Anime REVIEW: Pokémon The Origin

Since the Pokémon anime first began life way back in 1997, there's always been one question burning on fans minds - will we ever see an anime series or special that follows the story of the games properly? Well, the wait is finally over with Pokémon: The Origin, which returns the franchise to its Game Boy roots to tell the story of the original games (that's Red/Green or Red/Blue outside of Japan) just before the worldwide release of Pokémon X and Y for the 3DS. It couldn't be a better time to be a fan.

Red and Green start their journeys

The four-part special follows original game protagonist Red on his quest to travel across Kanto and complete the Pokédex for Professor Oak. After leaving Pallet Town with his new Charmander partner, Red gets in a battle with his childhood rival Green and learns that in order to complete his journey, he'll need to take part in Pokémon battles and help his Pokémon grow stronger. Across the land he'll battle the eight gym leaders and eventually take on the Elite Four, but not before attempting to put an end to Team Rocket's evil schemes.

Since one and a half hours is nowhere near long enough to tell the whole story of Pokémon Red/Green, the special rushes through quite a lot of the details and pays attention to specific sections of the game. These include the start of Red's journey up to his battle with Pewter City gym leader Brock, the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town, Team Rocket's takeover of Silph Co., his gym battle with Giovanni, his battle against the Elite 4 champion and finally the capture of Mewtwo. So while not a whole lot, certainly key points in the game that evoke very different emotions. The battles provide action and suspense, while the Lavender Town segment offers one of the saddest side-stories the franchise has devised.

I dare you not to cry.

Watching Red on his Pokémon journey is a complete different experience to watching Ash (or Satoshi if you'd prefer) in the ongoing Pokémon anime. To praise Red for achieving more in 90 minutes than Ash has in 16 years is perhaps a little unfair since the two characters serve very different purposes, but it's hard to deny that watching Red is far more satisfying. Here is a character that features just as strong a bond with his Pokémon (especially his Charizard) but is unafraid to actually do what the franchise's slogan suggests and actually catch them all. The focus remains squarely on the starter, but we see Red catch and use a whole range of Pokémon - including legendaries such as Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres.

Why Brock, you're looking different.

Fans of the games will really appreciate the level of detail animators Production I.G., Xebec and OLM Inc. have put into The Origin. The animation is crisp and looks much nicer than the dated 90s style of the ongoing show, with the character and monster designs much more in tune with Ken Sugimori's original art. The Game Boy game's classic 8-bit score has had new life breathed into it, with orchestral versions of familiar tunes nicely complimenting the newly created music. Despite only covering key parts of the game, a series of montages are also included so we can see other parts such as the defeat of the other 6 gym leaders, the Celadon Rocket hideout, the S.S. Anne and more. Even the save function isn't forgotten about!

Giovanni. And without a Persian in sight.

However if you're expecting a light-hearted romp of nostalgia, be aware that The Origin doesn't skimp away from the darker side of the Pokémon franchise. In a very short time we see Team Rocket do some pretty deplorable things, and it makes it very clear that the battles involve Pokémon physically harming each other and feeling pain. Charmander's first battle with Squirtle is particularly haunting, as Charmander screams out in pain to the point where it seems almost like it's going to die.

But perhaps the biggest twist of Pokémon: The Origin is that it turns out not just to be a celebration of the original games, but a teaser of what's to come very soon. Red's final battle against Mewtwo introduces the concept of mega evolution from the forthcoming Pokémon X and Y, but instead of being the previously revealed Mega Charizard turns out to be an all-new one (which has now been announced as Mega Charizard X). The extra special twist is amazing even when you know it's coming, so I can't imagine how it felt to be watching it on television in Japan as it happened.

MEGA.

Pokémon: The Origin really is the Pokémon anime fans had been waiting for, and is an absolute masterpiece from start to finish. It pays loving tribute to the games fans had grown up with excellent attention to detail, while at the same time offering a new spin on the story to pump us all up for the next generation of Pokémon. Get the childish, repetitive notions of the standard anime series out of your head, The Origin is an absolute must-see for fans who grew up with the franchise. My only disappointment is that it couldn't have been longer.

Movie REVIEW: Pokemon: Zoroark - Master of Illusions

Before I start I should probably mention this. Cartoon Network, for reasons unbeknownst to me, decided to not air the prologue sequence, instead going into the film straight at the opening credits. Having grown up with Pokemon in English and therefore vastly preferring it dubbed (even after the cast changed) I haven't seen the prologue, and probably won't now until the DVD is released (or I can be bothered to track down the Japanese version). While it was still quite easy to get up to speed with the story, the opening does seem a little confusing when you consider 15 minutes of the plot that features all the main characters has suddenly disappeared. It was a shame, because I always love the openings of Pokemon movies.

Moving along, the latest Pokemon movie sees Ash, Brock and Dawn arriving in Crown City for the annual Pokemon Baccer Tournament, only to find a lost Zorua with the ability to talk looking for its mother (or if you're watching the dub, it's Meema - which kind of makes it sound like the Pokemon equivalent of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory). Zorua's mother is a Zoroark being manipulated by business man Grings Kodai, who is searching for the time ripple - a mysterious energy caused by Celebi's time travelling. 20 years ago the ripple gave Kodai the ability to see the future, and now losing his power he intends to restore it. Its up to our heroes to save Zoroark and stop Kodai, with the aid of Celebi and Crown city's legendary protectors - shiny versions of Raikou, Entei and Suicune.

Okay so the plot is a little silly, but for some strange reason it seems to work in Master of Illusions. Perhaps its because its been a long while since a Pokemon movie has been this refreshing, not once dipping back on recycled clichés from earlier Pokemon films (something the rest of the Sinnoh movies are notorious for) or epic legendary battles. Raikou, Entei and Suicune's role in the film is actually minimal, making the moments they do appear all the better (it's strange that absolutely no reference is made to them being a different colour though). Its a shame that it had to include a Pokemon that could speak English, especially since Zorua is an illusion Pokemon (and therefore the whole concept of it looking for its mother could have easily been told visually) but it's become such common practice with these movies that it should probably be expected from now on. On that note, Zorua's voice is incredibly annoying - not as bad as Arceus in the last film, but still pretty bad. Think Jirachi but worse. Digimon fans might recognise the voice as Sora from Digimon Adventure 01 and 02.

On the flip side, the Master of Illusions dub also has some pretty good talent too. Grings Kodai happens to be voiced by Sean Schemmel, voice of Goku in Dragonball Z/Kai who also appeared as Lucario in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.

Master of Illusions is by no means a great film. In fact it's a decidedly average endeavour into the world of Pokemon. However it is most certainly a step up from the more recently Pokemon movies and the best effort since Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. With a story that hinges on characters more than legendary Pokemon, Master of Illusions is the perfect warm up to the release of Black & White on DS next month. Bring it on.

Movie REVIEW: Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life

After the last few years have given us Pokemon films that were either abysmal or average at best, here is the latest in a long line of Pokemon films (the 12th in fact). Arceus and the Jewel of Life is the last in the trilogy of Diamond & Pearl generation films. This movie sees Ash, Brock and Dawn in the of Michina. Little do they expect to once again be found in a conflict between Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. They are saved by a young woman called Sheena, who can communicate with a Pokémon's heart, and explains the whole conflict was because of Arceus being close to awakening. She also tells them that her ancestor Damos betrayed Arceus and s... tole the Jewel of Life, sending it into a rage and a slumber. Sheena plans to return the Jewel to Arceus.

It is nice to finally see some solid continuity between the movies, as this ties together all the previous meetings the trio have had with the legendary trio of Sinnoh. As per usual, the film opens with a stunning battle sequence (these are always among my favourite parts of the Pokemon movies) to the anime theme song at the time (I can't wait to see it in Japanese with High Touch! played over it). It also boasts some stunning battle sequences between Arceus, Dialga, Palkia and Giratina and also the introduction of the notch eared Pichu, who is rapidly becoming a favourite of mine. I just hope its available on the Western versions of HeartGold and SoulSilver...
But here's the negatives. Although only a dub comment (I'm yet to view this movie in the original Japanese), Arceus voice is TERRIBLE. Seriously, it sounds like a stereotypical anime dub villain. I expected something a little more grand for the supposed god of Pokemon. The villain also seems to be a bit lacking and generic, and I felt like Arceus came off as alot more sinister than he did (although again that could just be because of that god-awful voice).

The film also suffers from an issue that has plagued alot of the more recent Pokemon movies, the fact they all just borrow elements from older movies. Here is a little list I've compiled just to show this...
* Pissed off Pokemon mad at humanity for abusing it >>>> Mewtwo Strikes Back
* Major character dying and being resurrected >>>> Mewtwo Strikes Back
* Time travelling >>>> Pokemon 4ever
* Major legendary Pokemon battle >>>> Pretty much EVERY Pokemon film

This continues my worry that, much like the anime series, the writers have run out of ideas and the films are just going to go around in a repeated circle. Although the next Pokemon movie will supposedly include ANOTHER epic legendary battle, here's hoping they do it in a somewhat original way.

But despite its faults, Arceus and the Jewel of Life is a cut above the rest of the D/P gen films and even some of the Johto/Hoenn ones. I would recommend this to anyone out there who's still a fan of the Pokemon anime and hasn't been put off by its repetitive cycle yet.