Manga: Heroic Legend of Arslan 9

The Heroic Legend of Arslan Vol 9
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Prince Arslan finds himself gifted with 3,000 cavalrymen for aiding Rajendra in the capture of his traitorous brother, Gadhevi. But the king's two-faced generosity is clouded with greed as he sets to ambush Prince Arslan and his Parsian army late in the night. And later, in Peshawar Fortress, more trouble lurks as a shadowy figure silently stalks Arslan and his retinue in search of a secret letter. 

Arslan has been cordially invited to a royal execution and thus the saga with Gadhevi is finally over. I'll be sad to the end of sassy Salima though. 

This volume see's us move away from Sindhura after dealing with the ever shady Rajendra. I don't think anyone fell for the generous, nice guy act, and we move on to the next stage of the story, turning our attention back to Pars and Lusitania. Of course, Jaswant is the latest addition to Team Arslan, and there's some interesting hints towards future conflicts. 

This is an interesting volume, as like I said, we wrap up one arc and start to head in to another but while we get a bit of Arslan and the rest as they have to deal with a mystery shadow at the fortress looking for a secret letter, we also get a lot of Hilmes. It turns out the King of Lusitania's brother is facing some...problems, the actual King is useless and leaves it all to him, and through the sections about him we get an interesting insight in to how things stand in the enemy camp. Bodin appears to have turned on them, surprising no-one I'm sure. 

More intrigue is added to the plot as Sam goes to visit the imprisoned King and we get some history to the Pars royal line, and Prince Hilmes and his father which has left me with a million questions because there is definitely a secret being hidden from us that appears to involve a prophecy. I do like the focus we get on Hilmes this volume and what's going on with his camp as it catches us up on what's been going on. Plus we locate Kubard....one of the other missing Marzbans. It remains to be seen if he'll take a side. 

Kubard seems like he could be a lot of fun, and I assume we'll see more of him...presumably on the right side. This volume had one battle scene and it's a smaller one than we've had recently but that fits with the tone of the volume which is very much one of us catching up and moving on. But don't worry, there's a nice and ominous cliffhanger! 

Manga: The Heroic Legend of Arslan 8

The Heroic Legend of Arslan Vol 8
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

The decisive battle between Arslan and Gadhevi has finally begun. Believing that he has the Parsian army isolated, Gadhevi sends his main forces against Rajendra in hopes of destroying the alliance between him and Arslan once and for all. However, the Parsians outsmart their enemies once again and join the battle just in time to turn the tables on Gadhevi. But when King Karikala regains consciousness, what will become of the two feuding brothers, and what will this mean for Arslan and Pars? 

I continue to love the art style and the way some of the expressions on the characters are drawn, I have to say! Some of them don't half make me chuckle! This volume has a fast pace with an excellently drawn battle that keeps you on the edge of your seat, with surprises popping up out of nowhere as Arslan and co face down Gadhevi....who really is such an arse let's be honest. 

Jaswant is back and I'm excited to see how he fits in with the group if he decides to join them! Daryun also has to fight against a monster for Rajendra as his proxy in a battle for the throne against Gadhevi, which makes for quite the tense situation as Daryun might not be as indestructible as we all think he is. Gadhevi might be an arse, and Rajendra is still, at least for me, kind of untrustworthy...but I do like their father. Poor guy. 

I have to say, there was a really nice moment in this volume, there's one heartbreaking scene towards the end that allows you to see the parallels between Jaswant and Arslan as characters. Arslan makes him an offer and while we're left hanging on his answer, I've seen the anime so I know what his answer is but there is the odd chance things could differ! I do like to see he and Arslan working together though. 

Salima is most certainly up to something but I don't know what...perhaps trying to secure her position? She wasn't in the anime so she's an unknown quantity to me, but she's certainly adding an interesting and unpredictable element to the story! I'm wondering if we'll get to see more of her now....I'd be quite excited to as well! 

One chapter has mostly come to a close with this volume, so it'll be interesting to see where this adventure takes us next. While it is largely following the anime, there's been quite a few differences so far so I'm not actually sure what to expect next! This is another excellent volume, with the action, humour and fantastic characters we love so much! 

Manga: Heroic Legend of Arslan 7

The Heroic Legend of Arslan Vol 7

Rating: 4/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy

Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

After being diverted in the sandy kingdom of Sindhura, Arslan's party becomes entangled in a war of succession. Arslan may have new allies in Prince Rajendra and the warrior Jaswant, but are they truly worthy of his trust? The bitter conflict between Rajendra and his tyrannical brother, Gadhevi, has fostered paranoia across the nation of Sindhura. In this tense climate, is Arslan safe with a new friend, or is he merely a pawn?

I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I've been waiting forever for this volume!? Like I genuinely can't remember when I read the last volume...but I've been so eager to get this in to my hot little hands and I pretty much read it straight away! And then you know...it left me wanting more and with a long wait for the next volume! 

In this volume, we're all about tricking Rejendra and out manoeuvring him....in order to form an alliance with him. Sounds tricky right? But Narsus is on the case so you know he's got a super intelligent plan to make it happen. He's a scary genius. I love the way all the plots and plans are written and come out over the course of the volume, it's very well done and very well thought out, I have to say! 

Some of the reaction drawings in this volume....they're priceless. Like so freaking hilarious, particularly Gieve at points! I really did see some FMA style in those, I have to say! Even Asrael the bird got some reaction shots! The battles are drawn brilliantly, and they're portrayed in a manner that has you on the edge of your toes and doesn't shy away from showing the brutality in it. 

There's plenty of humour to go with the action and battles and dire situations, this volume it mostly comes in the form of Gieve, my favourite character! He's hilariously threatened by Rajendra and there's a drinking competition and he's basically like a child at points. Daryun is a little bit funny at points too. 

A character familiar to everyone from the anime finally makes his appearance this volume, Jaswant! I'm intrigued to see if he'll be any different or if his character growth will be any different! There's a few little differences from the anime that I've picked up, but from what I remember from the anime...it hasn't changed that much! 

The plot continues to move at a steady pace with Silver Mask seemingly taking a backseat for this story arc and Arslan is starting to question himself and who he really is. This volume is heavy with the strategising and the battles, something I love as it's incredibly well done in this manga! We have multiple fights to keep you hooked, with a few comic moments, and we're inching closer to a confrontation with Rajendra's brother which should be quite spectacular! Especially as I don't trust Rajendra further than I can throw him.