Pokemon Special – RGB Arc

This is one of those things I’ve always wanted to read, but never really got around to: the Pokemon manga.  Now, the games aren’t necessarily known for their stellar plots, and especially not the TV series which is almost entirely episodic, so is the manga any different?  Let’s find out.

Pokemon Special starts at the logical beginning of the series.  Red wants to become a Pokemon Master.  And then it immediately takes a left turn on the plotline.  If you’re expecting the anime or the game series in your story, forget it, it’s not happening.  The first chapter actually has to do with Red meeting Mew for the first time, as well as Green, who you might know better as Gary Oak.  Red heads off to Professor Oak’s lab, and ends up getting Bulbasaur as his second pokemon, with a Poliwhirl that he’s raised from childhood as his first.  The plot gets moving from there.

The locations are all familiar, but everything’s been shifted around.  Brock and Misty don’t follow Red around, which means he lacks that guaranteed safety net that Ash enjoyed.  Red also tends to thrust himself into a situation regardless of the cost to him, he can even be reckless at times.  This really causes him to be a much better trainer that the anime’s Ash will probably ever be, and there’s some actual character growth to be found here.  On that point, the battles make way more sense too.  There’s no turn based combat here, and the trainers are actually competent in their maneuvers, setting traps and using the rapidly changing conditions to their advantage.  There’s also a bit more of a fantasy tone to the whole process.  Naturally, this makes for better entertainment overall.

As for the plotline, it’s infinitely more involved than any other medium.  There really aren’t that many one-shot chapters, in fact, the Law of Conservation of Detail is pretty well enforced.  Even minor events will have some effect on the overarching plotline.  While the overall goal is to become a Pokemon Master, it really takes up a subplot role for the majority of the arc.  The real story is about Team Rocket, who are much more expansive and cruel; this story is downright dark by comparison.  All of the pieces finally fall into place to spawn a massive battle that spans the majority of the third volume.  Afterwards, the author starts setting up plot points for the subsequent arc, to end after Red and Green’s battle at the Indigo Plateau.

There’s not much to say about the art style.  Characters are drawn in a more chibified form more often than not, and there isn’t a tremendous amount of physical detail.  It’s charming though, and it’s played up a lot for humor, after all, it’s still Pokemon we’re talking about.

Overall, if you like Pokemon, and you haven’t checked this out yet, you need to do so.  If you don’t particularly care for it, the better and more entertaining elements might at least draw you in for the ride.

Score: 8.5/10 Magikarps