Link is about to be the star of 2021 as celebrations for The Legend of Zelda’s 35th anniversary begin this summer. The Zelda community is already debating what Nintendo has planned, and one artist has even given us a reason to long for a Zelda animation - one that doesn’t include the line “Excuse me, princess!”
Expectations are high for Nintendo’s party planning, where ports of classics like Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild 2 news are likely to be at the forefront. The Japanese heavyweight has already confirmed that “a variety of software titles” would be arriving this year, which coincides perfectly with Zelda’s anniversary as well as Pokemon’s 25th. In the meantime, we have been distracted by a remarkable animation illustrated by a Chinese artist that leaves us desperate for a Breath of the Wild anime.
Chinese animation director, illustrator, and comic designer Youyang Kong shared a short video showcasing their fan animation of Breath of the Wild. The rise of anime appreciation makes this Breath of the Wild animation all the more appealing to a wider audience, which showcases a brief look at Link saving a scared Korok from the Guardians. The animation took two months to complete with the assistance of QianyaYin, with music by Sihan Yuan, and sound by Doudou. Its design provides fans with a taste of Zelda anime that we now have an appetite for.
Breath of the Wild fan art has been influenced by other Japanese art forms before, including the work of Studio Ghibli. At the start of the year, one artist illustrated various scenes from Breath of the Wild in the style of Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke. The aforementioned crossovers are wonderful celebrations of each property, and let’s face it, we certainly need another Zelda animation to erase the horror of the first one.
It’s an exciting year ahead for Zelda fans and our eye is on Nintendo’s appearance at this year’s virtual E3 event. An update on Breath of the Wild’s successor is long overdue, and who’s to say that Nintendo won’t debut the sequel on a new Switch model - or is that just wishful thinking?