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Review Pocket Monsters: The Origin

The dubbing of part 3 was good. Giovanni's voice I feel really fit his character in this special. Charizard sounded odd to me after evolving, is it just me or does it sound like a growl into a stage microphone? After that Charizard sounded very good.

A big difference between Red and Blue really showed in this part, with Red having a much more caring side to him. Especially when they were in the alleyway and Blue cared more about the Pokemon League than helping them out by taking the woman to the police station.

The flashbacks with Giovanni as a child and him remembering that he was just like Red as a kid were great.
 
I loved episode 3. I have no idea why but after watching these 3 episodes of the series my love for Pokemon has gotten stronger it seems. I've always enjoyed it and played the game but I didn't seem to have the same enjoyment as I did when I was younger. After finishing this episode it seems like I got that feeling back.

I really enjoyed Giovanni joining in the episode and I don't have anything to complain about the dubbing either. The battles are really intense, too. It's making me want to replay Pokemon Red or Blue.
 
Alright, caught up with the dub. For some odd reason episodes beyond the first aren't visible in Pokémon TV for me like the first one, but I'm used to do my thing illegally so who cares.

The human voices are again done perfectly, so I have really nothing to say about them. About the Pokémon voices...excellent again, but I find kinda weird that Nidoqueen was clearly voiced by male. Also, amazing job with doing Charizard's roars without making me cringe, I still remember hearing Charizard's voice done by 4Kids (Eric Stuart probably) and it sounded little awkward.

Can't wait to see and hear how they handled the last one.
 
part 4 was great. i loved the fight with mewtwo. i will give a full review after saturday to give every one a chance to watch
 
Just watched episode 4 today. It's such a shame that this series wasn't a one-cour (12-13 episode) series. I would have loved to have seen more of the Gym Leaders and the Elite 4.
 
Awesome conclusion to the series. Blue and Red's battle was so awesome and intense and I just loved the emotion put into it. Especially from Blue. Also cool how they retconned Mega Evolution into the series and connected Dr. Fuji to Mr. Fuji.

The fight with Mewtwo was great. I love Mewtwo's voice and that MegaCharizard X's power!! I also liked how they showed Charmander using scratches! That was so cute and heartwarming to see how he's grown~

And the ending was fantastic. Red completed the Pokedex and there's still Mew out there. Just an awesome series and I give it the same 150/150 rating I gave the Japanese version~
 
I really enjoyed watching the dub, it was interesting having a completey new cast and crew behind this production, and it really helped differentiate it from the main anime. I can understand why they didn't give the job to DuArt (considering the workload they would've had lately - dubbing at one episode per week, plus movie 16, plus the extra XY episodes), still interesting that it was an LA dub instead of New York like every other Pokemon production of the last 15 years. Giovanni's voice was perfect.

As far as the episodes - I have to say I liked them all, too. Part 2 especially because it managed to tell one story over the whole episode, and gave an indication of what this series could've been like if it were fleshed out a bit more. Part 3 was good too - and I like how there was a bit of backstory for Giovanni, but I imagine the reveal that Giovanni was the Viridian Gym Leader (not that it ever would've been a surprise to anyone) and his overall arc would've been more impactful had this been a longer series, and it didn't all happen in one episode (like in the games, where there's a bit more of a disconnect between fighting Giovanni in the Silph Co. and then having the Gym battle with him). That's probably my major criticism of it, like a lot of other people, that it could've been so much more. Part 4 felt like two seperate epsiodes compressed into one so it would all fit into one night of TV in Japan.
 
The final episode was wonderful. Seeing a game representation of the elite 4 was great. And the final battle between Red and Blue was amazing. I really loved Red's team for the elite four, since it was a lot like something I would use, Pokémon that most wouldn't consider strong or "cool", specifically the Persian and Dodrio.

My gosh, Blastoise fell on Blue. That seriously must have hurt.

The battle between Mega Charizard X and Mewtwo was sooooo badass. That final mega punch was great!

Overall, this was a really great special. I loved everything about it and the voices here were great. 10/10!
 
Ep 4 was just as good as the others in my opinion. I found the battle between blue and Red a bit short but it was still good! The battle between Mewtwo and Charizard had to be the highlight of the whole series for me.
 
Part four of the dub was pretty good. Interesting how Professor Oak made a similarity/coincidence comparison of Mr. Fuji and Dr. Fuji, like Mr. Fuji had changed his name. I'm a bit surprised that Mewtwo really only had Confusion as the Psychic attack in the big battle instead of Psychic.

It was interesting how Charizard was able to hold that huge Mega Stone in the battle and still be able to battle well. I think it swallowed it at first or something, since it wasn't shown actually holding it. Blue vs Red was an interesting battle, though I think it would be even better if it was extended and that we got to see several attacks in each Pokemon match up. Blastoise appeared to have low Sp. Defenses since it went down by two Fire attacks.

Seeing Mega Charizard X a second time in this episode, it started to grow on me a bit. It battled quite well.
 
After seeing the 4 chapters of "Pokemon: Origins", I would like to comment several things about it; so maybe they could be added to the Bulbapedia. I guess they could add this to the "Trivia" section of "Red (Origins)". Basically, I want to mention the big parallelism between Ash and Red; they are not the same character, but it's obvious that they designed it to look like very much.

1º) Charmander-Charmeleon-Charizard:
+ In both cases, Ash and Red, their Charizards can be considered as their most powerful Pokemon; training them since they were Charmanders.
+ In Giovanni's Gym Battle, Red's Charizard gave the final strike with a Seismic Toss; just like Ash's Charizard did for a long time in many of his battles.
+ The battle between Charizard and Moltres could be a reference to two of the most significant battles of Ash's Charizard. One could be Charizard vs Entei, as the power of Ash's Charizard can match the power of a Legendary Pokemon. On the other hand, it can also be a reference to the second Pokemon movie, since in one scene, Charizard blocked Moltres' Flamethrower with his own, drawing their power. It can also be a reference to Charizard's battle against Noland's Articuno, as this mean Ash's Charizard is powerful enough to defeat a Legendary Pokemon (at least on eof the Legendary Birds from Kanto); and if this Pokemon would have been "entirely" wild, maybe Ash could have captured it.

2º) Besides Charizard, some other of Red's Pokemon are also Pokemon that Ash's captured in previous adventures. These are the main ones:
- Tauros: Just like Ash, Red had a Tauros in his team, which he used to capture Zapdos. Of course, I don't think Red captured a whole herd of Tauros like Ash, just one.
- Caterpie/Metapod: This is one of Red's first Pokemon he captured, just like it was Ash's very first Pokemon captured. So it could be a reference to Ash's Butterfree.
- Pidgey: Another of Red's first Pokemon was a Pidgey, which could be a reference to Ash's Pidgeot. It's true that Ash didn't capture a Pidgey, it failed and later he captured a Pidegeotto; but you get the idea.
- Pikachu: Red captured a Pikachu in the last chapter, but it's obvious that it's not like Ash's. It's ironic that this is one of the last Pokemon captured by Red.
* Jolteon: It's true that Ash never had a Jolteon, but it's clear that his role in Red's team is the same that Ash's Pikachu.
- Lapras: Like Ash, Red had a Lapras which he mainly used for water transport but he also used it in a few Pokemon Battles.
- Snorlax: Red captured a Snorlax, like Ash, although it's obvious that they captured them in different ways. Both Pokemon can use Hyper Beam too.
* Victreebell: Ash never caught a Victreebell, but it's pretty ironic that Red had one. I always saw this Pokemon as Ash's best alternative for a Grass type Pokemon is he had never caught Bulbasaur. (Bulbasaur and Victreebell even share the same type, Grass/Poison). Of course, if Ash would have captured a Victreebell, it wouldn't be like James' at all.
- Haunter/Gengar: Red captured a Haunter and used it to defeat Sabrina's Psychic Pokemon. Ash tried to do the same in the anime, although the result was quite different. Red looked good with a Gengar, so this is the reason why I never liked how they made Ash never officially capture Haunter. It would have been awesome for his team.
* Arbok: The Pokemon that Red captured could be a reference to two Pokemon from the anime. One could be Jessie's Arbok, and the other one could be Ash's Muk, as both are Poison types.

3º) Some of Red's Pokemon can be also references to Pokemon that Ash befriended, temporally used or tried to captured; making the writers waste perfect opportunities. Let's see:
- Spearrow: It could be the same Pokemon Ash hit with a stone and later chase him and Pikachu with his whole flock. It could also a reference to Ritchie, who is know as "Ash's clone", as it's highly suspected that he could have a Spearrow; according to what we saw in Kanto's League.
- Rattata: It can be a reference to two Pokemon from Ash's past. The first one could be the Rattata that tried to steal Ash's food in the first episode, or even the Pokemon Ash tried to use against Team Rocket in their very first encounter. The second Pokemon that could make a reference is the Raticate Ash temporally traded by Butterfree.
- Hitmonlee: Red's Hitmonlee can be a reference to two Pokemon. One can be the Pokemon defeated by Ash's Primeape before becoming Grand Prix P-1's Champion; and the other one can be the Pokemon Ash borrowed from Master Hamm during the Battle Frontier's adventure. The truth is that I always saw this Fighting Pokemon a good candidate for Ash's team. Either way, Hitmonlee is also a pure Fighting type like Ash's Primeape.
- Scyther: It could be a reference to Tracey's Scyther, since Ash tried to captured it before Tracey, but he failed. Either way, this was an elder Scyther, so it didn't fit for Ash's team. But the truth is that Ash would have looked great with a young/regular Scyther.
- Fearrow: The Pokemon that Red captured could be a reference to the Fearrow that evolved from the Spearow that was hit by Ash in the first episode, and later it was defeated by Ash's Pidgeot. Just like in Red's case, Ash tried to captured this Fearrow, but even defeated, it still had enough strength to resist the capture.

- Persian: This could be a reference to TR's Meowth, and the time he faked traveling with Ash's group back in Unova? I think this is a Pokemon they shouldn't have given Red in his team. Snorlax looked way better here.
- Rapidash: Red's Pokemon could be a reference to the Pokemon Ash borrowed from Lara Laramie to win in the race of "Flame Pokemon-athon". The truth is that it would be good for Ash to capture this kind of Pokemon, not only for battle, but for a rideable Pokemon too. I don't see why Red didn't use his Charizard to capture Articuno instead of this Rapidash.
- Articuno: The fact that Red defeated and captured Articuno, and then used it against Mewtwo, could also be a reference to Ash's battle against Noland Articuno. If this Articuno wouldn't have been friend of Noland, maybe Ash could have captured it after defeating him with Charizard.
- Ground Types: During all the chapters of the special, Red never used a Ground type Pokemon, just like Ash in his journeys through Kanto and the Orange Islands (Gen I).

4º) I believe some other of Red's Pokemon were references to main characters during the Kanto and the Orange League's adventures. All those Pokemon looked fine for Red, which could confirm an old theory I have. I believe that all (or most) of the Pokemon that Ash's companions (or even some of his rivals) had belonged could suit in Ash's Pokemon team. The Pokemon I'm talking about are these: Psyduck (Misty), Chansey (Brock), Scyther (Tracey), Dodrio (Gary/Tracey), Arbok (Jessie), Victrebell (James) and Persian (Meowth).

5º) Finally, there has been some events in Red's journey that mirrors some of Ash's most important events in his journeys. Let's see:
- Red's team in Viridian City was very similar to Ash's in the Orange Islands: Charizard, Snorlax, Jolteon (Electric Type like Pikachu), Victreebell (Grass/Poison type like Bulbasaur) and Kabutops (Water type like Squirtle). Only difference is Hitmonlee taking Lapras' place, although we saw red using Lapras before arriving to this Gym.
- Red's Kanto League Challenge against the Elite Four and the Champion (his Rival) can be equal to Ash's Orange League Challenge; as both have "4 Leaders and a Champion". Both Red and Ash won their challenges and entered in a Hall of Fame with even some of the same Pokemon: Charizard, Lapras and an Electric type (Pikachu/Jolteon).
- Drake's Pokemon Team in the Orange League can be a reference to the game's Kanto League Challenge. He had a team with a Pokemon from the 5 trainers you have to defeat: Onix (Bruno), Gengar (Agatha), Venusaur (Champion Rival, if you pick Squirtle) and Dragonite (Lance). The only trainer who Drake doesn't share a Pokemon is Lorelei.
- Both Red and Ash lost their first battles against Giovanni. Ash in a Pikachu vs Persian battle, and Red in a Charizard vs Nidoqueen battle.
- Red's ultimate battle against his rival, Green, was decided in a match of Red's Charizard vs Green's Blastoise; with Red winning. The same thing happened in the Johto League when Ash and Gary's ultimate battle, in a match between Ash's Charizard vs Gary's Blastoise, winning Ash.

Well, what do you think of this?
 
Is there anyway we could get the folks who dubbed Origins to take over the Show :confused:

Because that would so rock...
 
After seeing the 4 chapters of "Pokemon: Origins", I would like to comment several things about it; so maybe they could be added to the Bulbapedia. I guess they could add this to the "Trivia" section of "Red (Origins)". Basically, I want to mention the big parallelism between Ash and Red; they are not the same character, but it's obvious that they designed it to look like very much.

It could just be a reference to the video game and how most players played. lol.
 
Considering Satoshi is the anime's version of Red, is it really necessary to look that deep into their similarities? People don't do that with Green and Shigeru, or any other character for that matter, and it continues to bug me to this day.
 
Considering Satoshi is the anime's version of Red, is it really necessary to look that deep into their similarities? People don't do that with Green and Shigeru, or any other character for that matter, and it continues to bug me to this day.

Well, maybe because there's a big difference here and an important fact. This "Red" is not actually the one from the real "origins", but the one from the remake with "Red Fire" and "Green Leaf". In the original versions, we have the real Red/Ash and his rival Blue/Green/Gary. In the remakes, all the characters are redesigned but they are still the same, except the player character that includes all the new options of the most recent generations, like choosing if you are male or female.

Actually, there's a big mystery that bugged me at the same level of who's Ash's father, and it could be solved with the changes in the remake. You see, in the anime's first episode, there was 4 trainers who started their Pokemon journey (Ash, Gary and two "never seen" trainers). That day, at Oak's Lab, there was four Pokemon to pick that day: Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Pikachu. We know Ash picked Pikachu and Gary picked Squirtle; therefore, the two "never seen" trainers had to get Charmander and Bulbasaur. And now I believe those two Never-Seen trainers are the player characters from "Red Fire" and "Green Leaf". The female trainer could be the one who picked Bulbasaur, and the male trainer could be the one who picked Charmander. It suits pretty well, don't you think?
 
Richie started with Charmander, and hes basically a palette swapped Red.
Don't know if hes from Pallet Town though, maybe he just went there to start his journey which would explain why two of his top Pokemon are Pikachu and Butterfree because he must've gone to Viridian Forest early in his adventure.
 
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