Line #21 Manga/PocketMonsters


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pocket_monsters_manga.png]]
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3	The second adaptation of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''[[note]]Often incorrectly thought of as the first adaptation due to the first being a 4koma that came out only one month beforehand.[[/note]] and the longest-running adaptation of the series, ''Pocket Monsters'' is a {{Slapstick}} manga by Kosaku Anakubo that originally only vaguely resembled the games it is based on. It's been a ''Magazine/CoroCoroComic'' mainstay since its debut in 1996, only ending its run in the main magazine in 2019 and moving to sister branch ''Bessatsu [=CoroCoro=]'' from then on.
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5	It stars Isamu "Red" Akai, the first Pokemon protagonist, on his adventures around many regions. Unlike any of the official protagonists, he starts out with a ''Clefairy''... aaaaaand it all goes downhill from there. While Red is pretty much the standard ''Pokémon'' Protagonist, Clefairy is a lazy bum who can't be arsed to know any ''actually'' useful moves.
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7	Not long after, they find Clefairy's cousin Pikachu, who is smart and competent - and not even in comparison - and the trio is formed. They set out on the standard Pokémon Journey... while trying to stay one step ahead of the trouble Clefairy causes, sometimes through his own machinations, sometimes accidentally.
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9	The manga is known for its odd art style, even [[QuirkyWork odder comedy]], the fact that Pokémon can evolve and devolve at will, and its [[EarlyAdaptationWeirdness overall different feel from other adaptations.]]
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11	!!This series provides examples of:
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13	* AerithAndBob: Protagonists and rivals; you have people like "Blue" and "Red" against people with normal names. There's a mix between randomly chosen {{Meaningful Name}}s and names taken from the games.
14	* AdaptationalBadass: Okay, ''Badass'' might be pushing it, but Clefairy is a ''lot'' stronger than his game counterparts ever were. He racks up an impressive record over the series, beating Pokemon he really shouldn't have a chance against.
15	* ArtEvolution: It eventually grew out of a '90s type art-style. Quite noticeably, Pikachu lost his green eyes and the manga started looking more like the games (even using the game!Pikachu design rather than the anime one).
16	%%* BarbieDollAnatomy: ''Averted'' for both the protagonist and his Clefairy.
17	* BaitAndSwitch: In ''A Challenge To the Elite Four!'', it initially looks like Karen beat Will, Bruno and Koga all by herself. Then, after all her Pokémon are beaten, it turns out the Elite Four were training on the roof of the Elite Four Tower and she told the others a joke to cheer them up and it was so bad, Will, Bruno and Koga face faulted off the roof of the tower...which is ''really'' high up.
18	* CombatPragmatist: Clefairy, lacking any useful techniques, will use absolutely any tactic to win when his back is to the wall. (He's probably done everything under ThisIndexFightsDirty at one point or another.)
19	* ContinuityCameo: It appeared as a ShowWithinAShow for the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries anime]], and the Clefairy made a cameo in [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphire Episode 360]].
20	* DenserAndWackier: Quite self-explanatory, where it is even classified as a gag manga.
21	* EarlyAdaptationWeirdness: All Pokémon speak human except for one and can "devolve", [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Isamu_Akai#Unnamed_Pok.C3.A9mon made-up]] Pokémon that appear nowhere else, strange-looking [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/manga/pocket_monsters/pm_01/03_wild_poke.jpg Pokémon,]] and probably more.
22	* {{Expy}}: Sapphire resembles her anime counterpart (May) quite a lot, right down to her starter choice and her being a coordinator.
23	* FaceFault: How Will, Bruno and Koga got injured in ''A Challenge to the Elite Four!'' as Karen told them a bad joke after an exhausting training session and they responded with this, clear off the very high up Elite Four Tower.
24	* FanDisservice: Red gets hit with this ever so often, either being shirtless or buck naked (with a complete aversion to BarbieDollAnatomy at that). Unlike Ash or other versions of Red however, the art style makes him resemble a {{Gonk}} more than a BadassAdorable or {{Bishonen}}.
25	* FreakyFridayFlip: Between Pikachu and Clefairy in one chapter. Pikachu [[GeniusBruiser quickly masters Clefairy's abilities]] and puts them to surprisingly productive use; Clefairy... doesn't.
26	* HiddenDepths: Not too hidden for Pikachu - who's an out-and-out genius - but Clefairy is a good cook and has a number of other physical talents, notably building and structure construction.
27	* IdenticalStranger: Yellow looks similar to Isamu. Red looks similar to Isamu, though less so because he's based off the remake design.
28	* IntelligibleUnintelligible: While most Pokémon talk, Pikachu is the exception, generally communicating in PokemonSpeak.
29	* {{Jerkass}}: Clefairy. He's shown to be an absolutely selfish asshole, and an InsufferableImbecile he is.
30	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Clefairy does occasionally show some redeeming qualities, but he is usually a mischief maker most of the time.
31	* LetsGetDangerous: Clefairy will generally try to get out of fighting - but when he ''does'' fight, he's [[StoutStrength actually pretty strong for his size]], which when combined with his [[CombatPragmatist cleverness]] and [[{{Determinator}} stubbornness]] means there's surprisingly few foes (''not'' just Pokemon) he can't take down one way or another.
32	* LongRunner: It went on since 1996 (including sequels), running longer than any other ''Pokémon'' manga.
33	* MeaningfulName: Red and Green's names have kanji with their nicknames in it, which refer to their game counterparts and the original games.
34	* MythologyGag: When the manga was referenced in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphire'', a strip was made up with Isamu and the other characters referencing to said appearance.
35	* NotAllowedToGrowUp: Much like [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Ash]], Red has been the same age for over twenty years. He's gone through several regions without aging a bit.
36	* OneSteveLimit:
37	** There's Blue, a geeky male ghost {{Otaku}}. Then there's Blue, a counterpart of [[DistaffCounterpart Leaf]] from the remakes of ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue''.
38	** There's a kid named "Red" who is an EvilCounterpart to Isamu, based on Red's updated design in the games, who has the same name as Isamu's nickname.
39	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Isamu and Kai are only referred to by their names [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/AdamantBMage/pocketm1.jpg once in the series]], at the very start. They're otherwise referred to as "Red" and "Green". Internationally fans usually refer to them by their names rather than their nicknames in order to distinguish them from other incarnations of the characters.
40	* PersonOfMassDestruction: Clefairy, albeit only as much as a Normal (now Fairy)-type could be expected to be. More than a few chapters end with the team ''hastily'' leaving a town or area that he's (usually accidentally) destroyed.
41	* SuddenEyeColour: Inverted. Red's Pikachu originally had green eyes for the first few volumes. When the manga shifted to game-accurate designs, he was later given BlackBeadEyes like all Pikachu.
42	* SwordAndSorcerer: Sums up Clefairy and Pikachu's fighting styles.
43	* TalkingAnimal: Pokémon can talk.
44	* ToiletHumor: [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/AdamantBMage/pikapoo.png Used at least once]], with Pikachu letting out a huge pile of feces.
45	* VerbalTic: Clefairy has one along with all other talking Pokémon.
46	* YouDontLookLikeYou: At the start of this manga, very few ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' resembled their official designs. Rumor has it the designs were based off what the mangaka thought the sprites looked like, [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/manga/pocket_monsters/pm_01/03_wild_poke.jpg which looked incredibly off]]. As the series went on the characters started looking more like their game counterparts, even resembling the official art better than other adaptations in some examples.

Context Manga / PocketMonsters