The Japanese Pokémon website has announced a new Pokémon special that will be airing April 3rd in Japan. Entitled "Strongest Mega Evolution - Act I", the special will featuring Mega Evolutions and stars a new, original trainer named Alan. For more information, click on the above link to go to the Japanese website, or you can get a translation from this Bulbanews article.
Bulbanews said:
The official Japanese Pokémon website has revealed that a special called "Strongest Mega Evolution - Act I" to be aired on April 3. The special will focus on Mega Evolutions and will star an original main character named Alan:
"This tale centers on the development of one young trainer, Alan, and his partner Charizard. The goal of Alan's Journey is to to master Mega Evolution, challenge every Mega Pokémon, and to stand as the strongest on top. Their journey unfolds with them battling many Mega Evolved Pokémon. And then battling the Elite Four's Zumi. Zumi's Mega Evolved Pokémon is? What's Alan's reason for being so obsessed about Mega Evolution? The outcome of this journey will be?
Points of Note:
The entrance of a completely original main character
Charizard mega evolves into Mega Charizard X
Alan has the Mega Ring like in the games. He has a hero like catchphrase to introduce mega evolution
Big battles with Mega Absol and Mega Garchomp!
Zumi (Siebold) appears in the anime! Transcendent battle between Mega Charizard X and Mega Blastoise."
I, personally, am really excited for this. I think Pokémon enjoyed the popular of the recent Origins special and that this show will be something in the same vein, more grown-up than the main Pokémon anime storyline starring Ash. I also think it's really cool that we'll be seeing an Elite 4 member; the Elite 4 and Champion of Kalos seemed to get a lot less screentime than other regions, so it'll be nice to see them in the limelight for a bit.
I'm with you Athena, namely for the change in the main character! I'm hoping for a visual style similar to Origins.
The only bad thing I can see about this show is that it's about a concept that, except for some of the designs, I absolutely hate: Mega-evolution.
I will have to watch the trailer again because I though the E4 member that will show up was the guy in medieval armor and so I didn't see it for the first time because he really ain't the one showing up. I also hope that this follows the manga - the one starring Red and whose E4 is evil - when it comes to the importance and role of the E4.
I was really kind of hesitant about Mega Evolution at first, but the longer it's been around, the more and more I'm liking it. And I really can't wait to see how it's handled in this new special.
What a disappointment! I got the feeling I was watching Power Stone and not Pokémon, the only thing missing is the winner obtaining the loser's stone.
Seeing Pokémon wearing jewerly is sooooo lame and then, after mega-evolving, everything dissapears, stone and choker.
The guy is working for the Flare Boss
and now has a derp female companion who, to make it worse, seems fascinated about Ash. The E4 member seems like a mix between Cilan and Wallace; I already had that feeling after seeing his artwork but in action it justs boosts the idea.
Oh, it was really nice that neither the protagonist nor the first opponent cared about the forest, Pokémon and people, that's the sprit - conquer the world in ruins!
Yeah, I just hope Mega-evolution stays in Kalos and never to be seen again.
PS: what's with the scarf reminding the Froakie line!?
This is really exciting! I'm so happy that Pokémon is starting to make more specials again. I have really grown to love specials with other trainers as the main character. It shows a whole other side of the Pokémon world and the characters are refreshing and the stories are often more original. They also tend to be more mature than the main series. This is something I think the main series needs to improve on.
Of course I love the fact this show also features Charizard as a main character! I can't ever get enough of my favourite Pokémon. I'm sure it will be amazing to watch!
What a disappointment! I got the feeling I was watching Power Stone and not Pokémon, the only thing missing is the winner obtaining the loser's stone.
Seeing Pokémon wearing jewerly is sooooo lame and then, after mega-evolving, everything dissapears, stone and choker.
The guy is working for the Flare Boss
and now has a derp female companion who, to make it worse, seems fascinated about Ash. The E4 member seems like a mix between Cilan and Wallace; I already had that feeling after seeing his artwork but in action it justs boosts the idea.
Oh, it was really nice that neither the protagonist nor the first opponent cared about the forest, Pokémon and people, that's the sprit - conquer the world in ruins!
Yeah, I just hope Mega-evolution stays in Kalos and never to be seen again.
PS: what's with the scarf reminding the Froakie line!?
Sorry to hear you were disappointed. :< Though, I don't know what Power Stone is, so maybe it won't bug me as much. I still haven't been able to find subs of it yet, but I hope to watch it soon.
What a disappointment! I got the feeling I was watching Power Stone and not Pokémon, the only thing missing is the winner obtaining the loser's stone.
Seeing Pokémon wearing jewerly is sooooo lame and then, after mega-evolving, everything dissapears, stone and choker.
The guy is working for the Flare Boss
and now has a derp female companion who, to make it worse, seems fascinated about Ash. The E4 member seems like a mix between Cilan and Wallace; I already had that feeling after seeing his artwork but in action it justs boosts the idea.
Oh, it was really nice that neither the protagonist nor the first opponent cared about the forest, Pokémon and people, that's the sprit - conquer the world in ruins!
Yeah, I just hope Mega-evolution stays in Kalos and never to be seen again.
PS: what's with the scarf reminding the Froakie line!?
Sorry to hear you were disappointed. :< Though, I don't know what Power Stone is, so maybe it won't bug me as much. I still haven't been able to find subs of it yet, but I hope to watch it soon.
Don't be, at least the anime is going great so far (I'm thinking that while being a special inside the anime, this may turn into a separated series, hence why I don't treat it as part of the anime).
Power Stone was a series based on a game made by Capcom in which people had stones that allowed them to transform into humanoid creatures but the reason for me to compare it is not only because of the stones but also because in the series it was all the same: some guy travelling to collect them, specific enemies, each with a stone, they were defeated and the protagonist obtained those from the losers. After seeing the Pokémon special you might understand the comparison.
PS: In Origins we had Red and Green and looking at this special's poster...it it supposed to represent "Blue"!?
I was really kind of hesitant about Mega Evolution at first, but the longer it's been around, the more and more I'm liking it. And I really can't wait to see how it's handled in this new special.
I remember when Mega Evolutions first debuted in Gen VI everyone was like, "Did Game Freak just pull a Digimon?" Although the more I look at it now the more I'm disappointed with the majority of their aesthetics. I still would've wanted Mega Gyarados to be Water/Dragon instead of Water/Flying, oh well.
That aside I hope this series gets an English Dub although I wouldn't be surprised If most people here prefer the Japanese Sub instead. Knowing PUSA they'll probably throw it under the bus like they did with Origins cause they can't stand the idea of replacing Ash Ketchum with a new main protagonist because, Pikachu = money?
I really like it a lot. Very mature, and yet, still a kiddie show. I was delighted to meet the hottie Elite Four member, Siebold. The so-called scarf around the main character is really distracting. I really like the plot except the female main character. She's just annoying.
Finally got a chance to see this now that the sub is finished, hurray! You can catch it here, and probably other streaming sites, too.
The Strongest Mega Evolution Act I was overall pretty good, I thought. The battles were amazing (<3 that Dragon Pulse, seriously), and, honestly, battles are one of the best things about the anime to begin with, seeing Pokémon in action. Alan's not exactly the most personable protagonist, but I have hopes that they'll build up his personality and motivations over the next few acts (we're getting at least one more for sure; the ending credits said to look out for Act II). Mostly it's just a nice breath of fresh air to see mature, serious Pokémon trainers battling instead of Ash derping around.
Speaking of "mature" and "serious" ... I definitely didn't care much for Alan's little tag-along. I understand that they want some exposition lubricant, and a young beginner trainer is a great way to do that, but they didn't need to make her glom onto Alan like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe, and they didn't need to make her so obnoxious, either.
Other characters, well, let's see. It was cool to see Zumi, though I wish they would have given him a bit more of a personality. It's nice that they made a reference to the battling restaurants and all, tying in with what little personality and backstory he got in the games, but that just served to make him an older, better Cilan, and more Cilan is not what the anime needs. I loved getting the little cameo shot of Lysandre towards the end, too. Ayaka... did nothing and had no personality, so I don't really have much of an opinion there.
The Pokémon wearing the mega stones was kind of cheesy, I'll admit. Absol's looked okay, nice and minimalist, but Charizard's is, like, some kind of armor necklace? And then Gaburias has that huge beaded necklace and I snickered, and then Blastoise had that headgear and I just about lost it with laughter. I like that they showed the Pokémon wearing the stones and all, but they really didn't need to be so obnoxious.
INTERESTING NOTES: Manon tells Alan about Ash and Gaburias at the Prism Tower, confirming that this takes place in the same "uiniverse" as the main series, unlike Origins which was entirely separate. I wonder if we'll see them together at some point, either as a cameo or something bigger, like a separate special or a movie. Also, Alan's Charizard being the X version (same as Red in Origins) basically confirms that Ash's Charizard will mega evolve and will be the Y version.
Also, no post would be a good post without spoilers.
So so so glad that Alan lost to Zumi. I don't want to see Alan becoming another Ash who wins all the time even when it makes absolutely no sense. Though, I do think one of Alan's quotes could just as easily belong to Ash: "Regardless of type and compatability, the bond between us will overcome reason!"
I'm interested as to why you say this so factually. I do think they're hinting as Lysandre's involvement, especially with the end scene, but I didn't immediately jump to this conclusion. I do think it's a possibility, though, and I think it would be cool if it were true.
EDIT: I realize that the tone of this post probably makes me sound rather critical, but I did really like it. I felt it was a lot of fun, and I look forward to seeing teh continuation of the story.
I kinda agree with you Athena. But I wasn't really happy with the animation. I know the Origins was special and all, but some of the battles in SME really weren't that well animated compared to it. If you were to pause in the middle, it would give you a pair of horribly drawn Pokémon. I've seen more wonky eyes then I'd have liked and it just felt a little...cheap :c
It was like The Legend of Korra book two (first half) all over again D:
Eh, considering this was just another in-line TV special, I see no call to criticize the animation quality. Had it been an OAV or even a separate mini-series like Origins was, I would consider it a reasonable complaint, but it was about on par with the quality we've been seeing in the XY series which is about what I expected.
Finally got a chance to see this now that the sub is finished, hurray! You can catch it here, and probably other streaming sites, too.
The Strongest Mega Evolution Act I was overall pretty good, I thought. The battles were amazing (<3 that Dragon Pulse, seriously), and, honestly, battles are one of the best things about the anime to begin with, seeing Pokémon in action. Alan's not exactly the most personable protagonist, but I have hopes that they'll build up his personality and motivations over the next few acts (we're getting at least one more for sure; the ending credits said to look out for Act II). Mostly it's just a nice breath of fresh air to see mature, serious Pokémon trainers battling instead of Ash derping around.
Speaking of "mature" and "serious" ... I definitely didn't care much for Alan's little tag-along. I understand that they want some exposition lubricant, and a young beginner trainer is a great way to do that, but they didn't need to make her glom onto Alan like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe, and they didn't need to make her so obnoxious, either.
Other characters, well, let's see. It was cool to see Zumi, though I wish they would have given him a bit more of a personality. It's nice that they made a reference to the battling restaurants and all, tying in with what little personality and backstory he got in the games, but that just served to make him an older, better Cilan, and more Cilan is not what the anime needs. I loved getting the little cameo shot of Lysandre towards the end, too. Ayaka... did nothing and had no personality, so I don't really have much of an opinion there.
The Pokémon wearing the mega stones was kind of cheesy, I'll admit. Absol's looked okay, nice and minimalist, but Charizard's is, like, some kind of armor necklace? And then Gaburias has that huge beaded necklace and I snickered, and then Blastoise had that headgear and I just about lost it with laughter. I like that they showed the Pokémon wearing the stones and all, but they really didn't need to be so obnoxious.
INTERESTING NOTES: Manon tells Alan about Ash and Gaburias at the Prism Tower, confirming that this takes place in the same "uiniverse" as the main series, unlike Origins which was entirely separate. I wonder if we'll see them together at some point, either as a cameo or something bigger, like a separate special or a movie. Also, Alan's Charizard being the X version (same as Red in Origins) basically confirms that Ash's Charizard will mega evolve and will be the Y version.
Also, no post would be a good post without spoilers.
So so so glad that Alan lost to Zumi. I don't want to see Alan becoming another Ash who wins all the time even when it makes absolutely no sense. Though, I do think one of Alan's quotes could just as easily belong to Ash: "Regardless of type and compatability, the bond between us will overcome reason!"
I'm interested as to why you say this so factually. I do think they're hinting as Lysandre's involvement, especially with the end scene, but I didn't immediately jump to this conclusion. I do think it's a possibility, though, and I think it would be cool if it were true.
EDIT: I realize that the tone of this post probably makes me sound rather critical, but I did really like it. I felt it was a lot of fun, and I look forward to seeing teh continuation of the story.
And that's why I hate Mega-Evolution, because it has those lame acessories and jewelry when it simply wasn't needed. Couldn't trainer and Pokémon share a bond and that's it, instead of the trainer needing to have a bracelet, a la Power Rangers, and the Pokémon needing to be holding the stone? LAME and lacking originality. Also, if someone wants to avoid the enemy mega-evolving, all they have to do is take out the accessory or the stone. I mean, Absol and Charizard started battling without mega-evolving so if it was a bipedal Pokémon that could hold on to Charizard, and not Absol, they could do it and so it would be done. We've seen Pokémon holding to another Pokémon to make them feel a more powerful attack, to cause distress, etc., so my point isn't something as an ilusion...of course the producers won't most likely show it in order to avoid people understand (more) the idiotic idea, or at least, how ill applied mega-evolution is.
I agree with you on the female trainer and the blond Cilan! It was nice to see Chespin in action but a female rookie whose starter Pokémon is more mature and capable than its trainer...by Arceus. *facepalm*
I believe there will be a clash between Ash and the protagonist, with this playing the good boy turned anti-hero who seeks strengh and was misleaded by the evil genius. My reason for believing that he works for Lysandre wasn't the ending per se but the call he got where the voice was distorted - I got suspicious right there. Also, he doesn't seem the same guy he was when working with Sycamore.
I wonder if they'll make this XY season and special kind like BW and the N season but running paralel, with the second covering Team Flare. Serena falling for this new guy, the rookie trainer falling for him, the two fighting for him, Ash being forgotten, Serena joining Flare and also being misleaded...Let's wait and see.
PS: seriously, no love for Venusaur, just Charizard. -_- Also one of the reasons for hating Mega-evolution. Charizard got two, and Blaziken was the only Hoenn "starter" to get it, hurray for democracy. I've yet to understand what will be the explanantion given for some mega-evolving and others not. I already have an idea - it's a mistery, no one, not even the Professors will never find out why.
PS: Why the hell are Dragon Tamers sooooo akward? The guys from S/R/E looked like Superman, the ones from Sinnoh looked like gipsy magicians and now that guy!? Oh yeah, there's also Clair. They really know how to put on a show!
