The Best of Pokemon Adventures by Hidenori Kusaka

We're shown Team Rocket as having a much farther and more alarming impact than they're ever shown to have in the games or film, including their influence with several of the gym leaders. In the manga, we encounter several legendary pokemon who don't appear in the first game (articuno and moltres). While there are obvious similarities between the show, game and manga, there are large deviations as well.

The manga follows the same general feel as the show, with readers following Red on his journey to be get his league badges, defeat the evil team rocket, and become a pokemon master. Hence the obvious similarities between Red (Ash) and Blue (Gary) with their TV counterparts, as well as the familiar character Professor Oak. This series follows the first video games (red/blue) rather than the TV show, which might confuse some readers who are familiar with only the show, and aren't aware that the show itself is based upon the original games. For myself, though, I definitely found my enjoyment of it lacking. It's a cute series, and seems appropriate enough for the age group from what I can tell (though maybe a bit violent). I didn't enjoy the manga as much as I thought I would.

While I definitely feel nostalgic towards the pokemon 'verse and all it encompasses - tv show, games, comics, etc. From an run-in with a con-artist that leads to discovering the legendary Mew, to slowly unearthing Team Rocket's evil plots the action never ends for the young hero. Through his journeys he encounters a variety of people, making friends - and enemies - as he goes. 2 in the pokemon Adventures series, this volume follows the continuing adventures of Red as he sets out into the world on his way to becoming a pokemon master.

The Best of Pokemon Adventures by Hidenori Kusaka