Pokemon Origin (English Dub) First Impression from the first two episodes
Director: Itsuro Kawasaki (Episode 1) Yukio Kuroda (Episode 2)
Starring: Bryce Papenbrook, Lucien Dodge and Kyle Herbert
If you were a 90's kid then you probably were heavily addicted to Pokemon. The pocket monster game took the entire world by storm and was such a cultural phenomena that Pickachu is now on the same celebrity status as other Japanese icons like Godzilla. Pokemon truly is a staple of Japanese culture and is a huge ambassador over seas. The original anime series which started as a supplement to the game quickly took on a life of it's own, the story and events differed largely from the games and other merchandise/supplementary material- such as the manga- that were released during the Pokecraze. Even to this day the anime series is still going strong and Nintendo is still producing Pokemon games, even as I write this two brand new games have already been on the market for a few weeks now. Pokemon has maintain a very devoted and passionate fanbase that ranges from the ages of 6 all the way to the 20's, Pokemon is for everyone and there is rarely something that can have such a profound meaning to such a large group of people with such a gap in age groups.
Many know the story of Ash Ketchum and his journey to be the number one Pokemon master, but the heavily initiated fans of the world of Pokemon would shake their heads at you, the real star is Red, who was the star of the first Pokemon Game, Pokemon Red. Production I.G who is known in the anime circles as one of the teams behind Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell have teamed up with studios Xebec and OLM, inc to take on a very daunting task. For the first time since the release of the original games there is to be a faithful adaption to the first two original Pokemon games Red and Blue, the finished product is a four part mini series named Pokemon Origin or Pokemon The Origin in Japan.
If you've played the games then you already know the lay-down of the series, Pokemon Origin follows the journeys of a rising Pokemon trainer named Red as he journeys across the Kanto region to catch every Pokemon and complete his Pokedex. But simply catching every Pokemon is not an easy feat, Red has to defeat all the Gym leaders, constantly battle his rival Blue and be on the look out for the mysterious criminal organization Team Rocket. Red and his Charmander clearly have their work cut out for them but its nothing that this young trainer cant overcome.I originally was only going to review the very first episode of the series, I quickly changed my mind and watched the second episode as well. I think after seeing the first two episodes I have a vague idea on where the show is going, if I'll continue watching the other two episodes is another thing entirely.
Pokemon Origin relies heavily on the influence of the game and that is it's strongest point, to the opening introduction of the first episode-which mimics the intro to the games- you are then thrust into the world of Pokemon. There is so many nods to the games which will make fans grin with glee, themes from the game such as Lavender Town is scattered throughout the two episodes, I have to admit even I was smiling when I heard some of the themes of my own childhood. Shota Kageyama and Hiroaki Hayama have done a masterful job at adapting the 8-bit tracks from the games and brining a more modernized twist to the classic themes making the music ring with the whispers of nostalgia while also offering something new to the table.
Even the text boxes from the original games make an appearance during the beginning and the end of an episode. One of the nods that I was not expecting was the battle commentary from the game which has been given it's own animated form in the the guise of two young spectators, "the attack was not effective" made me giggle, it showed how seriously the studios took this project. Another very interesting and-in my opinion-refreshing addition was the change of the Pokemon sounds, no more will you hear each pocket monster constantly saying it's name (admit it it's kind of annoying) now the creatures make their own diverse and very unique growls and noises. This truly helps to showcase that these are actual creatures that exist in the world.
Team Rocket of course makes an appearance but not in the way many of the original anime fans can recall. If you have played the game then you already know the bizarre characters/antagonist's Jesse, James and their talking Meowth are nowhere to be seen. Instead Team Rocket is depicted as they should be, a very real and very dangerous organization that cares little for the lives of Pokemon. Sure Jesse and James grew on me as a kid, James was even my favorite human character in the series, but it is far superior to actually have the organization actually feel like a real threat, not a group of bundling idiots that can not even catch something as simple as a Magikarp. Other small changes are the beam of light that comes from the Pokeball when a Pokemon is called and recalled in battle, it is a small change but it is very new and refreshing.
If you love Pokemon than clearly there is one thing you absolutely have to love about the games/series, Pokemon battles. Pokemon battles have been revved up to a whole new degree, the Pokemon all show their own unique moves that we've come to expect, but this time the speed has been revved up. I don't remember Pokemon battles ever being this exciting, when a Pokemon gets hurt there is a chance that it could die in combat which adds more of a frantic and very suspenseful air to the duels. I personally think this is one of the strongest points in the series, if the Pokemon battles are dull then you really don't have a Pokemon show thats worth watching.
The story this time around is open to the more mature themes of Pokemon lore, the entire second episode focuses on a personal favorite story of mine, and that is the tale of the Cubone and its Marowak mother in Lavender Town. Even Red and Blue's relationship is more realistic and mature than the very cartoony rivalry between Ash and Gary. Red and Blue seem to have a sort of mutual respect of each other, and seeing as the two are only kids their relationship does not course into the more antagonistic territory, but this is just the first two episodes things are likely to change.
Another wonderful addition is the budget that this show has, Pokemon has never looked this good. The animation is fluent and not once have I seen a drop in production value! All the studios involved really need to be commended for their hard work on the animated spectrum of the project. The change in art style is also very noticeable and I wouldn't mind it if Pokemon always took this art direction.
Although the series does have it's clear strong points time is not one of them. Since this is a miniseries this show is painfully condensed, by episode 2 here is what Red had accomplished after defeating the first Gym leader Brock. Through narration we learn that Red defeated both Misty and Surge, gotten their badges. Catches a Magikarp and a Eevee which evolves into a Jolteon, and Charmander evolves into Charmilion. Everything I just listed should at most have covered another twelves episodes, this is one of the problems with the show, the four episode run does not give Pokemon Origin any room at all to breath. I was already disconnected from Red's journey by the second episode because it seemed he had accomplished so much but I was not around for the ride. I'm afraid to even watch the third episode and see this quantum leap of time that will take place between episode 2 and 3.
Because of this there does not seem to be any of the heart that was clearly evident in the original series. By skipping clear milestones in Red's journey we are only left to fantasize what this show could have been, we are just simply along for the ride. I have a feeling that this was just an experiment that the studios were conducting, hopefully if the miniseries is responded well it will receive the full blown series that it clearly deserves.
Another major problem is the dub, now I am not going to say the sub is superior because I have not watched it, and frankly arguing which is better is pretty useless in the anime community. Now Dubbing can be far superior to the original Japanese audio, series like Full Metal Alchemist, Hellsing and Cowbow Bebop are vastly superior to their Japaneses counterparts. Pokemon Origin is a bit of a mix bag, there are some veterans of the voice acting field here such as Vic Mignogna (Edward Elric from FMA ) and Johnny Young Bosch (Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach and Vash from Trigun) Bosch plays the voice of Brock and I felt he was horribly miscast for the role. I get that this Brock is a more(and much needed) toned down version of the Pewter City Gym leader, but some of the lines were just plain painful. Johnny is a great voice actor and has played a large array of different characters, here it didn't even seem like he was trying.Another huge disappointment is Kyle Herbert (Aizen Sosuke from Bleach) who replaces Stan Hart as Professor Oak is pathetic. I don't feel that sense of excitement and wonder that I did when Oak first sent Ash on his journey, here he sounds bored. This is another strange occurrence because Herbert can voice act! What the ADR director was doing is beyond me.
I am not completely sold on this Red character either, he seems as void as his video game counterpart. Now I know the Manga has done a fantastic job at actually giving the character more of a fleshed out personality and a pretty epic story, he's also a supposed badass, I just don't see that here and this brings me back at the horribly condensed issue of the show. We don't get enough time with the character at all, you would have to be completely versed in the Pokemon mythology to even give a crap about this character. My knowledge of Pokemon end at Silver and Gold and thats about it. Bryce Papenbrook's (Kirito in SAO but I've not seen the dub so I can't comment on this) is a rising voice acting star and he shows some moments of greatness but comes off as very bland. If the series was given a longer run then perhaps he could have eased into the character better and truly give a great performance.
Pokemon Origin does have great potential, it's there and you can almost see it but the four episode run really hurts the outcome of the show. Hopefully a full series can be made with the same production value that is shown. Origin relies allot on the nostalgia factor of the game fans and thats about it, if you are big Pokemon fan then obviously check it out, if not, then I still say give it a chance and get your own opinion, there is only four episode's so an 90 minute run wont kill you.
As of now I give Pokemon Origin a
6/10
If I am going to continue on watching it is something I haven't yet considered but I might go onwards just to see this
Starring: Bryce Papenbrook, Lucien Dodge and Kyle Herbert
If you were a 90's kid then you probably were heavily addicted to Pokemon. The pocket monster game took the entire world by storm and was such a cultural phenomena that Pickachu is now on the same celebrity status as other Japanese icons like Godzilla. Pokemon truly is a staple of Japanese culture and is a huge ambassador over seas. The original anime series which started as a supplement to the game quickly took on a life of it's own, the story and events differed largely from the games and other merchandise/supplementary material- such as the manga- that were released during the Pokecraze. Even to this day the anime series is still going strong and Nintendo is still producing Pokemon games, even as I write this two brand new games have already been on the market for a few weeks now. Pokemon has maintain a very devoted and passionate fanbase that ranges from the ages of 6 all the way to the 20's, Pokemon is for everyone and there is rarely something that can have such a profound meaning to such a large group of people with such a gap in age groups.
Many know the story of Ash Ketchum and his journey to be the number one Pokemon master, but the heavily initiated fans of the world of Pokemon would shake their heads at you, the real star is Red, who was the star of the first Pokemon Game, Pokemon Red. Production I.G who is known in the anime circles as one of the teams behind Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell have teamed up with studios Xebec and OLM, inc to take on a very daunting task. For the first time since the release of the original games there is to be a faithful adaption to the first two original Pokemon games Red and Blue, the finished product is a four part mini series named Pokemon Origin or Pokemon The Origin in Japan.
If you've played the games then you already know the lay-down of the series, Pokemon Origin follows the journeys of a rising Pokemon trainer named Red as he journeys across the Kanto region to catch every Pokemon and complete his Pokedex. But simply catching every Pokemon is not an easy feat, Red has to defeat all the Gym leaders, constantly battle his rival Blue and be on the look out for the mysterious criminal organization Team Rocket. Red and his Charmander clearly have their work cut out for them but its nothing that this young trainer cant overcome.I originally was only going to review the very first episode of the series, I quickly changed my mind and watched the second episode as well. I think after seeing the first two episodes I have a vague idea on where the show is going, if I'll continue watching the other two episodes is another thing entirely.
Pokemon Origin relies heavily on the influence of the game and that is it's strongest point, to the opening introduction of the first episode-which mimics the intro to the games- you are then thrust into the world of Pokemon. There is so many nods to the games which will make fans grin with glee, themes from the game such as Lavender Town is scattered throughout the two episodes, I have to admit even I was smiling when I heard some of the themes of my own childhood. Shota Kageyama and Hiroaki Hayama have done a masterful job at adapting the 8-bit tracks from the games and brining a more modernized twist to the classic themes making the music ring with the whispers of nostalgia while also offering something new to the table.
Even the text boxes from the original games make an appearance during the beginning and the end of an episode. One of the nods that I was not expecting was the battle commentary from the game which has been given it's own animated form in the the guise of two young spectators, "the attack was not effective" made me giggle, it showed how seriously the studios took this project. Another very interesting and-in my opinion-refreshing addition was the change of the Pokemon sounds, no more will you hear each pocket monster constantly saying it's name (admit it it's kind of annoying) now the creatures make their own diverse and very unique growls and noises. This truly helps to showcase that these are actual creatures that exist in the world.
Team Rocket of course makes an appearance but not in the way many of the original anime fans can recall. If you have played the game then you already know the bizarre characters/antagonist's Jesse, James and their talking Meowth are nowhere to be seen. Instead Team Rocket is depicted as they should be, a very real and very dangerous organization that cares little for the lives of Pokemon. Sure Jesse and James grew on me as a kid, James was even my favorite human character in the series, but it is far superior to actually have the organization actually feel like a real threat, not a group of bundling idiots that can not even catch something as simple as a Magikarp. Other small changes are the beam of light that comes from the Pokeball when a Pokemon is called and recalled in battle, it is a small change but it is very new and refreshing.
If you love Pokemon than clearly there is one thing you absolutely have to love about the games/series, Pokemon battles. Pokemon battles have been revved up to a whole new degree, the Pokemon all show their own unique moves that we've come to expect, but this time the speed has been revved up. I don't remember Pokemon battles ever being this exciting, when a Pokemon gets hurt there is a chance that it could die in combat which adds more of a frantic and very suspenseful air to the duels. I personally think this is one of the strongest points in the series, if the Pokemon battles are dull then you really don't have a Pokemon show thats worth watching.
The story this time around is open to the more mature themes of Pokemon lore, the entire second episode focuses on a personal favorite story of mine, and that is the tale of the Cubone and its Marowak mother in Lavender Town. Even Red and Blue's relationship is more realistic and mature than the very cartoony rivalry between Ash and Gary. Red and Blue seem to have a sort of mutual respect of each other, and seeing as the two are only kids their relationship does not course into the more antagonistic territory, but this is just the first two episodes things are likely to change.
Another wonderful addition is the budget that this show has, Pokemon has never looked this good. The animation is fluent and not once have I seen a drop in production value! All the studios involved really need to be commended for their hard work on the animated spectrum of the project. The change in art style is also very noticeable and I wouldn't mind it if Pokemon always took this art direction.
Although the series does have it's clear strong points time is not one of them. Since this is a miniseries this show is painfully condensed, by episode 2 here is what Red had accomplished after defeating the first Gym leader Brock. Through narration we learn that Red defeated both Misty and Surge, gotten their badges. Catches a Magikarp and a Eevee which evolves into a Jolteon, and Charmander evolves into Charmilion. Everything I just listed should at most have covered another twelves episodes, this is one of the problems with the show, the four episode run does not give Pokemon Origin any room at all to breath. I was already disconnected from Red's journey by the second episode because it seemed he had accomplished so much but I was not around for the ride. I'm afraid to even watch the third episode and see this quantum leap of time that will take place between episode 2 and 3.
Because of this there does not seem to be any of the heart that was clearly evident in the original series. By skipping clear milestones in Red's journey we are only left to fantasize what this show could have been, we are just simply along for the ride. I have a feeling that this was just an experiment that the studios were conducting, hopefully if the miniseries is responded well it will receive the full blown series that it clearly deserves.
Another major problem is the dub, now I am not going to say the sub is superior because I have not watched it, and frankly arguing which is better is pretty useless in the anime community. Now Dubbing can be far superior to the original Japanese audio, series like Full Metal Alchemist, Hellsing and Cowbow Bebop are vastly superior to their Japaneses counterparts. Pokemon Origin is a bit of a mix bag, there are some veterans of the voice acting field here such as Vic Mignogna (Edward Elric from FMA ) and Johnny Young Bosch (Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach and Vash from Trigun) Bosch plays the voice of Brock and I felt he was horribly miscast for the role. I get that this Brock is a more(and much needed) toned down version of the Pewter City Gym leader, but some of the lines were just plain painful. Johnny is a great voice actor and has played a large array of different characters, here it didn't even seem like he was trying.Another huge disappointment is Kyle Herbert (Aizen Sosuke from Bleach) who replaces Stan Hart as Professor Oak is pathetic. I don't feel that sense of excitement and wonder that I did when Oak first sent Ash on his journey, here he sounds bored. This is another strange occurrence because Herbert can voice act! What the ADR director was doing is beyond me.
I am not completely sold on this Red character either, he seems as void as his video game counterpart. Now I know the Manga has done a fantastic job at actually giving the character more of a fleshed out personality and a pretty epic story, he's also a supposed badass, I just don't see that here and this brings me back at the horribly condensed issue of the show. We don't get enough time with the character at all, you would have to be completely versed in the Pokemon mythology to even give a crap about this character. My knowledge of Pokemon end at Silver and Gold and thats about it. Bryce Papenbrook's (Kirito in SAO but I've not seen the dub so I can't comment on this) is a rising voice acting star and he shows some moments of greatness but comes off as very bland. If the series was given a longer run then perhaps he could have eased into the character better and truly give a great performance.
Pokemon Origin does have great potential, it's there and you can almost see it but the four episode run really hurts the outcome of the show. Hopefully a full series can be made with the same production value that is shown. Origin relies allot on the nostalgia factor of the game fans and thats about it, if you are big Pokemon fan then obviously check it out, if not, then I still say give it a chance and get your own opinion, there is only four episode's so an 90 minute run wont kill you.
As of now I give Pokemon Origin a
6/10
If I am going to continue on watching it is something I haven't yet considered but I might go onwards just to see this
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