Customer Reviews

Chain of Memories, Vol. 1: Kingdom Hearts (V. 1)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you've just played the Kingdom Hearts games on the Playstation console, then you probably have no idea what this manga is about. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories connects the ending of the the first Kingdom Hearts game with the beginning events in the second Kingdom Hearts game.

Now that the door has been closed (the end of the first game) Sora and his friends continue to hunt for those that they have lost. While wandering a countryside, Sora is met by a mysterious person dressed all in black. After a bit of a confrontation, the stranger tells Sora to go to Castle Oblivion, that is where he will be able to find his answers. When the gang gets to the castle, they are again confronted by another stranger (or maybe it's the same, it's hard to tell), but essentially the gang learns a little bit about the castle. As the gang travels through the castle they begin to lose memories of their times in the first game and of their friends. With the help of special "Memory Cards" the gang travels from world to world trying to find their friends, but even the friends they made in each world don't seem to be able to remember Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

Essentially that's the premise of the story, in the first book, the gang travels to Traverse Town to meet the gang from the Final Fantasy World, and they even travel to Agrabah to meet up with Aladdin and Genie.

This series does show more promise than the last set of books (though I loved the first series, they were a wee bit on the thin side for a good Manga). There's plenty of comedy, lots of action, and some great adventures, this first book even has it's own little cliffhanger ending. I just hope that this time they travel to Halloween Town, that's the one thing I wished that they would've done in the first series. Anyway, it's a great read, go out and buy it if your a KH fan or even if you're a noobie to the franchise and thinks it looks like a cute read.

If you are a devoted fan of Kingdom Hearts (beat the game twice, amazed by the story, music, and graphics, played CoM and KHII) as well as a *manga* fan, then KH: CoM the manga is an excellent choice for you!

[ The first 4-volume set of manga for Kingdom Hearts, I must admit, was a bit of a disappointment. Not only are were books shorter than standard manga, it seems they changed my interpretation of the game's story and characters as well. ]

The story in this book put the video game, Chain of Memories for the GBA, in a clearer light, making me love CoM even more. It was also pretty amusing. :] It's a much different perspective than the game by far, so if you're expecting a cut-and-dry interpretation, then be prepared to be surprised. It seems to take the most interesting details of the game for placement into the manga, skipping over most of the repetition that appeared in the game (the parts I liked least to begin with). In other words, it gets you straight to the places where things are new, fast-paced, and interesting - with a little manga-styled twist.

For those that have never played the CoM game: this vol 1 may turn out a bit too fast paced for you, depending on what you were looking for by reading it. If you want the whole, lengthy unabridged story with nice visual details, this is definitely not the solution. It can't replace the game, which I'm sure was not its purpose since the story was altered from that of the game. For instance, the game presents 2 sides of a story (the 2nd side is only obtained by beating the first side) whereas the book just blends the two right from the beginning (you'd have to have played the game to know what I mean by this). However, as a stand-alone, I still believe you'll truly love the manga's story - those extra details aren't really necessary if you're just reading it for its manga side anyhow. :] It really does shine as a manga, so don't be afraid to make your purchase and enjoy it!

This book is the sequel to the Kingdom Hearts manga series and video game. It tells about a kid that goes in a castle and the castle makes him lose his memory. This book has disney characters in the story and they make the story humorious. The illustrations in this cartoon are awesome. This book drives my mom crazy because you read it from back to front and left to right....in other words it is backwards! But isn't reading supposed to be fun?
Joseph the 11 year old critic!

To all Kingdom Heart fans, if you have not bought the Chain of Memories game, DON'T! I began playing the game before reading the book and I have to say that the book is better than the game by a long shot.

Lots of games have turned themselves into card RPG's and they basically suck (Metal Gear Solid, Street Fighter, etc). Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is one of those games. But the book series, however, has a better storyline to help carry-on the KH world and is less confusing than the game because when you continuously battle you loose the story and get confuzzled!. So if you are not into videogames or you just don't like the card-style gaming that KHCM gives you, then pick-up the book and be confused no more!!! Trust me it's better to spend $10 on the book than $5 on a used copy of the game!

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories Vol. 1 gets 5 stars out of 5.

My name is Amone. Adios!

The "Chain of Memories" series is only two volumes, but they probably make up the dissappointing, short volumes of the "Kingdom Hearts I" manga. Not only is this book a little more fleshed out, it dives deeper into the game, and doesn't exactly feel like a rush job.

The plot sounds simple. Sora, Donald, and Goofy must find Rikku and the King, who are still trapped on the other side of the World of Darkness. To do that, they must step into a castle overruled by several manipulative Members of the Organization XIII. Problem is, once they step in, they loose their memories, replaced by false ones put there by a meek girl named Namine, someone who faintly appeared in Sora's life, but by her personality, wasn't really noticed. It's a nice manga that really dives deep into Namine's thougts and feelings, and how the rebellous Axel of the Organization tries his best to keep both Sora and Namine out of harm's way.

Trust me, this manga is well worth your money, although it's labeled for All Ages, you won't see much violence. But why should there be? The humor, deep story, and funny character expressions really do this manga justice.

I must agree with the person that admitted that he was a bit disappointed with the first series' books. I was as well and so was my brother, both of us having played Kingdom Hearts all the way through more than once and knowing all the events. It was way too short and exciting things were cut from the manga. However, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories stays true to the game (from what I remember, anyway) and still makes it a fascinating read. It continues the story of Sora - the child given the awesome responsibility of wielding the legendary "Keyblade," an awesome weapon that can wrought both destruction and salvation. I have always like this series, and have played all three games. I can't wait for Kingdom Hearts 2 to be turned into a manga. I hope it will just keep getting better! Oh, and, as a correction, this book's cover is not on backwards by mistake. They decided to stick with the true manga style, which is written right to left, instead of left to right like we're used to in the States. I just wanted to clear that up with the woman that gave this a one-star. Sorry if I offend anyone, but this series deserves a bit more than that.

Hey, if you are a hard-core Kingdom Hearts fan like me, you should definitely buy this manga!!!! I will admit that I have not read this entire book, but I did get up to chapter 3. However, this book has quite a few parts that aren't in the game, and a good percentage of them make the story very funny. I found myself laughing out loud as I read this in school today! One word of warning: If you're going to read this to get the full scoop on Chain of Memories because you don't have access to the game on GBA, know that this story is told in a way that is quite different from the game, but that is why I like it so much, because I'm not getting the exact same story all over again. So, like I said before, if you are absolutely OBSESSED with Kingdom Hearts, or you love manga, or you can find some other reason, BUY THIS MANGA!!!!!

The 4 manga set is priced pretty darn good, compared to the books sold as singles, so thats a good point.

However, don't expect too much from it, if you haven't already checked it out. The stories don't give you more than what you've seen from the game. The mangas are thin... about one-fourth of a regular comic. The artwork is a bit plain, but do have funny facial emotions. Soo... if you're a die-hard fan, or an 'art collector' like me, then go ahead and enjoy your purchase.

yay, 1st review! it gets a 4, since i reserve 5 stars for things that are *amazing* but it gets a ^high^ 4.

i flipped through it and saw, halfway through, that AXEL had quite a bit of airtime. and he is captured wonderfully. the expressions want for nothing, and display his personality as well as the game does. there is also a shounen-ai/bl flavor to it for those that are into that (yes!). but it is not overwhelming, for those that aren't.

sora is adorable. (oh, and riku does get airtime as well!) the disney characters... are tolerable. i, personally, do not like the disney characters. but they are better in the manga then in the game. (i think that donald and goofy are almost potrayed gaily. and this makes me bust out laughing every time. i wouldn't put it past Amano *snerk*) the illustration is Great. there are plenty of things to make you laugh. and organization 13 rocks. (read the little character summary in the 2nd pg of the book.) one of the big bad evil guys loves... flowers?! LOL and another loves to cook!! (he's more adorable than sora)

even though the pacing is sometimes wonky (Amano seems to encounter issues when working in some of the disney characters from other lands), it's a totally enjoyable read.

When I first read the book, I thought the pictures were so cute and quite life like from the original game.