POKÉTOON
a review by Soemwriter
a review by Soemwriter
Pokétoon is a collection of eight short movies, every one lasting between 5 and 15 minutes and set in the world of Pokémon. Each episode features a self-contained story which is not related to the plots of the other episodes. In contrast with Hakumei no Tsubasa or the quite new Yuki-Hodokishi-Futaai, these stories do not have a special region or topic in common. Furthermore, each episode has its own animation style, ambience and story telling which makes them all unique. The first episode aired in June 2020 and the last in December 2021.
In order to implement the uniqueness of each episode, each part was assigned a different director including the experienced Shingo Yamashita, Junichi Yamamoto, and Tatsurou Kawano, but also people as Taku Inoue and Masanobu Hiraoka, who, up to this season airing, have only been involved with a small animation project and music videos, respectively. As I will often mention in the episode descriptions, their experience with arts and animation is really showing and paying off.
The design of the first episode is inspired by the golden age of american animation and thus evocative of the Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry or similar series.
Scraggy follows a path of Poké Beans dropping out of a bag. Accidently, he enters a train and meets Mimikyu who wants to befriend the fighting type Pokémon. Scraggy however is afraid of the ghost. Their opposing feelings and the missing communication lead to a fight including lots of pranks - most at the expense of Scraggy.
This short movie scores points not only by featuring Pokémon or by its decent animation, but also due to successfully taking me back to my younger days and the cartoon animations which entertained me up during my early childhood. In this fashion, this piece of art might be one of the most nostalgic episodes in this series simply by the animation style.
The art style of the second short movie features stop motion. This is a filmmaking technique based on single photographs where movements are depicted by comparably large increments. For example, the punches of Pancham are animated by two frames each showing a different arm stretched out and the other one close to the body. The real movement is then created in the audience's minds.
The plot features a wild Pancham living and training in the mountains. Once rescued by an Arcanine, it is dedicated to become a hero. In order to prevent becoming a terrifying dark type Pangoro, it wears a bracelet with an Everstone. When in the town nearby a landslide blocks the exit of a mine, a young boy ventures out to ask Pancham for help. But are they strong enough to save the miners?
As this story mainly features Pancham's past, solitary training, and feelings, it is a wise choice to employ an omniscient narrator. The soft voice, the soothing ambient music and the brilliant visuals come together in a great harmony. Furthermore, this story brings in many touching aspects, as the desire to become a hero, the fear of being misunderstood, and the act of being selfless for the benefit of others. A detail I, as huge fan of the Pokémon game franchise, personally value is how held items are featured: Arcanine wears an amulet coin, pancham an everstone and the young boy a choice scarf.
The third short story might be my personal favourite and in total shows a lot of resemblance to the early Pokémon anime series - especially concerning animation style and story telling.
Blossom (in the Japanese audio called Tsubomi) is a young girl who dreams to become a Pokémon trainer just like her dad. However, Blossom's mother doubts she is ready to travel out alone, yet. Egged by some other kids and in defiance of her mother, Blossom spends all her allowance on pokéballs and potions in order to venture out into the forest. There she is already awaited by an adventure which makes her understand her mother's feelings and tests her willpower.
More than every other episode this short movie drips with cliché and predictable events. Yet again, everything just fits so well together, that this did not feel off to me at all. And in the end, it is still a short movie meant for young fans (in spe) of the pokéverse. All in all, it is a heartwarming story all Pokémon fans should be able to relate to. Additionally, the last scene alone is worth watching this episode just for the nostalgic feelings it provides to all fans of the first games.
The fourth episode manages without a single spoken word, but a lot of music and atmosphere. It has a very peculiar animation style which seems simple at first sight, but uses colours and filters for its advantage.
The young boy Rikuo loves to play the flute. One day on a trip with his grandfather, his music attracts a Magikarp who really likes the sound. They become friends in a matter of seconds and the grandfather helps Rikuo to transfer the Pokémon in a big fish tank. However, Rikuo's parents are not fond of the idea having a Magikarp as a pet, such that Rikuo leaves his new friend at the daycare. Time flies by and Pokémon by Pokémon is fetched by their trainers, leaving Magikarp behind. Eventually, Magikarp hears his favourite music again.
This episode seems very simple at first side, concerning animation, plot, and even music. However, they all add up to a very beautiful and touching composition. I would bet that (hopefully) I am not the only person embarrassed of the tears starting to flow at the end of this wonderful animation.
The fifth part of this series comes with an animation comparable to the third episode or early anime episodes. It draws a charming background canvas without engulfing in details too much.
This slice-of-life short movie shows the exciting visit of young Anna at her grandparent's house. There, she meets all the Pokémon who help with the household, as for example the cleaner Minccino or the woodcutter Haxorus. Anna is particularly amazed by Slugma, who provides the heat for cooking, warm bathing water, and a very cozy atmosphere for sleeping. Yet again, Slugma is pretty shy and keeps hiding from Anna, which the girl takes for an invitation to play hide and seek.
As I have also accounted other episodes for, this short movie is heart-warming at its best. There is not much of a story, but a spotlight on several Pokémon you do not get to see very often (except of Eevee). When watching, I almost felt the tender heat of Slugma within my heart and was tempted to hole up under the sheets of my bed, as well.
This episode may be the one in the whole series that cares the most about a detailed animation, still showing resemblance with the third and previous episode. Yet again, the atmosphere is complete different from everything that came before, since this part is a ghost story.
Her classmates are very astounded when the reluctant Hilary (aka Shouko) accidentally volunteers to join them in an adventure. As a tribute to the seven mysteries of the Alolan trainer's school, they investigate the stairs to nowhere which leads them to the dark realm. As one of the pranks the ghost Pokémon play on the kids, Hilary turns into a Gengar and keeps on scaring her friends. Due to the huge amount of fun the ghost Pokémon have with the young students, they loose track of time until the realm starts to collapse. Those, who cannot make it out in time will be trapped forever.
In contrast with the other episodes, this one has some action going on that is not fully predictable and obvious to the audience from the start. Therefore, this is a wonderful ghost horror movie for young Pokémon fans, whereas it is still fun to watch for adults.
The seventh episode goes back to some simpler animation style with a sketched canvas for the models to act on. It keeps up the heartwarming story telling of the first five parts, though. The story telling is mainly done by the characters themselves, switching to one of them talking to the audience in the end.
Three friends spend their summer vacation in their secret base camp playing cards or reading books. One day they realized a mysterious change in the weather: the temperature fell and snow started to fall. Immediately, they started an expedition to find the cause of this phenomenon. In a cave they stumbled over a Snorunt who supposedly has been left by its trainer. The three boys decided to take care of the poor Pokémon and officially named their hideout "Pokémon research base".
The plot really reminds my of my childhood when venturing out with my friends to find our own adventures. The director really had an eye out for the details, showing several Pokémon of the seventh generation linking the setting with the tropical Alolan climate, which definitely does not suit a Snorunt.
The final masterpiece of this series animates the characters in front of simply drawn background canvases, which mostly are very bright and create a joyful atmosphere.
One day the young girl Peaches (aka Momo) encounters a crying Jigglypuff in the park. Trying to cheer up the poor thing, she decides to become friends with the Pokémon. They spend their days playing together and develop a deep bond to each other. However, when meeting Alva (aka Anzu), a friend of Peaches, their friendship is put to test. Anzu also has a Jigglypuff friend, who seems to be the perfect monster of its species. For example, it has well-kempt hair and a beautiful singing voice, whereas Peaches' Jigglypuff runs away crying after Peaches asked it to sing. Eventually, when Anzu assumes loudly that Jigglypuff does not like Anzu enough to sing, the Pokémon decides to face its trauma for its new friend.
This episode is nothing but five minutes of pure heartwarming cliché, that makes you cry even though you are absolutely aware how the plot proceeds. The bright animation style supports this soothing story perfectly making it a great short movie concerned with the friendship of an outcast Pokémon and the trainer that leads it back into the light.
From my point of view, this anime has two main goals. The first is to draw a very nice picture of the Pokéverse, especially to young (future) fans. Using very different styles and ambiences makes it really enjoyable, although the plots may be quite predictable and cliché. Yet again, what to expect of short movies suited for kids?
The second goal, however, is to make all the adult Pokémon fans shed Niagara Falls of tears, which at least half of the episodes succeeded concerning me. This series employs a brilliant composition of concept, visuals, and music which is worthy of the attribute "perfect".
This series is a must see for all Pokémon fans out there and perfectly suited to watch with your kids.
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