This is a Monogatari-level of wittiness/brilliance, but in the genre of military tactics and strategy. It easily beats out Shingeki no Kyojin in terms of epicness, strategic brilliance, and 4D-chess maneuvers without resorting to Death Note-style ridiculousness.

It's like the author took the centuries of tactics of all the ancient Chinese military strategists (Zhuge Liang, Sun Tzu, Sima Yi, etc.) and just blended them into a manhua so epic it crushes Berserk and even rivals One Piece in length. This is rare, high-quality writing.

Just be warned: It's fast-paced, and it covers so much that you're probably going to get lost unless you're familiar with the background history of the Three Kingdoms.

... Last updated on February 1st, 2021, 10:04pm

This has a lot of things I wanted for a Three Kingdoms manga, with Total War THree Kingdoms coming out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4D42vMUSIM&t=9s

This is a very good manga to know about the history of 3K and it's characters, they are all based off the real life and romance of the three kingdoms. give it a try you'll like it

This manhua is largely based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a Chinese classic novel. There are numerous comics inspired by the original novel, namely Sangokushi (told from a Japanese perspective), or works by Lee Chi Ching (another Chinese author famous for drawing Chinese classic stories). In this short review I will elaborate on what sets The Ravages of Time apart from, or even above, other adaptations.

- There are no clear protagonists. The author does take sides, nor give preferential treatment. Most characters are shown just as strong, wise, courageous, virtuous, etc, as others. This is what makes this manhua highly realistic. After all, in the real world everyone is equal, and 'right' is only relative.

- Readers well-versed in the original story, or new to it, are both accommodated. For newbies, the plot is coherent so you do not get left behind. For veterans, the author takes quite an amount of creative liberty, the good kind, with the story, so if you think you easily know what will happen in the following chapters, not quite so.

- Elaborate art style. This comic easily ranks among my top comics in terms of depicting fighting, and believe me I have read a lot.

Now the drawbacks:
- Chinese comics are not as popular as Japanese counterparts, so it may take some time to get used to the names. Dialogues may occasionally seem jarring, because the nuances are usually lost in translation.

- This series seem neverending. The Chinese have a saying comparing any lengthy affairs to the story of the Three Kingdoms. This manhua has been running for nearly 2 decades, and so far it has only covered about 1/2 of the original story.

Conclusion: if you interested in reading a quality comic about either martial arts, history, war, Chinese folklore, or all of these, The Ravages of Time is for you. Buckle up for this one great ride.

... Last updated on January 27th, 2017, 8:16am

Currently, I'm still reading vol 16 since I've discovered this manga is available in my country and all I can think of is why I'm not reading this sooner. I give the mangaka a high score for making such a twisted plot that captivated. I'm a big fan of Romance of Three Kingdoms, Qin Dynasty, and Sun Tzi The Art of War so yeah, I'm satisfied with this awesome manga. Totally recommended!!

This story is fascinating with all the unique character designs, but it becomes quiet complicated at the moment. I'm really not sure what's going on and who I should be cheering for.

... Last updated on February 2nd, 2015, 4:11am

Yet again, I found another masterpiece was created by men... Whether the story has been altered or realistically based on fact, it doesnt matter, it taught me really a lot, just like I found a teaching in Vagabond and Chang Ge Xing.
My apology, but for this time, I'm here not to write a proper review but just to express my gratitude toward the author (both "romance of 3 kingdom" and "ravages of time") and translator by spilling what I feel.
The last, may the opinion will differ for some other readers towards this literature, dont feel disturbed, because me just a mere man amongst men...

You are supposed to read this series armed with at least one read-through of the original work, so dont give up when you feel confused with the way new characters introduced and hard-to-follow narration. Read again, or wiki it up.

Absolutely beautiful! The best sangokushi manga ever!
The detail..oh the intricate details of the art is just mindblowing!

Only one small thing is that the translation sometimes fails to convey the true meaning of the proverbs. The groups does include some detailed and accurate explanations at the end of chapters but it just seems kind of weird when you're actually reading it.

for understanding of the story, or character, play romance of the three kingdom strategy game series, it has all of the character feature in this manga. "u will get an understanding of who is who"

Part of the charm this series offer is the dialogue, and is a huge one at that. Here in the conversion to English, much of the wit displayed are lost. Word plays of homonyms are complete gone now, and unfortunately not replaceable in English.

The aesthetics of the content are quite beautifully drawn and told, and sadly gives a toll to the editors and translators.
They knead their heads, and they need their aspirins

The words,

Told, Toll
Knead, need

are an example of the word play. In it's Chinese counterpart, "Shang Ren, Shang Ren", may sound alike, but is spelt differently. "Merchants, hurt people." were used to describe the main character in the story.

I would rather the Translators/Editors rewrite the entire script to suit the English audience so as not to mangle the original's intention on creating superb storylines.

5/10 for translations (confusing moments, terrible direct translations in some section), 9.5/10 for original script. I need not say the artwork starting from vol 11 onwards exceeds beyond any other mangas you can find. Characters stand out, and the intensity of some of the drawn artworks are so compelling that you will seriously stay glued to the series.

Edit: I think the efforts to translate the series has improved a lot since the date I posted, and it's much more enjoyable. Edited, 26 July 2010.

... Last updated on July 25th, 2010, 7:30pm