Pokemon Origins: It's About Time

After mentioning Pokemon Origins in a recent post I figured I should probably make a proper statement on it and stop beating around the bush.

Pokemon Origins is awesome.

Let's unpack that.

The Story


Pokemon Origins: Wolverine diverts from the Ash Ketchum story line to instead focus on Red, a 10 year old boy about to embark on his Pokemon journey. He chooses his first Pokemon, a Charmander and...

Well honestly if  you played Pokemon Red or Blue back in the day and didn't change your or your opponents names that's pretty much the story. As far as the series is concerned, there's only 151 Pokemon and you gotta catch em' all while remaining in the only region in the world, Kanto. The only divergence from the original games is the addition of mega evolution, introduced in Pokemon X and Y, but we'll get to that.

The Pokemon We Deserved

If you've watched any of the first season of the adventures of Ash Ketchum, world's worst Pokemon trainer, you may find that your nostalgia goggles are just not strong enough to remember why you spent a part of your childhood wearing Pikachu briefs. The show is dated for adults as the characters are just not that interesting, and their monster-of-the-week formula, or in this case pocket-monster-of-the-week, is, let's face it, a commercial for the toys. Agreed you do get the occasional gag with Psyduck or Team Rocket, and the show still has a few heartwarming moments to pull out of its sleeve, but in general as an adult it's just not that watchable.

For me the biggest reason for this is that the show pads itself out like it's trying to imitate Dragonball Z, with at least 7/10 episodes being filler. As it's been noted what was a 5 minute journey in the game took Ash well over 20 episodes with sleepovers to make the trip. Ash himself is a lot like Harry Potter, where nobody wants to actually be him they just want to live in his world and do what he does only competently.



Red on the other hand is a Pokemon trainer we can get behind. He's not perfect but his struggles make him all the more relatable as he tries to earn the title of Pokemon master. The show is only four episodes long which is as long as it needs to be. It tells the story while letting us see all the epic moments we imagined in our heads as we stared at our Gameboys going on our own journey.

The Verdict

Pokemon Origins: Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood is in my humble opinion the best piece of non-video game media to come out of this franchise. It tells us a story, gives us the grandeur we wanted. Check it out on Amazon Prime if you get the chance, believe me, you won't regret it.

-JOE

10 Shows to Binge With The Family

Have you already worn through everything you wanted to catch up on, but see the quarantine stretching out in front of you like the road to Mordor? Here's 10 shows you can binge watch right now with the family all across the streamingverse.

10: Gargoyles (Disney Plus)

Remember Gargoyles? It's Disney's answer to Batman: The Animated Series. This beloved show is back thanks to Disney Plus, and is just as enjoyable as it always was, with the bonus feature of not having to rush home from school to catch the next episode. The writing is stellar and features half the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation for some reason, so you know the acting is on point. Show your kids, let them see something amazing that has nothing to do with Fortnite.

9: The Andy Griffith Show (Amazon Prime)

I know I've already talked extensively about this show, but seriously you can't find a better show to binge with the family than The Andy Griffith Show. The jokes are still as relevant as they were when they were first written and the wholesome town of Mayberry is just what we all need in these uncertain times. Bonus points if you can convince your kids that the reason it's not in color is that color wasn't invented until the 50's (My father in law convinced his son that).

8: We Bare Bears (Hulu)

Never heard of this? Then you're welcome. This delightful show features three bear roommates, Ice Bear, Grizzly and Panda as they try to fit into the human world and fail spectacularly. The show has the kind of random sense of humor adults would remember from stuff like Homestar Runner from the ancient days of the internet, and is a delight for all ages.

7: Year Million (Disney Plus)

One of the exclusive treats on Disney Plus, this documentary follows a family living in the hypothetical year million, a time when technology is beyond our imagination. It offers some interesting food for thought on how technology can influence our lives. It's also really neat to see the entire solar system enveloped by a Dyson Sphere.

6: DC Super Hero Girls (Netflix)

A spin off from the online series, DC Super Hero Girls  follows a team of heroes as they navigate high school. The show's vibe is somewhere between the original Teen Titans series and Bugs Bunny, basically what Teen Titans Go should've been but never was. Check it out if your kids are fans of superheroes or strong female protagonists, or just want to watch something funny with heroes.

5: Pokemon: Origins (Amazon Prime)

Completely detached from the story of Ash Ketchum, this miniseries follows the plot of Pokemon Red and Blue, giving us the Pokemon story we always wanted. We see Red go from town to town collecting badges and and Pokemon the same way we did on our old Gameboys. It's the best Pokemon show to come out in years, and I'm including Detective Pikachu and Mewtwo Strikes Back: Remix.

4: Sailor Moon (Hulu)

The original Magical Girl anime, this show really doesn't get its just due. While it does follow a gaggle of school girls, Sailor Moon never gets inappropriate. The campiness of the show is enjoyable to adults and the action and humor appeals to kids of all ages. If you've never seen it now is the chance to give it a try.

3: Our Planet (Netflix)

Another documentary but this one focusing on the natural world we live in with stunning cinematography. It's one of those shows that you stop on while your flipping through the channels and immediately get sucked into learning about elephant migration patterns or the nocturnal party scene of the Mojave desert. It's a good one to snuggle up to and watch while the kids name the animals.

2: Tiny Toon Adventures (Hulu)

Another blast from the past is this classic out of Warner Brothers. A bunch of toons for the next generation (or... our generation...) this show always sparked joy in the hearts of the kids who watched it. Tiny Toon Adventures is just as good as it always was, and will be fun to introduce to the next generation... The one that you made...

1: Scooby Doo Mysteries Incorporated (Netflix)

A modern take on the classic Scooby Doo, this show is more a coherent series than a formula repeated episode after episode. With connecting stories, callbacks to the OG show and references to H.P. Lovecraft, Scooby Doo Mysteries Incorporated is the Scooby Doo we always wanted, and thankfully, completely devoid of Scrappy Doo.

-JOE