Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages (2001)
Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 386
"Use your left hand! Your left!"
The two 'Oracle' Game Boy Colour games that were released simultaneously in 2001 got their own individual manga adaptation. The games were connected but also cleverly designed to be enjoyed independently in whichever order the player chose.
You could say the same of the two books — originally published separately — but it makes slightly more sense to read Seasons before reading Ages. Whether by coincidence or design, the featured Legendary Edition also presents the two books that way.*
Oracle of Seasons begins in Hylia. Link balks at the suggestion that he should practice his sword skills more fervently. He doesn't yet understand why Hyrule needs knights who are willing to lay their life on the line to protect its citizens, but the power of the Triforce will soon change all that…
My main problem with Seasons was the exaggerated comedy typical of manga aimed at a younger audience. I'm aware that the books are targeting a young audience, but the previous volumes, Ocarina of Time (2000) and Majora's Mask (2001), avoided that kind of cliché for the most part. Having it so prevalent now was unexpected and lessened my enjoyment of the story.*
Having said that, Oracle of Ages is superior to Seasons in every way, being less comical and thematically more satisfying. There's also more action, but not at the expense of story or character development. It's as if the events in Seasons have helped Link grow less foolish, to gain confidence and to have faith in his decision making.
The story puts him in a race against time to stop an evil from destroying the present by meddling in the past. It takes place in a different land than Seasons but the structure is similar in that none of the dungeons from the game are featured and his new-found companions come to his aid when needed.
*On the subject of original publications, Majora's Mask (2000) was released between the Ocarina of Time (1998) and Oracle volumes, but the Legendary Editions have mixed the order up slightly, no doubt so that the two Oracle stories can share one volume and not be spread over two. If. however, you want to read the works in publication order, it's as follows:
04. Four Swords: Parts 1 and 2 (2004) - Legendary Ed. Vol. 05 (2017)
05. The Minish Cap (2006) - Legendary Ed. Vol. 04 (2017)
07. Phantom Hourglass (2009) - Legendary Ed. Vol. 04 (2017)
08. Skyward Sword Prequel (2011) - In The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia (2011)
09. Twilight Princess (2016— ) - A multi book manga that at time of writing is on Vol 09.
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