#Pokespe vol 1

[acetrainermags]

Two thoughts on this:

1) I love that we continue to see the lingering effects of Team Rocket's actions throughout the series, especially in this arc but also beyond. This isn't something exclusive to Pokespe, of course, but it takes skill to do it well without being overbearing, and I think Pokespe succeeds at that.

2) Fascinating that they chose this particular panel for the flashback. It was right in front of our noses the whole time.

(Pokémon Adventures Vol. 4, Chapter 43)

[quartings]

All PokeSpe events in May 2024 + announcement!

It might be May, but it's a big month for Sapphire (and Ruby) too! Here's a list of all the Pokemon Adventures ORAS releases happening this month!

May 4th: Free Comic Book Day- many comic shops will be giving away free copies of Pokemon Adventures ORAS Vol 1! Find a store doing the giveaway near you with this link! EDIT: It's just the first chapter of Volume 1, darn it. It does come with a chapter of Splatoon 3 manga too for some reason.

May 11th: I'm releasing a new Pokemon Adventures animated short on my channel! Mark your calendars (or subscribe so it's more convenient for you) for The Difference Between Brendan and Ruby!

May 14th: Pokemon Adventures ORAS Vol 2 releases in English!

May 28th: Pokemon Adventures Vol 56 releases in Japanese! This one contains the new extended ending for the ORAS arc! (And let's hope it doesn't get delayed yet AGAIN) EDIT: It got delayed yet again :(

[pochapal]

this truncated recap page is hilarious given that viz published dppt like four years before they even touched gen 3 and thus had to do the best job of pretending like there isn't a 16 volume gap between the end of gsc and the start of dp

[ghetsis-a]

hi yes hello why the shitting fuck is a USED copy of Pokespe B2W2 Vol 1 like $40 MINIMUM??? 

[reizerou]

I got VIZ's version of PokeSpe vol 54 the other day and some key lines about Lack-Two are different in the final volume compared to the fan scanlation that was based on the web release, but went unnoticed last year. I have the JPN vol 54 and I think VIZ's translation matches with it.

Difference No. 1: We learn that Lack-Two's foster parent was not just any investigator, but it's the commissioner that we always see sitting behind the desk at International Police headquarters.

Difference No. 2: In the same panel as above, the commissioner also told Lack-Two he should even ignore or violate human rights of ordinary citizens in order to arrest criminals. Yikes. I think the Japanese text additionally says he should also go against IP regulations.

Difference No. 3: We find out that Lack-Two is not emotionless after all. It was clarified in the volume release that he instead can't understand other people's emotions, or his own. Which tbh makes a lot more sense.

That's all the differences I caught.

[straightfacedstrangeness]

Not that anyone asked (but seriously I’d LOVE for someone to talk to me about PokeSpe (just no spoilers past vol 13)) but since I made an offhand remark about my Top 5 favorite characters, it occurred to me that I actually DO have approximately 5 top favorite characters, and I’m procrastinating on work, so I’m gonna ramble

**just in case, note that a lot of this will revolve around my childhood experience with gender in a “I’m AFAB (and present-day me still identifies as a cis girl) but I don’t fit in with what media is telling me girls are like” way, a brief childhood feeling of homophobia, and probably general TMI about my opinions and emotions throughout my life, haha

1. Yellow

Okay, so, I was a little kid when Pokemon Adventures started coming out in English, back when manga was released as single-issue monthly comic books instead of complete volumes.  So I was rereading the same chapters over and over while anxiously awaiting the rest of the story (and wound up missing a bunch of issues anyway)

I enjoyed the RGB arc, I thought it was fun, but I didn’t LOVE the series until Yellow showed up.  At that age my ideal crush was “a cute boy my age who would be nice to me” and Yellow was presented to the reader as a cute boy my age who was sweet and kind and gentle, but also good in a fight, as all shounen protags must be.  Extra bonus points because they had just a few physically weak Pokémon and tried to fight battles in a way that minimized damage to their own and the opponent’s Pokémon, which meant they fought in a particularly smart and clever way.  And I was considered “smart” for being good at school, so being a SMART cute “boy” my age who would be nice to me, Yellow was PERFECT.  I mean, I loved the arc in general because of the clever battles, and the mystery of what had happened to Red, why these people were after Pikachu, why Yellow was so secretive about themself and their mission, etc was really engaging.  But also I adored Yellow as a character and partly in a “I wonder if ‘he’ would like me??” kind of way X’D  So to my tiny child self who didn’t even know it was possible to like-like someone of the same gender (because I hadn’t read Cardcaptor Sakura yet XD ), the reveal that Yellow was a “girl” was devastating—I had to cross out floating hearts on at least one drawing of us holding hands (scandalous!) and, while kind of stunned and shaken for a while, decided that what I’d felt all along was a deep, intense desire to be friends X’D (which probably wasn’t too far from the truth since I was pre-puberty and later turned out to be asexual)

(Also note that I never got the RGB issue that had the chapter where Red helps a little ‘girl’ capture a Rattata—later proven to be Yellow’s backstory—so the gender reveal really came out of nowhere for me.)

But anyways, I still love Yellow as a character for all the above reasons, without the crush aspects because I’m way older than them now.

Also when I reread the series ten years ago, I finally realized “wait, aside from surprising the reader, there’s no real plot reason for Yellow to pretend to be a ‘boy’ except that Green told ‘her’ to—so why did ‘she’ do it?”...and because at that time I didn’t even know that nonbinary genders existed, I decided it was cus they had low self-esteem and pretending to be a different person gave them courage (the same reading I had for Mulan at the time).  These days I’m more inclined to “yeah, I think Yellow’s nonbinary,” but that other interpretation was deeply relatable to me and only made me love Yellow even more.

2. Bill

Bill’s definitely a character I’ve grown to love more as an adult, since I’ve gone from seeing myself as “a protagonist doing cool things” to “a side character just living their life who hopefully gets to do something once in a while.”  But as a kid and now, I like him mostly for the slapstick and goofy expressions and the (early chapters Viz translations) outrageous accent  X’D  My brain desperately craves endorphins and the best way to get em is through a good laugh.

But also, I liked that he was introduced as a goofy character-of-the-week who got into ridiculous trouble and had to be rescued, but then kept being brought back, was slowly built up to be the “smart sidekick who explains things,” and eventually got to the point where he was participating in big battles (the Yellow finale on Cerise Island).  I rambled about this in the tags of another post, but I liked that he was a character who was “weak” without being “useless.”  As a kid who was good at school, I was obsessed with being good at things and had developed a black-and-white view of the world where either you were “strong/smart” or “weak/stupid” to the point that failing or just being not-so-good at anything was devastating (it still kind of is), because that meant I was actually “weak/stupid” when I was supposed to be “strong/smart.”  So it was kind of awesome that this guy who kept getting into trouble and having to be rescued—and didn’t even want to BE part of the final battle—managed to hold his own and get through it and help out instead of being a burden that dragged everyone down.  Seriously, he used a MAGIKARP effectively—the Pokémon everyone makes fun of for being “useless” and he used its one attack to save his life!

(Bonus points for all this happening in contrast to my devastating childhood experience of stanning The One Girl Character in every popular shounen series, waiting desperately for her to get to do something in battle, and then her one spotlight episode revolved around her struggling because she was so weak...not only was that actually happening to a boy for once, it was actually happening in a more satisfying/empowering way :’D )

3. Gold

I have extremely specific tastes when it comes to “the dumb shounen/action movie protag,” because as a kid I hated it when the main character was “dumb” because I was “smart” (re: good at school) and people who were “dumb” shouldn’t deserve to be the main character and have all the cool powers and save the world and stuff.  As an adult, I hate it when male characters are dumb and/or jerks but it’s treated as fine or even sexy(??) and the other characters fawn over them, and I generally still kind of hate it when characters who are dumb and/or jerks get the big important role when there’s a female character RIGHT THERE who’s more competent (and OF COURSE she has to wind up falling in love with him)

But anyway, I have extremely specific tastes, and Gold is it  X’D  He’s the perfect combination of “unshakably confident in his own stupid/egotistic views” and “treated as annoying and/or comic relief by the rest of the cast” with a bonus dash of actually being really clever in battle (so my inner child goes “Ah yes, technically, he is ’smart,’ and therefore...worthwhile“)  Making me laugh while also impressing me is like the key to my heart.

4. Crystal

I’m too lazy to look it up, but when Viz was publishing Pokemon Adventures as monthly comics, they must have switched to publishing it as trade paperbacks only and/or had a huge gap between the end of Yellow and the start of GSC, because for YEARS I’d thought Yellow was the end of the series and was shocked the first time I saw later volumes.  (My dad was buying us the monthly issues at the local comic store, and either they wouldn’t have ordered the trade paperbacks or he wouldn’t have thought to check those shelves.)

Anyway, that’s a long lead-in to the statement of “Crystal would automatically be my #1 or #2 if I’d read her arc as a kid.”  She’s a girl, she wears pants, she’s EXTREMELY smart (genius-level “book-smarts” about every Pokémon’s behaviors and weaknesses PLUS being clever in a battle), was tough as nails (she KICKED her Pokéballs!!), had no interest in romance or her appearance, AND had a short arc about losing her confidence and training herself back up to full power.  I would have KILLED for a character like that when I was a little girl being told that “girls don’t like action shows like Dragon Ball Z” (but I was a girl and I did???) and that girls were supposed to be pretty and obsessed with fashion and dating, and that girls were never the main character of action series, just side characters who either did nothing or got one chance to do something and were pathetically weak (see above, and/or Sakura’s fight against Ino (Naruto), those couple filler eps where Téa/Anzu played Duel Monsters (Yu-Gi-Oh), Videl getting pummeled by Spopovich (DBZ), etc).

So anyway, she’s awesome, she’s exactly the type of character I would’ve loved as a kid.  The only reason she’s behind Gold here is because at my age, “makes me laugh” > “the kind of main character I used to wish I could be”

5. Green (the girl trainer...I’m just too loyal to the Viz version to call her “Blue”...)

I’m trying not to rehash the same “I’m a girl but none of the girls in my shows/comics are like me!” childhood woes over and over, haha, but as much as I always enjoyed Green for being extremely clever and outsmarting the boys and being funny when she did so, she always lost points with me for being “pretty” and flirting to get her way, because that put her in the box of “girls are supposed to be pretty and desired by boys and obsessed with their appearance and romance” that was so foreign and disheartening to me as a kid.

But her staredown with Ho-oh at the end of the GSC arc TOTALLY got me.  As a sad adult with anxiety, watching characters who are absolutely terrified overcome their fear, watching characters who are completely beaten down struggle back to their feet and keep fighting, is like my ultimate power fantasy.  That sequence genuinely had me in tears.

Also her bond with Silver is super precious, especially since that’s like the first time in the series we’ve seen her be genuinely emotional and vulnerable with someone instead of teasing or manipulating them.

Honorable mention: Sapphire

I haven’t gotten up to R/S in my reread yet, and I only read that arc once over like a weekend ten years ago, but I’m pretty sure she’s gonna be a Top Fave cus again there’s that “I'm not like other girls!” childhood feel  (last time I’m saying it, I promise)

It’s a story arc where one protag wants to fight the gyms and the other protag wants to win the beauty contests, but the one who wants to fight the gyms is the girl!!  And she’s the typical “dumb but extremely good at fighting” shounen protag but she’s the girl!!  She’s feral and illiterate and a total tomboy and wins all her fights and she’s a GIRL!!!!

--

Anyway, those are my kids and my dude and my probably way-too-personal reasons why.  If you wanna reblog, reply, or send an ask about your own faves...please

[eliaspsuedo]

Making Pokemon Adventures an Anime

“Pokemon Adventures needs an anime” is definitely a phrase you’ve heard before if you’ve been to any discussion on PokeSpe. It definitely deserves more attention, that’s for sure, and an anime definitely brings so many eyes to it. Just look at all the manga series that exploded in popularity once an anime got made of it!

On the other hand, I can see why The Pokemon Company wouldn’t really make one for a number of reasons.

The Pokemon Anime is still very popular and profitable, so another Pokemon anime on TV would just be cannibalizing their returns and skew the audience. Not to mention eat up resources like animators or budgets.

Upcoming products like Pokemon Masters are much higher priority to make a promotional anime out of, rather than something that’s promoting out-of-date things, like how cool Steel-types, Zorua, etc. was.

A number of prominent Pokemon and even moves are embargoed from appearing in other media besides the games. Notably Kadabra, Earthquake-like moves, and especially Porygon. Maybe you can get around Sabrina’s Kadabra by just making it an Alakazam, but how about Blue and Gladion’s Porygon?

This a bit more speculative, but I imagine there has to be some form of royalties for the writer and artists for using their versions of the characters, not just the OC’s, but the specific versions of the dexholders found in the manga.

And many more reasons why it probably won’t get a full length TV anime any time soon.

But what if it did get an anime? What would be the format? How would they condense a 50+ volume series, with multiple main characters and interconnecting plot points, and all to boost sales and show what makes Pokemon Adventures a great piece of the Pokemon franchise, into an anime?

The most realistic option: A 2-3 minute PV promoting an upcoming arc like SwSh, or better, the whole series for an omnibus rerelease. A basic sizzle reel of various scenes, with a narrator for minimal voice work, is what’ll mostly be.

The ideal option: A promotional anthology web series in the vein of Pokemon Generations.

Now this definitely has been suggested before, but I want to get into the specifics. Here’s how I imagine it:

One 10-12 minute episode will be devoted to a specific character or, for the remakes, one arc (Episode Red, Episode Diamond, Episode HGSS, etc.), covering roughly 2-3 rounds or chapters. This is so that there will be enough material to see who this character is, the basic plot of their arc, and the basic plot of this particular generation. It’s short, straight-to the point, and can easily sell Pokemon Adventures. Let’s not forget, it has to be an inviting and exciting episode for newcomers!

Now there has to be a lot of changes to fit the runtime, so certain scenes and dialogue has to be cut or skimmed. Some original parts has to be put in to for the episode to flow better. Plus, I imagine getting into the exciting Pokemon battles will be more appealing than earlier chapters, which are very exposition heavy. So cold opens or going from the introduction scene in the opening chapter to an “In Medias Res” battle is some later chapter, is one of the many tricks to keep the flow going.

The reason why I say 10-12 minutes is because of the amount of episodes it will take to cover all the Dexholders and the remakes alone! At least 21 Dex Holders + 3 remake arcs. The amount of resources it’ll take would be pretty large, even with a reduced runtime, and I don’t think TPC would shell that much cash. Even then, most promotional anime series clock in at around 6-8 mins, not enough time to properly show off a character or a cool battle. So if it can go above the usual time, 10-12 minutes is what I think it could be stretched too, while keeping the costs to make it low. I also want to see an episode devoted to the evil teams or villains, as that too is one of PokeSpe strengths. It’ll bump up the episode count for sure, unless the series is broken up into chunks by generation and released months apart.

But which chapters? Well here’s a few examples on how I see it being adapted:

A basic adaptation with bits and pieces of later chapters.

Episode Red: Round 1 & 2 and maybe a bit of Round 3 or 4.

The introduction chapter starts things off, of course! The basic structure of the two chapters can remain the same. A few bits of dialogue can be trimmed, most notably Red explaining what Pokemon are, and some scenes can be altered, like Blue being seen with a Pokedex when fighting Mew, to streamline the story. For the ending bit, Prof. Oak’s narration at the end of round 3 while Red and Blue argue, establishing their rivalry, is a good way to cap it off. Alternatively, the part in Round 4 where Red is trying to befriend Pikachu and Blue challenging him that he’ll get the boulder badge first, is also a good cap to the episode.

A two-parter with original material.

Episode Gold: Round 91-95

We can better start out with Gold playing billiards, and listening to the radio, and getting Elm’s bag. The Hoothoot part can be offscreen, with a quick shot of Team Rocket stealing his bag. During the end of his and Silver’s battle, where he gets knocked out by Elekid, we save Silvers part for his episode. Gold wakes up, gives his account to the Police, and goes after Silver. Ending Prof. Oak appearing and giving him the “What are Pokemon to you?” Question.

Episode Silver: Round 94, 95, a bit of original material.

Starting off when Gold was knocked out, we get Silvers battle with Team Rocket. A bit more original scenes may be needed after Silver makes his escape and maybe talks to Green. Actually seeing Prof. Oaks account of how he stole the Pokedex can also be included. Ending with Gold getting the Pokedex after giving Prof. Oak a good answer, cutting out the part where he saves Ratata for time.

Opening scene then cut to an “In Medias Res” Battle

Episode Emerald: Round 303-304, 306-307 Emerald calming down Sudowood will open things up. After his declaration of conquering the Battle Frontier, the title card appears, and we move to Emerald moving up the Battle Tower, showing off his skills and strategy. A “How did we get here?” Narration from Todd can quickly explain the time skip. The episode ends with the discussion over Sceptile, brief flashes of Wally, optional.

And that’s just a few examples I can show! I actually did write a list of what rounds are suitable for this sort of adaptation, but I think a few will do.

If there’s one thing PokeSpe definitely needs, it’s more promotion. As part of the marketing machine that is the Pokemon franchise, it’s actually surprising how much less love this branch gets is in comparison. I think it has to do with a lot of factors, Viz not printing the series past Vol 7 for the longest time, Not wanting to overshadow any of the other manga series, Being over 50+ volumes long, etc. Recently, it’s been getting a bigger push both in Japan and the US, so things are looking up. 

At the end of the day, it’s all about seeing the world you love and thought you knew, come to life in new and different ways. Pokemon Adventures has the love and spirit through and through, and it’s better shared with familiar and newer faces.

It’s like when Red got his Pokedex, he thought he knew all there is about the Pokemon world, and revealing that maybe he didn’t quite knew everything, showed him there’s a whole world out there to explore. One filled with mystery, danger, and friendship.

Plus, showing that the Arbok lived might finally shut most people up.

[aurantia-ignis]

ship meme (ahoy)

Tagged by: @sad-goomy, thank you so much for sending this fun meme XD

List 10 of your favorite ships, in no particular order. Don’t cheat by scrolling down to see the questions yet, either!

Lonashipping (MoonxGladion, Pokemon SM)

Specialshipping (RedxYellow, Pokemon Adventures/Special)

Yuri/Estelle (Tales of Vesperia)

Zelos/Sheena (Tales of Symphonia)

Lambda/Sophie (Tales of Graces)

Ferriswheelshipping (NxTouko) 

Fakir/Ahiru (Princess Tutu)

Naesala/Leanne (Fire Emblem 9/10)

Franticshipping (RubyxSapphire, Pokemon Adventures/Special)

Oldrivalshipping (GreenxBlue, Pokemon Adventures/Special)

1. Do you remember the episode/scene/chapter that you first started shipping 6?

Actually, I hadn’t played much of the game when one of my best friends was shipping it really hard XD; At that point in my life, I wasn’t really playing Pokemon games, so she spoiled me with a description of the ferris wheel scene and the premise of their working relationship. I thought it was interesting then, but it wasn’t until I was reading them in Pokemon Special that I thought, hey, this ship has so damn much potential (even though the manga seemed to be actively trying to ship White with Black, the tension and relationship development between N and Touko still felt far more natural and well-written to me). 

2. Have you ever read a fanfic about 2?

Quite a few, thankfully, and off the top of my head, I remember the one called Magikarp Jump XDDD

3. Has a picture of 4 ever been your screensaver/profile picture/tumblr screensaver?

I think they were a wallpaper on my old computer years ago! ...For the past two or three years, it’s been alternating between Gladion + Pokemon and Tales of Vesperia ^^; 

4. If 7 were to suddenly break up today, what would your reaction be?

THEY DIDN’T EVEN GET A HAPPY ENDING. I MEAN. SHE TURNED BACK INTO A DUCK. //SOBS PAINFULLY//

5. Why is 1 so important?

Honestly, I don’t know.  When I first played Sun and Moon, I loved Gladion, but I’d not thought of shipping them until one of my best friends mentioned she did. At that time, I was reading the SM arc of Pokespe, and the characterization of Moon there very much supported the very small hints of the Protagonist’s personality in the game (which were honestly so few that she ultimately felt almost like a blank slate, but not completely). I loved this characterization, and the more I got to know this Moon and think about her in context of the original plot, the more I realised that the two of them would make a wonderful ship.  And somehow, the moment I began to start shipping them, I began to sink deep into an abyss I didn’t even consider dangerous. Due to life and lack of motivation/inspiration, I hadn’t really been drawing or writing very much for a few years, but when I began to draw and write Lona.... I couldn’t stop. I’ve been throwing out Lona art constantly (at an alarming rate; at least, alarming for me) for over a year now, and I don’t seem to be able to stop. ^^;  Lonashipping seems to be the largest reason why I’ve gone back to drawing and painting so much, and spending hours poring over references and painting and dying over environments. It’s been a crazy, but awesome fun year, and I’m really grateful for it. I still have much to learn, but I feel like I’ve really improved compared to how I was art-ing a year or two ago, and I hope to be able to progress steadily from now on, too. Now all I have to do is get my writing to the same level of progression..... *laughs unsteadily* 

6. Is 9 a funny ship or a serious ship?

BOTH. 

7. Out of all the ships listed, which ship has the most chemistry?

D O N ‘T MAKE ME CHOOSE

8. Out of all your ships listed, which ship has the strongest bond?

They’re all strong ok if they weren’t strong I wouldn’t ship them aosijeoaisjeoia But as far as what actual canon goes.... Fakir and Ahiru are probably the closest to actually having admitted their feelings for each other Even if the ship still isn’t canon in the end BECAUSE SHE TURNED BACK INTO A DUCK. 

9. How many times have your read/played/watched 10’s fandom?

Since this is based on the Pokespe incarnation... I’ve read vols 1-9 at least 20 times over by now, I think, while the RSE arc up to about 3 times over? And everything else after that once or so. 

10. Which ship has lasted the longest?

Probably Specialshipping, since it’s the oldest one in that list XD

11. How many times, if ever, has 6 broken up?

At least once, when N decided to leave and poor White had to chase after him (evidence in BW2). 

12. If the world was suddenly thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which ship would make it out alive, 2 or 8?

Naesala and Leanne, because Leanne would just sing her galdr to bless and heal all the zombies while Naesala kept her safe XDD

13. Did 7 ever have to hide their relationship for any reason?

They never had a proper relationship because SHE TURNED BACK INTO A DUCK------

14. Is 4 still together?

They always will be, in my mind <3

15. Is 10 canon?

Technically.... no. 

16. If all 10 ships were put into a couple’s Hunger Games, which couple would win?

Probably Lambda and Sophie, because they’re literally immortal aliens with all the powers that come with that. 

17. Has anybody ever tried to sabotage 5’s ship?

The game plot itself. HAHAHAHAHA 

18. Which ship would you defend to the death and beyond?

Lona, Yustelle, Zeroshii, and SoDa, I think. 

19. Do you spend hours a day going through 3’s tumblr page?

No, because unfortunately, I’m not completely fond of the way most of that ship’s fans characterize them :< But sometimes I go on pixiv and run through their tag ;w;  

20. If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to pick one of the ten ships to break up forever or else she’d break them all forever, which ship would you sink?

I suppose Ahiru/Fakir since they’re pretty much sunk by plot with no real possible comeback unless you use canon divergence or headcanons ;w; 

tagging: @artpharos and @yume-x-hanabi and @sylsnon @aerial-ace and whomever else wants to do it I guess?

[arbuthnotblob]

I’m in Animation Deadline Painzone right now, so it’s time for some throwbacks to my very first pieces of fanart! I got into PokeSpe at just the right time when Viz actually started printing it again in 2009/2010, so I believe these date to the Summer of 2010. 

Both of these were panel re-draws by eye. I don’t currently have access to my own volumes to check, but the Lance stuff should be Vol.6 and Red Vol.1. Incidentally, the Yellow arc is still my favourite out of Adventures, and I went berserk when Lance finally re-appeared in the HG/SS arc (especially in that villain trio, such a good panel). 

[jubjub05]

AAAA THEY’VE ARRIVED

I was lucky to find 2nd hand complete sets of Electric Tale of Pikachu and Pokemon Golden Boys. And in pretty great condition too, though some were lacking dust jackets.

I’m also one volume away from completing Pokespe 1-40. If anyone has a spare vol. 34 please sell it to me..

[vichan91312]

11 Question tags

Tagged by @lovemizumikan

RULES: (which I'll break the 3rd and 4th)

1. Post the rules 2. Answer questions by person that tagged you. 3. Write 11 questions of your own. 4. Tag 11 people.

QUESTIONS:

1) What are your favorite movies or TV shows?

Uh, for TV Show I guess MasterChef and The Walking Dead. But I got many Favorite Movies, so I’d list some that appear on my mind right now (because I often forgot lol); Jurrasic Park/World, Harry Potter, Resident Evil, Disneys, uhm etc i guess

2) You watch Horror Movies) If yes/If no why?

Yash. I need those adrenaline but I’m picky, I still need my Heart alive.

3) Favourite place?

My room.

3) Favourite food?

Chicken Fillet and Egg? lol. depends on mood but usually food with eggs is appealing for me.

4) What was the first manga you read?

Honestly I don’t remember. probably Crayon Shin-chan I still on elementary school *cough*. It also the first manga I had, even though the first collection I have is Bleach (and Nakayoshi). But my Oldest sister used to collecting manga too so idk what really first time I read.

5) What are your ideals (or your prospects) for the future?

To be rich. just kidding. Not much, I just hope I can do my job well and hopefully I’m become more motivated to get my originals done.

6) What is your favorite season?

We got only two here. Definitely Rainy season. I love rain. But if you ask the four-season, probably Autumn.

7) How would your ideal day be? Described it.

Enjoying a day without thinking too much. lol. and not being a couch potato?

8)  What are your favorite characters of your favorites manga?

Nami and Reiju (One Piece), Blue and Gold (PokeSpe), Sharon Rainsworth and Xerxes Break (Pandora Hearts), Muto Yugi and Jounouchi Katsuya? (Yu-gi-Oh), Rukia and Hinamori Momo (Bleach), Kirisawa Fuuko (Flame of Recca), etc etc, I read and likes many manga, but couldn’t possibly list em all xD

9) You read books? What are your favorites?

Of course. Manga is a book. But for others I like Novels and Fairy tales. I got Hans Christian Andersen and Grimm Brothers 101 tales vol 1 and 2 for Fairy tales books. My fav novel series are The Spook Apprentice series, Fable Haven series, The Maze runner series, Beyonders series, and Lockwood and Co. series (YOU JUST REMIND ME I SHOULD PREORDER THE NEXT VOLUME OF THIS BOOK like RIGHT NOW!!)

10) If you could choose any city, where would you like to live?

somewhere peaceful and no traffic jam. somewhere cool like hills or something on if I may, but not somewhere really secluded, mind you.

11) What are the places that you absolutely must visit before dying?

I dunno lol

[acetrainermags]

Pokémon Adventures Chapter 10-14: The One With The Scene

Chapter 10 finds Red in Vermillion City, where he encounters the Pokémon Fan Club. They’re… an eccentric bunch, to say the least. The club chairman thrusts a copy of their newsletter into Red’s hands, and we’re given this cursed panel:

Red’s expression really says it all: I don’t think I actually want any more context for these headlines.

Upon finding out that Pokémon have been going missing in town, Red decides to investigate. He sneaks aboard the ship docked in the city, where he meets Lt. Surge.

(Side note, I'm absolutely losing my mind of the henchmen's faces in the background)

Surge is a fascinating character, even outside the manga. His name and appearance make it clear that he was a soldier at some point in his past, though as far as I can remember, this isn’t directly mentioned in Pokémon Adventures. In the main series games, he’s explicitly stated to be a U.S. soldier (his title was literally “The Lightning American” until recently), and he fought in a war.

I know that there’s a popular fan theory around the games that there was major war somewhat recently, but I’m not sure it applies here. In any case, I wish we got a little more clarity on Surge’s character in the manga, especially given his relevance in later volumes. Or maybe the man just likes the camo aesthetic. Who am I to judge?

Surge deals with Red by knocking him out with electricity and tossing him into the ocean… or so he thinks. Sensing Red’s distress, Poliwhirl evolves into Poliwrath and brings Red back to the surface. Poliwrath defeats Surge and his Electabuzz with a Seismic Toss, and the stolen Pokémon are safely returned to their owners.

Next thing we know, Red is participating in a Pokémon bike race to try and earn some quick cash. He tries to take a shortcut through a forest, which works at first, until…

“Blorg”

Also, I noticed that money bags have the symbol for Yen on them. Pokémon has its own currency, simply known as Pokémon Dollars, but I’m guessing that wasn’t commonly used when this was written. I’ll have to watch in later volumes to see if it gets referenced again.

Following the bike race, Red arrives in Lavender Town, everyone’s favorite haunted village. There’s a lot to talk about in these last few chapters of this volume.

The people of Lavender Town aren’t very friendly, but Red eventually meets Mr. Fuji, who is paying his respects to his dearly departed Pokémon, Doduo.

A couple things here: I’ve always been unnerved by the idea that Pokémon can actually die. Logically it makes sense – they’re biological creatures after all, they’re not immortal. But there’s just something unsettling about it that I can’t quite put my finger on. But this comes up in the manga rather often, so I’m sure I’ll write about it more in the future.

On another note, it’s fascinating to look back and see how willing the “old” Pokémon media was to reference real-world religions, like the cross that marks Doduo’s grave here. It reminds me of Pokémon anime episode where Ash and company were lost at sea, and Brock referenced the Biblical story of Noah. As a child, I remember watching that episode with an acquaintance and he asked, “Is this show Christian?” I wasn’t sure how to answer.

Anyway, Red finds out that Blue was in Lavender Town recently. Blue went to go investigate the rumors of ghosts in the Pokémon Tower, and he hasn’t been seen since. In what is either a concern for Blue’s safety or a need to prove he’s just as brave as his rival (or probably both), Red runs to the Pokémon Tower to make his own investigation.

The Pokémon Tower is full of nightmare fuel, in case anyone was wondering. I don’t consider myself squeamish, but, uh… no thanks.

Red finally finds Blue and together, they face down the person responsible for the ghosts, none other than Koga of Team Rocket. Shout out to Red for not being intimidated in the slightest.

This is also the first time we see Blue and Koga interact. Keep that in mind for the future.

And it would be impossible to write about the first volume of Pokémon Adventures without discussing The Scene. You know which one I’m talking about.

And objectively, it’s a GOOD SCENE. We get to see Blue’s ingenuity and how he’s able to outsmart one of Team Rocket’s elite, and Red gains some newfound respect for his rival’s ability. Plus, it gives Koga a reason to desire revenge later on. It’s great writing!

But this scene has been ruined by the internet, as the internet often does. It gets paired with clickbait headlines like “The DARK Pokémon Series!!” which is… disappointing to say the least. Actually, I can’t stand it. It’s exhausting to keep seeing online edgelords try and make themselves sound cool because they read the “mature Pokémon” manga.

Like, these are from well-known gaming/geek websites. You can do better than this, Polygon. I know it.

Pokémon Adventures has so much more to offer than just extra violence. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: What makes this manga so good is its commitment to telling good stories.

Pokémon as a whole is about wonder and exploration – it presents us with a colorful, unfamiliar world and invites us to discover its secrets. Pokémon Adventures doesn’t appeal to an older audience because it’s “dark and gritty,” but because it takes that childlike wonder and expands on it with endearing characters and engaging plotlines. Boiling it down to just “edgy Pokémon” is a disservice to the manga itself and the fans who enjoy it.

We've seen so many amazing things just in the first volume! That's what makes Pokémon Adventures so good - the adventure.

Whew. That was a lot.

Vol. 1 ends with Red saying farewell to Mr. Fuji and continuing on his journey. I’ll be writing a wrap-up post about this volume soon, then it’s on to vol. 2!

[profsycamore]

Bonsoir Professeur! Can you or any follower recommend a good place for pokespe scanlations? i found vol 1 on batoto with original jp names and places and everything, but after that it just seems like someone scanned in an official eng release with the bottom third of the page cut off 😢 merci

Unfortunately I can’t, maybe someone else can?

-Rachel

[nessadoodlin]

PokeSpe Week Day 1: Dexholder

I was running out of time so I did this quick and messy thing ^^; But hey, at least I finished in time! Especially since this is the first time I’ve participated in something like this haha

I don’t really have a fave dexholder, as I love most of them overall, but I decided to go with Black since vol 2 of Black and White was technically the first thing I read of spe when I was 11, and I adored Black and White and their intereactions hhhhh. But now that I’ve read all of spe now, all I have to say is…. free him plEASE

[acetrainermags]

Pokémon Adventures Chapter 6-9: Red Drinks Respect Women Juice

These chapters introduce us to more wonderful side characters, starting with Misty! She’s caught in a tough battle with a rampaging Gyarados, but fortunately, Red arrives just in time to aid her. His Bulbasaur, being a plant, is practically immune to Gyarados’s water attacks, leading to this very cute panel:

I feel a little… “eh” about Misty being used as a damsel in distress here. To be fair, I think it’s more that Red seems to believe he’s more capable than Misty, not that the creators think Misty is incapable. I just don’t really care much for Red in these early chapters – he’s a bit too cocky for my taste, but I take comfort in the fact that he grows out of it soon.

In any case, Red and Misty decide to team up, and we get this exchange:

I don’t know who on the translation or localization team thought this was a good idea, but I’d like to have a little chat with them. It just feels like a weird thing to say.

Finally, Red and Misty are able to capture the Gyarados and, after a conversation with Prof. Oak, they learn that this Pokémon’s rampage was probably caused by Team Rocket. They race off to Mt. Moon together to stop Team Rocket’s nefarious plans.

Also, we get another close up of some Pokeballs. I’ve always wondered why Misty keeps both a Staryu and a Starmie. Is there an advantage to having an unevolved Pokémon on her team?

Pikachu lights the way in Mt. Moon, and he rides on Red’s hat! Adorable!!

While we’re on the topic of strange translation choices, Koga (though we don’t know his name at the time) taunts Red and Misty by saying, “Well. If it isn’t Tom Sawyer and Little Becky in the cave,” referencing American author Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

I’m a bad student, so I never read this book. I also know that this was probably just a throwaway line, but it does imply that Mark Twain and his works exist in the Pokémon universe, and I find that hilarious. Someone should re-write classic works of literature set in the Pokémon world. Pride & Prejudice where Elizabeth and Darcy are rival trainers. I need it now.

Moving right along, Red and Misty narrowly escape from Team Rocket, and they return to Misty’s home in Cerulean City to recover.

I’m noticing that the female gym leaders in the Kanto region (Misty, Erika, and Sabrina) all seem to have some kind of social status, whereas the men are just. Some dudes. It’s clear that gym leaders get a lot of benefits (financial or otherwise) from their positions, but it seems like the women get to live it up more than their male counterparts. And you know what? Good for them!

When Red learns that Cerulean City has a gym leader, he immediately wants to challenge “him.” Misty takes him to the gym. There, she reveals that she in fact is the gym leader Red is looking for and causes Red to seriously reassess his sexism.

This scene also reminds me a lot of the first exchange between Sokka and Suki in Avatar: The Last Airbender. “There were no men. We ambushed you!”

Red and Misty battle it out until Misty finally admits how frustrated she’s been with Red’s lack of drive for training. They come to an agreement, and a few days later, Red leaves with a Cascade Badge from Misty.

The next chapter introduces us to Bill. I really don’t have a lot to say about him at this point in the story, but he’s definitely one of my favorite “non-trainer” characters. He highlights one of my favorite things about Pokémon Adventures: the way the series expands on characters with even the smallest roles. In the Pokémon games, Bill is just some guy – a genius for sure, but he doesn’t have much plot significance. In this manga, he gets the chance to be a developed character, and sometimes even a hero in his own right.

Next up, we’ll meet Lt. Surge in Vermillion City and travel to Lavender Town for some spooky adventures as we wrap up Volume 1 of the series!

[acetrainermags]

Pokémon Adventures Chapter 1-5: The Journey Begins

Our journey begins in Pallet Town, and right off the bat, we’re introduced to our protagonist, a boy named Red. He shows a group of children how to capture a wild Nidorino by battling it with his Poliwhirl, and they’re all amazed. One child asks him if he’s ever talked to Professor Oak, but Red writes him off as just some “weirdo.”

I always thought it was interesting that when we first meet Red, he already has one evolved Pokémon, Poliwhirl (as opposed to Poliwag). We get the story about this later, but still, this is pretty impressive for a boy who’s seemingly never left his hometown. It makes sense that he’s a little cocky because of it – and that’s why he doesn’t care for Professor Oak’s advice at first. Red doesn’t think he needs it.

This is also as good a place as any to mention the Pokéball design used in this manga. I always wondered how trainers differentiated between their Pokéballs, and the solution in Pokémon Adventures is a translucent top half, allowing trainers to see which creature is inside. I really like how this comes into play throughout the series.

We also see trainers using other types of Pokéballs, like this Team Rocket grunt. I find it fascinating when these earlier chapters still have “remnants” of the early Pokémon days, like these Great Balls with the “S” on them for “Super Balls” (the Japanese name).

I don’t really have much to say about these next few scenes: Red sees the legendary Pokémon Mew in the forest and has a brief encounter with his soon-to-be rival. Next, he meets Prof. Oak, accidentally releases a bunch of Oak’s Pokémon, and goes on a brief quest to recapture them. Oak gives Red a Bulbasaur and a Pokédex, and Red sets off on his journey.

Chapter 3 gives us a proper introduction to our second main character, Blue. You might also know him as Green, but to remain consistent with the translation I’m using, I’ll refer to him as Blue (see more about that on my Notes page).

Honestly, Blue’s attitude toward catching Pokémon is very relatable. I too ignore every Pokémon once I catch one.

I also think it’s funny that Red is just absolutely ready to throw hands at any given time.

And we finally get Blue’s name, after Red practically begs him for it. I feel like this sums up their dynamic rather well, actually – excitable golden retriever boy and arrogant serious boy who just wants to be left alone. Has Blue ever actually had a friend before?

(I also feel like this interaction has some material for the Red x Blue shippers out there. My ship name knowledge is lacking. I think this one is OriginalShipping? Someone correct me if I’m wrong).

And if you didn’t get it through your head that Red and Blue are rivals and character foils, here’s a panel to explain to you just that:

In all seriousness, I do like the dynamic between Red and Blue. They definitely get on each other’s nerves at first, but over time, they really come to balance each other out. But more on that in future chapters.

And then we get to my FAVORITE part of this volume, which is: CHONKY PIKACHU. Look at him! Look how Round he is! I want to hug him!

Anyway. It’s a crime against humanity that TPCi redesigned Pikachu later on. Round Pikachu is Best Pikachu and I will not be taking any criticism at this time.

After capturing Pikachu, Red challenges the Pewter City Gym and its leader, Brock. Red finally breaks through to his ornery new Pokémon after he risks himself to protect Pikachu, and Pikachu returns the favor by zapping Brock’s Onix into oblivion. Obviously this bends the rules of Pokémon lore a little bit (electric attacks shouldn’t affect a ground-type Pokémon like Onix), but it’s a cute bonding moment so we’ll let it slide

And that brings us through the first five chapters of Pokémon Adventures! Next stop: Cerulean City.