As of this chapter of
Pokémon Adventures’s
Scarlet & Violet arc, I’d have to say that say
Violet is under consideration to become my favorite
Pokédex Holder. He’s such a dummy, and I mean this in the best way possible. Am I getting ahead of myself because this is only the
fourth chapter? Probably—but it’s hard not to smile when you see Violet and his chaotic, yet innocent nature.
There will be spoilers ahead, so make sure to
read the chapter on the CoroCoro website if that’s a concern!
While I would have liked a longer scene with
Penny after the previous chapter’s cliffhanger ending, I enjoyed seeing Violet instantly accept her nervous, obviously suspicious reasoning. Violet appears to be smart enough to understand that Penny shouldn’t know to call him “Prince,” but not enough to realize that she’s clearly hiding something, especially when she runs off to where the
Team Star Grunts came from. So at least he possesses some degree of concern? We’ll have to see exactly what that measures out to be as the story continues.
The camping scene was quite wholesome, especially since we got to see
Arven finally feel happy and in his element. He’s usually suffering through Violet’s antics in one way or another, so I really enjoyed that he got a chance to relax and show off his love of cooking. At the start of this manga, I was a little worried seeing Arven in a role where his purpose appears to be only reacting to others, so I’m grateful we get to learn more about his personality and interests. It was also a nice surprise to see Violet intrigued by the idea of camping after
Rotojī tried to book him a fancy hotel. I like how instead of falling into the “picky, rich kid” stereotype, he’s willing to try new things. He reminds me of
Platinum from the
Diamond & Pearl arc, who also subverts this trope. Although their personalities are pretty different, both characters’ development focuses on having new life experiences after being raised in a rather sheltered environment. I’m interested in seeing how Violet’s adventure unfolds, and how much he’ll be able to relate to Platinum by the end of it.
It was exciting to see Operation Starfall kick off in this chapter! I’m eager to know more about how
Cassiopeia will be portrayed in
Pokémon Adventures. Compared to the
games, the scene in which Violet’s
Rotom Phone is hacked has much higher stakes, since Rotojī is an actual character we’ve been following. Because of this, Cassiopeia is presented as a bit more intimidating. Even though we still don’t know much about Rotojī, it’s quite jarring to see him be entirely taken over. I do like the detail about his mustache flipping when he’s being hacked—I can see this being used in the future to subtly show us Cassiopeia’s presence, which is fun. Although this scene may have started out as rather tense, it quickly became lighthearted when Violet instantly accepted Cassiopeia’s sketchy request. That had me burst out laughing. I think the panel where he asks if he’s agreeing to commit a crime is my favorite in the arc so far. He’s just so wonderfully clueless. I don’t know if his eagerness comes from his willingness to try new experiences in general, or just a general misunderstanding of what crime is, but I’m all for it.
I’m also glad that we were introduced to one of my favorite characters from the games—
Clive! I really wish we got to spend more time with him there, so it’s great to see him have a bigger role in the manga. It’s even better that Violet doesn’t see through his obvious disguise. Both instances of Violet’s silly dramatics upon being introduced to someone new, followed by immediate acceptance, had me laughing. I’m definitely looking forward to the future of their dynamic, especially when they take on Team Star. Clive’s characterization is a lot of fun too, especially his old-timey way of speech. I like how both he and Violet have such unique voices, with Violet sounding very formal and prince-like, and Clive like a youthful troublemaker.
This was a nice chapter—it may have been mostly set-up for whatever comes next, but I did enjoy Violet’s obliviousness throughout it. I’ve always liked how character-focused
Hidenori Kusaka’s writing is because it makes chapters like this a lot of fun to read—even if not much happens in terms of plot. It was good to see Arven get more of the spotlight, and his scenes with Violet were very heartwarming. Maybe we’ll see Arven accept the title of “best friend“ sooner rather than later?
I’m excited to see what’s in store for Operation Starfall. How do you feel about Cassiopeia’s portrayal so far? Where do you think Kusaka will take that character next?
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