First off, I translated this book! So what follows is my honest, but clearly biased, opinion.
Originally published in France, this new English-language edition is arriving in Fall 2022 from Oni Press. Three volumes (of a planned five) have already come out in French, so American readers can expect a new volume of this series every year like clockwork.
Which is a very good news, because in my (obviously biased but honest) opinion this fantastic (in every sense of the word) manga/bande dessinée series is definitely designed to get its hooks into the reader, and you’ll want more as soon as you turn the last page! The talented French/Laotian cartoonist Sourya has created wonderful adventure comic featuring fun, engaging characters for the reader to root for, surprisingly intense action sequences and combat, and a lively, charming medieval fantasy world to explore.
Sourya openly draws inspiration from old-school JRPGs like Dragon Warrior and the films of Hayao Miyazaki, but he elegantly blends these influences into something that is both familiar and quite unique. The mythology of the world is intriguing, with a deeper history of fallen demigods, blood magic, and epic wars, but the focus is firmly on the eponymous heroine Talli (an exiled princess with a great power she struggles to control) and the motley crew of allies she gathers around her as the story progresses. The tale begins in medias res with a raging battle and never lets up, with the characters getting to know each other as they race across a low-magic fantasy world that’s full of dangers and intrigue (but there’s still time for the occasional feast).
Sourya’s art and visual storytelling are top-notch here, with refined action playing off of an intentionally gritty, old-school, black-and-white manga aesthetic. As with the storyline, the visuals are familiar but surprising, and completely unique to this book.
Personally I think that this is a great fit for manga and comics fans ages 12+ (there is a good amount of battlefield violence (beheadings, etc), a refreshingly direct discussion of menstruation, and the seeds of romance). A wonderful fit for fans of films like Princess Mononoke or Naussica of the Valley of the Wind.
I think that Sourya has done a fantastic job of creating an old-fashioned and engaging epic fantasy manga. I have been loving this immersive YA fantasy adventure, and I can’t wait for American audiences to discover the charming universe Sourya has created. Volume One comes out this fall with more volumes to follow annually… And if you find that you enjoyed this first volume, as the translator I’ve gotten to read ahead and I can honestly tell you that the upcoming volumes in this series only get bigger and better!
Volume One of Talli: Daughter of the Moon arrives in stores on October 18, 2022. Interested readers can pre-order the book at their local comic book shop or anywhere books are sold, including Bookshop, where I (or you fave indie bookseller) can earn a small commission.
