Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

キングダムハーツチェインオブメモリーズ [Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories] #1-2

by Shiro Amano

The ultra-popular worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy collide once again in this sequel to thefirst Kingdom Hearts series! Sora, Donald, and Goofy seek King Mickey and Riku, from whom they were separated when closing and locking the door to Kingdom Hearts. In search of their friends, the group unexpectedly finds itself at Castle Oblivion, where memories are freely manufactured, manipulated, and even deleted! Can Sora and his companions defeat the castle's mastermind before they forget the reason for their journey in the first place?!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Young Adult, Video Games, Comics Manga

432 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2007

About the author

Shiro Amano (天野 シロ, born January 4, 1976) is a Japanese manga artist who has worked on several projects, including his adaptation on the popular Kingdom Hearts series.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga was SO cute. I really enjoyed it much more than KHI (both volumes). I also think that I forgot half the plot to KHCOM because it's been so long since I last played it, so this was a really nice refresher on some of the events that happened. I love the KH video games so much, and I am really happy that I am finally getting around to the manga. They just make me really happy, and I love that they exist. Can't wait to start KHII!

[Riana (RianaInTheStacks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 games. I started Chain of Memories at one point but never finished it so it was nice to get the story from this manga. I loved being able to see more of the organization XIII characters in this manga because in KH1&2 they aren't focused on too much even though the organization is such a huge deal to the story overall. But the story is super complex with all of these side games so it's understandable to an extent.

I also loved how the manga tied in several moments that related to what would be happening in a video game gameplay wise and made those moments kind of comical, as if pointing out that if these things were just to happen in the story without the game they are kinda silly and don't make sense. It surprised me that they included these moments at all but they were some of my favorite parts that really made me laugh. And the characters were so well done, they acted just like how they always do in the games. The art is also great and is so reminiscent of the game art.

I think that even if people haven't played the KH games, they may not understand some of the things going on in this manga, but it does briefly describe what happens previously in the front of the book. If people have at least a general understanding of what the previous games were about though I think they could still find a lot of enjoyment with this.

[Roxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely love the Kingdom Hearts manga. I read this one years ago since I couldn’t play CoM because that game weren’t compatible with my European PS2 and it was the only legal option for me to experience the story. I decided to reread it and it was still a fun read.
The characters are charming, the writing is fun, the art is adorable.
Definitely worth the time if you’re a KH fan since it leaned heavily into fan pandering. In this case I thought it worked well.
It was nice to see the Organization members acting like ordinary people with goals and monthly tasks that made their evil Organization resemble a mundane office job. Everyone have their distinct personality and I ended up wanting more.

[Grant Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Havent yet played the game for KH:CoM so it didn't 'click' as well as KH1 did for me.

Humour is there with the silliness of Sora, Donald and Goofy at times breaking the 4th wall.

All these references to Cards kept reminding me Yu-Gi-Oh and I started thinking what sort of monsters the Organisation XIII members would use if they were characters in the show.

[Alyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never read the manga for the game but it brought back memories for when I did play the game. Kept it true to the game. Nice.

[Arielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this only for the final fantasy characters

[Juan José · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pues el juego tal cual, ni más ni menos. "Pagarán por esto" - 🐁

[Sherry Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a bit confusing,but I really liked it!! I’m excited to get more backstory on the Organization.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome and enjoyable read! I love the omnibus edition.

[Lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good adaptation of the game. It's really fun to read and the art is super cute.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sora saved the worlds, and his friends, now he has to save himself. Lost in Castle Oblivion, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy face off against part of Organization XIII, whose origin, purpose, and reason for needing Sora remains a mystery at this point. As the group progresses through the castle, they lose their precious memories from the journey they just completed, and worse yet, those of the dearest friends they have. To further confuse them, new ones surface to replace these. The other side of the story features Riku, who also has fallen into this trap, and now must battle with his own inner darkness. Unfortunately due to the limit in space, his half is shortened in comparison to the game. It is up to Sora, with the help of his friends, to reforge the chains of his memories, discover the true measure of his heart, and ultimately to remember what is most important to him. Chain of Memories faithfully adapts the story of the game, with the only significant changes coming in the form of additional humourous scenes to fill in for the missing battle gameplay. Unfortunately these scenes represent the weakest links in the art, which is generally quite good. Those unfamiliar with Kingdom Hearts will find the plot confusing, so it is recommended that they either play the game or read the first series before preceding with this, or subsequent volumes. The combination of Disney and Final Fantasy, make this charming and heartfelt series well worth a look, and accessible to all ages.

[Les Lectures de Loow (Laura) · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai préféré celui-ci à l'autre manga qui reprend le premier jeu. Je sais pas si c'est parce que c'était de la découverte pour moi (je n'ai pas joué à ce Kingdom Hearts) ou si c'est parce que l'histoire était plus prenante. J'ai aussi trouvé que l'histoire était plus sérieuse et posée. Même s'il y a toujours quelques petites notes d'humour que ce soit dans les expressions des personnages ou dans les décors. J'ai enfin pu comprendre le rôle de Naminé et la découvrir un peu plus. J'espère la recroiser dans les autres mangas, car je l'apprécie beaucoup.
Ça reste un bon moyen de découvrir l'histoire de Kingdom Hearts sans forcément passer par les jeux. Ou de la redécouvrir quand on est fan de la licence 😉

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right after the events in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories takes place. After Donald, Goofy, and Sora seal the door to Kingdom Hearts, they wind up on a path through a grassy area and continue their search for King Mickey and Riku (who stayed on the otherside of the door to help shut it and lock the keyhole). They come across a castle with a strange power and an enigmatic figure who tells them: "To find is to lose and to lose is to find." What does it mean and will they find their friends?

[Mizumi]

This is one BIG volume, as it wraps up the entire Chain of Memories manga (previously released in two separate volumes, if memory serves). Unlike the Final Mix manga, the pages aren't mirrored for this volume, so you read it right to left.

Again, the art is super adorable (Sora somehow got more adorable which I didn't think was possible), Naminé is the most adorable little thing, and the manga has some fun additions.

[Diogo Muller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este mangá reconta toda a história de Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories em apenas um volume, e, apesar de também pular algumas partes, como a adaptação do primeiro jogo, eu sinto que esta adaptação foi muito melhor em focar no que é importante para a história, e na personalidade dos personagens. Além disso, a qualidade do livro em si é, novamente, excelente, e neste caso, foi até mesmo mantida a direção de leitura oriental.

Muito bom.

[sixthreezy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool read for Kingdom Hearts fans but I was never much into the Chain of Memories storyline with the video games. Wish it would have included more Disney worlds as well, but really just Aladdin's story is the only one that collides with Sora. I enjoyed Riku's part of these more than Sora's, but they were minimal in comparison.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on BlueAnteater

I ACTUALLY FINISHED THE GAME, I’m so happy for me~ The manga adaption is really good; it goes into a bit more detail about Organization XIII, even some scenes that weren’t in the game. It’s also much sillier, making it a very fun read.

[Christian De La Garza · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is an awesome book series and if anyone can tell me where to find volumes 3 through the end then i wlll be greatfull

[Eliexee · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH OH OMG. CHAIN OF MEMORIES WAS GREAT!

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Good Comics for Kids blog.

Review: Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

[Zachariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of juvenile but my teens really like it. Now I can relate to them more.

[Kjerstimya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never had the courage to actually watch a full let's play of chain of memories so this was insightful. I loved the implementation of game related stuff in the text.

[Thibaut Nicodème · Rating 3 out of 5]

-save me from the heteros
-wow am i glad that that actual games believe in their own story rather than being so ashamed of it that they feel the need to poke fun every other line.

[Henrique Teixeira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simplifica muito da história que o jogo apresenta. Recomendo pra quem ficou confuso durante a gameplay ou quer lembra do que acontece ao invés de ter que rejogar.

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

it got funnier 🤣

[Jenx Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Added a lot of humor to the story, tapped right into the nostalgia