Only just last night, I finally finished watching the new anime special, Pokemon: The Origin online. And after spending a little time processing the whole special in my mind, I’ve decided to do my own little review. Sort of like the Anime/Manga Pick posts I’ve done in my Random Thoughts world. Be warned though, this review of mine does contain some spoilers. So those who haven’t seen Pokemon: The Origin yet and don’t want the surprise ruined, I suggest you stop reading now.
In fact, for those who haven't seen it yet: CLICK HERE
Plot: Going back to the original Gamboy games, Pokemon: The Origin tells the story of rookie Pokemon trainer Red, who goes on a journey to become champion of the Pokemon League and complete the Kanto Pokedex. During his journey, Red must overcome powerful trainers and gym leaders. As well as do battle with the evil organization, Team Rocket. And along the way, Red also struggles against his old rival Green to become Pokemon Legaue champion. It’s a nostalgic journey that many people have experienced themselves once before.
If Pokemon: The Origin had come out ten years ago when the original anime was still good, I probably would’ve had a problem with it. But in this modern era, when the anime is a pitiful shadow of what it once was, Origin was a very welcome change. It seemed like the slate was going to be wiped clean with a brand new series. Unfortunately, Origin turned out to be nothing more than an OVA. And it was one that in quite a few ways failed to live up to the potential it promised. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Pros: The best thing about Pokemon: The Origin is that it’s more true to the original games than the anime was. We not only get to see items like TMs and HMs, Origin uses the storyline of original games with a few minor differences here and there. So viewers get to enjoy events from the game such as Red’s battle with the Marowak ghost in Pokemon Tower and Team Rocket’s takeover of Sliph Co. in Saffron City. We also get to see Red do something that Ash never did in the original anime, do battle with Giovanni. On that note, the portrayal of Giovanni in Origin was one of the best things about this special. I do like the version of Giovanni from the original anime, but the version in Origin is in my opinion just as good.
Cons: Sadly, the thing that may kill Pokemon: The Origin for many is the fact that it tells the whole story of Red’s journey from receiving Charmander from Professor Oak to his final battle with Green at Indigo Plateau and his confrontation with a certain psychic feline of legend all in the space of four almost half hour segments. In other words, Origin is simply a two-hour movie, and that is nowhere near the time needed to properly tell this story. Many parts of Red’s journey are skipped over entirely, mentioned only in the form of brief clips narrated by Red. Even much of the final battle between Red and Green is skipped over in this fashion, with only the confrontation between Red’s Charizard and Green’s Blastoise being fully shown. Another flaw with Origin is that Red’s Charizard undergoing the Mega Evolution process introduced in the upcoming X and Y games may leave some viewers feeling conflicted at the very least. While Charizard’s Mega Evolution is cool, it doesn’t quite have a place in a special supposed to be based on the original Pokemon games.
Overall: Like the original anime in the beginning, Pokemon: The Origin promised a lot of potential. But that potential was pretty much squandered by the lack of time needed to tell the story right. Despite this, Origin is still a fun nostalgic trip for those who played the original Pokemon games many years ago.
Rating: 2.7 out of 5
