The Heroic Legend of Arslan (manga) — BrandWiki

The Heroic Legend of Arslan (manga)

type	tv series
title	The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance
director	Noriyuki Abe
producer	Tetsurō Satomi Toshihiro Maeda Reo Kurosu Hirokazu Hara Chitose Kawazoe Yōko Tanaka Yumi Wakabayashi
writer	Makoto Uezu
music	Taro Iwashiro
studio	Liden Films
network	JNN (MBS)
first	July 3, 2016
last	August 21, 2016
episodes	8
episode list	List of The Heroic Legend of Arslan episodes#Dust Storm Dance

The Heroic Legend of Arslan (アルスラーン戦記) is a Japanese manga series by Hiromu Arakawa, based on Yoshiki Tanaka's 1986–2017 novel series. It has been serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine since July 2013. It is licensed for English release in North America by Kodansha USA. The series follows the life of Arslan, the 14-year-old crown prince of Pars. After his father, King Andragoras III, goes missing in action during a battle, Arslan becomes the designated leader of his country and must protect his people.

The manga was created after discussions on how to adapt the original novel into manga. Arakawa took many liberties in creating it, much to the delight of Tanaka, who considers her a skilled writer, after reading her previous works. A 25-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Liden Films and Sanzigen, was broadcast on MBS from April to September 2015. An 8-episode series, titled The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance, was broadcast from July to August 2016. The anime series was licensed in North America by Funimation. A video game, titled Arslan: The Warriors of Legend, developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo

Plot

In the year 317 of the Pars calendar, the western kingdom of Lusitania, a monotheistic realm, invades the eastern kingdom of Maryam to impose worship of its sole god, Yaldabaoth. Andragoras III, the warrior king of Pars, leads his army to crush the Lusitanian invaders. He is married to Queen Tahamenay, celebrated as the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, and they have a son, the eleven-year-old Prince Arslan, who is often ignored by his parents. In the year 320, Lusitania, having completed its conquest of Maryam, launches an assault on Pars. King Andragoras III leads his vast army to meet the threat at Atropatene, accompanied by his finest generals, including Kharlan and Daryun, as well as the now fourteen-year-old Prince Arslan. However, a trap set by the traitorous General Kharlan and a mysterious Lusitanian general known only as the Silver Mask causes the defeat of the Parsian army.

King Andragoras is captured by the Silver Mask. Prince Arslan, whom Kharlan attempts to kill personally, is rescued by Daryun. The two flee to seek out Daryun's friend, the former lord Narsus. Joined by Narsus, his servant Elam, and other companions, the small group embarks on a quest to reorganize the Parsian resistance and liberate the kingdom, even after the capital of Ecbatana falls to the Lusitanians. Guided by his new allies, Arslan must mature and broaden his understanding of the world in order to free his country from the invaders and the Silver Mask, Hilmes, who is Arslan's cousin and the son of Osroes. Arslan leads the invasion of Pars to reclaim the throne, as he believes his father was murdered by his younger brother Andragoras. During an encounter with Hilmes, Arslan learns from Narsus that he is not the legitimate heir of King Andragoras but nevertheless decides to protect Peshawar Citadel, a fortress located in Pars. The Keep of Saint Emmanuel is captured by the Parsian army. At Arslan's command, the Lusitanian survivors, including Etoile, are taken with them as they march toward Ecbatana.

After escaping his prison, King Andragoras arrives at Peshawar and assumes command of the army. Arslan is commanded to leave Peshawar without his allies and not return until he has gathered an army of fifty thousand soldiers, a seemingly impossible task tantamount to exile. Disgusted by the unjust royal mandate, Arslan's friends and advisors defy Andragoras in order to accompany the prince. After obtaining a large number of warriors, Arslan returns to Peshawar and learns from the queen that he is an adopted child and is not accepted as the heir. Nonetheless, Arslan declares he will still fight to become king, even if it means confronting his father.

During the battles between Arslan's forces and the king's, the queen appears and murders her husband. Unwilling to let either Arslan or Hilmes rule Pars, Arslan's teacher Vahriz uses dark magic to raise the dead to kill his enemies. This leads him to aim to use the mythical Snake King Zahhak as the new ruler of Pars by having him possess Andragoras's body, which is first used to kill the queen. After Daryun kills Vahriz, Arslan's and Hilmes's forces confront Zahhak.

Production

Manga author Hiromu Arakawa developed the adaptation while envisioning the story's ending. She spent six months carefully designing the series, including the character Arslan, for which she re-read the original novel.[1] There had been occasional discussions in the past about adapting The Heroic Legend of Arslan into a manga. Yoshiki Tanaka, the author of the original novel, received a message stating that Arakawa was willing to draw it. Having prior experience reading Fullmetal Alchemist and Hyakushō Kizoku, Tanaka spoke with Arakawa and they decided to proceed with the adaptation. Arakawa enjoyed researching materials, such as photo collections such as the "Persian Exhibitions" that museums sometimes held, among other items, but she did not know much about the colors of clothing and buildings, so she was worried when she was told to do the work in color.[2]

When Arakawa began writing Silver Spoon, Tanaka noted that she had developed an affinity for horses, which would prove useful for drawing battle scenes involving mounted warriors. Tanaka wanted Arakawa to follow her own creative instincts and draw in her own style. He was already surprised by the prologue and was pleased when she included elements not present in the original script. Arakawa started with the kingdom's structure, including Arslan and his parents, which led to a major war and other foundational elements of the story. Her editor, Hideo Nishimoto, assisted her with the darker elements in the early chapters, as Arakawa felt the second chapter began too calmly. She considered the creation of the protagonist a major element that needed to be handled properly.[2] In March 2023, it was announced that the series had entered its "final decisive battle".[3]

Adaptation

Writer Makoto Uezu had read The Heroic Legend of Arslan novel since the first Kadokawa Bunko edition was published. He therefore felt more pressure than any other staff or cast member in handling the source material, while also feeling greatly honored by the task. When working on the series composition, he proceeded carefully, respecting the original work while seeking to make the anime distinct. Director Noriyuki Abe stated that although the work is a "war story", for him it was a "character story" defined by well-developed characters. Several characters were introduced in the first season of the anime before appearing in the original manga, with Arakawa collaborating in creating their designs.[4]

For the second season, Abe said the staff aimed to give each season a distinct setting. They created appealing fight scenes by experimenting with different visual styles. Uezu sought to focus more heavily on Narsus and to further develop the relationship between Arslan and his subordinates. The positive reception to the first season led the staff to quickly produce a sequel. Meanwhile, the characters were designed by Shingo Ogiso, who created different outfits under the supervision of Arakawa.[5] The staff emphasized Arslan's beginning as a beautiful figure and then transforming into a darker character, as highlighted by the opening and video sequences. However, they did not wish to change the protagonist's core, as they wanted him to remain cute. Instead, Daryun and Hermes were the characters whose facial expressions changed.