Have you ever been to a museum with the feeling of one of the exhibits watching you? You swear you saw the eyes following your every move! Now, imagine you’re walking by one of these statues or paintings as it comes to life before your very eyes. That’s exactly what happens to tourist Ania during her trip to Plymouth’s Mary Rose Museum. Connecting modern families to a man from the distant past; multi-talented creator Tamim provides the story, art and editing for Link of Ages.
The story follows Ania and her sister Aya as they find themselves helping a man from the 18th century. Held in a museum exhibit as “The Undead Man”; Afour escapes and evades his pursuers with the help of the sisters and their cousin, Maria. How is he still alive? Will he age normally? Why exactly are scientists experimenting on him? These are just some of the questions I still have after many issues. But one burning question I have surrounding this character-focused manga is Afour’s connection to Charles Richordson. Charles is a patriarch of the family who the story jumps over to intermittently. When Afour starts to become more conscious in the museum, Charles seems to lose his own consciousness.
This is an interesting plotline that adds mystery and moments of tension to the story. There’s also some brief dialogue referring to time travel. This element in particular is one I would love to see in action. In terms of the overall premise, I must admit that the structure can at times be a little confusing. The story jumps between the sisters, their parents, the Richordson family, members of the organisation who run experiments on Afour, and more! Maybe as answers come to light, I can revisit certain chapters. But personally, I find the scenes involving the sisters and Afour the most compelling.
It’s the character dynamics where Tamim really demonstrates their strength. I really like the sisters’ relationship in particular; they seem to have a solid bond with some typical sibling squabbles thrown into the mix. The combination of both come off as natural and believable. I enjoy these strong female characters who drive the plot; rescuers rather than damsels in distress. With fleshed-out family heritage and the occasional use of Arabic phrases in dialogue; there’s a layer of authenticity that also teaches readers some vocabulary.
One scene that catches me off guard involves the sisters and Afour hiding from a museum guard in the park. It’s initially funny; there’s the dialogue of “Oh no, it’s a Karen!” when spotting a character who looks like a walking meme. This soon takes a darker turn when Maria is in pursuit and interacts with her. The “Karen” makes derogatory remarks and assumptions, before falsely claiming that Maria is assaulting her. It’s a sad reminder of real-life infamous incidents of racial bias, and highlights the insanity of this behaviour.
When it comes to the artwork, Tamim really enhances the story with their visuals. The characters are very emotional, and their wide range of facial expressions perfectly capture this. Their movements are also super engaging. Tamim uses strong images when establishing locations like Portsmouth, and cinematic angles such as overhead shots. I also love the concept of historical fonts to introduce important places with links to the past. My only visual issue relates to the use of speech bubbles. On occasion, I find myself confused with the flow of group conversations. While they are visually dynamic, sometimes the order of dialogue isn’t the most coherent.
Overall, Link of Ages has some interesting ideas and likeable characters. Ania and Aya are a strong pair. I would really like to learn more about Afour’s past and get some answers soon. But maybe I’m just too impatient. Based on themes of links between characters and even time travel, the story can go in interesting directions. I’m particularly interested in the connection between Afour and Charles. Are they related? Does Charles’ ancestors know of Afour? Only time will tell.
Are you a fan of manga? If you’re looking for some intrigue and character drama then this could be right up your alley! You can find currently released chapters of Link of Ages over at Tapas. Tells us what you think through the comments down below, or send us your thoughts on Instagram or Twitter!
