Postby Kaori » Sat Sep 12, 2020 1:31 pm
Sometime in the 10 months since I last posted in here:
Pokemon Adventures (Pocket Monsters Special) vv. 1-14. (Red/Blue/Green, Yellow, and Gold/Silver/Crystal arcs).
Reasons people should read this manga:
3. For the battles. Take this with a grain of salt, as apparently get more and more shonen-ridiculous as they go on, coming up with more and more ridiculous ways to create a dramatic climax involving every main character so far (a number which gets bigger with each story arc). However, in the first story arc in particular I did find the tactics and strategies the characters came up with to be creative and interesting, so those were a lot of fun to read.
2. For the monsters. I particularly loved the dynamic way that Mato (the artist for volumes 1-9) drew pokemon. She had a charming art style with a lot of energy and it felt like the pokemon really came to life. It is really a shame she wasn't able to continue due to her injury.
1. For the characters. Given that the games have silent protagonists, and even characters who do speak, like Red's rival Green (/Blue in the English translation), don't have a lot of characterization, it was really enjoyable seeing characters like Red come to life. Read the manga, and all of a sudden Red actually has a personality! Also (although the way female characters are treated in this shonen manga irks me sometimes), I really love all the main female characters so far. Blue (/Green in the English translation), Yellow, and Crystal (absolutely awesome character, incredibly competent and strong in mind and body both). Also really liked the concepts for Green (male) (not just "a jerk" but a cool and collected trainer with a style and personality opposite to Red's) and Silver (on a mission and willing to do whatever it takes to reach his objective, even if it means resorting to means like theft). That leaves Gold as the only main character whose personality I don't care for at all.
I do not recommend reading this manga for its plot, but if you can get a kick out of a shonen manga that is ridiculous in only the way that shonen manga can be (kind of like watching and getting a kick out of B films for their cheesiness), and have any fondness or nostalgia for the Pokemon franchise at all, it is worth checking out.