I guess I've come around to Bubble Bobble Junior's box art as well as its gameplay

My initial reaction to Bubble Bobble Junior's box art basically mirrored my initial reaction to its gameplay--which is another way of saying both initially prompted me to scrunch my face in a way that implied I was not altogether pleased.

As I shared in this recent "Second Chances" post, however, I recently came around to this portable platformer's gameplay. Sure, it lacks some of the thrilling punch for which the arcade original is known and loved, but it's still an enjoyable little romp.

I'm not sure why it took me so long to come around to this GameBoy release's box art, to be honest. I have a feeling, though, that I turned up my nose at it early on because it showcases a rather derpy Bub (or is it Bob?) rather than the far more adorable one that was featured in the cover illustration created for this title's predecessor. (I guess you could say I'm not a fan of how Taito has screwed with, er, altered Bub's and Bob's designs in recent years.)

I've since softened my stance, of course, and now I actually find Bubble Bobble Junior's packaging to be pretty darn appealing. 

That's mainly because its logo is both colorful and precious--although both of those words also could be used to describe the rest of its cover, if you ask me.

As is often the case with Japanese GameBoy titles, the back of Bubble Bobble Junior's box is a smidge less exciting than its front.

Unsurprisingly, Bubble Bobble Junior's cart label apes its cover art, although the logo's now in Japanese and makes use of a far less fabulous font.

Those of you who regularly check out my Flickr photostream may have seen this recent upload, which highlights a page of the first Bubble Bobble GameBoy port's instruction manual.

Did the artist responsible for the illustrations showcased in the linked scan also produce the ones seen in the photo above? I have no idea, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the same person created both sets of drawings. (He or she may have had a hand in the manuals made for the PC Engine ports of Don Doko Don, Mizubaku Daibouken and The New Zealand Story, now that I think about it.)

See also: 'Where have you been all my life, Cave Noire?'