at the world famous Nintendo NY store in Rockefeller Center.
Promoting the recent Western release of the Twilight Princess manga, Himekawa met with fans, signed Japanese-style autograph boards, known as shikishi, and posed for pictures. Check out the official gallery documenting Akira Himekawa’s time in New York on their official Facebook page.
