Twilight Princess manga Volume Five review: An entry both hopeful and sorrowful

With four volumes done and put away, the Twilight Princess manga is ready to pick up the pace. Given that the characters and the stakes have been firmly established by this point, and especially given how the last entry concluded, Volume Five recognizes that readers are more than familiar enough with this narrative by now to dive right into the action without feeling lost. The latest release in the manga does not waste a single panel to present one of the video game’s most memorable sequences, as Zant confronts Link and Midna at the Spring of the Spirit Lanayru in Lake Hylia.

Read our review of Volumes One, Two, Three, and Four of the Twilight Princess manga.

There’s no prologue, no flashback, no internal monologue by a character recapping what events occurred before ― Volume Five goes full speed ahead with the harrowing encounter that nearly proves fatal for Link and Midna. Volume Four’s final page and Volume Five’s first could have been paired in the same book without readers knowing the difference, that’s how smooth the transition is.

The iconic scene is just as sobering as it was in the game, and includes a few minor details that fans should remember well. Some of Zant’s dialogue where he refers to his ‘god’ and boasts of his newfound magic’s superiority is clearly influenced by the original script. The certifiably creepy moment where a portion of his face is revealed and he taunts Midna with a toothy grin is illustrated with all of the eeriness it deserves by the artist duo of Akira Himekawa.

In following the video game’s flow of events, Volume Five delivers another punch to the gut (and then some) as it transitions to the equally memorable sequence where Wolf Link must escort a dying Midna to Princess Zelda. Even without elaborate gameplay, that section was engrossing for its melancholy atmosphere and sense of hopelessness, and this manga adaptation realizes it brilliantly. Wolf Link’s journey through Hyrule Castle Town is portrayed as being far more perilous in the manga, as the entire town quickly erupts into hysteria upon him being spotted. Rather than cowering in fear at the mere sight of his beast form, the Hylian soldiers pursue Link with violent intentions. Time is of the essence as Midna holds on for dear life, yet Link is faced with hurdle after hurdle.

What makes this recreation truly special, though, is the flashback that’s seamlessly interwoven with Link’s mad dash through the streets and alleyways. As he desperately makes his way to Zelda, readers are treated to another look at Zelda’s childhood, but one that also involves Midna. The flashback reveals how the two young princesses ― adventurous little girls craving friendship and the chance to escape their strict, rigid lifestyles ― came to interact with one another, communicating through the same magical portal that Zelda used to view Ganondorf’s execution back in Volume Two.

the first half of Volume Five is about as powerful reading as the Twilight Princess manga has ever been.

This flashback is one of the most meaningful additions to the story so far. It is beautifully put to the page, alternating between scenes of the young princesses coming to know each other (a bond that is doomed to be prohibited by Zelda’s royal attendants), Link hurriedly moving through Hyrule Castle Town while evading soldiers, and Zelda realizing what the only option to keep Midna from death is. Beyond the visual quality of it all, the sequence goes on to provide a lot more context to the eventual moment when Zelda sacrifices her mortal form to save Midna ― a moment that, while still poignant in the video game, felt like it was missing some background that kept it from resonating as strongly as it could have. In giving up her life force, Zelda is not just placing her faith in Midna, she’s also honoring perhaps the only being she has ever considered a friend. Getting another glimpse at Zelda, who would have otherwise just been sitting idle in Hyrule Castle, is always worthwhile, and it further establishes why Midna distrusts the World of Light.

Zelda not just places her faith in Midna, she also honors perhaps the only being she has ever considered a friend.

In a volume that is very short on action, the flashback and its intermingling with Link’s mission to bring Midna to Zelda is undoubtedly the most memorable segment. That means that the first half of Volume Five is about as powerful reading as the Twilight Princess manga has ever been. Unfortunately, the back half of the book loses its momentum in a hurry.

A brief return to the Faron Province so that Link can retrieve the Master Sword is reasonably entertaining, and the last part of Volume Five that can be confidently described as such. The appearance of the Skull Kid, his puppets, and the guardian statues in the Sacred Grove all hint that the Hero’s Shade once made the very same journey ― a subtle, but important nod that keeps the Hero’s Shade present in the narrative even when he’s not physically appearing. For someone who apparently has such an important role in the backstory of this manga, it’s good to keep him familiar to readers. The Skull Kid, his puppets, and the guardian statues are figures who likely never would have made it into the condensed manga like past adaptations, but they get a moment or two on the pages thanks to this elongated adaptation that is seemingly attempting to acknowledge any and all parts of Twilight Princess.

From there on out, Volume 5 sort of sputters to the finish line. Link’s first meeting with the Resistance at Telma’s bar is disappointingly bland, save for a heartwarming reunion between Link and Rusl. His introduction to the Resistance mostly serves as a wave of exposition before he and Midna head into the Gerudo Desert.

Even though that desolate landscape is essentially what Link once called home, and the significance of the Arbiter’s Grounds is made known during Link’s discussions with the Resistance, none of that background is explored. Volume 5 feels like it’s in a hurry to close up shop as Link and Midna make a swift march to the Arbiter’s Grounds. The Legend of Zelda manga has rarely given ample pages to dungeon exploits, but it’s particularly disappointing when one with so much lore behind it (and such great game design) comes and goes in just a couple of pages. The Arbiter’s Grounds’ memorable denizens are also victims of this rushed conclusion, with Death Sword getting vanquished in a single shot, and the massive Stallord appearing for just a handful of panels.

Link’s first meeting with the Resistance at Telma’s bar is disappointingly bland.

Volume Five concludes just as ominously as Volume Four did, this time revealing what any fan should have expected. As it was in the video game, Zant’s ‘god’, the true mastermind behind all of the catastrophic events playing out, is none other than Ganondorf. If you were absolutely, decidedly displeased that he appeared, at all, in the video game’s narrative, it’s hard to imagine that the manga can do anything to sway your opinion. For those fans who were more accepting of Ganondorf pulling all of the strings and Zant inevitably playing second fiddle, they can take solace that the manga, with its ambitious scope and its penchant for adding compelling backstory, will almost certainly make Ganondorf feel more integral to the adaptation’s plot than he did in the original game.

Once this part of the story has concluded, readers are left with an interesting author’s note from Himekawa. They describe Link drawing the Master Sword as being “the climax of the middle stage of the story”, before encouraging readers to “join us for the second half of the adventure.” A sixth volume in this series was already confirmed before Volume Five released internationally, and a seventh was all but guaranteed based on where the story was going, but with Himekawa’s comments, the Twilight Princess manga may go even longer than that. If Himekawa’s goal is to adapt every single leg of the journey, they still have Snowpeak, the Temple of Time, the City in the Sky (already hinted at by Shad in Volume Three), the Palace of Twilight, and the eventual finale at Hyrule Castle to cover. Clearly, there is still a very long journey ahead for Link and Midna ― maybe not so ideal for them, but it’s definitely something that fans should be grateful for.