Pokemon, Then and Now
/Mewto Strikes Back - The "Defeat of the Truth"
To get to the bottom of what Pokemon is all about, we have to go back in time and analyze the first movie. Now, everything about Pokemon is predicated on the fact that Pokemon is about forcably capturing creatures, throwing tournaments, and making Pokemon fight each other. Despite that, Pokemon is hell bent on passing as a "journey of self-discovery, of hope, and dreams, friendship, and the power inside".
How do they manage to convince the viewer that this is what Pokemon is all about? They create a villain who does all these things, and then that villain is defeated. This is the point of the first movie. Enter Mewtwo Strikes Back. Out of hubris, scientists cloned the lovable Mew to create a Frankenstein-ish Pokemon Mewtwo. Mewtwo, angered that he was created for power, went on to forcably capture creatures, throw tournaments, and make Pokemon fight each other.
In other words...Mewtwo does everything normal Pokemon trainers are expected to do. Only Mewtwo does it in a profoundly unnatural, demonized way so as to cover the potential and realistic immorality that Pokemon does and should represent. He even injures Ash.
Then, as we see the Pokemon fighting, an inspirational, sad song comes on, calling for peace and brotherly love. Not even the kids of the era missed the complete contradiction of Pokemon ever preaching love and peace. Then Mew, the "original", swoops in, heals Ash, and Mewtwo flies away into self-exile with all his clones.
In numerological order, Mewtwo is #150, and Mew is #151 even though Mew is supposed to have been discovered first. The reality of the matter is, symbolically, Mew is Mewtwo's clone, and that's why it comes first. When Pokemon talks about clones, it is talking about cloning Mewtwo, the original attitude of Pokemon, in order to attain Mew.
Read MoreTo get to the bottom of what Pokemon is all about, we have to go back in time and analyze the first movie. Now, everything about Pokemon is predicated on the fact that Pokemon is about forcably capturing creatures, throwing tournaments, and making Pokemon fight each other. Despite that, Pokemon is hell bent on passing as a "journey of self-discovery, of hope, and dreams, friendship, and the power inside".
How do they manage to convince the viewer that this is what Pokemon is all about? They create a villain who does all these things, and then that villain is defeated. This is the point of the first movie. Enter Mewtwo Strikes Back. Out of hubris, scientists cloned the lovable Mew to create a Frankenstein-ish Pokemon Mewtwo. Mewtwo, angered that he was created for power, went on to forcably capture creatures, throw tournaments, and make Pokemon fight each other.
In other words...Mewtwo does everything normal Pokemon trainers are expected to do. Only Mewtwo does it in a profoundly unnatural, demonized way so as to cover the potential and realistic immorality that Pokemon does and should represent. He even injures Ash.
Then, as we see the Pokemon fighting, an inspirational, sad song comes on, calling for peace and brotherly love. Not even the kids of the era missed the complete contradiction of Pokemon ever preaching love and peace. Then Mew, the "original", swoops in, heals Ash, and Mewtwo flies away into self-exile with all his clones.
In numerological order, Mewtwo is #150, and Mew is #151 even though Mew is supposed to have been discovered first. The reality of the matter is, symbolically, Mew is Mewtwo's clone, and that's why it comes first. When Pokemon talks about clones, it is talking about cloning Mewtwo, the original attitude of Pokemon, in order to attain Mew.
