Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker Manga review – A fun and fresh look into the original series
Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker (manga version) is a manga adaptation of the original novel by Ken Liu. The manga itself is comprised of four different stories by five different manga artists. They have come together to create a well-versed adaptation of Ken Liu’s bestselling novel and boy have they succeeded.
The Starship Graveyard by Akira Fukaya and Takashi Kisaki
The Starship Graveyard begins with a young imperial troop (who seems to have a touch of OCD but that’s up for debate) who idolizes Palpatine’s regime and considers all rebels people who create nothing but chaos and pain. He finds himself stranded on a barren desert planet with two broken legs, however, he is taken care of by a kindly stranger. This stranger reveals himself to be part of the rebel alliance and the boy’s ideals are changed forever…
I really liked this portion of the manga. Maybe even so much as to say it’s one of my favourite stories in the whole book. It is somewhat cheesy sometimes and there is an element to it which feels somewhat rushed, almost as if the manga artists wanted to tell a more in-depth story but were pushed for space. Regardless of all of that, it’s still a thorough beautiful read. The main idea behind it is deep and meaningful and as close to Star Wars lore as many will get.
I enjoyed it immensely, in fact, I’m gonna go out and say it. The entire book is worth buying just for this section and Tale Of Lugubrious Mote.
9/10
I, Droid by Haruichi
I, Droid follows the heartbreaking story of a maintenance droid named Zeta. One day Zeta is taken aside and an override microchip is installed into his wiring. He becomes easy to anger and increasingly violent but his memory is retained. He is forced to work alongside, and oversee, other droids as they mine for tear opals so that rich investors can sell them. They’re forced to work until they melt from the acidic environment and Zeta struggles with his innermost self and he begins to lose hope that he’ll ever be free…
I, Droid is fascinating. Not just because it takes a look into a rare part of the Star Wars Universe that we don’t regularly see or hear about at all but because it stays true to the simple but effective idea that no matter who you are in whatever situation you’re in there is always hope for something better. It’s a simple story told effectively and, in stark contrast to The Starship Graveyard, feels perfectly paced. There are some massive conveniences which mean that some characters don’t have to make difficult or even impossible choices which I did think was kinda annoying but most of the book is like that so it’s not too jarring upon reflection.
Overall this is as good as the first story and keeps the pace going. I was entertained, sad, angry and smiling all throughout reading it. The character building is just superb, even though Zeta is a droid and doesn’t have too many pages to shine in he still comes across with a ton of personality and you really feel his struggle when he starts to doubt everything and accept hopelessness.
9/10
The Tale Of Lugubrious Mote by Mote by Subaru
Lugubrious Mote is a tale of a mole-flea who’s adventures are legendary. Though no-one knows the story. Mote claims to have been there and gained inspiration from Luke Skywalker the day he sent R2D2 to Jabba’s palace with a message to free Han Solo. She climbs onto Luke when he makes his way to Jabba’s palace and fights the Rancor with Luke… according to her anyway.
This story was absolutely hysterical! I laughed at almost every page, the idea of this tiny little flea being the hero of one of the most famous scenes in Star Wars history is brilliant. And what’s more brilliant is that it’s not just straight-up “we’re clearly taking the mick” obviously there is a strong element of parody there but there’s a genuine and heartfelt message in this story. Which I gotta admit caught me way off guard. It’s fun, witty and in the end made me care way more about this flea character than I’d like to admit (seriously, I want a sequel or something.)
There’s a reason I put this down as one of the stories you should buy the book purely for. It’s a heartfelt comedy that’ll have you crying with laughter and sadness and I’m just sad we don’t get to see more of Miss. Mote.
10/10
Big Inside by Akira Himekawa
Big Inside tells the story of a young biology student that somehow ends up in Luke’s A-Wing and they both get lost together inside and Exogorth. A giant living creature that disguises itself as an asteroid, they make their way deeper into the creature’s body and discover more and more ancient secrets as they do. But soon find themselves faced with an impossible choice…
I have to be honest. Of all the stories in the manga, this is the weakest for me. The set up is random as all hell. Luke just appears from nowhere and no explanation is given. Luke also acts way out of character, it’s hard to even see the guy as Luke.
The story is slow-paced but not in a good way and then when I got to the penultimate pages, the ending of the story was bizarre and random and left me with more questions than answers. The whole thing felt like perhaps it should’ve been its own series with multiple volumes so it could’ve taken the time to help warm to the biologist character more and explain the ending.
I can see what team Himekawa was trying to do, I think, but the way they get there is so convoluted you’re not really interested in the message anymore, you’re interested in getting rid of the stress headache that’s just formed from trying to understand this new concept.
This is in no means a bad story, it just feels a little flat. Unfortunately, it’s surrounded by great stories so it makes its shortcomings all the more obvious.
4/10
Overall
Overall this is a fantastic manga. The art is stunning and powerful and the stories are told in fantastic fashion. The book is worth getting for stories 1 and 3 alone but 2 is a welcome addition and nothing to be sniffed at. This manga has made me want to see more from all of these artists, their work has been highlighted in the best of ways and their genuine love for the Star Wars franchise really shines through.
The stories are all unique and offer a new perspective into the universe without being too long or changing the lore at all. Though it’s true that I personally found one of them to be lackluster, the rest was well worth the asking price. They have re-readability value. I’ve read most of them three times now.
I recommend this manga to anyone. Star Wars fan or not, they’re fun no matter what. I think anyone could get at least something out of just one of these stories.
