Pokemon Adventures: HeartGold & SoulSilver Vol. 1 TPPublisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: August 2013
Price: $9.99
Creators: Hidenori Kasuka (writer), Satoshi Yamamoto (artist)
Format: 192 pgs, B&W, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5900-1
Age Rating: All Ages
ICv2 Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
For those only familiar with Pokemon from the video games or the broadcasts on American television, the manga may come as a surprise. As with a lot of other Japanese stories, the manga is a bit darker and more mature than the version edited for children’s TV. The challenges can be a bit more violent, and the villains a bit more dangerous. In the manga, you even have to take Team Rocket seriously. No, really!
That said, this is still a story written for kids, and it's still about bonding with various mystical creatures and using them to compete against each other, whether it's in battles or in sporting events. This volume emphasizes the sports aspect rather than direct conflict, but it's still rough and tumble. Think of a decathlon mixed with rugby, and the sports are like that.
Either the writing or the translation sometimes seems awkward, and the theme of perseverance sometimes comes across as surviving your own overconfidence.
This part of the story came out in Japan in 1997, and the artwork looks a little dated compared to more modern manga, but fits with the other Pokemon volumes. For dedicated fans, this volume has technical specs for the sporting events and an explanation of why the electronic gadgets look different from the earlier models.
Still, any kid at all interested in Pokemon will find this to be worth reading.
--Nick Smith: Librarian Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.