Pokemon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu

Pokemon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu
Toshihiro Ono
Viz Media,1999, 165 pp.

Ah, Pokemon. Good times, good times. Lots of this generation grew up playing the games (or at least watching the anime) but might not have read the manga that may or may not have influenced the franchise. Now that I'm reading it again (I got it out from the library back in the day), I feel the nostalgia coming back. Is it good? Or does this book fall flat like many adaptions? Read on to find out!

You all know the story. Ash wants to become a Pokemon trainer, but does not have the skills nor pokemon to become one. One fateful day, Ash discovers a Pikachu chewing electric wires in his house, so he captures it and it soon becomes his ticket to being a pokemon master. Follow Ash's adventures as he fights his rival Gary, captures more pokemon, earns badges, and climbs the ladder to the top of the Pokemon League.

Many things are the same as the anime, but some are different. Such as Ash's companions, Brock and Misty, don't pal along with him like they do in the anime. Ash's fights are very quick, and Pikachu just uses thundershock most of the time to wipe out the gym. And last but not least, things move along very quickly in the manga as opposed to the anime. The plot seems to flow not-so-smoothly because of the quick pacing, but because kids are the target audience for this one I can't complain too much.

The characters seem a bit shallow at first. Ash is close to the typical shounen hero archetype, being positive, determined, and easily charmed by women (heh). Misty is somewhat of a bishojo, but is picked on and bossed around by her older sisters. And Brock, well let's just say he isn't the ladies man that he wants to be. You might notice they look slightly different than their anime counterparts, and they act a bit differently too.

The artwork is a bit messy and aged.

The actual publication is flipped, so purists might not be enthused by that. But this was back in the day where lots of manga were flipped, so you shouldn't be to mad. Viz did some editing, especially Misty. She's wearing a bikini top in one panel and for the rest of the book she's wearing some black, very non-showy shirt. Why, Viz, why? Is it really so bad to show a 12 year old in a Bikini top? It's not like kids have never been to a beach or seen TV shows with girls wearing them...

This book is hard to find, but some libraries still have it. Be warned though, most of their copies are in bad condition because of the wear-and-tear of kids borrowing it. Mine is in such a crappy condition that the cover is partially ripped off and I had to fill out a notice that I didn't harm the book. ^^; So be warned.

Art: 2.5
Characters: 3
Quality: 3
Story: 2.5

Overall: 2.75. A D+ at best. I'd say if you want it and you're a teenager and/or an adult, look at it purely for the nostalgia value and don't expect much. It sort of falls flat for those looking for an in-depth read, but hey, if you're looking for that don't expect much from something that is from the juvenile manga section.