Pokémon Adventures or Pocket Monsters Special is a Japanese manga based on the Pokémon world. Hidenori Kusaka is the writer, while Mato was the illustrator for nine volumes. Satoshi Yamamoto took over the illustration when Mato became ill.
Pokémon is one of the biggest franchises in the world. The Pokémon Company have produced a lot of merch, media, video games and cards. The Pokémon TCG Phone App is really popular right now. They are easily recognizable even by those who aren’t fans, especially the original 151. In this article, I will discuss the Pokémon manga that fans often overlook.
The creators divide Pokémon Adventures by generation, just like the Pokémon games. In this article I will be discussing the original Pokémon Adventures manga: Red, Green and Blue.
Synopsis
Red is improving rapidly as a Pokémon trainer–and so is his competition. But now Red must team up with his biggest rival Blue and thief Green to defeat a common enemy!
And watch out for [the evil organization] Team Rocket, Red… They won’t let you into Saffron City!
Synopsis from Official Website of VIZ Media
Pokémon Adventures Review: Red, Green and Blue Arc
Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of Pokémon, said that the manga is close to how he envisioned Pokémon’s universe. I think Pokémon fans will be surprised that the Pokémon manga are more mature than the anime and video games.
Team Rocket is a lot more menacing, Pokémon can actually pass away, the main characters do not have plot armor. Another thing is that some Gym Leaders work with Team Rocket. These would be the main differences I would like to mention.
This is the first story arc of many in the Pokémon manga. The story is set in the Kanto Region, with Red from Pallet Town. If you’re familiar with the anime or the video games you know this already.
The Story
The story loosely follows the games. The main characters, Red and Blue, get a starter Pokémon from Professor Oak and they go out and try to obtain gym badges. They do this by defeating the gym leaders of major cities. While doing the gym challenge, they are filling up their PokéDex.
However they run into Team Rocket and eventually Giovanni, the antagonists of the story. Team Rocket in this Poké Universe do more horrible things such as Pokémon experimentations.
Overall the story seemed rushed in some parts especially towards the climax. Some plotholes exist, but I recall that they get resolved in later arcs.
The Art
This is a hit or miss for the manga fans. Mato drew the human characters in a kind of chibi-style. Some fans don’t mind it, other fans don’t like it at all. I think it’s fine, it kind of contrasts the more serious Poké Universe.
Would I Recommend It?
Pokémon fans looking for something a little different should give the Pokémon manga a try. The video games and the anime can get a little repetitive. This will be a breath of fresh air as the Pokémon manga is more mature.
As a Pokémon fan, I enjoy the manga. I’ve read until the Emerald arc, so around halfway until Scarlet and Violet. The generation that the anime is on right is Scarlet and Violet.
