Pokemon Graphic Novel, Vol. 2: Pikachu Shocks Back

Pokemon Graphic Novel #2

by Toshihiro Ono

Each volume collects an entire four-issue miniseries.

Genres: Manga, Fiction, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Childrens, Science Fiction

168 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 1998

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a couple of the individual comics in this omnibus, and they were good for what they were. Definitely a different take on Ash and crew than you get from the anime.

[Karin Yukimura · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was Pokémon. What more need be said? Well, I was young, and hooked on the games that my bastard parents had introduced me to at the tender age of 8, which gave all the merchandise associated therewith a certain appeal that it wouldn't otherwise have had. I did not like this manga, but I do like some things the mangaka has done under a different name, which are sadly absent from this site. hehehe

[Ace · Rating 3 out of 5]

My parents somehow won a set of Ono's four-volume Pokemon manga, and my brother and I argued over them for hours. We both loved Pokemon and liked this series - and only liked because it was a lot different from the TV show in content, a surprise both fascinating and confusing. The manga was darker and more violent than the show was, portraying characters a little less cliched and lovable; I appreciate that more now than I did at eight.

This is a fun read for Pokemon fans.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am almost embarrassed to say that I read these, but then again, I was also young and these comics were popular. It's not a good excuse, but what else can I say? The comedy, in retrospect, wasn't all that great, the dialogue pretty much sucked, but I still remember enjoying it. I guess it's a weird thing when you're younger, you enjoy everything.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow Ash has a lot of Pokemon already and it never shows him catching them. Story more about Pikachu.

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

So glad I found this. It was fun and quick. Brought me back to childhood.

[Dom Fonce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Childhood.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 2 of Pikachu's adventures was just as adorable as volume 1! Brock and Misty decide to join Ash and his ragtag team of Pokemon. The adventures in this volume include Ash using a friend's Ponyta (which evolves to Rapidash) to beat a cheat in a race, helping a young boy making a decision about whether or not to evolve his Eevee, Pikachu, Charmander and Bulbasaur going to a secret Pokemon village, and Pikachu joining a wild pack of Pikachu and having to choose between them and Ash. Also, Team Rocket enters the story! Once again, the disjointed adventures although cute had no real flow and made it somewhat awkward to read straight through. I think these would be a great introduction to manga for younger kids, especially if they're fans of the show...almost word for word it follows the episodes, but the art work is both silly and detailed.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the fact the English version had to be heavily censored cause the children characters being half naked, good manga series! Some of the pokemon designs are so kickass I mean Koffings face? Hilarity. I also love Pikachu and his beautiful Trans girlfriend that was real cute. A lot of the stories are loosely based on Tv episodes but a lot more fleshed out even the secondary characters are shown to be more fleshed out its insane.

[Jamie Luttrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's wonderful to go back in time to when Pokemon had personality as a franchise. The nature of its progression has sanitized it and, while there are still many great things about Pokemon, it lacks the joyful and ridiculous youthful energy of the 90's/early 2k's. This book encapsulates a very different era, and I'm glad it exists.

[Eli Poteet · Rating 4 out of 5]

uummmmm, idk why this mini comic exists but boy howdy i think its adorable! its based off the cartoon kids show and it perfectally demonstrated this origin. in this tiny printing i found myself reminded of the actual tv episode, that mixed media reflection felt real good.

also, mini. adorbs.

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really love the Pokémon franchise, mostly the games and anime! This this was an alright quick 20 chapters manga about ash’s original Pokémon journey in the Kant’s region and the orange islands part😁👌

[Heather Purri · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this volume, Ash competes in a Pokemon race near Fuchsia City, battles the Battling Eevee Brothers, and meets Team Rocket. Team Rocket try to steal the weak Pokemon in a wellness center for abandoned Pokemon, then try to steal a hoard of Wild Pikachu.

At this point in the manga, Ash, Misty, and Brock have become close friends-rather than just traveling buddies-and the bond between Ash and Pikachu becomes unbreakable. Jessie and James are close enough that they use each other's Pokemon interchangeably. James is clearly attracted to Jessie, but it's unclear if Jessie feels the same way yet.

Themes include peer pressure, dealing with family expectations, learning when to let go, and seeing things from other people's perspectives.

Fair warning, this issue has a nude scene with Misty. She's completely naked in the Japanese version and mostly naked in certain editions of the English version (other English editions don't contain the scene).

[Vail Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

So back when the Gameboy games were the hot stuff, and graphics were at a bare minimum, we could only GUESS at what TMs were.
Here, we get our first visual depiction of a TM and it's...a cube. A cube which sprinkles it's blessing of NEW MOVE onto the portable monstrosity.
...
So yeah, who else thinks CDs were the better way to go? Especially if the fan idea that they were tiny CDS that went around the ball's open button?

[Danielle Booey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun entry in this series. I like that it retells some of the stories and episodes from the anime, but in an even more overtly Japanese way. Fun characterizations of Ash, Misty, Brock, and Team Rocket abound. Plus I don't think Pikachu has ever looked as cute as he does when drawn by Toshihiro Ono.