When you think of the merger of Disney’ video gaming arm and SquareEnix (formerly known as Square Soft) you probably only think of the one game they’re best known for.
True, they’ve probably collaborated on other games that we probably don’t give two thoughts about, but only one game from these two powers really appear on anyone’s radar these days, that being the Kingdom Hearts franchise (for the PS2).

With two PS2 games and a “tie-in” spin-off GBA game under their belts for now (and fans crying out for Kingdom Hearts III (once misworded as “Kingdom Heets III” in a X-Play viewer mail)) this would be as good a time as any for some spin-off merchandise to keep players occupied while they wait for the eventual release of ANOTHER Kingdom Hearts game.

However it doesn’t seem that Disney is really going out of their way to get any such thing done.
There is, as far as I know, no Anime version of Kingdom Hearts in the work despite the fact an Anime would be well received these days considering the hype that both companies are presently riding concerning interest in Kingdom Hearts. While I’m on the topic there is also no plans for a Kingdom Hearts CCG, a Kingdom Hearts novel series (despite the fact that there are supposedly a lot of novels already existing in Japan tied into the Kingdom Hearts franchise that need to be translated into English), and no plans for a Kingdom Hearts the Movie (and if there are rumors they are to date unfounded rumors).

So, with that said, short of a CD cut of Kingdom Hearts soundtrack music, and fan stuff on the net’, the only other thing you can look forward to getting ahold of to satisfy your Kingdom Hearts needs is the manga presently being published by TOKYOPOP. TOKYOPOP, who happen to have a presently cozy relationship with Disney (publishing abit of their properties in CineManga format, including upcoming manga versions of Disney properties Labyrinth, Dark Crystal and little spoken of recent theatrical release MirrorMask), has the reins on Kingdom Hearts the manga which finally delivers a new taste of the franchise to you.

For the next three weeks we’ll be looking at the series, the first 75% of mangas that represent the first game storyarc, and my thoughts on these. Beginning this week with my review of Kingdom Hearts V. 1 (Part 1 of 4).

You know the story.
In the original Kingdom Hearts game you played as Sora, who is beginning to come to an understanding that there is more past the small world of his island home that he wants to explore. To that end he’s about to undertake a journey with childhood friend Riku (no relation to FF-X slash X-2 female character Rikku) and other childhood friend slash most likely later love interest Kairi out to the great sea to find new “worlds”.
But as the day of departure comes the island is swallowed in darkness, and things go south.

Riku is swallowed by darkness, Kairi is abducted by the darkness, and Sora is left to fend for himself as he is given the tool necessary to fight the darkness (in the form of creatures known as The Heartless) as he becomes the new wielder of a mystical weapon called the Keyblade.
However just as Sora gets his groove on fighting the Heartless, his world is torn apart and he’s flung through time and space to be deposited unceremoniously into a place called Tranverse Town.

Here he’ll find his “destiny” as he is united with his two future friends, Donald Duck (a magic user type with a snap temper) and Goofy (a knight type who is abit “goofy“ but good at heart) as well as encounters with a few Final Fantasy characters before heading out to their first destination : Wonderland.
There they confront a crazy queen, wild “cards”, a Cheshire cat and their first major Heartless battle.

But as the dust clears from their first major dustup it looks like they have the full and undivided attention of the council of darkness, helmed by a soon to be solo running Maleficent (who as of Kingdom Hearts II just isn’t doing as well as she was when this storyarc was going on… I mean, damn, she hired PETE of all thing! Pete! How far down the food chain of evil must you be to have THAT as a Lieutenant!)… which brings us to the end of the volume, short as it is.

Next time we go from Wonderland to the Middle East as we explore the world of Aladdin, and hopefully a few other worlds… hopefully. But don’t count on it.

I’ll leave my praise and complaints to the breakdown.

Kingdom Hearts V. 1 Breakdown
What’s Hot?
Considering that this book is woefully short of content, missing a batch of vital worlds including the greatest world of the first game (Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas) I don’t see how I could possibly be recommending this… but I am.

Despite the missing content, and the minimal “new” content that really doesn’t expand the game all that much (so far what I saw that was “new” content in this first volume really wasn’t much to excuse the omission of several worlds) this book is worth picking up.

If I were to say who’d really be picking this up then I’d turn my eyes towards the budget minded individuals who are looking for a manga hit of one of their favorite game series. Those who want a bit of budget saving on their reads will like the low low price tag on these books, and really how can you possibly go wrong at $6 a pop ($4.50 if you are ordering from Right Stuf International)!! I mean at these prices you can really afford to snatch of volumes of this and feel little pain in the pocket, which makes this a tight solid light read for those with not so much pocket change for manga.

What’s Not?
Despite the fact that the manga skips over abit of the good worlds in the first game? That does not merit badness in this title in and of itself. What? It’s in four bite sized bites and you want a big chunk? TOKYOPOP has you covered on that score too with a collected version coming out where you (if you are willing to spend the higher price tag) can have all four volumes in one easy to purchase book.
So no, I don’t see a downside to this manga. Not at all.

Moments to Remember?
It does have it’s moments, including a few “original” scenes that fill in the blanks here and there.
For instance if you ever wondered where Riku ended up after vanishing from the island at the start of the game (when it was destroyed)? Now you’ll know. Wondered what the inside of the Gummy ship looks like past the bridge section? You got that too.
The book has it’s moments, yes it does.

What to Ignore?
Let’s just ignore the fact that you’re not getting your reader’s worth of worlds in this version.
It’s not that important after all, even if it does bite into fans who miss their favorite worlds.

Overall?
Sure, Kingdom Hearts might not have all the worlds we loved from the first game, and those of you might feel cheated if certain moments of the game isn’t seen, but it’s worth checking this manga out despite those basic flaws in the title. And if you don’t want to buy this separately (four pops at $6 a pop) then TOKYOPOP is going to treat you to a collected book gathering up all four volumes into one tight single purchase in a few months (though you’ll have to pay abit more for having your Kingdom Hearts all at once though so be mindful of that). So, either way, TOKYOPOP has you covered with either four easy on the pocketbook pick-ups, or one large collected version for the coffee table… now all you have to decide is whether or not your ready for Kingdom Hearts the Manga. I think you are, by the way, how about you?

Next Week…
We leave Kingdom Hearts V. 1, and go Middle Eastern as we enter Kingdom Hearts V. 2 (featuring the world of Aladdin on the cover)… which is just the start of what’s going on next time out.
What worlds will you see? What worlds are you going to remember that you didn’t get to see? You’ll find out soon enough. Otherwise take care and see you next week.