TV and Movies

Pokemon Origin

Pokemon_The_Origin_Poster[1]

I normaly don’t like to review shows out of season order, but this 4-part special is it’s own stand alone story based on the 1st generation Pokemon Games, so it can be watched at anytime.

Episode 1

Two young trainers, Red and Blue, are called over by Professor Oak, who gives them a Pokédex, asking them to complete it with data from Pokémon all across the Kanto region. In exchange, he gives each of them a Pokémon partner, with Red choosing a Charmander and Blue choosing a Squirtle. After fighting several battles, catching wild Pokémon and acquiring data for his Pokédex along the way, Red soon comes up against Blue and is completely overpowered by his Squirtle. As Red feels dejected over his defeat, he meets a man who teaches him about the bond between trainers and Pokémon before directing him to a nearby town, Viridian City, where he can heal his Pokémon. Later arriving at Pewter City’s Gym, he discovers the man he met before, the Gym Leader Brock, who offers to face him in a gym battle. After learning that his Fire-type Charmander is ineffective against Brock’s Rock-type Geodude, Red manages to beat it with his Nidoran♂. However, Brock soon fights back with his Onix, who beats most of Red’s Pokémon. Coming to understand the bond between trainers and Pokémon, Red manages to beat Onix with his Charmander, earning himself a Boulder Badge from Brock.

If you took beginning of the 1st gen video games (unto getting the bolder badge) and made a episode this is what you would get. Staying pretty true to the game, Pokemon Origin tells the story from the game.

Episode 2

After facing many more battles and earning two more Gym Badges, Red arrives in Lavender Town, where he hears many rumors about ghosts roaming around a Pokémon Tower, a Pokémon cemetery. Before heading to the Tower, Red goes to a Pokémon House for abandoned Pokémon, where he meets a girl named Reina, along with a Cubone who became orphaned after his mother, a Marowak, was killed by the nefarious Team Rocket. He soon learns that the owner of the Pokémon House, Mr. Fuji, has gone by himself to the Pokémon Tower, which has been overrun by Team Rocket. Red decides to go to the Tower to search for him whilst Blue, overhearing his conversation, decides to go as well. They both soon encounter a ghost, which is soon revealed by a Silph Scope that Blue obtains from Team Rocket to be the ghost of Cubone’s mother. Cubone, who had run out from the Pokémon House to come to the tower, reunites with his mother, allowing her to pass on, before helping Red drive out Team Rocket and rescue Mr. Fuji. As thanks, Mr. Fuji gives Red a Pokéflute and some mysterious stones before he resumes his journey.

I love that the episodes start with the game load screen and ends with the game save screen. I disliked that this episode glossed over the events from battling Brock upto the Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town. Unlike the first episode, this one takes more liberties to tell the story line.

Episode 3

After Red has obtained two more badges and evolved his Pokémon into Charizard, he and Blue encounter the secretary of the president of the Silph Company, which had been taken over by Team Rocket, who are trying obtain the Master Ball, a Poké Ball capable of capturing any Pokémon. Red infiltrates the Silph Company, freeing all the imprisoned scientists and Pokémon, receiving a Lapras in gratitude. Red soon comes up against Team Rocket’s leader, Giovanni, who beats him with his Nidoqueen before escaping. Continuing his journey and earning more badges, Red arrives in Viridian City, where he discovers the final Gym Leader is none other than Giovanni himself. Giovanni first sends out a Rhyhorn, who effortlessly beats most of Red’s Pokémon, but Red manages to pull off a double knockout with his Hitmonlee. Red then sends his Charizard against Giovanni’s Rhydon, managing to defeat it. Respecting Red’s strength, Giovanni disbands Team Rocket’s operations and awards Red with the final Gym Badge needed to enter the Pokémon League.

Episode 4

Red finally arrives at the Pokémon League on the Indigo Plateau, where he battles against and defeats the Elite Four. However, he discovers that Blue has beat him to the title of Pokémon League Champion. In order to obtain the title for himself, Red challenges Blue to a battle. The match soon boils down to a showdown between Red’s Charizard and Blue’s Blastoise, with Charizard managing to win out. They are then visited by Professor Oak, who immortalizes Red and his Pokémon in the history of league champions. Afterwards, Red continues his journey and manages to catch all 149 known Pokémon. Upon returning home, however, Red learns that Blue was badly beaten by a mysterious Pokémon not listed amongst those Red encountered. Recalling a diary he encountered during his travels, Red deduces this to be an artificially made Pokémon named Mewtwo. After receiving advice from Oak about the stones Fuji had given him, Red goes to confront Mewtwo, finding him to be incredibly powerful. As both Red and Charizard become determined not to give up, the stones they received, revealed to be Mega Stones, begin to glow, resulting in a Mega Evolution that evolves Charizard into Mega Charizard X (introducing the megaevloutions for the folling season of the main show), allowing them to defeat and capture Mewtwo. Upon realizing there is still a Mew to be found, Red becomes determined to fully complete his Pokédex, unaware that Mew is right outside.

I would really like ot have seen them cover Vistory road or the league battles them self, but they just glosed over them to jump to the final rival battle. after defeating blue and taking his rightful place as the Pokemon League champion, Red takes on the games hardest battle: Mewtwo.

Jedite83

Jedite83 is a professional geek-of-all-trades and founder of Hacker Labs - The Geek and Otaku Blog. www.hackerlabs.net