Pokemon: The Origin

Pokémon are marvelous creatures that come in a variety of types and sizes, with abilities, powers, and personalities as diverse as they are numerous. Doctor Yukinari Ookido has dedicated his life to studying these fascinating beings, that can be caught, trained, traded, and battled against each other. There's only so much he can do from his lab though. With this in mind, Ookido entrusts two young boys with a Pokémon of their own and a computerized encyclopedia to catalog them. One of them, Green, is brash, passionate, slightly arrogant, and Doctor Ookido's own nephew. The other boy, Red, is equally passionate, and filled with a wide-eyed, mildly naive sense of wonder.

Pokémon: The Origin follows Red in his journey through the region of Kanto in his attempt to complete his "Pokédex" by capturing and cataloging all the Pokémon that exist. Along the way he'll discover there's more to himself and his goals than he originally thought. Red will have to put both himself and his Pokémon to the test in special Gyms whose leaders are steps along the way to the Pokémon League, in order to challenge the Elite Four and become a Pokémon League Champion.

Aside from his goals to become a Champion, Red has other problems brewing. There are others who capture and train Pokémon for more sinister reasons, with the infamous criminal organization Team Rocket being one of them. If Red can defeat them, fellow trainers, his rival Green, and wild Pokémon all through Kanto, he just may fulfill his own dream, and Doctor Ookido's as well.

Red Main

Takeuchi, Junko Japanese

Ookido, Green Main

Eguchi, Takuya Japanese

Pikachu Supporting

Takeshi Supporting

Sugita, Tomokazu Japanese

Kasumi Supporting

Mewtwo Supporting

Eievui Supporting

Mew Supporting

Gengar Supporting

Fushigidane Supporting

Kuroki, Rui Producer

Katou, Hiroyuki Producer

Nishizawa, Masatomo Producer

Takahashi, Hideya Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Oct 4, 2013

sebba93

Recommended

The Pokemon anime series is something i droped for many years, basically is just the same formula but a different region with new Pokémon and so on.

I came back just for one reason. I played the original game in a Game Boy when I was 10, and since then i followed the games, maybe for someone the games are like i just said about the anime "the same formula but a different region with new Pokémon" but i think the games, in fact, are more fun and engaging.

Now, back to the animation... I love it.

It takes the most memorables moments of the original game like ... the Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town,maybe it will jump many of your personal favorite moments, but the ones you really know, they are here. For only 4 episodes it was pretty good and awesome. 8/10

The characters are just like in the game like our cocky-hated rival Green or our greedy Giovanny, a copycat form the game, and that is GOOD 8/10

The music, an orchestrated tunes form the classic tracks from the game. Sure they are many, but I wish it had been more. 9/10

The art is not bat at all, acutually is pretty awesome but i think they could do it much better, like the Pokemon Movies.
Is something between a regular episode and a movie 7/10

It's a love letter to the first games (with a little wink to the next Nintendo 3DS relased) I recomend to any fan of Pokémon, more if you are more in the Games rather the anime and I enjoyed a lot 10/10

It's gets a 8,4/10 + 0,6 for nostalgia.
TOTAL=9/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jun 21, 2014

NeverKnowsBest26

Mixed Feelings

Nostalgia can be a detriment to looking at something through a critical lens. Fond memories can blur your judgment concerning the quality of a work of fiction, especially if it's something you grew up on. This is the pit-trap waiting for the generation of anime fans who grew up in the 90's watching and playing Pokémon in this four episode special. Pokémon Origins retells memorable events of the first two Pokémon games in animated form. No doubt it will bring forth warm fuzzy memories of popping Pokémon in your Gameboy for the first time, but once put under a critical light, the special bares questionable ... results at best.

Origins chronicles the adventures of Red, named after one of the first two games, on his quest to become a skilled Pokémon trainer and complete Professor Oak's Pokédex. His adventure covers the entirety of the first Pokémon games, which means sticking to the original 150 Pokémon (for the most part). It also means condensing an entire games worth of content into only four 20-or-so minute episodes. The show deals with this by having narration that lists off events that happened presumably in the time between episodes. This, of course, is a textbook example of weak writing, not to mention it breaks the cardinal rule of ‘show, don’t tell’. The story is not being told to us as much as it is being spoon-fed to us. Certainly, the events will elicit major nostalgia for anyone who has played the games, however, that alone is not a sign of good writing. In fact, the storytelling here relies almost solely on nostalgia. Since large chunks of Red’s adventure are told though narration, it doesn’t feel like the audience is on the journey with him. We are told about the wonderful world of Pokémon, but we’re never allowed to explore it with Red. This results in difficulty actually being invested in Red’s adventure, outside of our own nostalgia of the game.

Not helping the matters is that none of the characters develop in a natural progression. We see Red become a master Pokémon trainer, but we never experience it. This is, again, because most if his adventure is narrated, which makes it more expository than experiential. It becomes difficult to gauge his growth as a trainer and a person, and summarizes what should have been shown as hard earned experience. He does have a distinct character arc that is easy to map out, but it just isn’t explored particularly well. Of course, Red is the central character and as a result the most developed, which doesn’t bode well for any of the other characters. Blue/Green (depending on what language you’re watching) is Red’s rival, and he’s given enough personality to not be one-note, particularly with his sometimes friendly sometimes antagonistic relationship with Red. However, he’s ultimately there to be a rival that Red can play off, and he doesn’t develop too much beyond that. Likewise, most of the characters feel kind of like stepping stones for Red as he develops into a better trainer; pretty much all of them are there to either teach Red a lesson or antagonize him into action. Needless to say, any character development for them is light or rushed. Team Rocket leader Giovanni’s sudden change of heart might have been an affecting moment if we actually got to know him first. Instead, we get his backstory in a few minutes during his battle with Red.

With all this said, it must be asked: is Pokémon Origins a failure? Well, no. Not really. This is a project that was clearly banking on the nostalgia of its viewership, and love for the franchise. In a way, it’s almost a reward for their devotion. It’s kind of a walk down memory lane for anyone who grew up with the games and the TV show. Watching Red travel, train, and battle reminds us of all the hours we put into beating the game and completing the Pokédex. We’re treated to game menu screens being incorporated into the show, fully animated re-enactments of scenes and battles, and nostalgia inducing iconic soundtrack. The animation is also much better compared to that of the TV series, perhaps even better than some of the movies. The boost in budget compliments the creative and varied Pokémon designs quite well, some Pokémon look better than ever. Battles are done with an abundance of energy, and while sometimes short and predictable, they are entertaining and often more violent than those of the TV show.

Nostalgia is nice, but it is no substitute for good storytelling. This is most certainly the problem with Pokémon Origins. The story being told is far too big to effectively be told in just four episodes, the world too expansive. This results in the massive amount of exposition, heavy narration, and unnatural pacing that plagues Origins. It might bring forth pleasant memories of your early gaming years, but doesn’t succeed in telling its story through the visual medium, instead relying on your own fond nostalgia. When it comes down to it, you might as well just play the games again instead, it’s a much more rewarding experience.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Mar 11, 2015

literaturenerd

Not Recommended

Story and characters: 4/10

The OVA promised to follow the story of the original Pokemon Red and besides adding a mega-evolution for Charizard at the end, it pretty much did exactly that. Our hero is named Red instead of Ash and he actually captures all the Pokemon. He doesn't randomly release his best fighters, he actually wins his gym battles without cheating, the Pokemon actually use real moves and not bullshit like "dodge", and he actually dismantles the Team Rocket Organization. So this is WAY better than the original Pokemon anime right?....right? The problem is that Pokemon wasn't a game that sold so well because of ... the amazing plot and characters. Games like the Final Fantasy games, Metal Gear series, Mass Effect, all sold copies primarily based on their interesting stories and characters. Pokemon sold games based on excellent gameplay, game mechanics, and addictive/competitive nature. Red says his goal is to "complete the Pokedex" rather than being the strongest trainer like Ash wanted. However, we never see any strong motive for Red's desire. He isn't a scientist trying to collect all the Pokemon to study them. The Pokemon seem to be literally stored as data in the PC rather than living on Oak's ranch, so he certainly isn't making friends. In fact that seems pretty damn cruel when you think about it. Red doesn't really have any character traits that make him interesting or give him depth. Green is just as bland. He doesn't have a squad of cheerleaders like Gary and while still a dick, isn't the same epic caliber douche that we all love to hate. The Gym Leaders aren't nearly as memorable and I actually started to miss the goofy Team Rocket trio because this Team Rocket was so boring. Pokemon Red's plot worked fine as a game, but had ZERO business being adapted into an anime.

Art: 6/10

The art was actually pretty good. I guess if there was a single thing that justified this anime's existence, it would be the art and getting to see pokemon battles with vastly superior animation to the original series. Of course, I haven't watched the main Pokemon anime since about 2001, so maybe the animation for the main series is just as good at this point.

Music: 5/10

The music is actually the music from the original game. That was a nice touch, but the original Pokemon anime had a soundtrack that I actually thought surpassed the game's soundtrack.

Overall: 4/10

"Pokemon: The Origin" is in the running for the most needless and pointless anime ever made. I've only seen a few other anime like "Eva: Death and Rebirth" that filled me with such a strong desire to scream: "why was this shit even made?!" I know it was made for the quick and easy money, but surely there must be a better way to both make money and please the massive Pokemon fanbase than this!

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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