Order of Tales is a prequel to Rice Boy a webcomic I reviewed way back when, sort of. You see Order of Tales takes place in the same world as Rice Boy and in the past, but it doesn’t exist to expand upon the past of Rice Boy. So what I’m saying you don’t have to read one to enjoy the other, although you won’t be privy to who certain characters really are as they’re expanded upon in Rice Boy and not here. Well not much here. Anyway, just wanted to get that out of the way before jumping into the review.

Art

 The art for Order of Tales is pretty similar to Rice Boy, except for a lack of color. Now on one hand it still looks really good and it has some really nice moments of contrast and such, I still prefer Rice Boy’s colorful look. The lack of color just doesn’t fit the setting as well, although it still looks quite nice. Aesthetically Order of Tales is very similar to Rice Boy as well by virtue of taking place in the same world. However we deal with a lot more humanoid characters in this, so the designs feel a little less alien for better or worse. Overall art lovers will still like Order of Tales and it’s certainly a step above a lot of webcomics I’ve read.

Characters

 The characters for Order of Tales might just beat Rice Boy in some ways. Unlike Rice Boy there’s only one real focus for the story and that’s the main character and he really is an enjoyable character to read. He’s got a bit of Rice Boy’s lack of physical power going for him, but he’s a lot less helpless. Not to mention much less of a clean slate, so he’s already a bit developed by the time we start focusing on him. The other main lead honestly feels a bit less developed but she really does have some great moments that shine through. Like Rice Boy there’s minor characters peppered through the story but not nearly as many interesting ones which is a shame.

Story

The story for Order of Tales is a lot clearer cut than Rice Boy, mostly because it has a more obvious villain. Rice Boy certainly had the frogs, but they were far less active feeling that the villain here. It also has a really great theme of stories going for it which I just love. Tales are very important and this story really does a good job of playing their impact on the world. It also does some lovely world expansion stuff with it, taking little breaks in the plot to tell some stories that really add to the Rice Boy world. The best part is that there are some very valid plot reasons for the stories and it makes the punch of the climax that much better. Seriously, while this story isn’t as epic as Rice Boy it is just as good in its own way.

Overall I’d recommend Order of Tales to anyone who enjoyed Rice Boy (obviously), and anyone who’s looking for some nice fantasy fair with some great world building. Also if you’re the kind of person that enjoys themes that deal with how the natural narrative effects a story this one might be your sort of thing.