Pokemon Movie 08: Mew to Hadou no Yuusha Lucario

After so many years and whatnot, most fans would think that eventually the Pokemon movies would lose their charm that the first few gave. I was starting to believe that myself.

What made Lucario and the Mystery of Mew so appealing was that instead of just showing a legendary pokemon and making it more epic than it really needs to be, this Pokemon movie took a step backwards and just didn't use a legendary pokemon as a main character (Mew seemed more as a side character) but Lucario was also close to the old atmosphere that made the older movies so great.

The very first scene shows ... a raging two-sided war. That alone drew me in for I knew that this movie was much more than what Pokemon Ranger or The Spell of the Unknown was. It had the same feel as Pokemon 2000 and The First Movie. It was a fun ride, I'll tell you that.

The animation was phenomenal in the movie. From the sparkling spirit of lucario's last moments to the action scenes, the movie never let up on the pretty graphics. Everything had a real fantasy look to it and it's very cool to see on a HD TV.

The sound was great, even if a little familiar. The usual opening scene of Ash battling someone to the tune of a recent opening song from the main series (which was lost in some other movies) was a fun scene to watch. By now it seems the dub DVDs will never supply us with a Japanese track, which is disheartening to say the least.

Lucario is by far one of the better "main" movie pokemon characters. He was lik a mix of Lugia and Entei combined into one and his personality was amusing. Sir Aaron was another likable character, though his time on screen is short.

After Jirachi Wishmaker and Destiny Deoxys, many people thought that Pokemon movies were falling into a sinkhole but it's great to see that Lucario and the Mystery of Mew was able to pull through. I recommend it to the die-hard pokemon fans. And maybe a few others that are looking for something to watch on a Friday night.

This movie, out of all the Pokemon movies, is my absolute favorite.

-Story-
The story line keeps you guessing, no matter what part it is at. I could watch this movie over and over and over again, and the ending is very moving. Anyone, even those who don't like Pokemn that much, will find this story absolutely great.

-Art-
They had a lot of new art, and the setting was beautiful.They had a lot of fun with the outfits (in the beginning). I did not see any art errors whatsoever.

-Sound-
I loved the theme song (it is my favorite one) and I loved the ending song as well. All the ... songs in the middle during the different scenes really set the tone and mood. I have no complaints.

-Character-
The whole thing with Lucario being involved was a true throw-off from what the Pokemon series is use to. The only characters that are humans are extreme minor characters (except the Pokemon Hunter; she was a Major Minor character, but she did not fill an important role).

-Enjoyment-
I loved this moving. Whenever I watch the ending, I can't help but shead tears. I could watch this over and over, and I wouldn't get sick of watching it.

-Overall-
Overall, this is my absolute favorite Pokemon Movie so far. It has great backbones in the plot, and they did a lot of changes I wish would continue throughout the rest of the movies and series.

I'm note sure how I really feel about this one. I have many problems with it, but I can't say I think it's completely worthless. Mew was very cute in this and Lucario was actually cool. But I can't recommend this film. Bother only if you're an avid fan of Lucario or Mew.

Better to get the good out of the way. The soundtrack was fine, even if not on the level of the first, second or fifth film. Art, on the other hand, was not fine - it was much better. Just like in the last film, the artists did a great job. ... While not breaking standards set by previous films, some images present in here will stay vividly with you for days after you've watched it.

What else was good? Lucario ended up being a well crafted character, even if a bit stereotypical. Unfortunately, the relationship with his trainer was completely predictable and some of Lucario's lines towards his master were extremely bad. Fortunately, this didn't diminish Lucario's character. His interaction with Ash was a bit more aggressive than Pokemon sequels usually dare to go, making for a somewhat refreshing dynamic.

When discussing this film, it can easily be broken down into three main sections. That is to say, the film shifts gears twice, changing its style. These sections are at the castle, aproaching the mountain and in the mountain. Of the three, the only one I'd characterize as good is the second one. It's also the shortest.

Considering that the introduction scene is the same as in so many other Pokemon films, I don't have much to say about it. It isn't particulary bad, but I can't say much good about it either. It's just there. I guess seeing a hundred copy-pasted pokemon fighting was somewhat novel.

Now we get to the real begining of the Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Film lures us in with neat arhitecture. We get to really enjoy the location for a few minutes as Ash battles another trainer. A bit later into the act, film uses classy outfits to draw us into an oppulent party. Both of these disguise the main problem of the film for only a few minutes. After the wow factor fades away, you start to notice the dialogue and interactions between the characters. Simply put, they aren't interesting. There are a few pokemon-only shenanigans used to distract the viewer, but they're not nearly as effective as in most other films.

At one moment Brock sees a girl and opens his stalking notebook. As he reads through the insanely stupid list of the poor gal's achievements, the realization hits you that this is supposed to be funny. The party drags on forever and it's only after Ash summons Lucario that things get a bit interesting. How did he do it? Due to lazy writing, of course. For some unexplained reason his aura is the same as Lucario's master's (even if their character is nothing alike).

Throughout these first 40 minutes of the film, we're treated to multiple scenes of Team Rocket and other characters doing irrelevant things. All in all, there's around fifteen minutes of footage which should have definitely been scraped, as it adds nothing to the experience.

After the film shifts geas, we're sent on a journey towards the crystal mountain. The not-so-challenging journey is perilous since, well... No one's ever been there. As baffling as this is, the following 20 minutes feature some neat scenes. Ash and Lucario clash, Lucario gets to act tsundere and a few jokes are genuinely funny. On the other hand, the stupidity doesn't leave. We discover some flowers which record and show the past. Apparently no one's ever tried harvesting this power, or at the very least we aren't informed of it, as the film just glances over the topic. Next up, the gang trriggers a thousand year old crystal flower with Lucario's master's memories. How this is possible, I don't know. Then, as the gang is attacked by underwhelmingly weak Regi legendaries, we approach the third act.

In the third part of the film we're treated to a fun subplot - Mew & Pikachu playing. A few of their scenes are shown earier, but the culmination of the subplot happens here and I gotta give credit where it's due - it works.

As for the main plot, the film completely breaks down here. Starting here, the film contains numerous vices and sins that Pokemon films indulged into throughout the years. There's the sentinent mountain's very own defense system against humans (no, I'm not joking), villains having acces to impossible technology, there's shallow mysticism, characters surviving impossible falls and nature acting in baffling ways. Pokemon was never about realism, but within every work exists a treshold where the world starts breaking down. I could go in depth and explain each and every thing wrong, but this is a review, not an in depth critique. Not to mention the length of this piece is already going too far. The gist of what I'm saying is - at a certain point you simply stop caring as the rules have been bent too far and the whole thing becomes boring. Well, at the very least they haven't ruined Lucario's character.

I'm left with two distinct impressions; I see a neat concept with a single nicely realized character. I also see a mess of a film with no consisteny, a boring first part and an inane second half. There are a few neat Lucario moments sprinkled therein, but I can't recommend it to anyone expecting a good film. Fortunately for Lucario and his Mistery, there's a rabbid fanbase of the character out there. And this fanbase will go through anything just to watch him some more. This film is tailored for them, even if it's a trainwreck. So, enjoy the film, I guess.

Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, as the name implies, follows Lucario, a rare Pokémon who was sent centuries into the future by being trapped in a staff by his teacher Aaron. Lucario has been my favorite Pokémon for as long as I can remember, and this movie represents him perfectly. His relationship with Aaron is great, and his character is cool, yet endearing. This movie has so much more heart than many other Pokémon movies. It's tragic, exciting, and uplifting. The animation is also fantastic, and while the cgi has aged badly, the 2D animation allows Lucario and the others to make some really ... funny and charming expressions as well as really realistic movements and reactions. The backgrounds are also beautiful, the artists really getting a chance to show off the beauty of Lucario and Aaron's kingdom. Now, I know what you're asking. Should I watch the dub or the sub? Well, I think they both have their own strengths and weaknesses, but I would have to say the sub for a couple reasons I'll get into later. One of the best parts of the sub is the dynamic between Lucario and Sir Aaron. Lucario's deep gravely voice in the dub is awesome, but it has the downside of kind of undermining the dynamic of Aaron being Lucario's mentor since his voice is so much deeper than
Aaron's. In the sub, Lucario still has an awesome voice, but he still sounds younger and less mature than . Aaron's voice is also a lot better in the sub. The final scene is great in the dub, but the fantastic performances of the Japanese voice actors brings it from good to great. I know some people don't really care for Ash's voice in the dub. I have a nostalgia bias for it, but I think just about anyone can enjoy Ash in the sub. Now, to explain this next part, and what truly makes this film a masterpiece, I'm going to have to spoil things a little. So if you haven't seen the movie yet, I'd consider waiting to read this. In the post credits scene, Ash and his friends return to Cameron Palace to find Lucario being added to the painting of Sir Aaron in order to honor them. In the dub, Lucario is running on all fours next to Sir Aaron and his Pidgeot. While this certainly is a great painting, the way the sub handles this is what truly makes it fantastic. In the sub, the painting shows Lucario standing tall on 2 feet next to Sir Aaron, the two of them the main focus against a backdrop of a barren landscape. In the sub, Ash is given an extra line, and this one comment says SO much. As a smile appears on Ash's face, he proudly proclaims that THIS, THIS acknowledgement, THIS closure, THIS is what let's him know that Lucario has finally met Sir Aaron again. This one moment, as Ash is finally able to smile again, and help the kingdom realize how much of a hero Lucario truly was, all while seeing the fricking awesome painting that perfectly represents Lucario and Sir Aaron's relationship is the greatest scene in any anime I've ever seen. I hope I've shown you why this film means so much to me and why I've given it a ten. I simply can't even imagine giving it anything lower. This film has just had such an effect on me, and I still tear up whenever I watch the ending. If this film even remotely interests you, I implore you to go on iTunes and buy or rent it, only the dub is offered right now, which is still good, but if we let them know we like this, maybe we'll get the sub! This is my first review ever, I know the beginning was weak, but I just don't really know where to begin with this film, and I really hope I've managed to convey how passionate and empowered this film makes me when I broke down the final scene. (P.S. Part of this review was also posted on iTunes, so if you do go on their and read the reviews, don't think I plagiarized anyone!)

Our heroes - or mainly, Ash - compete in a contest at Cameron Palace to earn the title of the "Guardian of the Aura". Little do they know that the legend of Sir Aaron may not be as it seems, and that the staff that's been handed down from generation to the next actually holds within it a Pokémon Lucario - an apprentice of Sir Aaron himself.

The movie's plot if pretty good, the art is the usual level of Pokémon movies, and I really liked this film; it was eventful, didn't repeat itself (something that happens in children’s movies/shows all too often to underline the ... meaningful points in the plot), and the inner struggle and emotions of people and Pokémon alike were easy to sympathize with. The story was also coherent, and there weren’t weird twists or errors. Even Team Rocket fit in very well in this one.

Mew makes its second appearance here. I miss the voice it had in the first movie, but what can you do. Also, I don't know why, but May didn't look or sound like herself in this one (maybe the voice actor changed, and her look at the ball was a lot different from her usual traveling outfit).

All in all a must-see for Pokémon fans. One of the best movies in the series, for sure!

***This is a spoiler free review***

I don’t necessarily want to be labeled as that guy who reviews Pokemon stuff but after seeing the two very drastically different reviews for Pokemon Movie 8: Lucario and The Mystery of Mew, there was a dire need for a decent review.

Like many major anime franchises such as Bleach and Naruto, Pokemon has many movies that accompany the different seasons airing. While some of the Pokemon movies seem rushed out and bland, I believe Pokemon Movie 8: Lucario and The Mystery of Mew is a very well done movie wrapped around a fairly good cast.

Story 6/10:

So the eighth Pokemon movie ... centers around the Pokemon Advanced cast of Ash, Brock, Max, and May which happens to be my 2nd favorite overall cast in the Pokemon universe. Ash and company are visiting a festival that has a pokemon competition as the main event. Ash does his thing and wins the whole shibang creating the starting point for the movie. Without giving too much away, things happen and with the help of Lucario, Ash and friends are off on a quest to save a freaking huge tree. It might sound uninteresting from my horribly written summary but to tell you the truth, this movie is based mostly on the backstory of Lucario and the chemistry he and Ash form. The plot is interesting enough to hold onto and I generally like the beginning, middle, and ending.

Animation 8.3/10:

It’s really hard to judge the animation because it might be a hit or miss for some people. The animation looks like it has some sort of filter (can't really describe it although its not a negitive thing). The production values from what I can tell were pretty high as some of the scenes are beautiful and full of outstanding reflections. The overall color palette emphasizes on dark shades and bright colors (very bright reds and greens) which works for me. Other than the big important scenes, everything else looks fine and not hard on the eyes. I rarely experienced any frame rate or blurring issues when watching the film. It looks great and everything is fluid.

Sound 6.5/10:

***This is biased off of watching the English Dub***

I have always watched Pokemon in English since I was a kid and watching this in English made me respect English speaking voice actors even more than before. Every character has a very nicely done dub to accompany the animations of the characters. Ash, May, and Brock (I didn't check for Max but I am pretty sure its the same as well) have the same voice actors as the ones in the series, Pokemon Advanced which to loyal fans is a plus. The musical score is average at best, mostly consisting of orchestrated songs and pop one here and there. The pokemon sound like…pokemon. What I’m trying to get at here is that the English Dub is quite good and everything else works. Not spectacular but not horrible.

Characters 7/10:

Pokemon has always relied on the audience enjoying the interactions of the characters. When you have seasons branching out to 100+ episodes, if the characters don’t work well the series will flop. Ash is the same as when he started his adventure, rash, bold, and way too friendly. He’s not a male lead I respect as much as say Ichigo but he gets the job done. I hate Max; don’t really have a valid reason why but I just find him annoying. Brock is the world’s greatest “player” as he hits on everything that moves (props my main man). I have always liked May because every movie that she is in I have grown to like. She and Ash have nice chemistry together and it shows in the movie. I honestly didn’t feel for any of the other minor characters except for Lucario. Lucario initially is an a$$hole but eventually warms up to Ash. Overall, the main cast works well but definitely outshines the supporting roles.

Overall 7/10:

The movie kept me interested with the backstory of Lucario and the interaction between the characters as a whole. Animation was good enough to get the job done and in some incidents was very well done. The quality of the voice overs for the entire staff was very well done. The character interactions were quite good and made me want to watch Pokemon Advanced all over again. Overall, it’s a good movie whether you are a Pokemon fan or not. I recommend it to anyone that is looking for something to kill an hour and a half with.

Enjoyment: 8/10

***To Pokemon Lovers: If you are craving a different take on Pokemon, I strongly encourage you start reading the manga Pokemon Adventures as it follows the games and has a very different view of the Pokemon Universe. The manga faithfully follow the games and at the moment has +500 chapters to enjoy.***

Thanks for reading my review! If you liked my writing style, would like to see some other reviews, or just want to talk, please stop by my page!

Sincerely,
Awesome Drummer

The eighth Pokemon movie begins with a sequence showing events from years ago, during a medieval looking era. It was when the main Pokemon of the movie were introduced, Mew and Lucario, and also Lucario’s trainer/master Aaron, a kind of knight from a palace or kingdom. At that time, there was a war happening between different kingdoms, using Pokemon and people as soldiers. At the end of the sequence, Aaron abandoned Lucario and his kingdom, because of the war. Unfortunately, this left Lucario sad and confused. That was the most interesting part of the movie, maybe a good idea for a spin-off about that time.

Back ... to the present time, Satoshi and friends (Haruka, Takeshi and Masato) were going to a festival that happen in the palace from that time. The festival sequence was pretty fun and was used to introduce more movie only characters, like Eileen (the current queen of the palace) and Kidd Summers. Lucario also reappears, thanks to Satoshi, because he was similar to Aaron in spirit.

The main plot really begins when Mew appeared and took away Pikachu and Nyarth to the Tree of World’s Origin, where that Mew lives. The movie was basically a rescue mission, about Satoshi and friends, and even Rocket Gang (Musashi and Kojirou), trying to bring back Pikachu and Nyarth, with the help of Lucario and Kidd. Exactly the same premise of the third Pokemon movie.

The real problem with this movie starts here. Basically, there was no real urgency or an antagonist, unlike in the third movie. Pikachu and Nyarth weren’t actually in danger. For example, what would happen if Satoshi and friends took one week, one month or even one year to reach the Tree. Mew was having fun playing with Pikachu and Nyarth, Mew was not a real threat. Meanwhile, the movie spends a lot of time with the characters driving a car to reach the Tree, and showing flashbacks about Lucario’s life with Aaron at the war time. Wouldn’t be more interesting if they quickly arrived the Tree and the movie showed they walking in the Tree most part of the time, with Lucario interacting with them and becoming friends while they were in danger, instead of spending a lot time driving a car, without tension, to reach the Tree.

When the characters were in the Tree, there was a bit of danger, because the Tree had some White Blood Cells, which protect the Tree against bacteria (humans in this case), which was a cool concept, but other than that, there were not many challenges in the Tree for the characters, unlike in the Crystal Tower of the third movie.

It was a bit weird and disappointing how easily some things were solved or simply weren’t solved for whatever was the reason. For example, when they were in the Tree, Satoshi saw Pikachu at the top of the Tree, why didn't Satoshi just used Ohsubame to fly to the top of the Tree to get Pikachu, apparently that would be too easy, Satoshi plays in hard mode. In addition to the Tree’s Cells, there were also the Regi trio (Regirock, Regice and Registeel), that were like guardians of the Tree, which doesn’t make much sense, if the Cells already exist to protect the Tree and how the Regis were easily avoided. It was just because the Cells don’t count Pokemon as bacteria or because the movies need to show legendary Pokemon. When the characters were absorbed by the Cells, Mew simply appeared and solved the problem, telling to the Tree that Satoshi and friends were not bacteria.

The movie also had the same problem as other Pokemon movies, the secondary characters like Haruka, Takeshi and Masato were not really important. Even characters like the queen and Kidd weren’t very important. It’s understandable that the characters of the series weren’t too useful, they need to be in the movie just because they are the main cast of the series, but other characters could have been more important. Even the Pokemon of the main cast weren’t much used, a common problem in some Pokemon movies. There weren’t many battles or action choreographies, that could show more tension or danger to the viewer, which was a bit disappointing, because people love a good Pokemon battle or action scene. Lucario protecting the characters from Regis was a bit similar to Lugia in the second movie, but even Lucario protecting them was not too impressive as Lugia.

Finally, the climax, after finding Pikachu and Nyarth. The sudden human activity in the Tree caused problems for Mew and the Tree, because they were like one. Mew was weakened and the Tree started to collapse, exactly like the Crystal Tower in the third movie. In this part, there was a twist about Aaron. Lucario finally figured out the truth about him. Lucario then solved the situation, fulfilling its role in this movie and the movie ends, exactly like in the third movie, but extremely abrupt and easy.

Like other Pokemon movies, this movie was enjoyable. It was well animated, the scenarios were beautiful, the opening sequence was fun, soundtrack was fine and there were some interesting ideas. However, was a bit disappointing in rewatch, considering the amount of time without real tension, the lack of an antagonist, how easily some things were solved, the abrupt ending and the lack of an interesting theme. It was fun to watch it as a child, but paying attention is easy to see that some things could be better. If you are not familiar with Pokemon movies, this movie probably is not the best entry, and if you are familiar, you will notice that some things here were done better in other Pokemon movies.

That was my first review, sorry for any mistake.

A good movie.
The first half or so was pretty weak. I didn’t like the use of medival fantasy elements, (never been a fan of those), and the plot wasn’t very interesting at first. The Rescue Pikachu stuff wasn’t really very engaging, and the whole ball scene was way too long.
But by the halfway point of the movie, and especially by the point when the Regis were introduced, things got very interesting with the Tree of Beginning plot and the whole time flower stuff, and it built until the ending of the movie, which was as intense and emotional as expected for the franchise.
The action scenes ... were quite good, and though there wasn’t much good humor, there was a lot of nice emotional moments especially, once again, the ending.
And as usual, the animation and atmosphere was great. The CGI was cringeworthy at times but for the most part things looked very lovely, especially scenes like the intro to the Tree of Beginning and the opening scene, but the entire final half felt really nice and “epic” too.
So it’s not one of my very favorites, but quite good. Would recommend to any fan. And hey, if you like medival fantasy more than I do, it might be your favorite.

An excerpt from my Lucario and the Mystery of Mew Review. Watch the full thing here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tcgJ2BZHPVg

“Pokemon hit the United States with unbridled success as children all over the world began to tune in to Ash Misty and Brock's adventures all over the world. It captured a raw, childlike enjoyment of seeing cute animals violenting engage in battles for the sake of a young child master everyone could relate too. But with the engagement of the morality of Pokémon capture being questioned on the daily, it was clear to Gamefreak it was time to change things up. With the late turn of the century and ... the debut of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and the fourth generation of the series, Satoshi and his team took a great risk, taking the series in unheard of directions and culminating with the release of a more mature and adutlt film based on the series on July 15, 2005 as Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. This huge risk paid off and the fourth generation of the series became known by fans as one of the most groundbreaking and memorable entries, pushing the series into years of sucess, leading up to today with the series still going strong!
What makes Lucario and the Mystery of Mew so strong and allows it to stand the test of time is that it presents its titular lead, Lucario, with perhaps one of most empathetic stories in the entire series. Lucario didn’t fight for his human friend Aaron, he wasn’t capture by Aaron in a Pokeball. No, Lucario and Aaron went through a literal war together and became buddies. This is without a doubt one of the most badas* feats in the Pokémon series so far, and the tragic fate that befalls these two friends says so much about this seemingly “perfect” childlike world. The fact that such empathetic and truly free characters met inch a hard fate is one of the most subversive statements I’ve ever seen an anime make.”

I loved this movie so much! It was the reason why lucario is my favorite pokemon. On top of that, it was the first pokemon movie I saw. It ended up making me like mew a lot as well. I just found it very entertaining to me, and I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't watched it yet. I absolutely love pokemon in general, I was raised on it, and this has got to be my favorite pokemon movie I've seen so far. I watched it when I was like 8 or 9, and I still remember it very well since it was so ... memorable to me.

A very odd setting in this Pokemon movie, I believe it takes place in Britain. Ash is mistaken as the new savior. As Ash hold a mysterious staff, he feels that he could hear someones soul speaking out to him...

As the Queen tells the reborn Lucario about what happened to his deceased master, he reluctantly joins Ash and friends to fix The Tree of Life.

As the crew and their Pokemon get seperated, the Pokemon befriend Mew, as it has grown weaker due to the Tree dying.

Ash and Lucario have the same aura, so they both try and save the tree. Lucario pushes Ash away, and ... Lucario saves the tree, but dies.

This movie was another Pokemon movie I enjoyed as a kid. It's story is great, and many tears were shed.

Omg this movie wasn’t like a lot of the other Hoenn movies. It’s not Temple of the Sea worthy no, but it’s its own kind of movie.

The animation and overall visual of the movie is PHENOMENAL and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The Tree itself is very interesting and I loved every bit of its lore.

And no spoilers but, there’s a certain element of dramatic irony in the story, but when the truth reveals itself to the characters, it becomes much more emotional.

Certain parts of the movie encore certain feelings: laughter, joy, anxiety, anger, and above all: PAIN AND SADNESS.

OMG THIS MOVIE IS SO SAD. ... I don’t think a Pokémon movie has made me THIS sad.

But overall yeah this movie is really good. Not a masterpiece but still really good.

Rating: 8/10