mysteriousmre's Reviews (1.22k)

A really well paced zombie story told in the Sonic the Hedgehog universe. Forcing Sonic to fight something he cant physically fight is a great idea, and everyone gets a moment to shine, whether they're plowing through Zombots (Omega), or reacting to the chaos around them (Charmy and Cream). Clearly part 2 of a bigger story, but I am fully unboard for this. Bring on part 3!

Still fun, but no where near as seamless as the previous volumes. While there are a bunch of great moments (the introduction of Yellow, the Indigo League match between Red and Blue), the 3 stories in this volume don't transition well into each other at all. Green's battle with Prof. Oak gives a clunky origin story and the plot around Mewtwo resolves far quicker than I thought it would. What's also a bit frustrating is that more than all the other volumes, the stories here ignore type advantages A LOT. Be prepared to see Pikachu attacking ground types repeatedly.

That said, I really am pleased with the development of Red and Blue so far. They've grown a lot as both trainers and people, turning their rivalry from something childish into a mature respect and camaraderie.

Starting 2 years after the last volume, Pokémon Adventures vol. 4 starts out with a promising opening before getting bogged down by a sluggish second half. This volume introduces us to Amarillo del Bosque Verde (or as Blaine calls them, Yellow), who’s on a hunt to find and rescue Red from a challenge gone south. Teaming up with Pika, the only one of Red’s Pokémon to survive the ambush, Yellow and Red begin their journey, meeting up with Red’s old friends from previous volumes while on the run from the Elite 4, the group responsible for Red’s disappearance.

I really like the focus on Pika this volume and how that gives clues about Yellow as a character and trainer. Pika’s intelligence and personality are put to good use, as they normally zaps anyone who gets too close to them (even friends like Bill) but doesn’t do so with Yellow, choosing to go with them immediately to rescue Red instead of with Oak and crew. Yellow’s focus on friendship and their pacifist training style really sets them apart from the main cast too. I got a lot of similar vibes from N in the Pokémon Black/White games and I hope Yellow doesn’t lose that part of their character moving forward.

The second half really dragged for me. The fight with the super nerd, had some interesting gimmicks, but dragged way too long for me, and flashback with Blue feels out of place, like it should have been the opening of the next volume, but they needed something to meet the page quota for this volume.

Overall, this volume dragged in the second half, but has a promising premise and new lead character. Here’s hoping the next few volumes hit their stride.

Still a little too long for its own good, but the author has a lot of fun with Pokédex entries, using the descriptions to give the Pokémon battles really creative gimmicks and strategies throughout the book. Can’t say this entire arc has been good, but this volume was a fun read.