i wrote a bit
The First Movie is bizarre and not, really a film insofar as a very dark episode of the anime, paired with a ridiculously dark prologue that earns a separate age rating on its own.
see, usually i'd fuck with this. pokemon but with heavier themes of creation and the purpose of life? violence? i'm game, except TFM doesnt follow up on what it purports to explore. we're talking a serious case of "extended episode" syndrome where a 90-minute runtime and lack of scope ends up stifling what's otherwise an audacious concept for pokemon. there's so little setup for what's basically a one-act story that it feels like i stumbled into the middle of a TV season.
to the point of being offputting, honestly. please read the first post to understand what i mean, TFM goes so, so hard on this adult vision that few of its original elements fit at all, as if the idea was crowbarred in. im not kidding with the Ash cut, he and the usual gang make no sense here and end up carrying the film's story in a far less complex direction. it's a conflicting mess.
that includes the crying scene. same film. tonal whiplash man, holy fuck.
i see why TFM's garnered a cult status over the years and to its credit, the animation is fantastic. i just... no, more baffled than anything. i dont think the film stands on its own nor earns any of its mature subject matter, its just too underbaked and a bit presumptuous considering its an obvious first attempt with all the flaws that entails. not a good mix.
idk, this just rubbed me the wrong way lmao. i admire the ambition, as someone who loves a serious take with kids media, but i do not like the result jdjdfh, that was some clumsy shit.
