Do you recommend reading the Kingdom Hearts Mangas?

[CocaFeca]

played the first game (final mix) and chain of memories (GBA) last year, and i'm waiting for kh ii 20th anniversary to make the process of playing it more special (altough not literally starting in december 22, rather at the beggining of december) and i was wondering: even if i don't enjoy kh i or com so much as games, at least i would of enjoy their stories more in a medium that dosen't require mashing buttons constantly, i do think kh i stories has flaws (riku's turn to darkness in traverse town) but perhaps the manga at least either fleshes it out or makes the stories more bearable, we all know how kh games did their cutscenes: real-time, music from the gameplay and almost never for specific scenes, silence if needed (altough sometimes awkwardly) and a good use of cartoony sound effects when needed.

all this makes me wonder how well does the manga handle the stories, bare in mind that perhaps i'm only gonna read up to kh ii, and that i already know plenty of gameplay sections are omitted (xemnas final battle for example), and that the art-style may not be the same or blend the character designs as well as the games or the artwork, but it would be neat to see some opinions on how well the manga stands both as an adaptatation and as a story itself, altough that's why stop at kh ii, because i only like the later games stories because of the cutscenes and production values, the story in itself gets extremely messy.

what do you think? an answer is appreciated

 

[Yousef]

Kinda. They’re a really different take so expect some oddities… like Kairi having a personality. Artstyle takes a bit getting used to, it’s more cutesy and less photorealistic. But that might fit the Disney vibes more. It’s not as lore heavy, more dependent on emotional impact and moment-to-moment storytelling. It’s admittedly dull at times but a harmless distraction.

 

[CocaFeca]

Kinda. They’re a really different take so expect some oddities… like Kairi having a personality. Artstyle takes a bit getting used to, it’s more cutesy and less photorealistic. But that might fit the Disney vibes more. It’s not as lore heavy, more dependent on emotional impact and moment-to-moment storytelling. It’s admittedly dull at times but a harmless distraction.

ooooof, kairi with personality...didn't they try until like: 2020?

still though, thanks, altough perhaps seeing it just as a distraction might not be the best, but if they manage to pull the story better i might of really enjoy it, altough kh games do best in the music department, so perhaps putting the music of the games (both original and hd remixes) might of help? i do that a lot when reading stories and it works really well.

also nice persona gif.

 

[X y b e r - S k u ll]

I only read the adaptations of KH1, CoM and KH2 so I can only really speak on those. I think they're fine for what they are, not groundbreaking or anything but as far as manga based on video games go; they're good. Shiro Amano's art can be a bit jarring especially if you're so used to seeing the characters only in Nomura's style like the games since Amano uses a more cutesy style as opposed to Nomura's "cooler" looking art style.

Amano also puts his own little spins on the stories. If you've ever read the Evangelion manga, it's a bit similar to that (Although whereas that completely departs from the anime's story and does it's own thing, the KH mangas still stick to the games storylines just with some extra details Amano adds himself).

Overall; I'd say only read them if you're really curious or if you're already a fan and want to see a slightly different take on the stories.

 

[CocaFeca]

I only read the adaptations of KH1, CoM and KH2 so I can only really speak on those. I think they're fine for what they are, not groundbreaking or anything but as far as manga based on video games go; they're good. Shiro Amano's art can be a bit jarring especially if you're so used to seeing the characters only in Nomura's style like the games since Amano uses a more cutesy style as opposed to Nomura's "cooler" looking art style.

Amano also puts his own little spins on the stories. If you've ever read the Evangelion manga, it's a bit similar to that (Although whereas that completely departs from the anime's story and does it's own thing, the KH mangas still stick to the games storylines just with some extra details Amano adds himself).

Overall; I'd say only read them if you're really curious or if you're already a fan and want to see a slightly different take on the stories.

thanks

 

[Segadude113]

they're funnier

 

[Yousef]

ooooof, kairi with personality...didn't they try until like: 2020?

still though, thanks, altough perhaps seeing it just as a distraction might not be the best, but if they manage to pull the story better i might of really enjoy it, altough kh games do best in the music department, so perhaps putting the music of the games (both original and hd remixes) might of help? i do that a lot when reading stories and it works really well.

also nice persona gif.

Yeah I’m in favor of more manga adaptations. Their focus on story provides new perspectives, the devil may cry, blazblue and guilty gear manga are an example.

 

[Segadude113]

Yeah I’m in favor of more manga adaptations. Their focus on story provides new perspectives, the devil may cry, blazblue and guilty gear manga are an example.

i love the Zelda manga adaptations. Pokemon too!

 

[Yousef]

i love the Zelda manga adaptations. Pokemon too!

Same same, I was a big reader of the clefairy manga which is my favorite. It’s got a ton of “pre-sanitization” charms to it. The Pokémon even talk, except pikachu which is oddly charming.

 

[Segadude113]

Same same, I was a big reader of the clefairy manga which is my favorite. It’s got a ton of “pre-sanitization” charms to it. The Pokémon even talk, except pikachu which is oddly charming.

Man i miss that manga that used to come with the VHS tapes of the anime and had individual issues sold in comic shops.

 

[Yousef]

Man i miss that manga that used to come with the VHS tapes of the anime and had individual issues sold in comic shops.

I imagine you’re referring to the one that got flipped when it had a western release, dunno the name, but it’s a lot harder to find now.

 

[Segadude113]

I imagine you’re referring to the one that got flipped when it had a western release, dunno the name, but it’s a lot harder to find now.

yeah that's what Viz used to do back in the day so they would read like western comic books. Made all the images backwards though. It followed the story of the anime loosely and made up it's own rules, but it was really dang good!

 

[Yousef]

yeah that's what Viz used to do back in the day so they would read like western comic books. Made all the images backwards though. It followed the story of the anime loosely and made up it's own rules, but it was really dang good!

Yeah I figured. The third manga (the one that had zombies in it) went on a lot longer and adapted the games instead, even tried to fill in a few plot gaps, like the HeartGold and SoulSilver having a new female protagonist. It was an interesting approach.