User blog:Flippmeister/Pokemon: The Origin

Hey, guys. I just watched the first part of the new Pokemon special called "Pokemon: The Origin" and I gotta say...

IT DOES SO MANY THINGS RIGHT.

Watch the first part here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU9K024gAow

First off, it stays so true to the actual games. The special takes so much advantage of what the games could offer. Attacks do damage accordingly to what it would do in the games, like Scratch doing jack-crap to Geodude and Onix. The first rival battle was actually pretty exciting and I can honestly say that I was concerned for Red's Charmander when he was being demolished by Blue's Squirtle. Oh, and the Pokemon make actual "animal" noises (they still sound kinda like weird humans).

Secondly, the story revolves around evolution of both the Pokemon and Red's capabilities as a trainer. I love how Red learned how to develop a bond with his Pokemon in order to defeat things. Since I've only seen the first part, I can't say a lot about this, but it looks good so far.

You see, the anime that has Ash totally fails at this part because Ash simply does not develop personallly. He's just... there to be some protagonist who people can watch do things. No real rhyme or reason has been placed in why he started battling to begin with, nor why he still is today. Sure he wants to be champ, but that's bland as heck.

The Pokemon Special really gives Red enough motivation to get stronger. He wants to build up Oak's Pokedex, but he can't do so if he's weak. Both that and his rivalry with Green provides a strong dynamic and makes Red a character you can really root for.

Finally, the simple aesthetics of the special. Graphics aren't the biggest thing in a movie or a show, but in this case, it really works in the special's favor. It provides a watercolory look that matches Ken Sugimori's artwork in a way. If you look at how the colors are, they blend in very well, yet allow things like characters to stick out.

Back to the anime with Ash in it, they didn't do as well. They tried to make everything bright... a little too bright. It was too colorful for its own good. The colors contrasted too much with the background and made things pop out a bit too much. I dunno. That was a bit of a nitpick. I don't hate the anime purely for that... just for other reasons.

All in all, I can say that Pokemon: The Origins is a must-watch for anybody who has played or seen the old games. Heck, even if you're not a fan, you should try this out. I guarentee that you'll love it.

Unless, you know... you're weird.