VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
MANGAKA: Makoto Yotsuba
ORIGINAL STORY: Ryo Mizuno
CHARACTER DESIGNS: Miyuu
TRANSLATION: satsuki yamashita
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Steven “Stan!” Brown
LETTERS: James Gaubatz
EDITOR: David Brothers
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0188-9; paperback (November 2018); Rated “M” for “Mature”
168pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.
Record of Grancrest War is a light novel series created by author Ryo Mizuno, who may be best known for the fantasy novel series, Record of Lodoss War. Writer-artist Makoto Yotsuba adapted the Record of Grancrest War novels into a manga that began serialization in 2016. VIZ Media has begun publishing an English-language edition of that manga as a graphic novel series, entitled Record of Grancrest War, which will be published on a quarterly basis.
Record of Grancrest War is set in a world where the noble elite are supposed to fend off the threat of the terrifying and mysterious force known as “Chaos.” Instead, these nobles engage in pointless, petty squabbles, most of it involving two political entities, the “Fantasia Union” and the “Factory Alliance.”
Record of Grancrest War, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 6) introduces a young mage named Siluca Meletes, who dreams of bringing justice to the land. She is about to witness a wedding that will unite the Fantasia Union and the Factory Alliance when tragedy strikes. Determined to forge a new future for the world, Siluca joins a talented fighter, named Irvin, and a knight errant with potential, named Theo, to change the world order via the magical power of “crests.”
The Record of Grancrest War manga is a fantasy adventure series that reminds me of another fantasy manga, Mitsu Izumi's 7th Garden. Both manga have deep back stories, and the territories in which they are set have long histories.
Record of Grancrest War Graphic Novel Volume 1 introduces a lot of terms: crest, “Grancrest,” chaos, artist, etc., and not to mention a long list of titles of nobility and levels of social class. Luckily, this first volume focuses on introducing characters' personalities and character dynamics.
The English adaptation written by Steven Brown a.k.a. Stan! is quite efficient. Stan! focuses on conveying to readers motivations, conflicts, and introductions. This makes for a breezy read, for which James Gaubatz's clean lettering and art touch-up should also get credit. I don't know if I will fall in love with this series, but I would like to read more. Fans of medieval set fantasy may also like Record of Grancrest War.
7 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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