Copyright © Tsutsumi Shouko

In the gaming world, Enix has been around for a while. Back in the days of the Famicom, they established themselves firmly as one of the two RPG kings. The other one is, of course, Square, and it is interesting to see how these two companies took diverging paths with the same basic formula. While Square has pushed each incarnation of FINAL FANTASY to increasingly technology-based scenarios, Enix's DRAGONQUEST series (DRAGON WARRIOR in the USA) has always been a pure fantasy role-playing experience.
Enix also publishes manga, but in this field they are mere whelps compared to heavyweights like Kodansha and Shogakukan. The bulk of their titles are aimed at young children, but what few manga they do publish for an older audience follows in the footsteps of their games; their forte is fantasy. One surprising gem in the lot is a series called ELNA SAGA.
Unlike Enix's better-known works like PERSONA and FIRE EMBLEM, ELNA SAGA is a original creation. The official Japanese title is SEISENKI ELNA SAGA, which translates to "Holy Record of the War ELNA SAGA", and so one may be tempted to imagine an somewhat dark AD&D offering ala LODOSS. In truth, however, it is of a rather different nature—bright, humorous, at times tragic, but always with an innocent faith in the human spirit.
The land in ELNA SAGA is called Gimrey, and supposedly in the far past, before magic became a part of every person, a great monster had swooped down from the north and ravaged the world. Fanning great gusts of destructive magical wind, it reduced nearly everything to empty wasteland before a knight appeared to challenge it.
Bearing a sacred sword and shield which repulsed magic, this knight finally struck the monster down after a tremendous battle. But this creature would not die, and as it lay immobile, the wind poured forth from its wounds unrelentingly. With the last of his strength, the knight planted his sword high atop the mountain where the battle had been fought, so that it would shield a part of the land from the wind. This was the beginning of Gimrey, and the reason why everyone is born with innate magic.
As time passed, people began to fight over fertile ground. ELNA SAGA begins right before the outbreak of yet another war, and tells of a princess named Elna. Born without any magic whatsoever and as such being the only person who can actually touch the sacred sword guarding Gimrey, she becomes a pawn used by her kingdom to threaten other countries with destruction. A rival kingdom's assassination attempt turns rescue, however, when the ones behind this plot reveal that they have no qualms about killing Elna as long as they can maintain a facade using a lookalike. With the help of her would-be assassin, who is drawn to her innocence and compassion, Elna journeys to define herself and stop a terrible war that her country has started.
The first thing one notices is the richness of the world in which this series has been set. The ideas behind ELNA SAGA are drawn loosely from Nordic culture and mythology and the story, people, and names all bear a medieval Northern European flavor. There are no gods or non-human races, but Valkyries, Berserks, and the world tree Yggdrasil make their appearance in one form or another, and the castles and towns evoke nostalgic memories of old storybooks.
The art is highly detailed whilst remaining clean with confident lines; despite the abundant shading and toning, the overall feel is bright. Tsutsumi's style is not particularly outstanding, but she does have her moments with certain still shots of characters. Another strong point may be her imaginative and fast-paced action scenes. Still, the best thing may be the solidarity of her panel work, which flows simply and efficiently. There is little clutter, the shots are well chosen, and so the reader is never lost.
Its visual merits aside, ELNA SAGA succeeds very well because of its character—its atmosphere, story, characters, and philosophy. Whereas much fantasy tends to focus on sword and sorcery, ELNA SAGA is best described as romantic. An understated love story, people of different kingdoms united in faith, the valiant struggles of a helpless king against the sinister machinations of a man filled with hate, and the innocent courage of young children pure at heart...
Writes the author in several notes:

To write about war when you are someone who knows nothing of it is simply hubris. But I try to imagine what it must be like for those with noble souls to be in such a place, and tell my story that way. We are faced with many many problems in this world, but there are also many things that we have strived for and improved. We should have faith in human wisdom and courage." Born of this compassion, Elna's saga should strike a chord with everyone who longs for a simple tale of good triumphing over evil.

Published by Enix
13 Vols, completed
Black/White, 196 pages per volume
Vol.1: ISBN4-87025-502-2
Vol.2: ISBN4-87025-508-1
Vol.3: ISBN4-87025-520-0
Vol.4: ISBN4-87025-531-6
Vol.5: ISBN 4-87025-541-2
Vol.6: ISBN4-87025-551-0
Vol.7: ISBN4-87025-561-8
Vol.8: ISBN4-87025-579-0
Vol.9: ISBN4-87025-590-1
Vol.10: ISBN4-87025-670-3
Vol.11: ISBN4-87025-377-1
Vol.12: ISBN4-87025-467-0
Vol.13: ISBN4-7575-049-1
Price per volume:
Vols 1-8: ¥780
Vols 9-13: ¥800
Available Now in Japan
Where to buy