We all know that the Pokémon franchise is one of the greatest things to happen to Earth. Everything about it is so amazing and lovable. The games are some of the greatest, the Pokémon themselves are adorable, and the fan-base and merchandise is some of the best there is. There is only one thing that cripples the franchise: the anime.
Many, but not all, people have problems with the anime. For one, it is not serious enough and is too childish. They could've made a super crazy anime where the characters are totally serious and the fights are incredible. But they didn't. They made something on par with Dora the Explorer in terms of childishness.
However, Pokémon Special solves all of these problems. The whole thing is based off of the games and it explains so much that was left unanswered. The Pokémon battles are more intense and the main character, Red, is not a childish twerp like Ash Ketchum. Anyone who loves Pokémon will have the greatest time of their life reading this.
STORY:
The story is broken up into sagas, just like the anime. All of the sagas are based off of the games almost exactly. It bends your perception of Pokemon and sometimes does some things unrealistic, but that only makes it better. It also explains the history of the Pokemon world and describes everything behind the games and what happened before them.
One of my personal favorite things about this manga is how all Pokemon are practically equal. For example, an enemy Gengar would appear and the main characters would be cautious, seeing how Gengar is a strong Pokemon, but then they would run into a gastly and be just as cautious. The way the manga treats Pokemon is incredible and the battles are so much better too.
ART:
The art isn't anything special. All characters are chibi, but that is probably because the whole manga is based off of the games. Nothing good, but nothing bad.
CHARACTER:
The characters really make this manga amazing. Every time there is a new saga, new characters appear appropriate to the corresponding game. For example: During the Red/Blue saga, the main character is Red. He is also the avatar in the Pokemon Red/Blue video games. But once that saga ends, the main character becomes Gold, who is also the male avatar in the Gold/Silver video games. It also has 649+ Pokemon for characters, which is always amazing.
ENJOYMENT:
If you are not a Pokemon fan prior to reading the manga, you probably won't like it. That being said, if you are a fan, this will be the greatest read ever, as nostalgia and happiness will pour out of the pages. If you played the games and dislike the anime this will be the perfect thing for you. Afterwards, I guarantee you will be wondering why the anime isn't based off the manga.
