Anime Digest
A 2020 Japanese animated film based on Satoshi Tajiri’s Pokémon media brand and created by OLM is titled Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle. It is the third movie in the Alternate Timeline series, covering Generation VIII, and the latest movie in the Pokémon world. Instead of utilizing the CGI animation from Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution, the film makes use of classic 2D art style.
The plot of the new movie takes place in Okoya Forest. It is a place for the Pokémon and is governed by stringent laws that restrict outsiders from entering. The main character of the film is Koko, a little kid who views himself as a Pokémon. The mythical Pokémon Zarude and the other pokemons raised Koko and he sees Zarude as his father. Koko is encountered by Ash and Pikachu while on a journey. The other films focussed on the connection between a human trainer and their Pokémon. But this film centers on the notion of a person nurtured by Pokémon.
The Feel Good Part
The movie is also a true visual delight. The graphics and animations exceed expectations in terms of quality. Surprisingly, the music was also rather memorable, with the “Always Safe” tune as an incredibly execellent beginning.
The Disappointing Part
A movie’s soundtrack is a crucial component since it helps in the mood creation and the narrative in no way stands out. The concepts are not very unique or unheard-of. The plot of Secrets of the Jungle is directly lifted from the movie Tarzan and James Cameron’s movie Avatar.
In-Depth Analysis
The Mythical Pokémon Zarude discovers a little kid in a cradle washed up on a riverside in the Forest of Okoya. Zarude adopts the boy as a son and gives him the name Koko. To raise Koko, who develops into a feral child, Zarude leaves his clan, which lives under a Great Tree buried deep in the jungle where humans are not permitted to go. Ten years later, Ash Ketchum and Pikachu travel from neighboring Milyfa Town to the Forest of Okoya. When Koko falls into the river after being struck unconscious by a pipe while swinging on a vine with a wild Skwovet, Ash rescues him and takes him to the Pokémon Center in Milyfa Town for medical attention.
Koko wakes up and, having never before seen another human, is scared. He flees the building. Ash and Pikachu spend time with Koko around the town after learning that he thinks of himself as a Pokémon, assisting him in learning about people for the first time.
Later Ash, Pikachu, and Koko confronts Zarude and compels to acknowledge the truth about Koko’s ancestry. Zarude takes them to an abandoned laboratory he found soon after adopting Koko, where he shows them a picture of a young Koko with his human parents that he also discovered. Then Zarude departs and comes back to the Great Tree by himself.
They discover a scheme that jeopardizes the forest, Koko’s home, and all of its inhabitants. Zarude and Koko repeatedly express their affection for one another as a family throughout the narrative. Still, Koko also wants to show his father and the other Zarude that it’s okay to be unique and Pokémon and humans can live side by side.
Star Power
Sarah Natochenny as Ash, Edward Bosco as Dada, Michele Knotz as Jessie, Kimlinh Tran as Koko, Kellen Goff as Elder Zarude, James Carter Cathcart as James, Megumi Hayashibara as Musashi, etc were able to match their voices and facial expressions to the characters, making everything feel authentic and genuine.
Overall Opinion
Pokemon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle was entertaining and fantastic. Even if you’re not a fan of Pokemon, you should still see this one since it might be the most okay Pokemon movie ever. There was something for everyone in it.
