Pokemon BW: Adventures in Unova and Beyond Vol. 2by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 9 Ash, Cilan, and Iris head towards the Kanto region by way of an exciting cruise through the Decalore Islands. Team Rocket falls back on old habits.While the first volume of this arc was pretty serious (with even Team Rocket being competent), this second volume is standard fair. That's not a complaint, mind you, just an observation. I love that they take a cruise through some islands, stopping at several of them to see new pokemon and things special to those islands. The least practical aspect is handled with a solution that's so Pokemon: cruise ships are constantly going through the islands in the direction they want to go, so they can take their time with no fear of being left behind (they just have to carry all their stuff with them, but that's normal too). On top of that, there's Porter, a guide found on every cruise ship, identical to each other just like all the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys. As a plus, we get to see an older Nurse Joy. I like that there's a male character with duplicates like that. I also like his design; his eyes help him stand out. He provides useful and interesting information about the islands. This volume is a nice bridge volume. It gradually reintroduces us to the Kanto region, seeing it afresh through Iris' and Cilan's eyes. I was pleasantly surprised that Ash (this time) remembered having raised a Caterpie to a Butterfree (something he's forgotten in other arcs). In fact, he seems to have a better memory than usual. The volume ends with the three friends splitting ways; Iris and Cilan each have places in Kanto to explore, and Ash prepares for his next journey to Kalos. We're introduced to Kalos thanks to a reporter named Alexa, who joins the friends part-way through their cruise. She has with her three Kalos-region pokemon that Ash's Pokedex doesn't have any data on. What all of this really means is that we get to see a very eclectic mix of pokemon. Jesse, James, and Meowth quickly come back down off their successful high of stopping Team Plasma. They do get much closer at actually capturing Pikachu or other pokemon, and their battling has improved. Their main problem is usually greed; when they strive for too much, it backfires and they lose everything. I like that there's one episode that has them helping Ash, and I appreciate the times when Meowth's ability to translate is used, even if it's occasionally too convenient. Poor Meowth is also forced to pretend to be other pokemon at times, to allow them entry into a competition of some kind. Meowth as Golem is especially funny. Oshawott gets a fair amount of screen time, including an episode focused on competition solely between Oshawotts and Duwotts. I may not personally care for Ash's Oshawott, but it certainly has a personality -- one that's really shown off in that episode. Emolga gets an episode as well, which again shows off the personality of the pokemon. I don't like how bratty and conniving Emolga can be, but there's a well done chain of logic and "joining" Team Rocket actually fits pretty well. Dragonite also has a lot of screen time, including an episode with another Dragonite. The Rotom episode is one of my favorites, and it's much more playful than the Rotom episode in the Diamond & Pearl series. There's a real variety in the episodes in this volume. The battles are mainly different types of competition, rather than typical gym battles. I especially love the Sumo competition, and how Pignite uses his opponent's size and momentum against him! Cilan gets an episode, where he shows how much he's really grown compared to his brothers with a fierce battle where their gym is on the line. I also like that Iris and Ash attempt to do the cooking during one episode and realize they would have gone hungry without Cilan. It's a fun adventure all the way through, with a wonderful final / segue episode at the end. Despite being slightly annoyed with Iris's "little kid" comments and Cilan's connoisseur lingo, I'm sad to see them go. At the same time, I'm just as excited as Ash to see the new region and the pokemon therein. I'm even excited to see which pokemon Team Rocket will have now that they've turned their Unova pokemon in to their boss. All in all, this is a great three-disc set that any Pokemon fan will enjoy. Written: June 17, 2015
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