Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle (EN) First Viewing Thoughts+ Zarude Encore

So, I just finished my first viewing of Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle; here are my first viewing thoughts now that the English dub is streaming on Netflix.

First, I am pleased to say that my encore Zarude event has gone much smoother than the last time; since I was waiting to get mine for almost a year; and I finally got mine alongside a shiny Celebi. As I did before, I will be getting into some spoilers for the movie’s events; so this is your only warning to click away. So, let’s get started.

Overall, while not quite the breath of fresh air the last film Tetsuo Yajima (Origins, XY series) directed; I still consider it to be a good movie, and another worthwhile Pokémon movie all things considered. Though some of the CG vehicles are still a bit dodgy; the traditional animation is still incredible. The script, which Yajima co-wrote alongside series veteran Atsuhiro Tomioka does do a great job at conveying the themes of parenthood; childhood and identity.

I will get into greater detail about this in my full review; but this movie is still the opposite of “The Kanghaskhan Kid” in many respects. Notably; I was expecting the dub to cut the car accident that killed Koko’s parents, but they left it in. I guess the success of the Detective Pikachu movie helped with that; though it does give me some serious “Mission Report: December 16, 1991” flashbacks.

That said, the scene where Ash mentions his absent father is simple; yet incredibly effective for both the story and the franchise overall. I am satisfied with the result; and I look forward to telling you more in my full review later this year.

Though I am currently occupied with previous engagements on and offline; I will have my full review completed and ready to go out no later than Christmas Eve. That will be all for now, take care everyone.