Pokemon Movie 08: Mew to Hadou no Yuusha Lucario

This movie, out of all the Pokemon movies, is my absolute favorite. -Story- The story line keeps you guessing, no matter what part it is at. I could watch this movie over and over and over again, and the ending is very moving. Anyone, even those who don't like Pokemn that much, will find this story absolutely great. -Art- They had a lot of new art, and the setting was beautiful.They had a lot of fun with the outfits (in the beginning). I did not see any art errors whatsoever. -Sound- I loved the theme song (it is my favorite one) and I loved the ending song as well. All thesongs in the middle during the different scenes really set the tone and mood. I have no complaints. -Character- The whole thing with Lucario being involved was a true throw-off from what the Pokemon series is use to. The only characters that are humans are extreme minor characters (except the Pokemon Hunter; she was a Major Minor character, but she did not fill an important role). -Enjoyment- I loved this moving. Whenever I watch the ending, I can't help but shead tears. I could watch this over and over, and I wouldn't get sick of watching it. -Overall- Overall, this is my absolute favorite Pokemon Movie so far. It has great backbones in the plot, and they did a lot of changes I wish would continue throughout the rest of the movies and series.

Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, as the name implies, follows Lucario, a rare Pokémon who was sent centuries into the future by being trapped in a staff by his teacher Aaron. Lucario has been my favorite Pokémon for as long as I can remember, and this movie represents him perfectly. His relationship with Aaron is great, and his character is cool, yet endearing. This movie has so much more heart than many other Pokémon movies. It's tragic, exciting, and uplifting. The animation is also fantastic, and while the cgi has aged badly, the 2D animation allows Lucario and the others to make some reallyfunny and charming expressions as well as really realistic movements and reactions. The backgrounds are also beautiful, the artists really getting a chance to show off the beauty of Lucario and Aaron's kingdom. Now, I know what you're asking. Should I watch the dub or the sub? Well, I think they both have their own strengths and weaknesses, but I would have to say the sub for a couple reasons I'll get into later. One of the best parts of the sub is the dynamic between Lucario and Sir Aaron. Lucario's deep gravely voice in the dub is awesome, but it has the downside of kind of undermining the dynamic of Aaron being Lucario's mentor since his voice is so much deeper than Aaron's. In the sub, Lucario still has an awesome voice, but he still sounds younger and less mature than . Aaron's voice is also a lot better in the sub. The final scene is great in the dub, but the fantastic performances of the Japanese voice actors brings it from good to great. I know some people don't really care for Ash's voice in the dub. I have a nostalgia bias for it, but I think just about anyone can enjoy Ash in the sub. Now, to explain this next part, and what truly makes this film a masterpiece, I'm going to have to spoil things a little. So if you haven't seen the movie yet, I'd consider waiting to read this. In the post credits scene, Ash and his friends return to Cameron Palace to find Lucario being added to the painting of Sir Aaron in order to honor them. In the dub, Lucario is running on all fours next to Sir Aaron and his Pidgeot. While this certainly is a great painting, the way the sub handles this is what truly makes it fantastic. In the sub, the painting shows Lucario standing tall on 2 feet next to Sir Aaron, the two of them the main focus against a backdrop of a barren landscape. In the sub, Ash is given an extra line, and this one comment says SO much. As a smile appears on Ash's face, he proudly proclaims that THIS, THIS acknowledgement, THIS closure, THIS is what let's him know that Lucario has finally met Sir Aaron again. This one moment, as Ash is finally able to smile again, and help the kingdom realize how much of a hero Lucario truly was, all while seeing the fricking awesome painting that perfectly represents Lucario and Sir Aaron's relationship is the greatest scene in any anime I've ever seen. I hope I've shown you why this film means so much to me and why I've given it a ten. I simply can't even imagine giving it anything lower. This film has just had such an effect on me, and I still tear up whenever I watch the ending. If this film even remotely interests you, I implore you to go on iTunes and buy or rent it, only the dub is offered right now, which is still good, but if we let them know we like this, maybe we'll get the sub! This is my first review ever, I know the beginning was weak, but I just don't really know where to begin with this film, and I really hope I've managed to convey how passionate and empowered this film makes me when I broke down the final scene. (P.S. Part of this review was also posted on iTunes, so if you do go on their and read the reviews, don't think I plagiarized anyone!)

I'm note sure how I really feel about this one. I have many problems with it, but I can't say I think it's completely worthless. Mew was very cute in this and Lucario was actually cool. But I can't recommend this film. Bother only if you're an avid fan of Lucario or Mew. Better to get the good out of the way. The soundtrack was fine, even if not on the level of the first, second or fifth film. Art, on the other hand, was not fine - it was much better. Just like in the last film, the artists did a great job.While not breaking standards set by previous films, some images present in here will stay vividly with you for days after you've watched it. What else was good? Lucario ended up being a well crafted character, even if a bit stereotypical. Unfortunately, the relationship with his trainer was completely predictable and some of Lucario's lines towards his master were extremely bad. Fortunately, this didn't diminish Lucario's character. His interaction with Ash was a bit more aggressive than Pokemon sequels usually dare to go, making for a somewhat refreshing dynamic. When discussing this film, it can easily be broken down into three main sections. That is to say, the film shifts gears twice, changing its style. These sections are at the castle, aproaching the mountain and in the mountain. Of the three, the only one I'd characterize as good is the second one. It's also the shortest. Considering that the introduction scene is the same as in so many other Pokemon films, I don't have much to say about it. It isn't particulary bad, but I can't say much good about it either. It's just there. I guess seeing a hundred copy-pasted pokemon fighting was somewhat novel. Now we get to the real begining of the Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Film lures us in with neat arhitecture. We get to really enjoy the location for a few minutes as Ash battles another trainer. A bit later into the act, film uses classy outfits to draw us into an oppulent party. Both of these disguise the main problem of the film for only a few minutes. After the wow factor fades away, you start to notice the dialogue and interactions between the characters. Simply put, they aren't interesting. There are a few pokemon-only shenanigans used to distract the viewer, but they're not nearly as effective as in most other films. At one moment Brock sees a girl and opens his stalking notebook. As he reads through the insanely stupid list of the poor gal's achievements, the realization hits you that this is supposed to be funny. The party drags on forever and it's only after Ash summons Lucario that things get a bit interesting. How did he do it? Due to lazy writing, of course. For some unexplained reason his aura is the same as Lucario's master's (even if their character is nothing alike). Throughout these first 40 minutes of the film, we're treated to multiple scenes of Team Rocket and other characters doing irrelevant things. All in all, there's around fifteen minutes of footage which should have definitely been scraped, as it adds nothing to the experience. After the film shifts geas, we're sent on a journey towards the crystal mountain. The not-so-challenging journey is perilous since, well... No one's ever been there. As baffling as this is, the following 20 minutes feature some neat scenes. Ash and Lucario clash, Lucario gets to act tsundere and a few jokes are genuinely funny. On the other hand, the stupidity doesn't leave. We discover some flowers which record and show the past. Apparently no one's ever tried harvesting this power, or at the very least we aren't informed of it, as the film just glances over the topic. Next up, the gang trriggers a thousand year old crystal flower with Lucario's master's memories. How this is possible, I don't know. Then, as the gang is attacked by underwhelmingly weak Regi legendaries, we approach the third act. In the third part of the film we're treated to a fun subplot - Mew & Pikachu playing. A few of their scenes are shown earier, but the culmination of the subplot happens here and I gotta give credit where it's due - it works. As for the main plot, the film completely breaks down here. Starting here, the film contains numerous vices and sins that Pokemon films indulged into throughout the years. There's the sentinent mountain's very own defense system against humans (no, I'm not joking), villains having acces to impossible technology, there's shallow mysticism, characters surviving impossible falls and nature acting in baffling ways. Pokemon was never about realism, but within every work exists a treshold where the world starts breaking down. I could go in depth and explain each and every thing wrong, but this is a review, not an in depth critique. Not to mention the length of this piece is already going too far. The gist of what I'm saying is - at a certain point you simply stop caring as the rules have been bent too far and the whole thing becomes boring. Well, at the very least they haven't ruined Lucario's character. I'm left with two distinct impressions; I see a neat concept with a single nicely realized character. I also see a mess of a film with no consisteny, a boring first part and an inane second half. There are a few neat Lucario moments sprinkled therein, but I can't recommend it to anyone expecting a good film. Fortunately for Lucario and his Mistery, there's a rabbid fanbase of the character out there. And this fanbase will go through anything just to watch him some more. This film is tailored for them, even if it's a trainwreck. So, enjoy the film, I guess.

Our heroes - or mainly, Ash - compete in a contest at Cameron Palace to earn the title of the "Guardian of the Aura". Little do they know that the legend of Sir Aaron may not be as it seems, and that the staff that's been handed down from generation to the next actually holds within it a Pokémon Lucario - an apprentice of Sir Aaron himself. The movie's plot if pretty good, the art is the usual level of Pokémon movies, and I really liked this film; it was eventful, didn't repeat itself (something that happens in children’s movies/shows all too often to underline themeaningful points in the plot), and the inner struggle and emotions of people and Pokémon alike were easy to sympathize with. The story was also coherent, and there weren’t weird twists or errors. Even Team Rocket fit in very well in this one. Mew makes its second appearance here. I miss the voice it had in the first movie, but what can you do. Also, I don't know why, but May didn't look or sound like herself in this one (maybe the voice actor changed, and her look at the ball was a lot different from her usual traveling outfit). All in all a must-see for Pokémon fans. One of the best movies in the series, for sure!

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