Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Review | Anime | Pokemon

Pokemon : Ash Ketchum (or "Satoshi" in the Japanese anime) is a ten-year-old boy who dreams of becoming the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world. Pokemon are a variety of creatures that inhabit the Pokemon world, and at age ten, anyone who wants to set out to become a trainer picks up their first Pokemon and "Pokedex", and journey across the land to capture Pokemon to train and use to earn badges that enable them to enter the Pokemon League. Ash's first Pokemon is an electric rodent called Pikachu, and with Pikachu, he'll make friends and fight enemies and work to become the greatest Pokemon master of all time.



Needless to say, Pokemon has caused quite a stir in the world of young boys. Even girls can't possibly resist the pull of the show. When it was first released in America, that's all you heard, and the only thing your young family members wanted for Christmas was Pokemon.

I can't say I blame them. Pokemon's quite the real success. The American remake has been kid-friendlied by removing simple scenes of over-the-top cleavage and skimpy outfits, among other things. From what I've heard, the manga is quite inappropriate, though. The beginning series, Pokemon: Gotta Catch Em All! gave Satoshi Tajiri and the production companies the boost they needed, and I guess they figured, "hey, let's give 'em what they really want," so of course they release 100 more Pokemon, sparking the era of a new Pokemon season with new friends for Ash and Pikachu. So all was well, the kids were excited, the companies made themselves some more money.

However, the hype makes them all too confident. They release 100 more along with a new season and new friends, then 100 more along with a new season and new friends, then 100 more....and the excitement dwindled from the veins of once energetic children. Even the originality of the plots by the infamous Team Rocket villains seeped from the show in the middle of the Johto Journeys. I couldn't even watch Master Quest, I just couldn't. It was unbearable. There is no more creativity in the episodes at all. Ash's friend base even grows as the series does. Who on Earth are these "May, Max and Dawn" characters?? I was accepting of Tracey when they brought him along, but after that it was downhill. Ash's original loveable Pokemon, such as that of Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charmander, begin to slowly disappear as well; they are left with friends or released to live their owns lives and never heard from again. They are replaced with new Pokemon. The producers are stretching it too far. Nobody cares anymore.

If you want to get into the series, watch the season with the first 150. Stop after that if you wish to use your time wisely.

Overall Rating:
/ 5 (first 150 Pokemon)

~~Multimedia~~

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Audio:

Original Pokemon Theme
Pokemon Battle Theme
Pokemon Johto Theme

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