Pokemon: Origins - International Release

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

Yeah, there's a thread about it that's three months old. I'd like to bring it back into the spotlight now that it's easily accessible to everyone and localized for an international audience.

First off, I'm not an anime fan AT ALL. The only anime I ever watched as a kid was, of course, Pokemon, along with Sonic X. I've outgrown both of those now (Sonic X has been wrapped up for a while, and Pokemon is just way too cheesy and kiddy for me now), so I wasn't too excited when it became news that there was a new Pokemon anime in the works.... Until I actually found out what it was all about.

It's the classic story of the very first Pokemon games, Red and Blue (or Red and Green in Japan, as I'm sure all of you know). The possibility of bringing what was a big part of my childhood back intrigued me, and I was willing to give it a shot... But not in Japanese. Yeah, I understand that A LOT of anime fans prefer the native Japanese voices as opposed to the English ones. But I've just never been able to fully enjoy a medium of art when it isn't in my mother-tongue, so I decided to hold off on attempting to watch it until it was finally released in English.

And that day was today. For the first time in a LONG TIME, I sat down, and watched some anime, the first episode of "Pokemon: Origins". I wasn't disappointed at all. No, I wasn't expecting some sort of super dark, super mature Pokemon rendition. What I WAS expecting was a much more toned town kid-ish atmosphere (for lack of a better description), and Pokemon Origins is exactly that. It isn't overly cheesy at all, and it presents the story of the original games in a very compelling manner.

Also, the battles are awesome to watch. It can only get better from here I would imagined, as the Pokemon get bigger and badder with more powerful moves. The fact that they made it so exciting with the moves Scratch, Tackle, and Double Kick makes me look forward to what they'll do when moves like Hydro Pump and Fire Blast are added to the mix.

So, has anyone else seen it, English or otherwise? I would recommend this to people like me, who grew up with the original games, but have kind of "out-grown" the anime in a sense that they just don't get enjoyment anymore. It's a four part series, so there's plenty more to look forward to over the next few days.

Watch: http://www.pokemon.com/us/tv-episodes/pokemon-episodes/#!38d096d4d99447debd53189893f03b6f

 

[Terminus]

I wouldn't have minded the Subs if they actually translated everything. They kinda gave up halfway through the second episode.

 

[Mido]

I was very intrigued when I sat down to watch Pokemon Origins. After watching Pokemon for years as a kid, I was eager to see a perspective from Red! Since I watched an episode a couple of weeks ago, it was in Japanese, even though I prefer the English Dub.

What I saw, was simply a masterpiece. It was exactly like a classic Pokemon adventure, similar in some ways to Ash's Kanto days. I'm growing to like the characters in the perspective of the original Pokemon games, and each of them are very realistic and well-crafted. The story, in my opinion, has great pacing, and the atmosphere was what really left an impact on me. Like Vergo said, it still has the more vibrant, "kid-ish" atmosphere, yet the story is much more serious and engaging. I watched an episode where Red traveled to Lavender Town, and it definitely had some serious elements pervading in the atmosphere, almost dark! In other words, the episode was filled with emotion and I could feel myself becoming cheerful, yet there were times where I would become very solemn.

As for the Pokemon, it is just like being a kid all over again. The battles continue to hold down the fort in terms of action and visuals, and the Pokemon themselves still look great! I really enjoyed what I had seen in Pokemon Origins!

 

[Stitch]

That first episode, the feels, the memories. I remember going through everything Red went through when I first played pokemon. I really hope they make another series based off Gold Version and Silver Version and I can't wait until they release the rest of the english dub episodes of this series.

 

[JuicieJ]

I already watched the subs, so I knew what to expect, and the dub... well, it's pretty awesome. Can't wait to see the remaining three episodes!

 

[Ventus]

That dub is damn tight. Qive me dat. It brings back memories of Crystal, oddly enough..

 

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

So I watched the second episode, and I have to say, didn't like it as much as the first. It's probably just because there isn't any big battles in it though, and I can see why the focus was elsewhere. Lavender Town was one of the most memorable parts of Red and Blue, and I did very much enjoy the music rendition that the episode gave. It was a little bit lame how few Team Rocket members there were in the tower, but other than that, it was still pretty solid.

I'm hoping that more of the gym battles get covered. I'm think that Giovanni is a shoe-in, but I was a tad disappointed that Misty and Lt. Surge went by so fast. Guess that's the nature of having such a short series though.

 

[Mido]

So I watched the second episode, and I have to say, didn't like it as much as the first. It's probably just because there isn't any big battles in it though, and I can see why the focus was elsewhere. Lavender Town was one of the most memorable parts of Red and Blue, and I did very much enjoy the music rendition that the episode gave. It was a little bit lame how few Team Rocket members there were in the tower, but other than that, it was still pretty solid.

I'm hoping that more of the gym battles get covered. I'm think that Giovanni is a shoe-in, but I was a tad disappointed that Misty and Lt. Surge went by so fast. Guess that's the nature of having such a short series though.

This was the first episode that I saw of the series. (In Japanese, however.) While I do agree that the action wasn't all there, I feel like the emotional buildup in the series gave this episode some leverage. Team Rocket, as I mentioned in my previous post, are, at least to me, much more menacing than their Pokemon counterparts. More members in the Tower would have probably enhanced the effect, though!