I guess i'm a hypocrite to complain about the game considering i'll be getting this day one (mainly to fill a void and because I haven't played Splatoon 2 for a long while now), but still hoping this game has enough new features for it to feel like a true sequel instead of an expansion of the previous 2 games which to me is what this game currently feels like... I do hope there's going to be more to Bobble Hat and Headphone than just their outfit personalities and smiling. You would think that a Splatoon manga would appeal to everyone, including the hardcore Japanese fanbase for this game that are not all kids but adults as well. A Splatoon manga should appeal to everyone and not just young kids. I was struggling a bit with the humor and storytelling with this book. However, there are some good moments in it, but the turf wars are basically the same. The parts I enjoyed the most were when they were out of the turf wars and in Inkopolis. Those moments of world building were really good.

Although to counter my own idea, I guess that could take away from some of Splatoon's own personal identity and lore that it has built up to this point in the franchise - maybe having customisation items from Nintendo franchises could give it a crossover appeal that would potentially draw in new players whilst still retaining Splatoon's own style. With that weird part out of the way let I still think the characters are really charming. Rider is probably the most interesting and deepest character in the book. The fight strategy between Specs and Goggles is probably the highlight of the book and feels almost the most realistic.Let's not split hairs"! Haaaa! Okay... Anyway, we love what we're seeing so far, and it looks like you'll also be able to customise the Inkling's eyebrows judging by these images, which is pretty cool. His teammates (Specs, Bobble Hat, and Headphones) didn't really standout as much as (annoying as he is) Goggles did. If they hadn't been identified by their signature look, it would've been difficult to tell them apart based on their personalities. The fact that their whole identities are wrapped up in these accessories was another tic mark on the Con list. While shopping, Goggles wears a helmet and Headphones says "you're not even Goggles anymore!" Twenty years later Splatoon drops, and rebellion is not even a nuisance. Radical individualism, the great outside of Jet Set Radio's Tokyo-to, has been completely absorbed by the fashionistas of Splatoon's Inkopolis. From cradle to grave, Inklings are encouraged to rebel through hats, shirts, shoes, and corporate-sponsored firearms. Unlike the turf wars of Jet Set Radio, which were an excess the state couldn't control, the turf wars of Splatoon are a televised spectacle waged between Inklings and Octarians, capable of sustaining the fashionista military industrial complex through the constitution of competitive, consumptive, and nationalistic subjects. Set far in the future, in the wake of anthropogenic climate change and the extinction of the human species, Splatoon can only imagine more of the same, of capitalism as a homologous development in the genomes of our cephalopod kin. It's telling that there are no cops in Splatoon—its citizens have learnt to police themselves. You do get thrown into the mix right away, but I don't think it's that big of a deal cause there is plenty of other stories like that. Finishing the first volume, you know what is going on and go along with the story, even if you never seen/heard of the game before.

Splatoon, before reading this manga, was simply a game to me. One that my child loves and plays enthusiastically. I requested the book on his recommendation and thought it was very energetic and wild. My sister is a big Nintendo Fan. In fact, I love Nintendo too. Splatoon 2 was one of the many Switch games I've played and I have enjoyed it a lot. So when I found out there was a Splatoon manga, I got excited. A Nintendo property as a manga!? HELL YES! I should also say I've never play Splatoon but I do have a decent understanding about the functions of the game. A new game mode or two (probably a bad idea, but maybe a 'free for all' battle royale style mode featuring more than 8 players on a large map, where each character has a life bar and the aim is to be the last Inkling standing), split screen MP (although to be honest, that might be too busy on a single TV screen), new mechanics (being able to have two different weapons and change them on the fly maybe?) could all possibly work...The only things that were surefire hits was the art style and few moments of funniness. But even then those are few and far between. For those that have not played the game I would suggest reading chapter #0:Yellow toward the end of the book which explains the basics of the game in manga form since the main manga jumps in feet first following the unique styles of Team Blue as they compete against other teams in the Corocoro Cup. If you are looking for a complicated story or a memorable book don't even glance in this book's direction but if you are looking for a nice simple manga with fun and goofy characters (often named after the gear they wear) then you might want to glance over here and give Splatoon a try.