Do Your Best, Chrono-Kun! – The Lost One Shot Manga of Chrono Trigger
The critically acclaimed video game Chrono Trigger stills hold a special place in countless people’s hearts.
The 1995 JRPG is still renowned for its deep storytelling and artistic visual style, and when you look at the team behind the project it’s no wonder that the game was a huge success: Hironobu Sakaguchi of Final Fantasy, Yuji Horii of Dragon Quest, and none other than Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball. Dubbed ‘The Dream team’, this trifecta of talent would produce a timeless classic that still has people wishing for a manga adaptation – little do people know there already is one.
With Toriyama at the helm of character design, this only makes sense that the video game would live in the Japanese graphic novel universe too. Tucked away in the Japanese version of the game, inside the game guide [remember when we used to get those?], was a 10-page one shot manga in full colour and glory centred around the beginning moments of the game.
Titled ‘Do Your Best, Chrono-Kun!’, this one-shot manga shows the vital moments of the story where Chrono, the main character and protagonist meets Marle, a major character in the video game. Showcasing this small interaction and event sheds little to no more insight into the story the game does, but as a small added detail it's a charming accessory to what was already an impeccable video game experience.
The art style is undeniably Toriyama. Although not illustrated by Toriyama himself but Kaneko Osamu, his signature aesthetic runs through the one shot in the form of character design, exaggerated facial expressions, and charmful goofiness. Undoubtfully the style is reminiscent of 90’s Dragon Ball and this is by no mistake. This is Toriyama in his prime, blessing us with his unique style and incredible world-building.
We’ll admit, the one shot is average at best. Although it is not the quality of the manga that we love about this, it’s the fact that it teases us with what could have been or still could be. We can only hope for a fully-fledged manga adaptation and are still, almost 30 years later, holding out for one.
