Hell yeah, Pokemon. If you were a kid back in the Late '90's to the late 2000's, you can remember that feeling whenever you watched an episode of Pokemon. Joy, Excitement and ready to see if Ash will Catch ém all. You wake up at 7 in the morning, flip it to network 10, grab a bowl of Froot Loops and Enjoy yourself. Or, if you were a Power Rangers fan, you'd do the same thing, except an Hour later. Well, that's just how it was for me, because I live in Australia.
Truly, a masterpiece for Children and teens alike. ..... But is it
...
as good as I can remember? *Dodges Flaming arrow*Alright, Alright, I'm not saying this is a bad anime by any standards, in fact it's probably one of the more popular ones, being parodied in South Park and The Simpsons, but if you can remember your childhood, you know you weren't the smartest kid (And if you were, I kinda doubt you would've watched Pokemon) and just because it brings back Nostalgia, doesn't mean it's the absolute Pinnacle of Existence. So let's Revisit this Seizure-filled Goodness in this Review (I swear, I'll keep the Seizure jokes at a minimum)
Story:
Ash is a 10 Year old boy who sets out on a Journey to become a Pokemon master. Joined by his two friends, Misty and Brock, they travel Kanto to...uh....Catch Ém all?
Honestly, Ash's Goal isn't explained too well. Does he want to catch All 150+ Pokemon? Does he want to beat the Pokemon League? Does he want to prove to his Rivals that he's the greatest in a Competition? I really don't know. And each Episode takes a different story to tell and Introduce a Pokemon.
Though, I'm being harsh, as these stories were definitely a lot of fun as a kid, which is their Target audience, so it makes sense.
I'll never forget the Sabrina Mini-Arc. Should I start therapy after the Arc, or when the nightmares come back?
And who can forget the Pokemon League? Oh, Charizard, will you ever listen to anyone?
There's even 4 Episodes pulled out of rotation which I didn't even know about or viewed until 2 years ago. to give you a run down:
Beauty and the Beach: The Anime beach episode with Fanservice(?), Old women (Luckily not linked) and.....James with Boobs?!? Surprisingly, after all that, this eventually got an English dub. Though, with the obvious cut of James'gender Confusion
Legend of Dratini: Guns, Hitler and Ash suddenly has 30 Tauros
The Ice Path: Racism and Piloswines
Electric Soldier Porygon: STROBE LIGHTS INTENSIFY
But all in all, it's a tonne of fun to see what lengths our heroes will get through in these Zany adventures to reach their Ultimate goal, as misguided as it may be.
Story: 7/10
Art:
Though Simplistic compared to other Anime, you can't really see these characters as much more then with these designs. And if they were to get a Normal Realistic look, it would ruin it for the Kiddies. The Backgrounds are Neatly painted, the Cartoon-ish Character designs are always a laugh after Re-watching, and the Pokemon look better than their Gen I Sprites (Shudder)
Even though I viewed these aspects via my Old Pokemon VHS tapes I recorded from 2002 (Grainier than a Grain harvest) and some SD Episodes on the internet, I can still say it Delivers fun, even if it is a 2-Dimensional Drawing.
Art: 9/10
Sound:
Who doesn't get that feeling when they hear the opening chords to the Pokemon theme? Power Rangers fans, I guess. Oh, and Digimon fans. Come to think of it, not a whole lot. But it still stands that this was the song to my Childhood. I spent Classes playing Game Boy Advance, Trading holographic Cards and reading the-Then Confusing Manga, while having the Pokemon Theme on Loop on my MP3 Player. It's just the song that goes with Pokemon.
Screw the Newer themes in seasons 2-5 and onwards, this is my Youth Song.
Oh yeah, and the Background music is decent.
The Voices sound like Kids to an extent, and the villains sound like the Cliched "Doctor Evil Guy with a Top Hat, Cape and Mustache" which sounds cool, and meowth and Pikachu sound adorable. Only in this review will you hear someone say that Meowth is adorable. It all blends well with what we're given. Overall, Child like fun and wonder reigns supreme.
Music: 8/10
Characters:
I remember in classes, someone would ask me, "Who would you like to be in the Pokemon Show?" I'd always say I don't know, because I couldn't relate to them. But now I can see why I said I don't know all those times. they're just...Boring. They've barely got any personalities to distinguish themselves from another's Character trait. Ash is like Oatmeal, Misty is like Wheat Toast and Brock is like Styrofoam. In other words, TOO PLAIN! Gary was a douche for the first 5th of the show, The Characters of the Day weren't too well thought out, Psyduck went from annoyingly-Funny to Annoying in a Nanosecond and good God, I dislike Charizard for being such an ass to Ash. In fact, unlike other Pokemon fans, i actually don't see what's so special about Charizards.
*Blinkalink Phone Meassages*
Wow, 5,000 Hate messages in a meer 20 Seconds due to an opinion. A new record. I just don't see him as overly-Great. I'd always get Arcanine, Ninetails or Magmar if I wanted a strong OBEDIENT pokemon.
If I dislike these characters so much, why did I even put this section on the review? I'll tell you why: Jessie and James!
They brought an awesome element to the show. They only wanted Ash's Pikachu for a quick Buck to help them out while they're starving. Ash could easily get it back after they sold it. Okay, I digress.
Jessie is a girl who wanted to become a Nurse Joy and help Pokemon. but, I guess, every Nurse Joy had to look alike, and she was expelled from more teachings. Her life eventually got Crappier until she decided to join the Other side of crime.
James is a Guy who was born in a rich family, but never wanted all the Luxuries. He ran away after a fight, and decided with Jessie, to join the other side. This Guy is my Favourite, due to his British Accent, his Awesome Hair, his less Sexualised Outfit, his love of Roses and his Charm.
But most of all, he loves all of his Pokemon. Weezing always got love from James and he tried his absolute hardest to love a Magikarp. And when Victreebel got released, it brought a tear to my eye. Several in fact. I've even heard that he's loved even more Pokemon in future series, like Cacnea, Mime Jr. and even a Chimecho!
And Meowth, the wise Cracking Cat. I'll never tire of him.
But my main concern is how they treat Jessie and James. they treat them like Garbage! Why is it that Ash, a loser who abandons a Muk as soon as possible, get's all the luxuries, and James, a Person with a love for Cute Pokemon, gets Tortured every day for trying to live a normal everyday life and trying to have a conversation with people? Yes, he did a Bad thing in the past, but you can forgive him. Don't attack them everytime they try to have a stroll.
All in all, they were Neat for the Late 90's, but goddamnit, they piss me off nowadays.
Characters: 5/10
Enjoyment:
Did I enjoy the Pokemon craze as a kid? That's like asking Monkey D. luffy from one piece if he Enjoys food. Hell Yeah! Even to this day, if I blank out CERTAIN CHARACTER TRAITS, then I can feel that Nostalgia kick in. I think that's the keyword here: Nostalgia. It comes back to you and you enjoy it more than ever like you would if you were a little kid.
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall:
It's sort of a mixed bag for me. I love how the Nostalgia Kicks in, but i ahte some of the Character's treatments in the show. I love seeing old faces come back, but i dislike their bland Personalities. But I loved the craze as a kid, and if you watch it like a kid in the 90's (Not analyzing every minute detail in an episode) then you'll know why kids loved it so much. It was addicting. Though you can definetely skip the Filler episodes if you haven't got too much time on your hands. I couldn't stop playing Pokemon Emerald until I caught them all, which I did.....last year.
Hey, 386 Pokemon is a difficult task. i loved the Cards, the Novels, the Board Games, the Manga in a sort of odd way, but I would awaken every Saturday morning at a Specific time, just to see if Ash would do something remarkable in the episode. Now that's Dedication! If you like Digimon, don't be too shy of Pokemon, and embrace what their magical world of Neon Colored 90's clothes had.
Overall: 8/10
Truly this was a great show. Huh? What? It's still running? What the Hell is Unova? Meh, I'll give it a shot! (1 Episode Later...) [Complete Awkward Silence Silence]....WHAAA--
Coming Soon: Pokemon Best Wishes Review
Thank you, Farewell, Good Luck, Amen, Have a safe trip home, and Goodnight
All (3)FriendsRSS Feeds |
Jun 12, 2015
Hell yeah, Pokemon. If you were a kid back in the Late '90's to the late 2000's, you can remember that feeling whenever you watched an episode of Pokemon. Joy, Excitement and ready to see if Ash will Catch ém all. You wake up at 7 in the morning, flip it to network 10, grab a bowl of Froot Loops and Enjoy yourself. Or, if you were a Power Rangers fan, you'd do the same thing, except an Hour later. Well, that's just how it was for me, because I live in Australia.
Truly, a masterpiece for Children and teens alike. ..... But is it ... |
