The Fall 2023 Manga Guide

The Deer King

What's It About? 

After a pack of infected dogs attacks a group of miners, soldier-turned-slave Van awakens to find himself blessed with preternatural strength. As he effortlessly breaks free of his chains, he notices a young girl, the only other survivor standing before him. The two escape the mine, but with Van's captors in pursuit and a deadly disease ravaging the area, how will they survive on the lam?

The Deer King has a story by Nahoko Uehashi and art by Taro Sekiguchi. English adaptation is by The Deer King Production Committee. Translation by Ajani Oloye and lettering by Phil Christie. Published by Yen Press (September 19, 2023).

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating: (if you've read the novel)
Rating: (if you haven't)

The Deer King's manga version is almost unrecognizable as the same tale in the original novels. The character names are all the same, as are the setting and one of the storylines, but so many changes have been made that if you went into this directly from the original, you'll probably be disappointed or at least a little confused. The fact that the story starts not with Van's history and the attack by the wild dogs known as ossam on the salt mine, but with the discovery of the dead there, effectively shifts the protagonist from Van to Hoshalle. That's an interesting choice because, in at least the first novel, Hoshalle isn't even the point of view character in the chapters where he's present; that role is held by Makokan, who is relegated to the position of sidekick here. Then there's the drastic changes in how Van and Yuna meet and the fact that Yuna is significantly aged up, to say nothing of Sae being present from the start instead of Makokan needing to seek her out…it's like someone handed the manga artist a list of characters and a couple of salient plot points and told them to have fun.

In all fairness, this is a perfectly fine story all on its own. While it lacks the Guin Saga feel of the source material and some of the uniqueness, it's still a good fantasy adventure. The focus is much more on the fact that the Zolians invaded Aquafa and subjugated it until the mysterious ossam-born disease known as black wolf fever ravaged the Zolian army. Hoshalle becomes a frontline fighter to find a vaccine for it – which the Aquafaese aren't keen on. The prevailing theory is that only Zolians can contract black wolf fever, and with Van as the only known survivor, Hoshalle wants to use his blood as the basis for his vaccine.

Most of Van's character development has been excised, and we need a better feel for who he is and what he's doing. The effects of the fever on both himself and Yuna (who also survived the attack) are well shown here, and the art has a vaguely Miyazaki sensibility, particularly calling to mind Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä in its imagery. The artist makes perfect use of long stretches of wordless panels, which nicely take the place of descriptive passages in the novel, and it's generally a well-drawn and decently executed volume.

It may be sour grapes that I dislike the changes made, but they are so drastic that it feels like an entirely different work. I'd still recommend the novel over the manga, but this is a fine book if you don't compare them to each other.