Back in 2001 one, 4Kids decided to license a live stage musical based off of the Pokémon anime (because why not?). The whole thing can be watched on YouTube. So, has anyone else actually seen this before? What are your thoughts on it?
I have heard about it, but never seen it. I think although it isn't an awful idea, it could have been executed way better.
I took a theater class in High School and for part of the class we had to go through and 'direct' a play. Make posters, sketch costume designs, stuff like that. At the time I was aware that Pokémon Live existed, but I didn't know much about it. I found a copy of the script online (I didn't know it was on YouTube at the time) and decided to go with it. Because of that experience I feel a close connection to the play and it remains one of my favorite plays ever.
To be honest, this was a lot better than I thought it would be. I was expecting nothing more than child pandering nonsense that parents would have to really grin and bare, but the writing did have more wit to it than I was expecting. (Plus that big reveal about Giovanni was not only shocking but kind of makes sense) My only real complaint is some of the musical numbers felt ham-fisted, especially 'Time to Say Goodbye' where the build-up felt like it was just there for the sake of being there. It doesn't even really lead anywhere. It's like they just needed an excuse to fit that song into the play. But on the whole, it's actually better than I feel it should have been.
