Now that Viz Media picked up the Pokemon Adventures: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire manga, people can once again revisit classic games and see certain characters again without playing the games. It’s a story that really taps into the nostalgia of the GBA and 3DS games in a pleasant way.
While Pokemon Adventures: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire covers a whole new arc of the saga from the games. Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald are once again young trainers caught up in the thick of things, with Ruby taking point in a way as they deal with a potential cataclysm. A meteor is heading to the world in ten days, and it is up to trainers and Pokemon to save the day. This also means learning how to make the most of Mega Evolutions.
I’ll admit that I was actually a bit lost initially. At this point, it’s been a really long time since I played Alpha Sapphire on my 3DS! I almost feel like that does help a little. It means as I read, what I did remember wasn’t tainting my opinion of Hidenori Kusaka’s retelling of the situation. Getting to see the discovery of the ruins hinting at the Primal states of Groudon and Kyogre, meeting Zinnia again, and seeing Team Aqua and Magma again was refreshing. The introduction of Zinnia to Ruby is even handled well enough that if someone didn’t play the 3DS versions of the GBA games, they should still be able to catch up and enjoy it.
Also, it’s great to see Satoshi Yamamoto’s art again. The artist’s character and Pokemon designs are really fantastic. It really captures the people we’re seeing in the games well and gives us a little extra insight to them.
You’re going to get the most out of the Pokemon Adventures: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire manga if you have been keeping up with this series. However, if you haven’t, it still can be fun. Yes, Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald will be all new to the reader. However, the situations, secondary characters, and Pokemon are all wonderfully familiar, and I found it to be an insightful take and approach to the events caused by and involving certain characters.
Volume 1 of the Pokemon Adventures: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire manga is now available via Viz Media. The Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire games are available on the 3DS.
