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Arslan Senki (アルスラーン戦記) is a historical fantasy series written by Yoshiki Tanaka (田中芳樹) — perhaps most famous for his space opera epic, Legend of the Galactic Heroes (銀河英雄伝説) — and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano of Final Fantasy fame. (Later volumes by Shinobu Tanno, illustrator of the other major Japanese fantasy series, Guin Saga; newest editions by Akihiro Yamada of Twelve Kingdoms fame.) As of 2012 there have been 13 volumes of Arslan released, the most recent one in 2008. The first five of these were adapted into an OVA in the 90s and received an English release as The Heroic Legend of Arslan; the novels themselves, however, have never been translated into English.

* Since I last wrote this, there is now another manga adaptation by Arakawa Hiromu, along with a corresponding anime adaptation slated for spring 2015, as well as a fourteenth novel released in 2014.

Here is my attempt, with two caveats:

  • I’m translating from both Chinese and Japanese copies at the same time. Though I do my best to research historical references for names/terminology, there are probably things I’m going to miss anyway.
  • This project is purely for fun. I am doing this as a fan and am in no way profiting from these translations, nor should these translations be used for any commercial purposes.

With that said, enjoy! I will be posting a new scene whenever I feel like it (each novel contains 5 chapters, each chapter consists of about 6-7 scenes). You may jump right in and start reading the first book here, check for latest updates here, or browse through the book listings on the sidebar.