Synopsis:
Ash wants to become the world's best Pokemon trainer. In order to do so, he has to capture all 150 of them. What are Pokemon? Pokemon are extraordinary creatures with varying powers and abilities. They are collected and traded by children of all ages. Pokemon are caught and kept in Pokeballs, and they can fight with other Pokemon. Also in the mix is a group called Team Rocket. They too are out to get Pokemon, even if they have to steal them all!

Review:
I initially thought that Pokemon was just about kids and their cutesy pets, so I wasn't all that enthusiastic about it. To my surprise, I found Pokemon to be quite fun to watch. The various kinds of Pokemon are either cute or interesting-looking, which are the show's main attraction. Although the plot revolves around catching Pokemon and keeping Team Rocket's activities in check, it doesn't get tiring because funny stuff erupts ever so often. Aside from the comical parts, there are also some episodes which pull some emotional strings. It's all very wholesome fare, something you can leave children alone with. The art and animation are simple and suitable. Graphically speaking, emphasis is given more to the Pokemon rather than the human characters. Colors are very vivid throughout, setting a bright and cheery tone. The English dubbing is tolerable in general, but Ash sounds like a whiney runt. I'm just glad they retained Pikachu's original Japanese voice. There's no official English subtitled version yet though, and I kind of doubt there ever will be.

Miscellanies:
Pokemon is also available on the N64, Gameboy, and as a comic series.

Screenshots:

Shopping - click on title to purchase:

Rightstuf
Pokemon (DVD Box Set Season 1)
Pokemon (DVD 10th Anniversary Box Set)

[ Anime Series Index | Back to Main Menu ]