Movie Review: Detective Pikachu

Movie Review: Detective Pikachu

Monday, June 17, 2019 / No Comments

Warning: spoilers ahead!

Sadly, the anticipated film Detective Pikachu fails to live up to expectations.

Needless to say, as a kids’ show, the plot of the movie isn’t exceptionally tight. Yet, the plot-holes are so glaringly obvious that it’s hard to just overlook them.

From a couple of teenagers just conveniently infiltrating high-security research plants and surviving, to Pikachu almost dying from getting hit by a mere rock but not by Mewtwo’s attacks, the movie sometimes comes across as illogical to the point of being laughable. Suspense regarding the protagonist’s missing dad is built up from the start of the movie, and just when the audience is anticipating a mind-blowing revelation by the end of the film, it lazily concocts a tale that is hardly believable (aka he was within Pikachu all along). Honestly, the whole conclusion just looked like it was setting itself up to feature an exclusive Ryan Reynolds cameo, who is of course the voice behind Pikachu.



In terms of characterisation, many characters seem to be inserted for a single purpose, only to disappear for the bulk of the film, then reappear at the end to tie up loose ends. The acting wasn’t particularly spectacular either, although I would say the main actor Justice Smith did a decent job.

Of course I have to admit; the animation is indeed stunning. If you have ever struggled to visualise Pokemon in real life, the film does a great job in illustrating 3D Pokemon. The collective “aww” in the cinema whenever Pikachu pouted or when the horde of Bulbasaurs appeared is a testament to how convincing and likeable the Pokemon were. The range of Pokemon showcased was not bad either, spanning across most, if not all of the seven generations Nintendo has released so far.



Yet, for a movie whose appeal lies mainly in its visuals, Detective Pikachu still manages to further disappoint.

Considering that Pokemon battles are the centrepiece of the Pokemon universe, the film hardly showcases the defining factor of the franchise. Rather than immersing the audience in the canonical world of Pokemon, Pokemon are haphazardly shoved into our existing one (more specifically, the typical American society).

The only Pokemon battles for leisure that were shown were in a shady arena where two Pokemon were pit against each other, not under the instruction of their respective trainers but left to their own discretion. It was not unlike illegal animal duels in real life, and seemed to me a bastardised version of the healthy spirit of competition and sportsmanship that the Pokemon series seeks to espouse.





To compound matters, the film’s disregard for OG Pokemon fans is blatant. I watched the movie with two of my friends, all of us avid fans of the franchise since our primary school days. We came out rather crestfallen that there were little easter eggs for older fans – perhaps besides the sleeping Snorlax blocking the road.

It is clear that the movie is directed towards the new generation of Pokemon fans whose first interactions with Pokemon were likely Pokemon Go. Even the process of catching Pokemon, something considered significant and even rather sacred in the anime series, is reduced to a simple few seconds of throw-and-hope-for-the-best at the very start of the movie in the Cubone scene. There is an overall lack of respect and regard for the customs and conventions of the canonical Pokemon verse that Nintendo has so delicately created for us to enjoy.

I suppose that I may sound excessively bitter and critical about the film (especially since it has a decent score of 66% on Rotten Tomatoes), but this is a sentiment that I share with many of my friends and family who have been invested in Pokemon since our youth. 

I remember playing the remakes Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby a few years ago and actually shedding a tear at the end of the game because of the overwhelming feels, and I really believe that’s how Pokemon should make you feel. Clearly this movie didn’t do it for me, but either way, this is just my humble opinion on the film, so please feel free to form your own after watching it. Thanks for reading my (unnecessarily) long rant!


Written by Gin

Pokemon Theories

Pokemon Theories

Sunday, May 25, 2014 / No Comments

Pokemon has been a worldwide phenomenon since the late 90’s. Throughout the years, we have all come to love the furry electric mouse, Pikachu and many other lovely pocket monsters. On the other hand, we have the powerhouses, the enormous dragons and creatures of myths and legend. The large variety of Pokemon is what that allowed it to maintain its fans and viewers over such a long period of time. At the end of the day, Pokemon is actually meant to be a game for kids and teenagers, and any other further customers and audiences can be counted as a bonus for the Pokemon Company. But there is no doubt, the intended audiences were young kids, which I am still am.

                                                         Images are sourced from Google

Both SoulSilver and Black 2 are what I am playing at the moment while waiting for the release of Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby

My friends and I still play Pokemon in Poly. Shows how grown-up we are

That brings us to todays topic, Pokémon conspiracy theories. There have been many underlinings to the Pokemon world and plot and some of them have proven to be rather dark and matured for the ages of children which the games have been originally intended for. There are countless of articles and theories here and there but lets take a look at some of the commonly known theories.

“Killing Gary (Blue/Green) ‘s Raticate”

When playing through the first Generation of Pokemon games, most of us would remember the fight we had with our rival aboard  the S.S. Anne. This particular fight occurs right before you obtain the Hidden Machine from the Captain of the ship. Your rival possesses a Raticate in that fight, in which you would proceed to defeat his team. However after that fight, the next time you would meet your rival, will be at the “Pokemon Tower” in Lavender Town. Before engaging in another battle with your rival, your rival would say “…none of your Pokemon look dead to me.” On top of that, during the fight, the Raticate he used to own is no longer in his party. How did that happened? Legend says that your rival was unable to save his injured Raticate in time as he was making his way back to Vermillion City from the S.S. Anne.  He couldn’t reach the Pokemon Centre is time, hence his poor Raticate passed on from our world to the afterlife. You probably feel a little bad about yourself  huh? Who would have thought a topic like death would be so involved in a “kids” game like Pokemon ? Moving on

RIP Raticate...

“Giratina is the Devil”

Both forms of Giratina

This is a pretty cool Generation Four theory that I am personally a fan of conceptually.  This particular Generation was very “godly” in a sense where the game actually introduced the concept of gods to us. The main legendary Pokemon of this Generation were called the Creation Trio and it is pretty much confirmed that Arceus, “The God Pokemon” created the entire Sinnoh Region. The story goes as follows, the Devil was once was a fellow angel amongst those in heaven and when it started to cause trouble and rebel, god banished him to hell. Giratina’s bio indicates that it is the “Renegade” Pokemon, and it was said to have been banished due to its violence. On top of that, it has six spikes, six legs, six exterior ribs and six wings. Taking it a little further, Giratina resembles two forms which demons and devils tend to often portray, the Serpent and a Basilisk, in the bible. Making Giratina feel very devilish, especially when comparing alongside to the story of the devil. However, if there is one thing to counter this theory, Pokemon is a game which relies very heavily on Asian and Eastern tradition, however the whole theory mentioned above is based of European myth and legend.

“Reincarnated Eevee-lutions”

Another sad but legendary theory

This theory is the most likely to be true compared to the previous two. The theory goes as follows. Johto region’s Ecruteak City is an old town surrounded by history and tradition. Hundreds of years before the events of HeartGold and SoulSilver version, the city was home to two towers, the Brass and Tin Towers as compared to the one it only has now. However the Brass tower was struck by lightning, caught on fire, and eventually extinguished by the rain. It said that three Pokemon perished in the flames, but were resurrected by Ho-Oh. These three Pokemon were Raikou, Entei and Suicune. The types of the legendary trio resembles the lightning that struck the tower, the fire that burned it to ashes, and the rain that extinguished all the flames of the burning tower.

The theory is, the three Pokemon that happened to be perish were in fact, Jolteon, Flareon and Vaporeon. Apart from the same matching types, they all share the same statistical distribution and share the same body shape. Theres another factor that backs this theory up. Ecruteak City is home to the Kimono girls who are excellent dancers as well as Pokemon trainers. Trainers who happen to possess one eevee-lution (Any evolution of Eevee). Although the Kimono girls exist in present day, it is very likely that they exist since the early days of the Pokemon saga and during the events which occurred at the Brass Tower a hundred years ago. Heck, Bill’s mother was also stated to be a Kimino girl. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Kimono girls were performing a dance or a routine of which happened to occur at the same time the Brass tower met its unfortunate fate and resulting in the three Pokemon perishing. Another layer to this theory is that, it is said that Ho-Oh gave these three Pokemon the power of thunder, fire and rain. So, they wouldn’t have had to have those powers before they died. But what if, the three Pokemon were actually Eevees and instead of evolving normally, they evolved into the legendary trio thanks to the powers of Ho-Oh, since Eevees are particularly popular in Ecruteak City due to the presence of the Kimino girls.

Doesn't that leaves something to think about?

Anyway guys, mata ne~

Written by Zwei

Pokemon X and Y - 3DS

Pokemon X and Y - 3DS

Tuesday, June 17, 2014 / No Comments

Gokigenyo minna-sama. Ogenki desuka? Kyo wa tsubarashi tenki desune.

Haha… Just trying out a new greeting. An Ojou-sama type of greeting though. (Even though I’m a guy)

Have you guys been playing any good games lately? I recently just completed one call Gravity Rush. From that, you can guess that I have a PS Vita. But today, I won’t talk about a Gravity Rush but a much more popular game than any, which I am sure everyone will know. A game from another console. I’ll be talking about Pokemon X/Y.

Images are taken from Google. Kudos...

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I.....

I don't own a 3DS and I don’t intend to buy one, I think? My friend owns one and I have played X on his for a while and I noticed quite a few things from my experience and also from those I know who played it.

Firstly, let me turn into Captain Obvious by saying the graphics for this Generation looks damn nice. It feels 3D (duh…) and with the 3DS 3D feature, it looks better but it put a strain on the eyes.

Hooray for 3D!

A new feature is that you are now able to select from seven languages. English, Japanese, Spanish, German, Italian, French and Korean. Another would be the ability to customise your own character from your skin colour, hair colour, clothes and accessories.

When you begin the game you might noticed that you are already able to run which is quite helpful as your progress won’t be so slow. But, who cares about running? You can skate through the game! This new addition made previous generations feel so old. Speaking about travelling, you can now ride taxis to get to your destination faster. It’s also a plus as you can get lost in the game, as the map is huge. Along with the DS’s Analog stick, you are now capable of 8-directional movement.

Zoom~

The most important addition in X/Y is the mega evolution, which is so powerful. It is one of the main attractions of the game where you can’t fight competitively without it. Unless you sweep of course. Damn sweepers. It’s not like I hate sweeping or anything, baka!

They look so badass.... Though Absol looks emo

Y & X Charizard

Mega Blaziken 

Hmm... Don't know what to say about this... So Alakazam became older... or wiser?

They say money won’t bring happiness but in this game, it does. You will battle like crazy and try to get as much money as possible to buy the remaining mega stones for the starters, since you can find the others in the wild. The money is also use to improve on your characters image. Fashion is something you will now have to worry about.

If you are bored of battling to earn money, you can work in a hotel instead. You will be tasked to make beds, provide room service and many more jobs will be added each day, so you can always come back there for extra cash.

The game has now gotten so interactive with the touchscreen feature from the previous generation. You are able to interact with your Pokemon with the Pokemon-Amie. The word “amie” means friend in French. It provides a way to get closer to your Pokemon by petting them, feeding them and playing with them. It makes use of the touch screen feature as well as the motion sensor and camera feature as it recognises your reaction to what the Pokemon is doing. It helps to get their happiness up, increasing the chances of critical hits, making dodging more effective etc.

Pika~

There’s also the opportunity for you to take picture or a video at some spots in the game. You are able to call guy to help take a picture for you. But even though I say that, you’re technically taking the picture by yourself. There’s a zoom, focus and day-night feature so you can set the mood and setting to your liking. Quite a nifty feature. If only you can do it in real life.

Speaking of video, there is also this new feature called “Trainer PR Video” where you are able to show or publicise yourself to people through a 12 second video where you create and edit in the game itself.

While playing the game, you might notice that there are benches around. As of now, your character is able to sit rather than standing forever. By sitting on these benches, you are able enjoy the scenery in the area. You are also able to sit on your bed. What a way to rest your aching legs from all that travelling.

Enjoy the view

They also revamp the “exp. share” where now the experience is spread to your entire party instead of just dividing between two. It helps you to level up your Pokemon more fairly and faster.

You might also notice that the gameplay has gotten easier. If you played the previous games, you’ll notice that it was harder then. But with X/Y, it is a lot easier. With the revamp exp. share and the easy gameplay, your progress has gotten a lot faster.

The game now feels pampered to me as it seems easier but the gym leaders are a bit harder. Their levels are now a bit higher than previous games so it might seem to be a hassle to fight against them but they’re not undefeatable (get it?)

There’s also a new addition to transportation. Other than ”fly” and “surf”, you can now ride a Pokemon through town. Finally it came true. They added this riding feature to only two Pokemon, which are Gogoat and Rhydon. This riding ability serves as a way of transportation to get to certain places on the map.

Up we go

If you have quite a few Pokemon that you want to level at once, you can depend on the day-care service. The Pokemon seems to level up faster than usual so it is quite handy.

Another way of levelling up, maybe, is through horde battles where you can encounter a horde of Pokemon in the wild. There are always five per horde and it may not contain the same Pokemon. Like for example, a Miltank may appear in a horde of Tauros. But there is nothing to worry about as these Pokemon are usually low level.

Your are now able to see your Pokemon’s EV stats through the new "Super Training" feature. They provide you with a radar chart showing you an estimation on how the progress is. EV training has also gotten a lot easier as all you have to do now is training them through mini games rather than wasting your time on repeatedly killing a certain Pokemon for points. And if the EV spread isn’t to your liking, you can start anew with the “Reset Bags” where your worked on levels will be wipe clean.

The elite four still follow other generations with having a dragon type user. But to me it seems that the elite four typing seems to be their downfall. Dragon, water, fire and steel. Hmm… But the entrance to their stage looks cool though.

The legendary introduce in the game which are Xerneas and Yveltal also introduces the new type which is Fairy. Now Dragon types have something to fear since Fairy is super-effective against Dragon. Xerneas seems to be an easy catch compared to Yveltal. I prefer Yveltal to Xerneas as it looks badass. Talking about badass, doesn’t Greninja look cool. Though, I mistook the thing around his neck as a scarf when it was actually its tongue. Anyway, those two aren’t the only legendary in the game. There’s also Zygarde which ends the generation 6 legendary with the last letter of the alphabet, Z. Other legendary available are Mewtwo and one of the legendary birds depending on which starter you chose.

Xerneas and Yveltal

But you can get any legendary, in fact any Pokemon, sorry, every 719 Pokemon with the new trading features. Wonder Trade and Global Trade System, or GTS, is considered one of the best things in the game. It is so addictive to Wonder Trade. It is basically trade roulette where you won’t know what you will get. So trader might give you a weak Pokemon, a Pokemon you already have, a good Pokemon with good EVs or may be a legendary. Yes, a legendary if you are very lucky. There is this guy on YouTube who gave away his shiny Rayquaza and shiny Lugia. The trainer who received must be squealing when they got it. Anyway, GTS is more like a normal trade but global. It also resembles a market as you’re putting up your Pokemon for sale for the price of a Pokemon you want. But you guys know that. It was introduced in the previous generation.

There is also this feature where you are able to visit you Friend’s Safari when you finish beating the game. It allows you to discover and catch rare pokemon that are hard to find in your own game. You can also catch pokemon from different generations as well.

There is also this unusual battle with a boy on route 18 called the “Inverse Battle”. Your “super effective” moves will turn to “not very effective” while your “not very effective moves” will hit hard and turn to “super effective”.  It may sound easy but let me tell you this, it really is not.

In your adventures you might also heard of a boy from abroad studying in Kalos, where his “Smell you later” phrase feels so nostalgic to you. Yes, Gary is in town but you can’t find him. Bummer, and here I thought you might be able to battle your old rival.

There is also this thing with Game Freak where your character’s father is never seen just like in previous games except for generation 3 where you have to fight against your father, as he is the gym leader. When will they introduce our father? And who is Ash's father?

Wow, it turns out to be quite long. I am sure there a few more features that I may have miss, but listed are what everyone is able to notice easily as you play the game. I can only hope Omega and Alpha would introduce more cool, new features to the game. I saw one of the in-game video that was released and it looks damn nice. The mega evolution of both Groudon and Kyogre looks so cool, with the glowing orbs in them. That means two more legendary who has become more OP. Right now, I am just awaiting my friend to call me up as I want to witness his official sweeping debut against his friend. Huh sweepers….

Mata ne~

Written by Zwei