On suggestion from the ABBC, I’m moving this nomination here!
ポケットモンスタースペシャル (Pokemon Adventures)
Summary
Red, an energetic boy from Pallet Town, is the best Pokémon trainer in town. Professor Oak is interested in Red and gives him a Pokédex, and he sets off on a journey to complete it. Red gradually grows through encounters with Green and Kasumi, who also aim to complete the Pokédex. Then, Team Rocket, an evil secret society, stands in their way. What is waiting for Red? The adventures and excitement of the popular game “Pokémon” are brought to life in this comic book!
Availability
amazon.co.jp (Physical and Kindle)
Bookwalker (Ebook）
(Available through other retailers)
Natively Level: 23
Full Furigana: Yes
Personal Opinion
This book makes a great fit for a number of reasons but also has some drawbacks which I’ll address in the pros and cons. Generally though, this series is a very well loved piece of one of the most well loved pieces of media in the world. Pokemon Adventure’s brings a more serious tone to the pokemon franchise and is widely considered the best piece of Pokemon media excluding the main games. I think one of the most important things for sticking through a manga is interest and Pokemon is likely to have many fans here. On a personal note, this manga was the first one I ever read when I was a kid and I loved it then!
Pros and Cons for the Book Club
Pros
- Well loved/WellkKnown IP (familiarity)
- Uses common grammar structures very often and doesn’t rely too heavily on super casual speech patterns
- Fast paced linear story
- 64 Volumes (And counting !)
- Fantastic Art (opinion :p)
Cons
- Kansai ben
- Super high text density
- Specialized Vocab
