Overall honest opinions of Pokemon Adventures/Special

[Unovian]

Altogether Pokemon Adventures is amazing. The manga really makes pokemon come alive, it isn't all sunshine and rainbows like with Ash but has some touching moments as well (like with Pyrce and the Lapras.) I recommend it to anyone who likes pokemon.

 

[izarith]

i adore special. it has its issues - occasional inconsistencies, weird plot contrivances, etc. etc. - but overall it's just very enjoyable. the main characters aren't anything to write home about, but they all have distinctive personalities and development throughout the series. the battles are exciting and contain a lot of strategy that's often missing in the anime. and the humor (disregarding a few bad puns in the beginning) is on point and actually makes me laugh out loud on occasion. i also love the tone - not grim, because this is still pokemon and this is still a kids manga - but not always happy-go-lucky either. there are moments of sadness, there are on-screen injuries/violence and mentions of dying, and the world we're shown is not a perfect one.

actually, probably my favorite part of special is how the villains are dealt with. (ok, mask of ice not so much, but the others, absolutely.) i've been thinking a lot lately about how giovanni & team rocket are presented in special. while i love them in the games, they never really felt like a threat to me. they were clearly after money, notoriety & little else. and giovanni in the anime just kinda seems like your typical mob boss asshole. (a loveable asshole, but still.) whereas in the manga he is more charismatic & more sympathetic, while also being a competent enemy. he can be threatening and intense, but he can also playact the nice guy role when need be. and most of all he seems to be acutely aware of what's going on: keeping tabs on people that could endanger his plans, helping those who might be of use to him in the future... basically playing a complicated game of chess.

(warning: about to go off on a TL;DR semi-related tangent)
but it's the inclusion of the gym leaders as TR members that really seals it IMO, especially when you consider what "rocket" stands for - raid on the city, knock out evil tusks. kinda nonsensical but also quite telling. TR in the manga seems to be founded on general disillusionment with society. they want to create a world controlled by team rocket, which they think will be much better than the world they're currently living in. they want to knock out the "evil tusks" who are currently in control and instate their leader instead.
lt. surge, koga & sabrina were the perfect choices for TR agents for this reason. all of them have reason to dislike the society they live in. lt. surge used to be a soldier - many soldiers come home and are unable to fit back into their lives, having seen and done things that most civilians can't understand. judging by his general attitude, he doesn't seem like he would be PTSD-afflicted, but that doesn't mean he isn't affected at all by his memories. koga is clearly from a very traditional family, one that still upholds the "way of the ninja" so to speak. in this way i think he would feel left behind by modern society - he's still trying to be true to his clan and traditions, while the rest of the world moves on around him. and sabrina is pretty obvious. as a psychic she feels estranged from most people. knowing the future can be both a blessing and a curse, because she knows the actions of others even before they do. i think she is probably very jaded and weary of the world under her harsh, "bitchy" exterior, because she is able to glimpse inside people's minds and see their true intentions.
i think a solid motive - in this case, to change the world for the good of the "outcasts" - is what makes a villain memorable, and that's why special!TR is so much more interesting to me than the other versions.
(/TL;DR)

anyways, yeah. i just have a lot of special-related feelings ;p

 

[matt0044]

(warning: about to go off on a TL;DR semi-related tangent)
but it's the inclusion of the gym leaders as TR members that really seals it IMO, especially when you consider what "rocket" stands for - raid on the city, knock out evil tusks. kinda nonsensical but also quite telling. TR in the manga seems to be founded on general disillusionment with society. they want to create a world controlled by team rocket, which they think will be much better than the world they're currently living in. they want to knock out the "evil tusks" who are currently in control and instate their leader instead.
lt. surge, koga & sabrina were the perfect choices for TR agents for this reason. all of them have reason to dislike the society they live in. lt. surge used to be a soldier - many soldiers come home and are unable to fit back into their lives, having seen and done things that most civilians can't understand. judging by his general attitude, he doesn't seem like he would be PTSD-afflicted, but that doesn't mean he isn't affected at all by his memories. koga is clearly from a very traditional family, one that still upholds the "way of the ninja" so to speak. in this way i think he would feel left behind by modern society - he's still trying to be true to his clan and traditions, while the rest of the world moves on around him. and sabrina is pretty obvious. as a psychic she feels estranged from most people. knowing the future can be both a blessing and a curse, because she knows the actions of others even before they do. i think she is probably very jaded and weary of the world under her harsh, "bitchy" exterior, because she is able to glimpse inside people's minds and see their true intentions.
i think a solid motive - in this case, to change the world for the good of the "outcasts" - is what makes a villain memorable, and that's why special!TR is so much more interesting to me than the other versions.
(/TL;DR)

anyways, yeah. i just have a lot of special-related feelings ;p

I gotta say: that's a very neat way at looking at TR in Special.

 

[Hidden Mew]

I really like Pokemon Adventures/Special. The storylines in most of the arcs are pretty engaging, the main characters can be pretty likable and the battles are usually great. Although, I think that the battles in D/P/Pl leave a lot to be desired, but even then, the character interactions within the main group are pretty solid and the fifth volume showed some major improvements for me. Anyway, I do like how the evil teams have been handled with Team Rocket being much more threatening than I think they are in either the anime or the video games. From what I remember, Team Magma/Aqua were handled pretty nicely too. It clearly isn't perfect with some of the writing issues it has, some of the main characters aren't as handled as well as others, most of the Pokemon themselves lack personalities and the pacing can be problematic. I also think that it's hyped up way too often as being so dark and serious compared to the anime. It does have a more serious tone, but it's still aimed at kids just like the anime is. Still, I like the series and enjoy reading the various volumes that I have.

 

[Saiga]

To be honest, I see more "dark and serious" comments coming from detractors who exaggerate the darker moments to act as though it doesn't suit Pokemon.

 

[Mika555]

About Red and Green not receiving enough character development, I do agree about that as Red and Green where given giving a back story and Yellow is also lacking character depth although Silver, Blue, Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald did have a back story and in depth character development. Also about Diamond, Pearl, and Platinium there are some seens from their childhood, but they not undergone any character development, but the arc is not finished yet. Also I do agree with the poster that said that the anime is worse than Pokemon is an opinion rather than a fact as people have different feelings than others.
Also Pokemon Special uses Blues parents as a plot device as they neither talk and the author never develops a relationship between them. Sapphire and Platinum have won gym battles and obtain all eight badges, but are never shown to compete in the Pokemon Leagues of their specials regions as this manga focuses on them fighting the evil team organizations in their respective region.

Also about the adaptational villainy of some characters the gym leaders and the Elite Four memebers in the video games that were villainized did not have any establish character as they were just there for the player to battle. In my opinion main Pokemon video games lacks character depth develop and making the plot driving although in Pokemon HeartGold and Soulsilver there is a sceen where you meet up with the rival and Team Rocket attacking the Kimono Girls and the Radio and that scene where the Giovanni talks to the rival, but most of the but most of the screen in the main Pokemon games is just about battling trainers along the way and think about strategies on how to defeat them and does not develop the majority of the Elite Four, and the Gym Leaders as I also played Pokemon LeafGreen, Sapphire, and Diamond, and they are basically the same. Also the character either sympathetic back stories or turn good later on whereas in some other fiction I have seen worse adaptational villainy where people make characters evil and give them no sympathetic back story nor does not make them become good.

 

[Stratago]

Satoshi Tajiri (y'know, the creator of Pokemon?) said "This is the comic that most resembles the world I was trying to convey." If that's not reason enough to read it, I dunno what more people want.
Lots of people seem to hate on the series for its portrayal of characters like Brendan and May in the Hoenn arc, because they're 'different than they are in the game', but I don't even remember either of them having personalities beyond "generic rival character".
They also complain about Dia, Pearl and Platina for their characters being extremely different. Well, has anyone ever heard of Hareta, Mitsumi, & Jun...?
I think the Poke Spe is the longest-running Pokemon manga for a reason, and the reason is that its the best. It sticks to the core stories of the arcs while not regurgitating the same dialog that you've already read in-game, which I think is refreshing. I wonder what people who don't like this manga because it's 'different than the games' think of the anime's renditions of characters like Skyla (or, for that matter, the anime as a whole)?

 

[YamiiDenryuu]

Satoshi Tajiri (y'know, the creator of Pokemon?) said "This is the comic that most resembles the world I was trying to convey." If that's not reason enough to read it, I dunno what more people want.
Lots of people seem to hate on the series for its portrayal of characters like Brendan and May in the Hoenn arc, because they're 'different than they are in the game', but I don't even remember either of them having personalities beyond "generic rival character".
They also complain about Dia, Pearl and Platina for their characters being extremely different. Well, has anyone ever heard of Hareta, Mitsumi, & Jun...?
I think the Poke Spe is the longest-running Pokemon manga for a reason, and the reason is that its the best. It sticks to the core stories of the arcs while not regurgitating the same dialog that you've already read in-game, which I think is refreshing. I wonder what people who don't like this manga because it's 'different than the games' think of the anime's renditions of characters like Skyla (or, for that matter, the anime as a whole)?

For the record, at the time Tajiri said that line, not only was Special only at one volume, the competition was two gag mangas and that vaguely pornish adaptation of the anime. Not exactly a close call there.

I have never heard anyone complaining about Special just because it was different from the games. If anything, it follows them too closely, trying to cram every little thing into the storyline just because it exists in the games (like making those Dodrio minigames vitally important for Red and Green's starters learning their new signature moves, for example).

And just for the record, Special isn't the longest-running Pokemon manga- that honor belongs to the Pocket Monsters gag manga, which is actually the more popular of the two in Japan.

 

[Stratago]

For the record, at the time Tajiri said that line, not only was Special only at one volume, the competition was two gag mangas and that vaguely pornish adaptation of the anime. Not exactly a close call there.

Let us not discuss the atrocity that is Electric Tale of Pikachu in this sacred place; regardless of the absurd level of fanservice...

Spoiler

...this thing gave me nightmares when I was a kid, and is still just about the freakiest thing I've ever seen.

Regardless, the 'feel' of the series hasn't really changed, so I think its still relevant.

I have never heard anyone complaining about Special just because it was different from the games.

My thoughts on this are based on a number of posts in this thread, wherein people gripe about how the 'characters are different from the way they are in the games', principally Brendan/Ruby, May/Sappire, Barry(STUPID name, IMO)/Pearl, Lucas/Dia, & Dawn/Platina.

If anything, it follows them too closely, trying to cram every little thing into the storyline just because it exists in the games (like making those Dodrio minigames vitally important for Red and Green's starters learning their new signature moves, for example).

I find that kinda nice, because it gives the impression that the artist and writer actually play the games. (In various Author/Artist notes at the beginning of the volumes, it confirms it, too.) It can feel a little 'cramped' at times (like during the final battle with Giratina at the end of Platinum), but considering that ALL Pokemon media is, at its core, an advertisement for the games, why not showcase every little thing? Plus, in instances like Platina noting that her Cherrim switched Formes on its their way out of Distortion World, it shows that the Pokemon aren't just weapons to be used in proxy battles, and that the trainers recognize this.

And just for the record, Special isn't the longest-running Pokemon manga- that honor belongs to the Pocket Monsters gag manga, which is actually the more popular of the two in Japan.

You quote 'the record' a lot.
Anyway, granted, Pocket Monsters (featuring that absurd, foul-mouthed Clefairy) was released a year earlier than PokeSpe, so technically it is the 'longest-running', but it has only 29 volumes, whereas PokeSpe has 41, and that doesn't include the B/W story arcs, which haven't had tankobon releases yet. I should have used the term 'most complete' over 'longest-running', I suppose, because I meant that PokeSpe had a lot more content than any other Pokemon Manga.

 

[Saiga]

Hey, Electric Tale of Pikachu was pretty cool actually.

 

[Eitarou]

Yes, yes, but that's not the topic of this thread.

Please get back on track, please.

 

[hina18]

For me Pokemon Special/Adventures is great and 10 times more put together and enjoyable than the anime.Overall i find it great ! It isn't childish and predictable like the anime.The fact that there isn't only childy things and has a more "dark" plot makes it more mature and enjoyable for me! All the characters and their personalities are very nice and great tought of - a cunning "theif" girl;a bit of a pervert boy;a comical duo;a strong willed main hero;a very rich,but totally unsnoby girl;a wild "animal" girl; a contest loving boy and so on, they are all unique. Also i like how the villans are portraied - being an actual thread (unlike the anime).Also the plot twists/revealings of the manga and how every main character gets a good development. The spontaneous/improvised way everything is put together is great ! The art is also nice !

 

[megaevolvedmushroom]

RBY was the best arc of Special. It took more creative liberties (lethal Pokemon, Trainer/Pokemon battling together, evil gym leaders, etc) while retaining the best of game aspects.
Yellow was weak. It's not really bad, just kinda boring.
GSC was pretty good, too.
RSE - Bad fanfiction come to life! It's basically just copy and paste from the games (it's no different than your standard "original trainer" fanfic)...with forced shipping, drawn out legendary subplot, and Deus Ex Machina! What more could I ask for?
DPP/BW - Boring, nothing is interesting about it. Not as laughably bad as RSE, but still really bad.

 

[matt0044]

Fine, you can say Pryce was insane, but then again. Show, don't tell

I think they show how Pryce was insane in the membrane (in the present at least).

 

[Team Gaara]

Overall, I think Adventures is a pretty good manga. It has its flaws from time to time, but it's a great depiction of the Pokemon World to contrast with the Anime's. I also like that it's taken mostly from the plot of the games rather than something like the Anime, since the games are where it's all derived from. It has a variety of unique characters and Pokemon, combined with pretty interesting plots based on those from the games, but with their own twists. Also nice to see all of the game characters interact with each other and be pretty badass for the most part.

 

[Sakuraa]

I really like Pokémon Adventures. I like how it is such a close representation of the games and uses so many in game elements. I love how all of the characters go through a lot of development through their arcs and are all usually successful in fulfilling their goals. I really like how Pokémon are treated like they are in the games, while maybe not having that much personality, still playing overall important roles within the story. I find the pacing of they arcs to be okay. Some are really long and add in a lot of plots, while others are much shorter, but I usually find them interesting and entertaining nonetheless. I like nearly all of the characters, with a select few I find totally annoying. Overall, I think the series provides a great representation of the Pokémon games while still adding in their own unique elements.

 

[Maxie the Weavile]

they were good imo i liked reading them alot.

 

[Peppermint Phoenix]

I dislike it mostly because of it's mechanics. Why are the tournament rules are the strange (and by strange I mean stupid) way they are and why didn't the author feel the need to explain them? Why does the pokedex work the way it does in the games when it makes no sense in the pokemon world given we have Bulbapedia Serebii and Smogon in are world? Is to be more faithful to games? If so why did they make Gym leaders and Elite four members evil? Is that faithful? If it supposed to be for older audiences why does it have levels? And if it is supposed to be more intelligent than the anime why does it still have "Vaguerate makes you a better trainer" bullshit which is one of the more irritating aspects of the anime?

This is nothing how the world would work like! And from what I'm heard from I think a mod Tajiri quote came before the dark stuff so he and it was so earlier on that he had no idea how easy it would be to store and find information in a high tech world.

 

[Eitarou]

I dislike it mostly because of it's mechanics. Why are the tournament rules are the strange (and by strange I mean stupid) way they are and why didn't the author feel the need to explain them?

Because no one wants to watch an overly long tournament? Why does it matter?

Why does the pokedex work the way it does in the games when it makes no sense in the pokemon world given we have Bulbapedia Serebii and Smogon in are world?

What? That makes no sense.

If so why did they make Gym leaders and Elite four members evil? Is that faithful?

He said it was faithful to the world he was trying to convey and nothing else. Those have nothing to do with that.

As for why they were made villains? Don't know. I assume it's because Giovanni was the only notable villain at the time. We needed more antagonists.

At least they've stopped.

If it supposed to be for older audiences why does it have levels?

What do either of those things have to do with one another?

And if it is supposed to be more intelligent than the anime why does it still have "Vaguerate makes you a better trainer" bullshit which is one of the more irritating aspects of the anime?

I have no idea what you're trying to say. I do not think "vaguerate" is an English word.

This is nothing how the world would work like!

You don't know that.

And from what I'm heard from I think a mod Tajiri quote came before the dark stuff so he and it was so earlier on that he had no idea how easy it would be to store and find information in a high tech world.

It's from volume 1, so no, it was with the dark elements.

 

[Peppermint Phoenix]

Because no one wants to watch an overly long tournament? Why does it matter?

Define Overly long. Tournaments are Shonen incarnate anyways. How does that excuse the poor convenience?

Why does the pokedex work the way it does in the games when it makes no sense in the pokemon world given we have Bulbapedia Serebii and Smogon in are world?

What? That makes no sense.

It makes perfect sense. If we have all these resources in our world and their world actually HAD Pokemon and better Tech than the pokedex would have plenty of info from the get go.

If so why did they make Gym leaders and Elite four members evil? Is that faithful?

He said it was faithful to the world he was trying to convey and nothing else. Those have nothing to do with that.

As for why they were made villains? Don't know. I assume it's because Giovanni was the only notable villain at the time. We needed more antagonists.

At least they've stopped.

It seems odd to leave in something that doesn't make sense while completely changing something like that. He no problem using turning a Class into villain so he would be fine

If it supposed to be for older audiences why does it have levels?

What do either of those things have to do with one another?

What DON'T they have to do with each other. The anime is forced to act as tutorial. Special isn't why the levels real life doesn't work like that so it feels very silly.

And if it is supposed to be more intelligent than the anime why does it still have "Vaguerate makes you a better trainer" bullshit which is one of the more irritating aspects of the anime?

I have no idea what you're trying to say. I do not think "vaguerate" is an English word.

I meant it as a mixture of "Vague" and Karate meaning an unidentified martial art. Yes there are connection between health and the brain but they walk freakin everywhere they're more than okay.

This is nothing how the world would work like!

You don't know that.

I pretty sure I know a world with Pokemon and better technology would have better ways to keep info on Pokemon that's for certain.

And from what I'm heard from I think a mod Tajiri quote came before the dark stuff so he and it was so earlier on that he had no idea how easy it would be to store and find information in a high tech world.

It's from volume 1, so no, it was with the dark elements.

Well second hand info sue me.