The Art of Pokémon Adventures - 20th Anniversary Illustrations

Two days ago, I had mentioned that I splurged on quite a few Pokémon things, and I'm ready to divulge one of them now. I bought a book entitled The Art of Pokémon Adventures, which is an art book related to the Pokémon Adventures manga illustrated by Satoshi Yamamoto. This art book was an unexpected find and unexpected spend as well; my real aim was the other items I splurged for, but because I found this book, I decided to make it mine as well. It turns out that the book was heavily discounted, so the price that I paid for it was also unexpected, which made me even more happy that I got it.

This book is a special 20^th anniversary book, published in commemoration of that specific anniversary of Pokémon a few years ago. Though the illustrator himself only started to work on the manga in 2001, the art reflects not only his history but also the history of many things Pokémon, most particularly the games that the manga is based on. I suppose that makes it valid as a special anniversary book for Pokémon. It seems celebratory for the illustrator as well, which is evident by the special note in the back of the book.

Most of the book contains full-color illustrations, some being small and others taking up an entire page. There are also conceptual drafts and sketches, as the early versions before they became refined for publication. The book also includes fold-out posters, but to preserve the authenticity of the book, I'm leaving them as they are in the book. All of the presented artwork come complete with a guide as to where they appeared in the manga. There is also the bonus of the English version of a manga that was first published on a web site in 2006. It is a total art reference for readers of the manga... which I am not, but I'm now interested as well in becoming one.

Perhaps you can tell why I sampled this page? 😉

As I've noted in my "splurge" post, this is not only a reference, but also something that I can browse through every now and then to appreciate the art. I'll hold off detailed critique until I can examine each artwork in depth, but I can already see their excellence in depicting the various characters from the games. The splurge for this Pokémon item was well worth it; it's a unique and excellent find from a special time, and I'm certain that it will be the precursor for some special times ahead.

One year ago: Variegated Pokémon Patterns
Two years ago: I Side with Pokémon