The Heroic Legend of Arslan vol. 1

“Fullmetal Alchemist’s” Hiromu Arakawa takes on a new kind of fantasy with her adaptation of the “Heroic Legend of Arslan” novels by Yoshiki Tanaka.  We’re introduced to the title character as the Prince of Ecbatana, the capital of the Kingdom of Pars.  Arslan is a kind and gentle sort, a far cry from his imposing father who has never lost a battle during his time as king.  Yet as the king’s son, he’s destined to go into battle and rides with his warrior dad into combat against the neighboring Kingdom of Lusitania.  If you think that things go very badly for the Ecbatanian forces, then you get a gold star.  Based on this first volume, “Arslan” isn’t the kind of story that you’ll keep reading for its originality.  There’s betrayal, old grudges coming to the fore, an unconventional military leader about to get his shot at redemption, and a young prince being placed on the first bloody steps of the Hero’s Journey.  We’ve all seen these things before.  It’s the execution that gives me the impression this series is going to be worth reading.

The art is slick, the character designs nice, and Arakawa lets the narrative unfold at a good enough pace to hold our interest while setting up the world and its characters.  Arslan makes for an interesting protagonist, even if the title of this series is a spoiler of sorts.  No, he’s not much of a warrior and spends most of the first chapter as a hostage of a Lusitanian child soldier.  The thing is that he’s shown to be capable of defending himself, possessed of a far more even temperament than his father, and a willingness to better himself through hard work.  So I can believe in the potential for his eventual greatness through Arslan’s own actions rather than the dictates of the plot.  It also helps that the supporting cast is interesting as well.  Arslan’s friend/retainer Daryun makes a strong impression via his loyalty and battle-readiness, while his “contrary” friend Narsus makes an impression in the last few pages.  It’s clear that Arakawa has no intention of reinventing the wheel when it comes to the kind of story being told here.  Her work on this first volume at least shows that kind of thinking is unnecessary for now.