Pokémon Adventures (7 Volume Set - Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for all ages)

As a Pokémon lover, I have been wanting to collect more of the manga. Seeing as this boxset was such an excellent price, I had to get it! It came packaged well, still in its wrap. The colors of both the box and manga covers are very vibrant and attractive. It comes with a free mini poster which features the cover of the first volume. It is a must have for any Pokémon fan! There is something in the first volume which may frighten or disturb children. However, I haven't seen anything else too graphic in the other volumes I have read thus far. If I were to choose the youngest aged child I'd let read these, I'd probably say 8 years old. At that age I think a child could understand how to read a manga, follow the plot, and not get too confused or scared by any of the scenes. I am 30 (and have been a lifelong Pokémon fan), and find the manga series very entertaining. It is a slightly more mature take on the Pokémon universe, and you get a better look at how diabolical Team Rocket really can be. There is, of course, plenty of humor and moments of levity to balance out all the action that takes place. These manga are very well done, and I think they could help hook new fans who aren't familiar with the games or animated show. I think they're 100% worth picking up to add to your Pokémon collection (or your child's or friend's)! Note that it, of course, doesn't come with the Pokémon plushies included in my photos (they are from later generations, anyhow)! I just thought to include them for the cuteness factor!

Fun, full of nostalgia and great depiction Pokemon outside of the more child friendly anime.

I loved the Pokemon anime series as a kid. Now I am 22 and have been nostalgic. I revisit the TV shows, movies, cards, and games every once in a while. However, I have never read the manga until just recently. I must be honest, this is the first manga I have ever read in my life. Catching on was not difficult, as I got the hang of it after two pages or so. In the beginning, I did not expect too much from the Pokemon Adventures story, and didnt think it would be as intricate as that of the TV show. I actually bought it because I though Green was cute. But I was surprised on how good the story was. I now think it is as good, if not better than the TV show. The show and the manga are EXTREMELY different, so it is hard to compare. The characters from the manga generally all have a counterpart either in the games or the show, but there are significant changes. For example, Red, one of the main characters from the manga, is the counterpart for Ash, but they look different, and instead of starting with a Pikachu, Reds first pokemon was a poliwag. One important difference between the manga and the show that I would like to point out is the fact that the manga is definitely not G-rated. While pokemon battling in the TV show is portrayed as a game or a sport of some kind, battling in the manga is almost like war, and is much more brutal. Team rocket is actually evil, and while battling, pokemon sometimes literally kill each other, in very disturbing ways. The show is comedic while the manga is suspenseful, and Red's adventure in the pokemon world is much more dangerous than Ash's from the show. The manga also portrays the importance of battle tactics really well, as a lot of it is focused not on how powerful the pokemon are, but instead on how sophisticated the trainer is. I recommend the manga to anyone who was a fan of Pokemon but wants a bit "spicier" of a story than the TV show, games, and movies. And I also recommend the manga to whoever agrees with me that Green is cute. Basically, if you are reading this post, then I assume you like pokemon, and therefore would recommend you buy this series.

== Story == I absolutely love the Pokemon Adventures series (aka Pokemon Special) and this seven volume set contains my two favorite arcs. The story is very different from what you'd expect and follows neither the Pokemon games nor the anime. Sure, it follows the adventures of Red as he tries to defeat all 8 Kanto Gyms and the Elite Four and you'll recognize many familiar faces and scenarios but other parts of the story are completely exclusive to the manga which make it quite refreshing even if you're well-versed in the Pokemon universe. Just a note to parents of younger children, although not extremely violent, I would say that this series is a bit more violent than what you'd normally associate with the Pokemon series. There are some scenes where Pokemon are actually killed (as opposed to fainting) and the protagonists' lives are actually put in danger as opposed to the comical schemes of Team Rocket in the anime series. == Value == At this price, it's definitely a steal compared to buying all seven volumes individually at ~$10 ea. It was an instant buy for me. If the vast price difference makes you skeptical, let it be known that these are indeed standard sized manga and now where inferior to any way (at least from what I can tell) to other Viz Media manga. I've included photos comparing the product's size and quality with anime Viz Media manga that I had on hand. One minor irk I had about the product that doesn't really affect my grading was the included poster. The poster's size wasn't specified on the product page when I bought this set and when you read that the set comes with a color poster, you automatically think a full-sized poster. Instead, the included poster is 6 1/2' x 9 3/4'. It's also identical to the art featured on the first volume of the set so it's nothing really special. It's definitely not a big deal and it was an added bonus either way.

I wanted to give this a 4 star simply because this is the censored version of these books. I doubt we will ever get the uncensored books stateside. But even if we never do these are still great stories to get into. It follows Red (who is not Ash and is based on the original cover characters of the games) who is not so much out to be the greatest of them all but trying to find his way to become a better trainer in general. In these books some gym leaders are good while others are evil and work for team rocket. On top of these the stories can range from team rocket trying to fuse the legendary birds into one mega pokemon or creating mewtwo. The second half of the books deal with the Elite 4 trying to destroy humanity. Truly if you are a fan of the series and want something a tad more mature than the anime you grew up on than buy these books.

This book series is amazing so far! I’ve only read the first book so far. If you’re getting this for young kids, it might be good to note that in the first book at least there was a part where something a little disturbing happened to a Pokémon, but other than that, it’s great!

By a certain age, I had kind of grown out of the Pokemon anime. I still adored the games, but the anime just had too many episodes with too little genuine development. So I was very excited when I got into Pokemon Adventures, a manga series more directly based off the games. Instead of Ash, we have Red, the young Pallet Town protagonist, and his rival is the grandson of Oak. Aside from the presence of a Pikachu, that's essentially where the similarities to the cartoon end. We join Red as he raises his Pokemon, fights the evil organisation of Team Rocket (not Jessie and James) and collects badges, all on his journey to be the very best (like no one ever was). This set actually includes two story arcs. The second joins a child named Yellow on a new adventure, which includes most of the characters from the first arc. The only mild downside to this release is the presence of minor censorship. What makes it seem a bit silly is that some rather violent images are left untouched, while mildly sexual situations are edited. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but it's still not something that makes sense to me. Basically, this set is great value for money. The books are housed in an attractive box that will look nice on your shelf, and it comes with a very small, but nice poster that is now up on my wall. I can't wait to buy more of these sets.

I hadn't really gotten in to manga but love Pokémon and thought this would be a fun addition to my collection. Quality books that should provide hours of enjoyment. After reading the first book I am looking forward to the others...I'd recommend this set to any fan of the series or games, young or old. Don' let the black and white art deter you (or if you are new to manga, reading from the back of he book to the front, right to left--which DID take just a few minutes to get used to, LOL) because it's still good art and the story is very entertaining especially IF you ever played Red or Blue on GB or if you like the tv series at all. If you want it fast though, pay for shipping....I paid for my books on the 30th but Amazon didn't ship them until the 5th and they arrived this morning. I'm really not sure WHY they wait so long to mail items on super saver "free" shipping unless it's to train us to pay for shipping that MIGHT be faster. Considering the books were shipped on the 5th, they DID arrive quickly from the ship date, just not quickly from the purchase date. Also, Amazon has the best price on this set new that I could find and I am SURE I will want more of the sets. This is a fresh, new, fun experience for me in one of my all time favorite franchises.