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!