Pokemon: The Origin

Pokemon the Origin retells the story of the actual generation 1 Pokemon games and is in no way connected to the long running cat-ash-trophe.

The art and sound a massivle improved over the long running TV-show.
The battles are very fluent and dynamic, animations are not reused and Pokemon don't shout out their own name all the time and instead grunt, bark and howl.
So both, Art and Sound get a solid 8.
Both are executed very well.

The story is slightly altered from the original games, but follows the script for the most part.
Since this is a 4-episode adaption of a fairly long RPG-campaign only very few scenes are ... fully shown in detail, but those moments are indeed the most memorable from the game.
While the story of the games in itself is a fairly basic one this doesn't change in this adaptation.
While the story had to be shortened, the writer did a great job in deciding what to keep, and what to only to quickly reference.
All in all they did a fair job in working with what they got,
thus the story gets a solid score of 6.

The main charackters, Red and Green are slightly altered from the game to adapt to the new medium, gladfully so, since a mute main charackter whould be rather boring to watch.
Also, Red and Green interact more often as well as over longer periodes of time, which polishes their charackters up to a more modern standard.
The simlistic charackters from the game were updated and the writer did a good job in doing so.
The charackters score a very solid 7.
Changes are super effective!

I enjoyed the OVA very much.
X/Y are the first Pokemon games i will play since my silver edition.
Since i'm kind of excited about those games, this might have improved the enjoyment even more, raising it up to 9.

Overall the OVA is a very good adaption of a game i loved in my childhood.

If you were, at any point, interested in any Pokemon-generation, this OVA has a good chance to be fun to watch.

It respects it's source material and is basically what i wanted when i tuned in on the Pokemon TV series, when i was a child.

It took 15 years, but the games finally got a show, which was worth watching.

This four episode special commonly known as Pokemon Origins is a quick summary of the original games Pokemon: Red, Blue and Green.

The story was very easy to understand, that is if one has played the original games or the GBA remakes FireRed and LeafGreen. The story follows Red on his quest to fill the pokedex for Professor Oak. Along the way he gains gym badges, encounters and beats Team Rocket and becomes Pokemon league champion. Simple premise except for the X and Y promotion at the end.

The art was well done nothing out of this world. There's not much to ... say on the art style other than it looked good.

The sound was extremely nostalgic, as redone versions of the original music in the game, it was fantastic.

The characters were as their game counterparts thus, they were amazing. Green/Blue (depending on sub or dub) is the mirror image of his 8-bit counterpart equipped with a cocky and an overall jerk like attitude. (just like Gary in the more well-known anime) Red on the other hand is given a personality of his very own. Ambitious, upbeat and willing to put an end to Team Rockets's plans, Red is seen as an overall good character who is worth rooting for.

I found this special to be very enjoyable, although I did not particularly take pleasure in the X and Y promotional scene, I thought it was an epic action sequence, but it could have been just as awesome without the need for Charizard to mega evolve. I liked the sub of this special more than the dub, watch the dub if you want however, I do not recommend it.

Overall, I would give Pokemon Origins a 7/10.

Like many people, I first played Pokémon on my old Gameboy Color (which should still work if I remember where I last put it), but unlike many hardcore fans I started with the second generation's Silver, and then went on to play the three games from the first generation (Red, Blue, and a bit of Yellow). I enjoyed the first season of the anime which aired all those years ago, and now, as a 20 year-old man, I decided, "fuck it, let's watch some Pokémon again", and ultimately ended up watching this.
I was surprised at how short the series was (only 4 episodes), but got ... sucked in quickly, following Red as he went on his adventures in a land I had known thanks to the video game, the anime, and a bit later on, the manga. So story-wise, it was quite enjoyable, with feels here and there (in one episode in particular).
The art gives off a slightly more realistic vision of the world most of us know and love, which is a nice change, and the sound is quite good too (though hearing the Pokémon say their names in Japanese takes a bit of getting used to).
Red, the main character, goes from an overconfident pillock to a reliable trainer and an enjoyable person to watch (to be honest, I did want to German Suplex him in the first episode), and Blue, his rival is actually more down to earth, headstrong and likable than Gary was in the anime. The Pokémon are cool, as they should be, drawn in more detail and actually living in a world that seems real, which is seriously cool.
I personally enjoyed this series, at least until maybe the last few minutes of the last episode, when something (not saying what) happened, that should not have happened in that universe and made me howl bloody murder. But that might just be because I despise any Pokémon game after Gen 4 (which was acceptable).
Either way, I'll give it an overall 8/10 because I quite enjoyed it, but had a problem with how the ending played out: either way, you (yes YOU, the person who is reading this on you computer screen, I know you are there...I know everything about you....) should watch this, it's fun, short and plays with your nostalgia and feelings.

This review contains heavy spoilers given Pokemon Origins is only an hour and a half length movie split up over 4 episodes. It attempts to cover the entirety of the events of the original Pokemon games and constantly references things that would make no sense if you hadn't played the games, even doing many word for word quotes of generic NPC dialogue. If you have not played said games, this special is absolutely not going to convince you otherwise, as it is pure fanservice, and I can't imagine anybody watching this special without already being a Pokemon fan. Given that almost anybody who ever turns ... on this special is in it for the fanservice, this special fails for doing a rather poor job at it.

The main thing that made that made me decide to randomly watch this is just simply that the terrible main character of the main anime, Ash, is replaced with Red, but Red's competence is largely shown off-camera as he magically captures all Pokemon and the legendary birds as a cliffnote. The character of Blue is outright worse than the main anime's version of Gary, regularly being a coward and/or useless, and his final battle with Red is very, very short with no real effort to explain why a Charizard beats a Blastoise other than Blue sitting and doing nothing as he loses. While the anime largely invented a character for Mewtwo, in this series he is a screaming beast that sounds awkward to say the least, and he casually loses to Red's Mega Charizard. This special's actual purpose was to advertise Mega Pokemon to people who only like the first generation, essentially, by appealing to them through the arbitrary mascot of that fandom, Charizard. I would argue Mewtwo is the secondary mascot of that portion of the fanbase, and humiliating him in such a fashion is rather undesirable.

The fight scenes are so bad and generic to the point they actually made me appreciate the main anime's fight scenes, which at least have some effort. Giovanni's fight is the one given the most focus in the series, and he decimates 5/6 of Red's Pokemon with a Rhyhorn, an unevolved Pokemon. Red is using fully evolved Pokemon that have type advantages against the Rhyhorn (which he hasn't used before and casually ditches after the fight), yet Rhyhorn defeats all of them in one hit. Giovanni claims his Pokemon is much higher in level, which shouldn't be possible when his is unevolved, unless you're going to pretend that the boss of Team Rocket wouldn't evolve his Pokemon as soon as possible. The attacks he uses are very unfitting such as Thunderbolt, even using it against a Jolteon that should be outright immune to it rather than any actual Ground attacks which would believably defeat it in one hit, which is supposed to be Giovanni's signature type anyway.

After this Rhyhorn with the full power of the writers behind it is finally defeated, Giovanni sends out a evolved Rhyhorn, Rhydon, against the only thing with more bias from the writers, Red's Charizard. Rhydon has a quadruple type advantage against Charizard, but despite the Rhyhorn casually defeating everything else, Charizard of course defeats Rhydon. It's almost as if the writers are going out of their way to ensure things with type advantages always lose. Within the original anime, Giovanni's Rhydon losing despite type advantage was one of the most infamous moments, and even when the writing favors Rhyhorn, poor Rhydon just can't seem to catch a break, being a rather pitiful mistake to be repeated countless years later. Giovanni generically gets very hyped up for this non-sensical battle, and disbands Team Rocket over it upon losing as a mediocre attempt to develop the character and justify Giovanni abandoning Team Rocket at the end of the games.

If it wasn't obvious, this series requires you to like Charizard a lot. The only particularly worthwhile moments fans would want to see redone are Blue, Mewtwo, and Giovanni, and the first two are casually glossed over and more generic than their anime counterparts while Giovanni's section is especially terrible.

Pokemon Origins : Everything the anime should be.

I know a lot of people might say that but I guess the main anime has another feel and charm about it and to compare the two would be a bit unfair. With that said let me come to the review part.

Story : 7

The story as a whole is quite nice. Given the length of the anime it tries its best to cover almost all the good memories of the original Pokemon games.
However, it does have a rushed feeling about (most probably because of the length of the anime). A few good moments are hastily done ... to ensure that the time limit quota is met. I personally would have liked to see Red's battle against elite four (and not just a few snapshots of it).
Now, to the good part. The battle against Giovanni is one the best (if not the best) Pokemon action I have ever seen. The battle is just perfect. It showed how Giovanni changed his mind about Pokemon and the part about his childhood was good too.
A debated part about the story could be the incorporation of the mega evolution. Some may dislike it, some may like it. I, for one did like it.

Art : 9

Brilliantly done. No issues about it. The artwork is based on the FireRed/LeafGreen games (instead of the original Red/Green/Blue) and the effort put in it is easily visible.

Sound : 8

Again, the sound is taken from the games and is done well.

Character : 9

Red is the trainer we all were when we played the game. He too starts by making the same mistakes we did (trying to catch the other trainer's pokemon, don't you deny it) and was quite relate-able.

Enjoyment : 9

Absolutely enjoyed the series. Brought back memories of the old GameBoy days and was nostalgic. It may be enjoyed by those who did not play the games but for those who did this series is a must watch.

It's easier to conform than to stand out. This review will be abit different from other reviews since I will explain the kind of impact this beautiful OVA had on me. Origins did an excellent job at redesigning our childhood and the game into a short OVA. It was emotional for me and it really made me grip on certain things. Seeing red...it wasn't just a trip back to the RBY days,it was hell of a lot deeper than that. I understood that everything I've wanted to be is like red. The individual who sparkles,the guy that always shows kindness to others,is just,and doesn't give ... up on his goals. His humility bewildered me,I came to realize everything I've ever wanted to be as a person is basically red. The Pokemon OVA was more of a spiritual journey for me than anything else. Starting as a rookie,lacking knowledge,not knowing the ways of the world. Then eventually slowly grinding your way to the top,hitting bumps as you go along,and sometimes hitting walls that you have to try to overcome. Sparkling with persistence, consistency,and ambition as you continue your struggle to reach your goals. The OVA did an amazing job at depicting who red was in only 4 episodes. I've come to realize by watching this OVA,that I have a long road ahead of me before I hit my goals. This OVA made me evaluate the kind of companions I want for the difficult journey of attaining my own goals,and thrills me with excitement as I await whoever im going to meet for the difficult adventure that lies in the future. By the end of this mini series,you cant help but be proud of red becoming a champion and one of the greatest trainers in the world. And it makes me excited when I dream of reaching a similar position to his,in whatever goal I'm aiming for. I give this series a 10/10 for its comprehensive portrayal of reds journey,and for inspiring me to evaluate myself. As a 22 year old man(if that's what you guys consider a man),I found both fulfillment and satisfaction in watching this anime. For those of you that like to use your time wisely and seek to enrich yourself with youthful splendor and inspiration,this OVA is a must. If you love Pokemon,this OVA is a must. For those who are inspired by this review, I hope you gain the same bountiful sense of joy when you watch it as I did. Peace.

Ah yes, Pokemon Origins. How could I ever forget you? The one thing that actually restored an amount of interest in the Pokemon franchise, if only for a 5 month period.

Let it be known, I do not wax nostalgic for the classic Gen 1 Pokemon games I do acknowledge that this series is designed just to cash in on the people who are nostalgic, and I can applaud or insult this series accordingly.

Let us break this down.

Story: 4/10
The intent of this short 4-episode OVA is to showcase the major events of the original Pokemon Red and Green games. It is the real 'Anime of ... the Game', while the long-running Pokemon series is little more then a cash-cow franchise's anime spin-off. Being a condensed direct adaption though, it is naturally very short on story. Of the many events within the games, the OVA only focuses on the opening hour or so of gameplay, the Lavender Town situation, defeating Team Rocket's boss, beating the Elite four along with the champion, and capturing/beating the Final Boss.
I seriously have surmised the majority of the story. The simplicity could have worked in its' favor, if not for the fact that situations in one episode rarely tie into the others. Individually, they stand on their own quite well. Together, they feel a bit more like episodes plucked from a long-running anime series.

Art: 9/10
In itself, the art is not the most spectacular thing about this OVA. The character designs are pretty flat and bland, though there is enough give to them that allows the characters to express what limited emotions they have. What makes it great is the effects. Every battle is a case of pure visual Mon-fighting eyegasm, each blow and strike making itself exceptionally memorable.

Sound: 9/10
For anyone who waxes and wanes nostalgic for the classic games, this would easily be a 10. In many cases, the music feels as if it was lifted straight from the classic gameboy cartridge itself. I would have to give it a 9, because while the tracks themselves are amazing in delivery, never once failing to energize the viewer, there is a lack of noteworthy change applied to them as a whole. Very, very few were actually expanded and brought beyond the old 8-bit tracks. While what we got was great, I do wish there was a bit more effort put into this thing. While the simplicity of delivery (and the blatant abuse of other's nostalgia factor) works well with the Story, it hurts the Sound just a bit.

Character: 5/10
I do feel that I might be giving this rating abit...too much leniency. Every character is terribly flat and bland, all just going through the motions. Yet rather then giving it a lower rating, I do feel that this is a case of the simplicity of recreating the source material works in favor of this anime for characterization. Red himself was always a mute character, and while he does talk in this, his lines are all simple enough that it makes him feel like someone other then a player expy. Green, who was the primary rival character, does go partially beyond his antagonistic nature in the game, and it is easily for the better. However, it never runs far from the ole' classics, and so again, he always feels recognizable. The various support characters are nothing special, many of them just spewing slightly edited lines from the game, but it helps give the world an identifiable nature to those who played the classics.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I'm not afraid to give this an ten in ratings. It is pure solid, something that you don't need to feel embarrassed to watch. The low episode count (and thus, the low total runtime) helps also, as you never really waste that much time watching the series. It makes it easy to pick up and watch again and again, and you never really want to skip any part of it, even if you know the thing by heart.

Overall: 8/10
Originally I thought of giving this series a solid 9 out of 10, but I tinkered the rating down a notch, mainly because the story and character, while simple and easy to follow, will make it a turn off for anyone looking for something of any real substance. But that is fine. This is not for everyone. This is the anime that the fans of the Pokemon games deserve, rather then the long running anime that still has no real end in sight. If you ever want to share the concept of Pokemon with someone, this OVA might be considerably more effective then just making them play a game or watch the main anime series. Yet at the same time, it plays on the effects of nostalgia, and does it in a way without shaming the viewer on a conscious or subconscious level. The simple and quick, yet eye and ear blowing delivery, won't fail to amaze you.

Can Pokémon: The Origin be appreciated by the ones who are not fans of the Pokémon franchise? YES IT CAN!

It actually could be the perfect start for someone who's not a big fan of the Pokémon Universe. Pokémon has come known for being very childish with cute creatures and not so adult themes. Well, this anime is nothing like this (maybe except about the cute creatures) and it proves that Pokémon is much more than that.

[Story]
The story follows the game pretty close, what is good. Don't like Ash and his stupidity? So you're in the right place. It starts calm as Red and Green going ... on their adventure, but Red ends up having to fight Team Rocket and some powerful wild Pokémon too. Things starts to get very serious, dark and with intense battles and rivalry. Team Rocket here is not like Jessie and James, they're actually bad guys who would do some terrible things to have what they want. And the plot follows Red on his journey until he becomes a legend.

[Art & Animation]
The animation is excellent, mainly if you like very intense fights. The fights here makes you heart go fast and are very well animated. On the other hand, I didn't like the art that much, the charecters seemed a bit ugly to me (with some exceptions).

[Sound & Characters]
The musics are taken from the games, and are very well placed. Also, the cries that the Pokémon make, really sounds like real creatures (they don't speak their names like in the main anime).

In conclusion, you shouldn't listen to those who say this anime has a great score just for other's nostalgia. It is not like that. This anime is great and you could love it even if you don't like Pokémon at all (if you like Battle Shounens, for example, this could be a good choice).

The best part about this anime was the appeal to nostalgia. Red is supposed to be the manifestation of all of us as children, playing our first pocket monsters. He is extremely naive, has no idea what he is doing, and tries to catch another trainer's pokemon. His character progressively becomes more aware of the world around him, and he does everything in his power to complete his goal.

The creators did an amazing job at the fanservice (and not the type you're thinking of). There is even a little nod to the WHITE HAND creepypasta, so that's an automatic +1. Also, Gary (Green) is even ... MORE of a dick to Red. Also, Team Rocket is made to be much more evil than what was presented in the game. They even show how they murdered Marowak and take over random people and pokemon hostage for buisness purposes.

As far as voice acting goes, it all seems very average. The only character with truly great voice acting was Giovanni, who very clearly displays the internal struggle between his naive, fun-loving, peaceful self, and the brutal capitalist that leads Team Rocket.
However, the remixes to the soundtrack is BEAUTIFUL. My personal favorite is the piano violin combo of the rival battle, but there is something for everyone.

There are two very vital flaws in this anime.
1)The pacing. Understand that this anime was made with the intention of reviving the child inside each one of us ages 17+ who can remember playing the original Red and Blue or Firered and Leafgreen. Therefore the pacing is meant to go EXTREMELY fast. Only the more memorable parts of the video game are displayed, so all the "other" parts that were more or less stepping stone (like half the gym leaders) are just brush over lightly.
2)Plotholes - When they carried everything from the original, I mean EVERYTHING, even the plotholes. There are very vital things mentioned in the anime that are never explained. (Remember the White Hand. Well, what comes along with it is meant to scare the crap out of you, but is never explained.) Also, Red mentions his dad, BUT WHO WAS FATHER. (I guess fathers are a Gen 3 exclusive). Finally, the end of the Giovanni arc is meant to put an end to the suicide theory from HG&SS, but it really just adds more questions than it answers.

Final Verdict: 8/10 if you played and loved the originals
5/10 if you are new to the pokeverse
Also, Red does more in 4 episodes than Ash can do in 800+.

Review in brief:

Though Pokémon: The Origin is decidedly too short for its own good, it still manages to tell a concise and entertaining tale that doesn't require the viewer to have prior experience with the franchise to enjoy (though I would imagine that it helps). As someone outside the fandom, I would feel comfortable suggesting it to a general audience given the lack of commitment needed to partake.

Review in full:

Again, the most noticeable thing about this anime is how short it is. Having at least 6 episodes instead of just 4 would have done it wonders (though at the same time its shorter ... run-time makes it easier to watch in one sitting). Regardless, while it could've used its time a little more efficiently it still used it well. Instead of showing the entire journey it takes a number of key portions in that journey and takes some time to flesh them out, which actually makes it feel more whole.

While serious Pokémon fans might berate it for taking this approach, I'd say that for something this short it would've been a bad thing for it to have tried to show the entire journey. Sure, we don't see most of the 150-odd Pokémon that Red sets out to catch or all of the gym battles and so forth, but we do get to see enough of these things to know that they're being done and what it looks like.

For people familiar with the game it allows the show to go deep enough to tap into their nostalgia, while for those of us who never played Pokémon it offers an idea of what it feels like to be engrossed in the game without stagnating itself on the (seemingly) repetitive side of things where you throw balls at monsters and then train them into all-powerful fighters to throw at more monsters for hours on end.

That's not to say it's a flawless approach either. It still doesn't leave much time for most characters to develop or flesh out, and of course it's harder to get invested in a story that's only half-shown. Still, at the end of the day the journey itself was preserved through its highlights.

The production values were not exactly memorable, yet did their job proficiently. Animation-wise Pokémon: The Origin does offer rather appealing visuals (though not breathtaking) without making it difficult to see the world it draws up as the game it represents. The music & sound do their jobs well enough. If they offered anything nostalgic I was not in the position to pick up on it.

Verdict:

Pokémon: The Origin could've gone from good to great with more time to develop, but it managed to use it's short time well enough to at least be enjoyable. It's a decent watch if you're thinking about checking out Pokémon but don't want to sink too much time into a game or different anime.

Pokemon Champion. Lover of all Pokemon. Courageous hero.

And no, I'm not talking about Red.

Origins Red showed the reason why Red is such a boring character. Video games always had problems when translated into the medium of film as their most important component is the gameplay, something that's impossible to experience on film. Not only that, it might even come off as goofy when you do a direct adaptation of gameplay elements, such as a HP bar that imply living creatures have an exact amount of health like some computer data, or how strangers would give away good Pokemon for free (Lapras), or how they are ... unable to dodge because that option doesn't exist in the game. Such realistic physics is where the anime had exceed over the video games throughout the decade in spite of the annoying protagonist.

The problem with Origins is that it tries way too hard to copy the games. Remember that remake of Psycho where Gus Van Sant thought a shot-by-shot adaptation was a good idea? There was no thought process put into the creative execution. The same could be said here with Origins, making it feel like a lazy copy-and-paste with little extra effort involved.

The most laughable aspect of Origins is the fact that many Red fanboys hailed this anime as the proof that Ash sucks ass compared to Red, when all Red ever did was resort to Charizard in order to win at least 9 out of 10 times. Yeah, not kidding. The only time he won with another Pokemon was with a Hitmonlee, whom, along with Charizard, never had a proper character arc the way Pikachu did with Ash. We never felt the bond between these two characters, and Charizard merely felt, ironically enough, like a tool Red is utilizing, in spite of the whole message Origins tried to convey: Pokemon are not tools. Oh, and he tried to catch someone else's Pokemon, something even Ash never did.

I have my problems with Ash. I think he's a lousy trainer when the plot demands it, but an amazingly unpredictable master when the writers put in effort (Diamond and Pearl, and probably XY too). His utilization of strategies in battles still left me in awe in spite of all my criticisms against him. He used some of the trickiest attacks I would have never thought of myself. Pitched against such an unstable protagonist in terms of quality, I'd have thought Red would blow me away, considering his reputation. It's as Giovanni said in Origins: "What a disappointment you are." I can't believe I'd see the day when I admire Ash's idealism over Red's... one-trick pony.

That being said, it's not all bad. The animation was good (but nothing spectacular), and they brought back the in-game music to pander to nostalgia (Lavender Town's OST was the best). In fact, it could've been a better anime than the main series due to one main reason: actual stakes. Pokemon actually die in Origins, and Team Rocket is the cause behind it. That makes them a far more detestable antagonist than the goofy comic relief you get in the main series, and it should've been more satisfying when Red finally takes them down. Should've been. But nope - Red simply lets Giovanni go without a qualm after he sprinkled Red with some fancy compliments. No arrest, nothing. What a loser. So much for all that build-up, all washed down the drain.

Due to that final nail in the coffin, Origins became no better than the main anime series.

Pokemon: Origins is something to watch if you have dire nostalgia for the older games, and the Kanto region itself. While this adaptation is more of a love letter to Pokemon Red, Blue, and the Kanto region, there is some enjoyment to be had.

If you are expecting the full story, everything included, all the events in the game etc, it isn't going to happen. There are major fillers, but the episodes revolve around some of the more major events, that happen in the games themselves. Brock's battle, Lavender Town, Silph Co., and The Indigo Plateau.

This show was more of a giant nostalgia train for ... me, and I think thats what it was geared towards, especially the soundtrack, which consists of orchestrated versions of some of the games signature music.

This show was also fuel for the mega evolutions in Pokemon X and Y. Nowhere in Kanto or in the red and blue games were mega evolution stones, but, hey, they need to insert their story somewhere to have it make sense. Even if you just scrolled down the page and clicked read more, just to see my final verdict...

You should give it a try, see if you like it. You will either love it, or hate it. This show is best watched when you've played Blue or Red yourself.

I haven't written a review in a while but I feel that this was necessary and before I say anything. So without further ado.

Pokemon The Origins. If you are a Pokemon fan you have probably been looking forward to this and Pokemon X and Y for months now. So is Pokemon Origins really the be all of end of all that we as fan want it to be? Yes, it is. Though it is not perfect, if you are Pokemon fans you are bound to find something to your liking here. If anything this show that the execs really do still care about us longtime ... fans. This special really was pretty much basically one big love letter to those played the original games.

If I had describe this special in a word it would be pure fan-service. I am talking the fan-service in the truest sense of the world. Honestly in spite of everything what I found most enjoyable here was the fan-service. There are certain details here and there that only those who played the original games or the subsequent remakes will notice. The attention to detail here is outstanding.

Another thing that impress was of course the animation. The animation style reminded me strongly of the time when I was younger flipping through the instruction manuals of the original games. Just way the everything was presented was very true to Ken Sugimori's styling. If you don't already know Ken Sugimori was the original artist for the games. He single-handedly the designs for the original 151 Pokemon which is quite an accomplishment in of itself.

The story was also very true to the original games throughout. The story even opens with Professor Oak's lecture about the world of Pokemon. The next scene you see is in fact a battle between Gengar and Nidorino on television in which Red is watching with excitement. This is also highly reminiscent of a scene from very first episode of the original anime. From then on you follow Red on his journey has take on the world.

The fight are another I enjoyed in this special. Many will note the fights are especially brutal and realistic at least in comparison to the regular anime. Not to mention well-animated especially during the more crucial moments. There is one scene where you see Green's Squirtle bite down on Charmander. Their something about the scene that really make you cringe. I mean I seen my fare share of violent anime but the one scene was too much in a good way though. You really get to feel the weight of every blow. The Pokemon don't say their names here instead the Pokemon sound more animalistic like the original games. I feel the Pokemon in the regular anime have devolved in cartoon caricatures behaving less like animal and more like people. There is nothing particularly wrong with this but the Pokemon here aren't the Pokemon in the regular anime.

I really love the second episode. It really does go place that the regular anime will never dare thread. It touches about the mortality of Pokemon. You do actually get to see Team Rocket murder Cubone's mother albeit off screen. That in spite of the fantastic abilities, they are still living breathing creatures and that pass on. I wouldn't say this was dark because I wouldn't say the original games were dark but I will say their is darkness present. It was world where bad things happen sure but the doesn't mean good can't come of this world. The regular anime often portrays the Pokemon world being the a world filled with nothing but sunshine and rainbows. The world portrayed here is more in line with the games.

The story of the Pokemon Tower was always one of my favorite of the games and I glad to it finally adapted here. The regular anime had it a own story with the Pokemon Tower but it was nowhere near as powerful as the original story.

Another thing of note was definitely the music which are mostly orchestral remixes of the chip-tunes of the original games. They all sounds very good and play at the most opportune times at various points in this special. Each of the corresponding themes trigger upon a certain arc or battle. Particularly well done and notable were Team Rocket's and Giovanni's theme. The soundtrack is supposed to be released with the release of the Pokemon X and Y's soundtrack so that it something I will be looking forward too.

The rest of special was pretty good in my opinion. I am trying not to spoiler too much here. To me the special was wanted from the Pokemon anime. I enjoyed watching Red more than the episodes of I spent watching Ash in recent years. Gary was likable jerk as he was in the games. Team Rocket is truly ugly and really do begin to despise them for the short time we see them. Giovanni actually does stuff here and he isn't just sitting on his chair in some office somewhere petting his Persian. Everything about this special was a really treat. I do have one thing to say though.

I have to point out this is only four twenty minute episodes and while you do get to see a lot you want see everything. The majority of the events of the games and several gym leaders have devolved in simple montages and it make you feel you missed out about half of the experience. Only a few gym battles are ever shown in full and even the battle with Elite Four are merely skimmed in a matter of few minutes. The various battles and event we do see are really worth it but it does leave you want to more. However, there is only so much you can do with a mere four episodes. Those looking for more in-depth look at Kanto will probably feel a bit disappointed.

Overall, this was pure fan-service and I mean that in a good way. There are those who might be bit disappointed in these special but again there are so much in a cram into four episodes. Just be thankful we even have this and that it doesn't feel entirely like a glorified clip show which I feared it was going to be. This proves that maybe those in charge of the Pokemon anime franchise are willing to deviate from their traditional, stagnant formula they have pumped out for so many years now. Perhaps maybe we can more special like these in the future. Possibly even a entire series to run along with the regular anime but that maybe it a bit too hopeful.

This was pure fan-service in the truest sense of the word for old and new fans alike. While at times it does feel like a mere summarization there is still some good to had here. The problem can all be attributed to its length.

I highly recommend it for those who are Pokemon fan or even old time fans who fell off the bandwagon years ago. It also a perfect for fans to wet their appetites until Pokemon X and Y are released next week as it should be

Pokemon Origins. What can one say about pokemon. Now, like most people, I lived my childhood watching this series along with the games that came with it. The games came out first, and I played Pokemon blue version. As a result, there's no doubt this series had a high nostalgic value for me. Being a special(4 episode long), the pacing of the show is not what one would expect from a pokemon show. At times it moves crazy fast and at times it moves at average speed. Being called Pokemon Origins, the ... creators tried to base it more on the game, rather than the series. Honestly, I have to say, the way they accomplished this was brilliant. There were many game factors such as everytime an episode ended, there was a save menu, and everytime the episode was starting, there was a continue screen. This along with several factors of the game, mixed along with the anime makes this an interesting watch. As far as the story goes, it's more or less a replay of the original anime series. A boy catching pokemon to become the best trainer ever. However, the game adds some game elements to the storyline as all. After becoming the best trainer, the trainer attempts to catch all 149 pokemon(not 151, if you watch the series, you'll see why) like what you're supposed to do in the game. I will not spoil anything so watch if you're interested. The art. What can you say. It's 2013. The art is great. Obviously not perfect in any way but you can at least say it's average or above average. The sound once again had a huge nostalgic value for me. Music from the game was played throughout the series, allowing me to enjoy the series even more. Charaters. It's pokemon trainer RED, not Ash. Wanna know the difference between the 2? Red defeats the pokemon league, Ash barely makes it to the top 16 trainers of the indigo league. Red catches 151 pokemon, Ash catches, what, 8 or 9 pokemon in the kanto region. Red supposedly loses to his rival once, but never loses again. Ash repeatedly loses to his rivals and only beats them once. See the difference? I can honestly say, I enjoyed this series enough to give this a 7. Remember, I played the game growing up, so if you never played the original pokemon games, this anime probably is not right for you. Remeber, this is not a TV series, so I don't hold anything against this anime for its pacing and it skipping events. Being a special, I see it fair to give this anime a 7

This is what the regular pokemon anime should have been plain and simple. This anime was amazing because it was great to see the tale of Red animated. It was 10x better than the original pokemon series about Ash Ketchum a trainer with absolutely no talent. The story is great especially if you played the games there was just so much nostalgia. The art was great and i liked the little things they did like saving at the end of each episode was cool. The characters were great as well with Red the young boy with obvious talent and Green the haughy young pokemon trainer. ... All in all this special was simply superb and definitely worth the time to watch. 10/10

I've been a Pokemon fan for a very long time. Pokemon Blue was my very first Pokemon game to ever play. If It weren't for the original Pokemon Games (Red/Blue), Pokemon wouldn't be very successful today. Its about time we appreciate these older games that brought Pokemon where It is today.

>> STORY (8.0)
Pokemon: The Origins is pretty much based on the Story of the Pokemon Red and Blue games. It may be short, but Its very simple for those who never played the games before.

>> ART (10)
The Art matches the same exact style from the Games. If you compare this to the main Anime ... with Ash Ketchum, they clearly use a different Art style to produce this Special Series.

>> SOUND (10)
Beautifully remastered sounds from the Original Games. I am hoping they plan on releasing a Soundtrack so I can hear the new versions of the battle songs and such.

>> CHARACTER (8)
Both Red and Green are the counterparts of Ash Ketchum and Gary except that they are more aiming towards completing the Pokedex, just as the games would expect you to do.

To sum up this short Review, I'd suggest ANYONE who used to love the Original games to go ahead and watch this Special. Its very short and shouldn't take up your whole day.

[English and Spanish review]

[English]
Why you may want to watch it?
This is made for Pokemon game's fans. If you played Pokemon red or blue in your gameboy you will be very happy to watch the "real" story in these chapters. Nevertheless, they take just some events of the game's story (maybe not your favorites), so sometimes you will say: "Nooo, why they didn't show when..." and that's a little bit frustating.
But it has great things for the fans: same battle music, same dialogues with the other characters, real Team Rocket, etc.

Why I didn't like it that much?
I would prefer it maybe to be long enough ... to tell every part of the game. The main character "Red" lacks a little bit of personality. The battles are great, but, as a Pokemon fan I guess my expectations were higher!!

[Spanish]

Por qué podrías quere verlo?
Esta serie está hecha para los fanáticos de Pokemon el juego. Si jugaste Pokemon rojo o azul en tu Gameboy estarás muy feliz de ver la historia "real" en estos episodios. Sin embargo, solo toman algunos eventos de la historia del juego (quizás no sean tus favoritos), así que algunas veces dirás: "Nooo, por qué no mostraron cuando..." y eso es un poco frustrante.
Pero tiene cosas geniales para los fanáticos: la misma música de batalla, los mismos diálogos con los otros personajes, el equipo Rocket real, etc.

Por qué no me gustó tanto?
Creo que preferiría que fuera lo suficientemente larga para contar todo el juego. Al personaje principal "Red" le falta un poco de personalidad. Las batallas son geniales, pero, como una fanática de Pokemon, creo que mis expectativas eran mucho mayores!!

For a 4 episode anime this was great!

The story brings me back to the games. I like that there can be so many different versions and stories for the anime because there are so many options to choose from in the game itself. Anyone who has played Pokemon has that special pokemon they could depend on. This portrays the same feelings but wrapped up quickly. It was also nice to have it go straight to the point basically.

The art was great! The sound was stellar as well. I love that they included similar designs to the games and older anime. Nostalgic.

It was cool ... to see the character development happen so quickly. It was also neat to see what accomplishment looks like compared to what was seen in the older anime. (was that too harsh?)

I truly enjoyed this experience. I would still recommend that people watch the old anime (if they haven't yet) and play the games to actually understand what is going on in this particular version. Simply because this is a super condensed version of both. Some may not understand the 'in-betweens' if they haven't watched/played the other versions of Pokemon.

Pokemon The Origin is an OVA based on Pokemon Red/Green/Blue games of the 1996/1998. For the fans of the games this anime would be like a god-send for nostalgic hype!

But this anime feels like it was made by fanboys rather than a respectable company that care for their loyal fans.

First and foremost there are many inaccuracies, and some battles are completely stupid. Like how a Jolteon, an electric pokemon got OHKO by 1 electric attack, or Blastoise and how it was overwhelmed by fire attacks despite Fire attacks do half damage to water pokemon.

This is purely a Charizard circlejerk product, and it's really awful ... if you keep thinking about it.

To put this to short, the whole 4 episodes are there to showcase Charizard and how it wins battles with stupid direction and scripting.
The battles sometimes turn type-effectiveness on and off inconsistently, and it's most of the time to make Charizard shine more.

Yeah Charizard can take all attacks at type-disadvantage and win, but at other pokemon, this feature is completely off.

For a company or a studio that aimed this work for the fanbase as a celebration for all of its years, dissing 2 groups of fans and focusing on 1 is just a lowly way to work.

And let's not forget that the whole Mega Evolution thing, i know it was a promotion of Pokemon X and Y, but promoting only 1 pokemon and making Mewtwo (a well developed pokemon) like a crazed psycho that was defeated easily just to make Charizard looks more hyped and badass, it was just disgusting.

Blastoise was made like a total joke and Bulbasaur never made a single appearance. Basically the team behind the anime said "f*ck those two's fans, we only love Charizard, let's make people see more Charizard"

An anime that was made by fanboys for more fanboys is a terrible show that has no respect for the fans.


In the positive points, the sounds and visuals are good. But still don't make this product any less-disgusting.

If you are a Charizard fan you will love this, but if you don't, too bad the company middle-fingered you with this. And as a non-fanboy, i hate how this was formed, really never seen any worse than this company-to-fans letter.

As a big fanboy of the pokemon series. I could'nt let this series go by. So last weekend I went to watch this series with my neighbor. And to be honest it is definitely worth it.

First of all the story, the story is about the trainer Red who aims to get the Ultimate Pokedex. And he gets this by collecting Pokemons. Then you might think it's the same principle as the basic Pokemon series with Ash (Takoshi). But that is not the case. In fact, I think Red is a great trainer. The story is based on the Pokemon Red and Blue series. So if ... you like the old Pokemon games or even played them. You should definitely watch this one.


the artwork of this series is amazing. I didn't even get annoyed for a moment. What the Pokeball effect looks like when such a Pokemon enters, looked great. The characters were a little less (my personal opinion). But it wasn't bad, it's a unique style.

To be honest I didn't really pay attention to the intro and outro. So unfortunately I don't really have an opinion about that.

Now the nicest part. My opinion about the characters. In this case I will only judge Red and Green.

Red is a bit unsure about fighting in the beginning. But luckily in the first part he learns that he should do this to catch Pokemons. The funniest part is that he initially wanted to steal a Pokemon from a trainer. Quite embarrassing.

Green on the other hand is a somewhat ego. "Look, I'm the best" person. I didn't think he was such a nice character myself, but it was funny. A nice rival to have.

As a Pokemon enthusiast, I enjoyed this series. It was for a more mature audience. And I personally like that. It is a pity that this series was really short. I will also soon start reading the manga. Cant wait for it.

Should you watch it? Yes and no, If you are a Pokemon lover like me. Then this series is worth your time to watch. And why not? You must have grown up with Pokemon. And I know people in my area who don't like Pokemon. But the funny thing is they know Pikachu.

Gotta catch em all.