With their past lives of experience will tragedy be avoided or will the desire to avenge old wounds lead the world to darkness.
Creative Staff
Story: SooJung Woo
Art: Kara
Translation/Adaptation: Hye Young Im/J. Torres
What They Say
Painfully aware of the fate that lies ahead of Eun-Gyo should either the Shaman or the Bulkirin succeed in their respective goals involving the Seven-Blade-Sword, No-Ah asks Eun-Gyo to run away with him to a place where they can never be found. But Eun-Gyo refuses to allow the world to be destroyed because of her cowardice. The Shaman, however, is not ready to let anyone get in her way and informs the crestfallen Ho-Dong of the whereabouts of the last blade of the original sword… Hwa! Has Eun-Gyo finally run out of time?! Find out in the exciting conclusion to Kara and SooJung Woo’s Legend!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
No-Ah has decided what matters most to him and he attempts to take Eun-Gyo and have her escape with him. He is stunned though when she decides to stay, even knowing the terrible end that will befall her as she has made the decision that she must sacrifice her life for world peace as well as the one she loves. No-Ah can’t understand her decision and he confronts his old friend Poong and discovers that reborn or not the scars he created in the past are still open wounds for Poong. Poong sets No-Ah up to begin to suffer the pain that No-Ah caused him as Poong returns to his accomplice and leaves No-Ah with a long journey that may keep him from being able to arrive in time to effect the rescue of Eun-Gyo.
As No-Ah attempts to make his way back as fast as he can Poong starts to show signs that he is sick of fate and betrays the Shaman he was working with. Betrayal is in the air though as the malevolent Bulkirin has plans of its own to make sure the Seven-Blade-Sword is not used against him. When all hope is lost, will No-Ah give up or we he stand tall in facing the ominous maw of the end of everything but is it just possible that a sliver of hope remains and the pain that so many have suffered will finally be set at ease and perhaps something lies beyond the impending swirl of destruction.
Coming into a series on its final volume is never easy as by and large if the author has properly done their work over the span of the tale the final volume should be the ultimate payoff where the reader gets to see what the buildup has been to. In a superhero story the hero should rise from whatever trap has been set and head off for the final encounter. In a sports story the weary combatants should be worn down to the point where they just have enough for that last final push for the goal if they can just make that last effort. In a story of romance, intrigue and end of the world type confrontations the story lead must finally put the pieces of his or her journey together and decide for whom he fights and why. Generally these aren’t the spots where an author chooses to do a look back and catch the new reader up and kill the dramatic payoff for the dedicated readers.
Having not read the series previous to this volume there was a good deal of confusion to be had as a number of characters are referred to at times by their names in previous lives and many of the terms are assumed to be known by now can only be inferred from the dialogue. Despite these handicaps the heart of the story and the connections, love, pain and loss that exist in the characters shines through anyway and that is a testament to the strength of the work as it bridges the large gap of unfamiliarity and makes a connection that a lesser series would not have been able to attain. On top of that when an ending can feel like an emotional payoff for someone just meeting the characters there are signs that the series has something special going for it story wise in addition to its really impressive artwork.
In Summary
The final volume of Legend moves to a close with its gorgeous artwork giving a strong support to a story of love, friendship and all the pain that can be entwined with them. It may not be the most original ending of all time but a large portion of the stories in the world share elements handed down from the ages and it is the journey to get to the destination that sets the memorable tales apart from those that will be lost in the sands of time and collective conscious. While Legend may never sit on a shelf of the most remembered titles of all time it maybe that it will touch the hearts of the readers and sit in a special place for them, and what appears here certainly has the potential to do just that.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: November 30th, 2010
MSRP: $10.99