Jul3
Pokémon Adventures: Scarlet & Violet Chapter 1 Review - Start Your Engines!
Before we dive into it, please keep in mind that there will be spoilers!
While the arc may be just beginning, we can already see some new creative choices for Pokémon Adventures. First off, the series has broken its long-held tradition of naming the male protagonist after the first game that the arc is based on. While we’d usually expect for him to be named Scarlet, this time he’s Violet. In addition, the story is set at Uva Academy rather than Naranja Academy. It’s also surprising to see that Violet’s appearance isn’t based on the default look for his game counterpart, Florian. This was a choice made by Yamamoto to distinguish Violet from Ortega.
The plot of this chapter follows Violet, Rotojī (his Rotom Phone), and Miraidon as they look for Arven, who they know to be a student at the academy. When Violet breaks into the staff room during his search, he is caught by Jacq who believes he is an intruder (as opposed to a student). Violet escapes by riding his Miraidon out of the building. He then challenges Clavell and the staff to beat him in a race, saying he will accept whatever punishment they choose for him if they win. Dendra takes him on, and Violet uses the commotion of the race as an opportunity to draw out Arven, who then stops the race. Violet invites Arven on a mission to locate Herba Mystica, but before they can leave, Nemona stops them and demands a battle with Violet.
![Violet riding his Miraidon Violet riding his Miraidon](https://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/2/26/Violet_Adventures.png)
I was also really charmed by the humor in this chapter. The characters seem to take everything too seriously, which creates some great dynamics. For example, after Violet gets himself in trouble for breaking in, Clavell doesn’t actually want to suspend or expel him—all he wants to do is talk to him. It was quite funny how Violet was oblivious to this, and it was even better to see Dendra instantly accept his challenge. Each of her antics got a laugh out of me, and it was lovely to see Pokémon Adventures give another NPC a chance to shine outside of the games.
If there’s anything else I would have liked to see in this chapter, it would be more scenes with Nemona and her mysterious opponent. However, I understand the decision to not include them as much, since Violet appears to be the main focus, at least for the time being. This is only the first chapter after all, and there is plenty of time for this story to grow.
I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading this chapter. It was a delightful introduction to an arc that I’m certain will only bring more joy as it continues. What did you think? How do you feel about Violet as the next protagonist of Pokémon Adventures?
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