Pokemon Adventures 3

Hidenori Kusaka / MATO – Viz – 2009 – 35+ volumes

This is one of those times where I worry about the sequence of reviews I’ve just posted. Kaikan Phrase and Blade of the Immortal on the same night as Pokemon? I realized as I was pulling this out of my stack that I was probably going to have to leave my Kizuna and Ai no Kusabi reviews for some other time.

Anyway. You know, I still like this series a whole lot, and it’s books like this that make me think I shouldn’t have to make excuses for series aimed at kids. If a book is boring, it’s boring, and series like this one prove you can make a good all-ages series that’s readable by adults and kids alike. Do I think this would be of interest to a good number of adults? No, but it is a lot of fun to read, and I think it’s probably a good series to share with a younger child, as opposed to something they would read themselves. Plus, you know, there’s the Pokemon fan appeal. Can’t deny that. I’m a card-carrying member of the video game cult myself, which might also explain why I find this series so enjoyable.

But it stands on its own merits, anyway. Some of the plotlines are pretty simplistic (stop Team Rocket, find ways to work with your Pokemon team, be the best, be the champion, et cetera), but they all have just enough to them to make them enjoyable. During the fight with Team Rocket, both Red and Blue have to figure out a series of puzzles to first get into the city, then to defeat their respective opponents. Then there’s Green, the queen of outfoxing people, who’s running around on nobody’s side. She’s a good wildcard, and a strong female character to boot. She can be deceitful (that’s kind of her thing), but the fact she holds her own just as well as Red and Blue is something in what is usually a male-dominated series.

The Team Rocket Plotline finishes, then the story goes some strange places. It bounces around to the last gym leader, to the legendary Pokemon Mewtwo, and to the Pokemon Championship matches. It’s a strange mix of stories, and the leaping around is a little jarring, but I also liked the change of pace, and it wasn’t hard to follow since most of it is stuff that’s covered in the game. The Pokemon Championship in particular was cool, it reminded me a lot of the Budokai matches in Dragonball, with the anything-goes style of playful fighting and humor mixed in. Along with venerable mystery opponents.

I think the next volume… changes protagonists? I think the story switches over to the Yellow trainer, but we also have the Elite Four yet to meet, so… you know. Plenty more on the horizon. This is the type of series that I can’t see getting any more developed plot- or character-wise, but what’s here is still very engaging for a wide audience. It’s got a positive message and is a lot of fun, and has a lot of different storylines to enjoy across its long run, too.