Living Legend is the manga adaptation of a very popular light novel by Ezo Gingitune and DeeCHA, still unpublished in France. In the hands of a quartet of enthusiastic artists, this first volume borrows from isekai without really being any.
The story
The mage Luck and his sidekicks Golan and Erik are experienced adventurers. Their final mission led them to the heart of an interdimensional rift, in pursuit of the Demon King. But after long days of fighting, the demonic army tirelessly returns to the assault of our heroes. Seeing his teammates wounded and exhausted, Luck chooses to sacrifice himself and remain alone in the face of the barbarian horde. Fighting fiercely and furiously, the mage eventually defeats the demon king. He then finds dry land… and realizes that ten years have passed! And the surprises do not stop there: while the entire population thinks he is dead and worships him, his own body has rejuvenated drastically! However, far from being discouraged, Luck decides to take advantage of his new status to start his life as an adventurer from scratch, while keeping his skills as an S-rank mage…
Tradition respected
Living Legend is part of a long tradition of "genre" manga. Indeed, it is a medium that lends itself particularly well to fantasy, the only limit to the stories told being the imagination of the author. From the mythical Fairy Tail (Hiro Mashima) to the most recent Me, when I reincarnate as a slime (Taiki Kawakami, Mitz Vah and Fuse), the genre is constantly diversifying to offer us thousands of adventures. One theme in particular is on the rise, that of isekai, literally "different world". Usually, the hero or heroine, originally from our world, is suddenly propelled into a parallel world. From then on, starting from scratch and without powers (Bofuri) or, on the contrary, already overpowered (The Invincible Witch, Yûsuke Shiba and Kisetsu Morita), he will accumulate quests and surround himself with friends and enemies. If this definition is reductive in essence, we see the full potential of this type of manga. Adapting an "RPG-like" story on a literary model allows all audacity. Therefore, among the mass of works already on the market, it can be difficult to stand out. This is what Ezo Gingitune and his companions are trying to do in this first volume. Being a legend is not easy, especially when you want to keep it a secret! This is what Luck discovers, as he tries to remake a name for himself under a completely different identity. There is the isekai fiber of this work. Because if he does not disembark from another world, Luck returns to his by not being quite himself, especially in the eyes of the population! How will he handle this new status? Will his secret be able to hold? And how to make believe that you are a beginner when you have the sword of the King of demons? This dilemma leads to misunderstandings and incredible situations rather funny!
Endearing characters
With such power, the narrative could quickly go around in circles, or even become grotesque. Nevertheless, the treatment of the characters is attractive and avoids this pitfall. Luck, in the first place, is a nice boy to whom it is easy to attach himself. Rather than chasing the glory that his miraculous return could have brought him, he takes advantage of this new anonymity to start his life as an adventurer from scratch. As a warrior this time, our hero inquires about quests that no one wants. He teams up with young adventurers, Ario and Genie. Indeed, as time passed, his two former acolytes, Erik and Golan, took on responsibilities incompatible with their former lives. Luck then takes, without seeming like it, the role of a benevolent senpai . A certain emulation settles between the three new sidekicks. Other characters will gradually appear, including Shia, from the tribe of beastmen. This diversity in the peoples represented brings an extra touch. Finally, the enemies are not left out. Their design is often imposing, and Chaco Abeno and Hitsune Tennoji have fun playing with shadows to reinforce the impression of power.
A first volume that is looking for itself?
Living legend therefore appears a manga of rather classic style but well worked. Nevertheless, reading this first volume gives the impression of a universe that is just falling into place and lacks somewhat originality for the moment. Thus, if the dynamism of the fights and their neat rendering are appreciable, the superpower of Luck makes him defeat his enemies often very quickly, spoiling a little fun. In addition, the monsters are quite caricatured and little exploited, because of their short time of presence. This can give the impression that we have simply "deposited" all the clichés of the genre in the story, without pushing further. Ditto for the hero, whose secret is quickly exposed: what stakes remain then? However, with already six volumes released in Japan, Living Legend promises to be a rather long series. This will certainly allow the more concrete implementation of this heroic-fantasy universe, which does not lack charm. In conclusion, this first volume of Living Legend appears rather as an appetizer for the moment not very original but meeting the criteria of the modern heroic-fantasy. The manga has good potential and remains very nice. Let's bet that the quartet in charge of it will know how to develop it in an interesting way! Volume 2 will be published on October 6, 2021. In the meantime, you can read an excerpt here, or discover the exciting and always stunning volume 2 of Tezucomi!
