Pocket Monsters: PM005 and PM006

PM005 - Search for the Mirage Pokémon Mew!!

PM005 - Search for the Mirage Pokémon Myuu!!

Synopsis: While searching for the Mew that stole Clefairy's Moon Stone, Red eventually catches up with Green, who has tracked the Mew to an abandoned shack. Although it seems empty, a trapdoor reveals a high-tech lab hidden beneath the floor. A group of strange and fierce-looking Pokémon creatures surprise the heroes, but they are revealed to be fake by a humanoid-cat monster. He explains that he is the scientist Bill, who performed experiments on Pokémon with his wife. He had attempted to make Pokémon hybrids, but when that failed, he tried to combine monster DNA with his own, resulting in his appearance (as well as his wife who is now a Mew). By using the Moon Stone in the machine, Bill and his wife would be able to transform back to their rightful forms. Unfortunately, Green still wants to capture the Mew to complete his collection. Clefairy defends her by battling Green's Charmander, who suddenly evolves into Charizard. Now at a disadvantage, Bill tries to use one of his machines to shrink Charizard down to Clefairy's size. Both Pokémon end up shrunk, ending the battle. Mew and Bill are allowed to transform back and they are revealed to be a beautiful woman and a horribly ugly man.

New Character and Pokémon Breakdown

Green's Charizard

Here is one of the biggest differences between the Pocket Monsters manga and all other versions of the franchise.  Pokémon can evolve and devolve to any of their stages, seemingly at random.  While forms of devolution exist in a few canons, it is usually only in special cases.  Here, Charmander just becomes Charizard, as if it is part of an attack.  And by the next chapter, he'll be a Charmander again.  Evolution works a lot similar to the way it does in the Digimon universe.  I don't really know how to feel about universal devolution.  I think it works for this manga, but only for this manga.

Mew/Bill's Wife

So it turns out that Mew wasn't really Mew at all.  Now, this may just be a translation issue, but I don't really understand why she turned into a complete Mew when Bill became a half-animal-half-human thing.  Is it just because Mew resembles a cat?  Was this supposed to reference the origin of Mewtwo (who is often treated as part-human and part-Pokémon)?  Do actual Mews exist in this universe?  We'll have to wait and see.

Bill

Of all versions of the "Bill turning into a Pokémon" subplot, this is by far the strangest.  It appears that he was trying to create something akin to the "PokéGod" concept, where in two strong Pokémon fused or bred to create something even stronger.  I recall rumors about these creatures to be all the rage early in Generation I.  It kind of makes sense, and thematically links to the big Mewtwo story from later.  But then I'm confused about the logistics of the cat (or is it a cat-like Pokémon) transforming the two scientists.  Why does Bill become a cape-wearing Pumaman?  Also, Bill is so horribly off model.  I get that it's a joke, but yeesh, didn't the Bill TCG card exist by this point?

The PokéGods

I know these aren't actual Pokémon in the story, but I think the idea behind them is still very cool.  With everyone enjoying the popular "Pokéfusions" I'm surprised we don't see more examples of these creatures in the main storylines.  And Slowbro doesn't count.

Bill's Failed Experiment:  Rattata + Slowpoke = Poliwrath Thing?

I do not understand this series of panels.

Setting

Route 25 and Bill's Cottage

Rather than being a prominently displayed cottage/lighthouse on a cliff by the sea, Bill's homestead is hidden in the woods by a river, and even further hidden underground.  Apparently, his experiments must be illegal or at least frowned upon by society.  Bill is usually highly regarded in the games.  Also, his laboratory is massive and filled with strange inventions, instead of just the simple Pokémon Transport System (which allows the PCs of Kanto to work).

Overall Review:  B+

This is another solid entry in the series, as it gives a unique spin on an event from the games.  I enjoy the concept of Mew being part of Bill's experiments, as well as the idea that he is trying to create stronger Pokémon.  What holds it back from a perfect score is that the turn of events are a little confusing (and coincidental; why is the Moon Stone the only thing that can save them?).  The story also takes a while to get going with Clefairy and Pikachu's antics before finding the shack.  I wish they had gotten their quicker so Bill would have more time to explain what exactly is going on.  At this point in the series, there is very little in the way of a throughline for a larger story, so it would have been nice to see this chapter have an impact on later events.

PM006 - Great Success in the Mountains or the Seas!?

PM006 - Great Success in the Mountains or the Seas!?

Synopsis: While enjoying a picnic on a hill, Clefairy accidentally drops a rice ball into a nearby cave.  Red decides to explore the cave, and Clefairy upsets a local Diglett by stepping on its head.  It challenges him to a fight, which results in a massive Whack-a-Mole scenario that causes an earthquake and tunnel collapse.  Red and the gang emerge in Vermilion City where they find a strong love for fishing and Water Pokémon.  However, an annoying American named Lt. Surge has docked his ship, the S.S. Anne, and begun capturing all of the town's Pokémon.  Red challenges him to a fight aboard the boat, and Surge throws out his Poké Ball (which turns out to be a Pokémon). Clefairy and Pikachu fight the electric Voltorb, but are set back when it evolves into an Electrode.  The Electrode proves to be much quicker and stronger, so Clefairy uses a piece of the ship to use as a bat.  He bats the Electrode into one of the ship's large guns, causing the ship to explode and sink.  All of the Water Pokémon are freed as Surge laments his loss.

New Character and Pokémon Breakdown

Lt. Surge's American-ness always seems to get lost in translation.  Here, he is explicitly treated as an unwelcome visitor on Japanese territory, and his army get-up and warship further emphasize his invasive nature.  The Japanese/Kanto citizens are living peaceful lives of solace, when this American upsets the natural balance with is greedy behavior.  He doesn't come off as villainous, but rather unaware of the harm he is causing.  While people in the games tend to enjoy the presence of Lt. Surge, his Electric Pokémon stand against everything they believe in in this story.

Lt. Surge's Voltorb/Electrode

The anime and the games(!) always seem to get this wrong.  A Voltorb should be the size of a Poké Ball.  Otherwise, people wouldn't confuse the two!  Here, Voltorb remains palm-sized, which allows them to get the upper hand on an unsuspecting Clefairy.  But then my question is, why bother with the Electrode evolution at all.  Here, it stays the same size and in other canon, it is massive.  If it's large, it defeats the purpose of disguise, but if it's small, then it defeats the purpose of evolving.  Electrode is a mystery, but I prefer this smaller version anyway.  (Actually, I think Pokémon Adventures will get it correct.)

The Fishing Guru

The Fishing Guru acts as the leader of Vermilion City.  He presents Red with the Old Rod as they look over the crowd enjoying the harbor.  And when Lt. Surge arrives, he leads the townspeople in an uprising against him.  I wonder if his brothers will make an appearance.

The Vermilion Harbor Water Pokémon:

Kingler, Horsea, Seel, Tentacruel, Seaking, Blastoise, Shellder, Poliwhirl, Magikarp, and others

The only Pokémon here of great note is Kingler, whom Clefairy catches on is fishing pole.  It is immediately confiscated by Lt. Surge who claims to already own it, as he does with 500 other Pokémon.  It's interesting that the Cerulean City chapter featured only one Water Pokémon, despite Misty being a Water specialist.  However, the fishing harbor does seem like the better place to house all of these species.

Diglett

It's almost as if the Diglett story is a short feature before the main attraction of the Surge battle.  (And its surprising that Diglett didn't come into play later, being a handy Ground type and all).  Diglett just doesn't like getting stepped on, but he does enjoy participating with his pals in a Whack-a-Mole game.  To each is own.  (Also, Diglett has a mouth that is clearly not his nose, so for those of you confused on the matter, there is your answer.)

Setting

Diglett's Cave

Interestingly, Red enters the cave before coming to Vermilion City instead of after.  Did he backtrack to Route 2 after helping Bill?  Or was he just chilling on Route 11 when he decided to check the cave out.  Either way, he ends up at Vermilion at the end to heal his Pokémon at the spa-like Pokémon Center, due to the damage suffered from the cave in.

Vermilion City and the S.S. Anne

Taking the beach town atmosphere to the extreme, Vermilion features a boardwalk with an amusement park, proving that this is a popular destination.  But rather than have a Gym, like other cities, Lt. Surge must travel by boat.  Here, the S.S. Anne is his own vessel, and it's not a cruise ship (although cruise ships are present in the city).  Lt. Surge owns a legitimate war vessel, so to see that coming to the shores can be a bit unnerving.  (In fact, the images of the Japanese characters sinking an American ship is a little collar grabbing to witness.)

Overall Review: A

While this is another case of the main story taking forever to develop, the two plots are very well paced.  I enjoy the Diglett's Cave portion a lot, as it's actually grounded in something from the games (rather than Clefairy and Pikachu just fooling around for the heck of it).  I enjoy this portrayal of Lt. Surge as an unintentional villain and it gives him a much more interesting attitude than Brock and Misty, who were just merely strong trainers.  Everything makes sense, and I even enjoy the token Green cameo in the Pokémon Center, where Red learns that he hasn't caught enough Pokémon to meet Oak's standards (his 3 vs. Green's 50).  Each aspect of this story works exactly as it should.

Pocket Monsters: PM003 and PM004

PM003 - Bring Down the Powerful Opponent Onix!!

Bring Down the Powerful Opponent Iwark!!

Synopsis: After a bit of rest in Pewter City, Red tries to rally Clefairy to start training for the first gym battle, but Clefairy would still rather not fight.  While passing the Gym, Green and his Charmander get flung from their battle against Brock.  Green deems Brock too strong, and warns Red against the challenge.  Green leaves to train some more when Brock appears and challenges Red to a fight, but his Onix scares Clefairy.  It isn't until Clefairy discovers that Brock has caught his cousin Pikachu that Clefairy vows to defeat Brock once and for all. Clefairy's battle against Onix proves difficult as none of his attacks can penetrate the rocky exterior.  Even evasive maneuvers and pails of water fail to subdue the beast.  It isn't until Clefairy gets caught in Onix's Bind that Clefairy decides to use the giant's body against him and he tricks him by drawing an image of himself on the rocky tail.  Onix chases his own tail with the Clefairy image on it, allowing Clefairy to succeed, Red to win the Boulder Badge, and Pikachu to be set free and join the team.  Pikachu thanks Red by electrocuting him.

New Character and Pokémon Breakdown

Pikachu

Presumably added as a response to the popular anime, Pikachu satisfies the need to have the franchise mascot appear in the storyline.  Like his anime counterpart, Pikachu has a tendency to shock those he cares about.  Also, he is the only Pokémon in this universe that can't speak like a human, furthering the connection.

Brock

Brock is very similar to his no-nonsense appearance in the games (and first episode of the anime).  He just wants a straightforward, hard-hitting battle without any antics or tomfoolery.  He's much older and larger than he is in the games, suggesting a more mature character.

Brock's Onix

Onix seems to embrace being a monster.  He intentionally trash-talks and intimidates Clefairy throughout the battle.  He also behaves more like a snake, in the way he slithers and coils around the arena.  He is much smaller than the average Onix, seeing as how Brock is able to wrap him around his body like a long scarf.  And he's even got a rocky tongue!

Brock's Pokémon Collection

To add to Brock's mystique as a master trainer, he has netted a large collection of Pokémon of many types.  It doesn't appear that Rock is his specialty, but rather Onix is just is favorite Pokémon.  Apart from Pikachu, none of the other creatures are specific enough to warrant analysis.  They are just more of Anakubo's creations.

Setting

Pewter City

Unlike the games, Pewter City seems to be a large tropical climate, with palm trees and a bright sun, rather than the small city tucked away in the rocky mountains.  There is a very touristy feel to the place, as Clefairy relaxes with ice-cold treats at an outdoor cafe.  Since coconuts and palm trees are a more common occurrence in Japan, they probably aren't too out of place here.  But it made more sense in the water-side Pallet Town.

Pewter Gym

The gym has a cathedral-like architecture that goes against the usual Rock-theme as seen in other canon.  The inside of the gym looks like a fighting dojo.  This is probably to introduce audiences to the basic idea of a Pokémon Gym, showing their importance and purpose through visuals alone.

Overall Review: B

The slapsticky jokes involving Clefairy are still a little grating, especially because they usually result in Red getting very upset and making horrible faces.  And the plot this time around is a little bit more straight-forward than usual, probably because readers needed to understand the concept of a gym battle.  Later gym battles in the series will get more creative.  But my favorite part of this chapter is when we see Green get thrown out of the gym in defeat.  In the games and anime, he is treated as this unstoppable force who can do no wrong when it comes to battling.  But here, at the first gym no less, he is struck down.  Both he and his Charmander are bruised and bloodied, showing how tense the gym battles can be.  I thought this was a great way to humanize our antagonist and show that he isn't just some wealthy jerk who can get away with everything.  Everyone falls at some point.

PM004 - Obtain the Moon Stone!!

Obtain the Moon Stone!!

Synopsis: While camping at the base of Mt. Moon, Red, Clefairy, and Pikachu attempt to catch some fish for dinner.  When a Zubat steals their food (and then evolves into a Golbat), Green intervenes and captures the Pokémon.  He claims to be on the hunt for every type of Pokémon, including the rare Mew.  Red realizes that he hasn't really focused on building his collection, and Clefairy suggests that he evolve himself to another Pokémon.  Clefairy mentions that the elusive Moon Stone is used to instigate an evolution, but he doesn't know where to find one.  A nearby Snorlax mentions that the Gym Leader from Cerulean City collects rare stones and probably has one. Red arrives at the Cerulean Gym and meets the leader Misty, who has a Moon Stone necklace.  She offers to give it to him if he can beat her in a gym battle against her Blastoise.  Clefairy has a difficult time fighting the monster, due to his constant water attacks.  When it looks as if Clefairy is knocked into a nearby river for good, Clefairy sucks up all of the water to turn the tables on Blastoise, defeating it.  Just as Misty is about to hand over the Moon Stone, Mew appears and snatches it away.  Green arrives on the scene saying that he has been chasing the Mew, and both trainers take off after it.

New Character and Pokémon Breakdown

Misty

Unlike nearly every other adaptation, Misty is not a flirty adversary who tease Red.  Like Brock, she is focused solely on the battle and adheres to the rules set in place.  This creates a virtually similar scenario as the previous chapter.  Later on, Misty will begin to act more the way we are used to, but now, she is just a blank slate.

Misty's Blastoise

Like Brock's Onix, Blastoise is more of an unstoppable force than a full fledged character.  But unlike the previous battle, Blastoise doesn't get fooled or tricked.  Clefairy just happens to take great advantage of the situation he finds himself in.  The notable thing about Blastoise is that Misty isn't known for owning a Blastoise in the games or pretty much anywhere else (Stadium aside).  Starmie is her signature Pokémon.  Perhaps Blastoise looked more menacing as an enemy.

Mew

The appearance is very brief, but this is our first introduction to the elusive Mew.  It's surprising how early in the storyline we are introduced to this character, which is thought to be a myth in the games.  By this time, Mew events would have become public knowledge in Japan, but for Americans, Mew was still a huge mystery this early in our awareness.  We'll see much more of Mew in the next chapter.

Snorlax

Snorlax is always stated to be from the mountains in the games, but he never appears there when the player encounters him.  This Snorlax is supposedly over 100 years old, and acts more as a wise guardian (or at least a helpful overseer of Mt. Moon).  I don't quite understand why it's living in a tree, but it does harken back to the My Neighbor Totoro influence of the character who also lived near a large tree.

Zubat/Golbat

The first appearance of Zubat looks just like the original image by Ken Sugimori, but after it lands and begins to eat the fish, Zubat clearly has eyes.  It isn't a Golbat at this point because its legs are still like a Zubat's legs, so it's a wonder why this art choice was made.  Anyway, we've gotten our obligatory Mt. Moon Zubat attack out of the way.

Setting

Mt. Moon

During the time spent at Mt. Moon, Red and co. never travel inside its caves.  It's strange, seeing as how this should rightfully be Clefairy's home, at yet, no effort is made to draw much of a connection between the two (other than the mention of the Moon Stone).  Still, the scenery is pretty as it encompasses the meaning of the original Japanese name "Moon-Viewing Mountain."

Cerulean Gym

Speaking of not going inside places, the entire gym battle takes place in the river outside of the pagoda-like gym.  With nothing else in sight, it's hard to be clear if Cerulean is actually a full city.  There is a vague outline in the background, so I guess the gym is just on the outskirts of the city (rather than being as prominent as Pewter Gym).  This seems more like an isolated structure which is just as nice and tranquil as Mt. Moon.

Overall Review: B+

The story is virtually the same as the previous chapter, as the gym battle goes through all of the same beats.  And the story also feels a little more rushed, since we visit both Mt. Moon and Cerulean Gym.  All other adaptations would break this into two stories, but maybe Anakubo felt rushed to get through the entire plotline.  Eventually, he wouldn't have to worry and will resort to a lot of filler chapters to buy time until Generation II.  But despite these negatives, I like the story more.  Both settings have this peaceful quality to them, and we get the sense of everyone working together (Red, Clefairy, Misty, Snorlax, even Green).  And the mysterious cliffhanger is an intriguing way to tie in the games' mythology.  But mostly, I enjoy the lowbrow joke of Pikachu attempting to electrify the river and accidentally soiling himself instead.