Breaking the Cycle
They say change is good... but I'm not so sure. Not when it comes to my anime anyway!
This latest season of Pokemon (in the US) - Pokemon Advanced - has broken many of the patterns Pokemon has always followed. While the three starter pokemon of Hoenn are present in Ash's group they are not all owned by him. And he now has three companions instead of two. New villains have been introduced, and Jigglypuff is nowhere to be found. Outfits have been exchanged for new ones, and Ash even abandoned his beloved hat (after the big deal he always made about it too!).
The movie was no exception in this respect. All of the pokemon movies have opened with the same pattern: we start with a short scene that sets up the primary conflict of the movie, followed by a pop rendition of the current them (nice because we get to hear all the verses) played with credits over Ash deeply entrenched in a pokemon battle (which he, of course, wins easily - why does he only win easily in movies? Who knows, maybe so that they can fit it in to the song). Not so with Jirachi Wishmaker. This movie begins with our heroes wandering around in the dark looking for a carnival. No conflict, no battle, not even the theme song! I was heartbroken. To make matters worse, Max, and not Ash, is the 'chosen one' for this movie - though Ash is still the one who saves the world.
There were a few redeeming moments, such as when Ash is telling Max about the friend he misses everyday and how she's always in his heart. Everyone knows he means Misty, so that's kind of sweet.
Still, why did they have to go and change it all up on us? I mean, where's the stability? The predictability? The world revolving solely around Ash? I'm just not sure I can handle this!
Seriously though... I liked the movie, it was cute. But even the conflict just didn't seem as important... would the world really have ended if they had let that thing get loose? Maybe, but that wasn't even the focus!