Pokémon Origins

The story had the potential to carry the original story but they went more into motivation that the actual story. If you are a Pokémon fan then this is a much watch, though. It feels incomplete because only green ( blue ) and red do the fighting and doesn't even feel like a real thing. Leave games aside some elements like Police, guns should be added to the Giovanni part of the episode. Anime is just mid, nothing crazy. My review is unclear but this show isn't made well, they didn't put effort and added unnecessary stuff, like Mega Evolution in the last episode. This is so dumb, Battle with most of the gym leaders were like for a few seconds. This anime had the potential but became bad as they added unnecessary stuff.

I've always been a fan of pokemon and I feel this is a good show. There are some strong points but on the other hand, I do feel it misses some points the original series had.

I've read some of the other reviews and some say they dislike pokemon saying their names. Honestly, I miss that. I don't know how it was for everyone but I did like pokemon saying their own names. It was what set pokemon apart from the other pocket monsters. I also felt like in a way, it gave the pokemon personally. I watched a bit of pokemon when the main character Dawn and it was fun watching Piplup and his struggles. Here, there is no development of pokemon or the characaters. They just seem to be the typical pokemon formula: having a rival who thinks he's better than you are. Then again, if we come from the perspective of just any person playing the game, it makes sense to have the bland character.

And it is better in some aspects: there is no team rocket and meowth. I always hated those parts. Ash was not great in the original series. He is quite annoying, and never seems to learn. Additionally, after the first season, pikachu becomes more and more boring. I didn't keep up with the original series but compared to that, this is pretty awesome.

Pokémon Origins is the most faithful and grounded adaptation of the games yet, and it's still the best series that's been made about the ip. It's beautifully animated, the writing is on point at making the characters more flawed but not stupid (*cough cough, Ash Ketchum*) and also the way that everything just plays out is a great adaptation overall.

Pokémon Origins does what the base anime didn't, capture the heart and soul of the games, and with brilliant execution to top it off. It really feels like a labor of love as opposed to the main series which feels more rushed and mandatory, and without the passion involved in this story.

The very first time I played Pokemon I was about 13 years old and the first game I played was Pokemon Blue, then I played the Special Pikachu Edition which was a tribute to the anime, but had little in common with it. The character of Red is very similar to his gaming counterpart, but he is not as stupid and idiotic as Ash is in the anime. Blue is similar in the games as well, but he doesn't have that jackass personality as Gary Oak in the anime, and has no cheerleaders cheering him on.

At first I thought that it was gonna be as boring as the anime. Truth is, the anime WAS boring after Johto Journeys and Ash has barely won any tournaments except for one in the anime. An interesting thing in this mini-series is that the Pokemon don't talk unlike in the anime when Pikachu says "Pika pika".

The Team Rocket of this short is faithful to the team in the games and have absolutely nothing to do with the two bumbling morons from the anime. Professor Oak sounds a lot better than in the anime as well. Most battles were awesome especially the one at the end which I will NOT mention. That is for all of you to see, not for me to tell.

This is EXACTLY what the anime should have been like, because unlike Ash, Red was more determined and smarter. For old Pokemon fans, this is the BEST thing to see.

MY BACKGROUND: Firstly I should state my familiarity with the Pokémon franchise. As a child I followed the anime adventures of Ash Ketchum et al. from the start to Master Quest. My experience with the games was limited to half an hour on my friend's copy of Pokémon Yellow (I increased Pikachu by ten levels in that time, to his shock).

Knowing that Origins was based on the game Pokémon Red and had no relation to the main series, how did I fare?



THOUGHTS: To my delight, Origins was accessible to a newcomer to the Pokémon games like me. The first episode really goes at length to introduce the setting and characters, even explaining what the titular monsters are.

The animation was a marked improvement from the washed out show I was used to on standard definition analogue TV. Gorgeous crisp colours and details brought the settings and battles to life. What else is different? The main trainers Red and Green (analogous to Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak) are much less goofy. The tone is more serious with less humour and cuteness, and more intense fights. This interesting stylistic experiment had mixed results. I enjoyed the new energy and suspense in the battles which were more reminiscent of Digimon or Dragonball Z. However, the cute goofy humour was a trademark of the Pokémon series and I felt some comic relief should have been retained to balance the mood.

Fans of the original games would have gotten their humour in the form of references like the phrase "It's not every effective..." My friend and fellow audience member was giddy with the faithfulness to the original story like the game graphics and story events (e.g. a Magikarp salesman). While this worked well in his favour, it was also a disadvantage. The story of Pokémon Red was clearly too long to fit into four episodes and the vast majority was relegated to montage sequences. The narration was enough to make me understand what was going on, but it was obvious that only the older loyal fans were truly welcome.

The extremely rushed pace took a toll on the story and character development, as Misty only has a cameo appearance and we never focus on any Pokémon other than Red's Charmander. The story was torn between trying to relay Red's entire journey, and showing a coherent story in each episode. However, with this challenge the producers did surprisingly well.



WHAT WOULD I DO? Hypothetically, if I could change anything about Origins, what would it be?

Thinking of the bigger picture, I would not have made it at all. Basing it on Pokémon Red fundamentally restricted its audience share and relevance, and doomed it to be a short, one-off special. Its real benefits were a more serious and energetic style, adherence to the games, listening to fans' desires, a planned story resolution and appeal for older viewers, not anything specifically related to the original story.

Instead, I would have incorporated these elements into a much-needed reboot of the main series to clear away the 15+ years of continuity and make it easier for new fans to get into the Pokémon franchise. Tying the anime into the video game releases directly would allow for periodic refreshes. This would help to avoid the story getting repetitive and tired, and forces a deadline for the protagonist to achieve their goals and satisfy the viewer. Note that Red achieved more in two episodes than Ash Ketchum has in his entire run; children don't look up to perpetual failures! (I sure didn't)

At the same time, I would have kept some of the goofy humour that entertained me as a young child. The fun and length of the original anime seasons combined with the intensity and resolution of Origins would make a very engaging, attractive and popular series.



FINAL VERDICT:

Pokémon: Origins learned from the lessons of the main anime more than it ever did itself. It's just a shame it will remain a short side note.

7.5/10 (but only watch if you have some interest or background in Pokémon)