Pokémon Adventures: X•Y Vol. 1

Pokémon trainer X was once a child prodigy but now stays locked in his house to avoid the paparazzi. His friend and fellow trainer Y tries to get X out of his shell. But when an evil organization called Team Flare and two legendary Pokémon destroy their hometown, X, Y, and their friends Tierno, Shauna, and Trevor must journey into the region of Kalos to defeat Team Flare. 

In this volume, X begins to discover the secrets of Mega Evolution, while Y tries her best to protect her friends from being attacked by Team Flare. Both X and Y realize they need to become stronger in the face of the mysterious, sinister team. As the volume progresses, X slowly comes out of his shell, and Y dedicates more time to developing her skills as a Pokémon trainer, each for the purpose of protecting the friends they love.  

This book is a manga series, which is a Japanese form of comic book. It is read right to left instead of left to right. All of the illustrations are in black and white, with clear font and endearing manga-style art. The drawings of the characters are cartoonish and stylized, featuring large eyes, and the panels are often slanted or irregularly shaped to create a bombastic reading experience. Onomatopoeia is often used, and the speech bubbles are designed for the Japanese language, which is read up and down, so occasionally the text can get a little cramped. 

The characters of Pokémon Adventures: X•Y are sympathetic, but sometimes a bit frustrating. X is dealing with increased anxiety after his many run-ins with invasive paparazzi, but as a result, he refuses to emerge from a mobile tent when his friends are traveling. He often is cold or quiet, and he forces one of his friends to take care of his Pokémon during his absence. That being said, these flaws are deliberate, and X is meant to be a hard person to like due to his traumatic experiences. Furthermore, X begins to learn that even though he feels alone due to his trauma, he has a network of people who care about him. 

In contrast, Y is incredibly bubbly and joyful and always keeps her energy up. Sometimes she irritates her friends, such as Shauna, and she may even irritate the readers. However, she chooses to be energetic to try to encourage her friends, particularly X, as she recognizes that everyone is going through a scary and difficult time. Y’s confidence, initiative, and charisma come together to make her an effective leader of the group.  

Pokémon Adventures: X•Y is an exciting, action-packed manga with plenty of subplots about friendship and bond-building. Any fan of the Pokémon games Pokémon: X and Pokémon: Y will enjoy seeing the game characters recreated in manga form, as well as dialogue from the game being used in the manga itself. However, readers who have fully played through the original games will still find enough new content and major plot differences in the manga to be entertained and genuinely surprised. Furthermore, readers who are unfamiliar with Pokémon or have not played the games will still find this volume gripping and fun. However, they might be slightly confused by some of the details of Pokémon’s lore.  

Pokémon Adventures: X•Y is a fantastic introduction to the series. Each character clearly explains their backstories and motivations for journeying through Kalos, and the side characters are well-developed and sympathetic. The world of Pokémon is vibrant and thrilling as it is recreated in the manga, with the illustrations elevating the narrative by making each experience visceral through visual stimulus. Readers will not only learn important lessons about stranger danger, but also about supporting friends through tough times. This fast and entertaining read effectively sets up the main characters and world. It is sure to get any reader hooked on the full series.  

Sexual Content  

• A member of Team Flare notices that Y is coming to protect X, and wonders who Y is. She says, “Maybe she’s his girlfriend. Or just a friend. A friend that’s a girl.” 

Violence  

• Pokémon battles are a very common phenomenon. Two or more Pokémon are pitted against each other to battle using their “moves,” which are sometimes physical and other times magical. The loser of a battle usually faints and can be revived at a Pokémon Center. The battles can sometimes endanger the Pokémon trainers (the people who own the Pokémon), but the Pokémon are never in danger of dying. 
• Two large, powerful Pokémon of legend destroy X and Y’s hometown as they fight each other. “Aaaaah! The hill! It’s been blown away!. . . What is that? A Pokémon? Whatever it is, we’d better run for it!” yell two bystanders. 
• Team Flare burns down X’s house in order to get an important tool called the Mega Ring. “We’ll break down the door and get in before those legendary Pokémon destroy the house.”  
• Team Flare’s Houndoom (a dog-like Pokémon) bites Y instead of one of Y’s Pokémon. The team Flare member cries, “Whoever she is, she’s in our way . . . Houndoom!”  
• A lion-esque Pokémon called Pyroar drags X by his collar. The Team Flare trainer says, “Bring him to us, Pyroar!”  
• A Team Flare trainer threatens her Pokémon, implying that she might physically hurt it if it does not perform to her standards in battle. The Team Flare trainer says, “Give it your biggest punch! Or else . . . you know what’ll happen . . . ” Unfortunately, the Pokémon performs poorly. They are not harmed, but the trainer implies they will be later saying, “I’ll have to teach him a lesson, then.”  
• A Team Flare Pokémon named Sliggoo fires acid at Y’s head, endangering her. “If you don’t hurry, your friend’s head . . . is going to melt into sludge with Sliggoo’s slime,” declares a Team Flare member. Fortunately, everyone avoids bodily harm. This battle spans over six pages. 
• In a flashback, two paparazzi manhandle X’s Pokémon, including Kangaskhan, who are already tired from their previous battle. This worries X. “Come out, come out, little baby Kangaskhan!” exclaims one of the journalists. 
• When hypnotized, Shauna tries to attack Y with a sword. Another character named Viola jumps in the way but gets knocked out. “Stealing the stone . . . and getting rid of the gym leader . . . it was all simple after that,” says the Team Flare member by way of explanation. No one else is injured. This battle spans over four pages. 
• When Trevor refuses to show a sinister man named Lysandre a photo, Lysandre brings out his powerful Pokémon and surrounds Trevor and his friends, threatening them. He says to the Pokémon in a sinister manner, “Lunchtime! What would you like to eat?” Though he is threatening, there is no battle, since another master trainer named Dianthe comes in and tells Lysandre to stop. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language    

• None 

Supernatural  

• In this world, strange beasts called Pokémon exist. They are animal-like creatures that often have special powers, whether that is incredible strength and physically attack, or the power to harness the elements and make magical attacks.  
• Shauna is hypnotized into believing she is trimming a Pokémon’s fur. The Pokémon Aegislash uses its hypnotic power to do this. “She’s being controlled by that sword thingie!” Y exclaims. 
• A Pokémon named Lucario emits a psychic aura that protects the characters from Aegislash’s hypnotic power. “I see . . . the aura rising from Lucario is protecting those brats,” the Team Flare trainer realizes. 

Spiritual Content  

• None 

by Mia LaBianca