# Spoiler-free review # Review in brief: Though Pokémon: The Origin is decidedly too short for its own good, it still manages to tell a concise and entertaining tale that doesn't require the viewer to have prior experience with the franchise to enjoy (though I would imagine that it helps). As someone outside the fandom, I would feel comfortable suggesting it to a general audience given the lack of commitment needed to partake.

Review in full:

Again, the most noticeable thing about this anime is how short it is. Having at least 6 episodes instead of just 4 would have done it wonders (though at the same time its shorter run-time makes it easier to watch in one sitting). Regardless, while it could've used its time a little more efficiently it still used it well. Instead of showing the entire journey it takes a number of key portions in that journey and takes some time to flesh them out, which actually makes it feel more whole.

While serious Pokémon fans might berate it for taking this approach, I'd say that for something this short it would've been a bad thing for it to have tried to show the entire journey. Sure, we don't see most of the 150-odd Pokémon that Red sets out to catch or all of the gym battles and so forth, but we do get to see enough of these things to know that they're being done and what it looks like.

Pokémon: The Origin shows Pokémon fighting just long enough to leave PETA members appalled.

For people familiar with the game it allows the show to go deep enough to tap into their nostalgia, while for those of us who never played Pokémon it offers an idea of what it feels like to be engrossed in the game without stagnating itself on the (seemingly) repetitive side of things where you throw balls at monsters and then train them into all-powerful fighters to throw at more monsters for hours on end.

That's not to say it's a flawless approach either. It still doesn't leave much time for most characters to develop or flesh out, and of course it's harder to get invested in a story that's only half-shown. Still, at the end of the day the journey itself was preserved through its highlights.

The production values were not exactly memorable, yet did their job proficiently. Animation-wise Pokémon: The Origin does offer rather appealing visuals (though not breathtaking) without making it difficult to see the world it draws up as the game it represents. The music & sound do their jobs well enough. If they offered anything nostalgic I was not in the position to pick up on it.

Verdict:

Pokémon: The Origin could've gone from good to great with more time to develop, but it managed to use it's short time well enough to at least be enjoyable. It's a decent watch if you're thinking about checking out Pokémon but don't want to sink too much time into a game or different anime.