As this post publishes, TheSpeedGamers will begin yet another charity marathon.  This time, they will run the entirety of the Metroid series.  In honor of this and out of my curiosity as a fan of the franchise, I checked to see if Nintendo had sponsored any anime or manga adaptations of the series.  Sure enough, to celebrate the release of Metroid Zero Mission, the company approved a two-volume back story to the games and the life of Samus.  I read it, and now I’m going to tell you about it.

Metroid’s story is typical for a space marine style series.  Samus grew up on a peaceful planet that contained a prized energy source.  The resources caught the space pirates’ attention, and they raided the planet.  As the sole survivor, the Chozo took her in and began training her to become a warrior and protector of peace.  As a teenager, she leaves the planet and enters the Federation.  Her unit manages to capture a space pirate, alive, and the interrogation leads her back to her home planet.  She returns to find the space pirates seizing control of the planet, under the directive of the Chozo’s own computer, Mother Brain.  She flees the planet, but years later, fate requires her to venture once again into the twisted world she once called home.  The last few chapters cover events you can actually play in the game, Metroid Zero Mission, up to but not including the final encounter with the biocomputer.

Metroid historically relies on the environment to tell a story, so while this two-volume series is light on progression, it is good for adding personality to the already established characters.  Samus starts as a traumatized girl whom the Chozo protect.  Over time, she fights out of an obligation she feels to defend the galaxy.  Of course, “obligation” only gets you so far, and when forced to stare down her past, she breaks down completely.  After the experience, she becomes a free-spirited bounty hunter who can fight for causes in which she truly believes.  The Chozo, who only show up in the games through their remaining technology, strive for peace in the galaxy.  Despite high hopes for their special projects, they fell woefully short and, in the end, set into motion all the events in the Metroid canon.

On the antagonistic side, the series reveals that the space pirates respond only to the strong, in a sort of hive-mind mentality.  Ridley, Samus’ nemesis and the leader of the space pirates, is portrayed as constantly sadistic.  He enjoys killing people, and even eats the corpses of his victims to regain his strength.  Mother Brain, however, starts the manga as a docile biological computer for the Chozo.  As time goes on, she develops a sense of fear, that the Chozo will leave her behind as they focus their efforts on Samus.  This eventually evolves into an egocentric god-complex that causes her to rebel against the galaxy.

From an artistic standpoint, the manga is simply sufficient.  Most of the problem rests on Samus, who has a disproportionate feel.  That’s a problem when she’s the main character.  I realize this manga occurs before the sexualization of Samus, but her body just looks too stocky for an acrobatic and agile bounty hunter.  It might just be me, but it seems like the artist made her head too big in some places and too small in others.  It has a weird rubber-band effect that steals your attention.  The space pirates lack detail, and Ridley looks kind of like a convoluted caricature of a demonic dragon.  The backgrounds also suffer from this same unpolished feel.  For a series that prizes detail in the environment, this is an unfortunate letdown.  On the other hand, I really liked the design of the Chozo.  Their avian features are a bit exaggerated, but they still look distinguished in their simple, formal robes.  The Metroids also have their traditionally interesting character design, and seeing Mother Brain’s slow but steady design progression is a nice addition.  In addition, the sci-fi space setting lends itself to many battle sequences, with the focus on firearms and explosions.  I found these enjoyable.

Your enjoyment of the Metroid manga will largely depend on how much interest you have in the accompanying franchise.  If you have never played the games but have thought about trying them, these volumes are the obvious starting point.  If you love the franchise already, then the story will shed some light on the characters and their backgrounds that will enhance your playing experience.  However, if you fall into the third group that has no real interest in the games, much of this will be lost on you.  The Metroid manga’s prominent weakness is its inability to stand alone as a single work.  You might enjoy the battle sequences, or the progression Samus makes, but there just isn’t enough here for a real recommendation.  I see it as a lost opportunity from Nintendo to explore the story in a different perspective.

Final Score: 6.5/10 Wave Beams