is a Japanese
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series by
Hiromu Arakawa, based on the
original novel series of the same name written by
Yoshiki Tanaka. It has been serialized in
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
's ''
Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine'' since July 2013. The manga is licensed for English release in North America by
Kodansha USA.
A 25-episode
anime television series adaptation by
Liden Films
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise headquartered in Kamiogi, Suginami, Tokyo, and has animation studios in Kyoto and Osaka.
Establishment
Liden Films was founded on February 22, 2012 and, shortly after, joined joint-holding ...
and
Sanzigen was broadcast in Japan on
MBS
MBS may refer for:
People
* Mohammed bin Salman (born 1985), crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia
* Mohan Bikram Singh (born 1935), Nepalese politician
Places
* MBS International Airport (IATA code: MBS), Freeland, Michigan, US
* Mari ...
from April to September 2015, followed by an 8-episode series, titled ''The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance'', broadcast from July to August 2016. The anime series is licensed in North America by
Funimation.
Plot
Media
Manga
The manga adaptation of
Yoshiki Tanaka's ''
The Heroic Legend of Arslan'' by
Hiromu Arakawa was announced in the June issue of
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
's ''
Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine'', released in May 2013. The series began in the August issue of the magazine, released on July 9, 2013. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual ''
tankōbon'' volumes. The first volume was released on April 9, 2014.
As of December 9, 2022, eighteen volumes have been released.
In North America, the manga was digitally published in English by ''
Crunchyroll Manga'' from 2014 until 2018, when the company announced that they would no longer publish manga from Kodansha.
Kodansha USA began publishing the manga in print and digital format on August 19, 2014.
Anime
An anime television series was announced in November 2014. The series is directed by
Noriyuki Abe, with scripts by Makoto Uezu. The series aired from April 5 to September 27, 2015 on
MBS
MBS may refer for:
People
* Mohammed bin Salman (born 1985), crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia
* Mohan Bikram Singh (born 1935), Nepalese politician
Places
* MBS International Airport (IATA code: MBS), Freeland, Michigan, US
* Mari ...
's Nichigo timeslot and other
Japan News Network stations. The series' first opening theme is , performed by
Uverworld, while the first ending theme is , performed by
Eir Aoi. The second opening theme is , performed by
Nico Touches the Walls, while the second ending theme is "One Light", performed by
Kalafina. An
original animation DVD (OAD) was bundled with the manga's fifth limited edition volume, released on May 9, 2016.
In North America,
Funimation announced the license to the series in April 2015, and began a broadcast dub in June of the same year.
An 8-episode second season, titled , aired from July 3 to August 21, 2016. Another OAD was bundled with the manga's sixth limited edition volume, which released on November 9, 2016.
Video game
A ''
Musou'' crossover game developed by
Koei Tecmo, titled , was released on
PlayStation 3 and
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
in Japan on October 1, 2015. The game was released in North America on February 9, 2016 and in Europe on February 12.
Reception
Manga
Alongside ''How Are You?'', ''The Heroic Legend of Arslan'' ranked 17th on
Takarajimasha's ''
Kono Manga ga Sugoi!'' list of best manga of 2015 for male readers. The manga ranked 8th on "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2015" by the Honya Club online bookstore. The series was nominated for the 42nd
Kodansha Manga Award
is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, the event is sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in three categories: '' shōnen'', '' shōjo'', and general. The awards began in 1977, initially w ...
in the
''shōnen'' category in 2018. The series ranked 35th on ''Da Vinci'' magazine's 17th annual "Book of the Year" 2017 list and ranked 45th on the magazine's 19th 2019 list.
Sales
As of June 2018, ''The Heroic Legend of Arslan'' manga had 5.5 million copies in circulation. The 3rd volume of the series was Kodansha's #11 manga volume with biggest first printings from the period between April 2014 and March 2015, with 370,000 copies in circulation. The 7th volume of the series was Kodansha's #6 manga volume with biggest first printings from the period between April 2017 and March 2018, with 358,000 copies in circulation. The 11th volume of the series was Kodansha's #8 manga volume with biggest first printings from the period between April 2019 and March 2020, with 265,000 copies in circulation.
Critical reception
Kate O'Neil of ''The Fandom Post'' ranked the first volume of the manga as B+, and wrote: "''Arslan'' has an appropriately dark start for a story about war. The action is strong, vicious and bloody. The stakes in the war are high, with death all around the young prince and his loyal retainer. It’s a solid start to what will hopefully turn out to be an excellent tale. While the leads haven’t grabbed me yet there’s plenty of time to develop them further". Rebecca SIlverman of ''
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
'' gave the first volume a B and wrote: "If you enjoy an epic fantasy with plenty of historical detail and battle scenes and don't mind waiting for the story to really get going, ''The Heroic Legend of Arslan''s first volume is worth reading".
Anime
Theron Martin of ''Anime News Network'' ranked the anime series as B. Martin called ''The Heroic Legend of Arslan'' "a cross between ''
Yona of the Dawn'' and ''
Guin Saga''", and said that the series is "often most interesting when focusing on anyone but Arslan himself". Martin concluded: "''The Heroic Legend of Arslan'' is an ambitious series, inviting plenty of discussion about slavery and religion and politics in general. While its first half has its flaws, if you are looking for an epic fantasy story largely free of romantic distractions, then you could definitely do a lot worse".
References
External links
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*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Heroic Legend of Arslan, The
2013 manga
2015 anime television series debuts
2016 anime television series debuts
Films with screenplays by Makoto Uezu
Funimation
High fantasy anime and manga
Hiromu Arakawa
Historical fantasy anime and manga
Kodansha manga
Liden Films
Mainichi Broadcasting System original programming
Manga based on novels
NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan
Persian mythology in popular culture
Sanzigen
Shōnen manga
TBS Television (Japan) original programming
War in anime and manga