Amazing Adaptations - Detective Pikachu

Every age has those TV show or movies which have a defining impact on their children. For our parents, it might have been looney tunes or star trek. For us millennial kids, the early 2000s were dominated by animes like Dragon Ball Z, Beyblade, Digimon etc. Amongst those, perhaps the most popular and age-defining show was Pokemon. Hardly do I remember, a friend or fellow-kid who did not watch Pokemon with glee in the evenings. It was a rage in the truest sense of the word.

Pokemon (or Pocket Monsters) as a concept was created in Tokyo. Debuting as a video game and then an anime, manga and so on, Pokemon caught the fancy of kids all across the globe. The recent obsession with an AR-enabled mobile game called Pokemon Go is a testament to it's popularity so many years after it's inception. The Pokemon canon also sparked off many alternate versions featuring the same lovable monsters (if they can be called so) we had grown to love. One such version was a video game "Detective Pikachu". 

It is from here that the Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith starrer Detective Pikachu derives its premise. 

Set in the fictional utopia Ryme City, wherein the Pokemon are not caught by a trainer but rather live with them like equals, we are introduced to our protagonist Tim. Tim has his fair share of daddy issues and upon hearing the news of his father passing away in an accident, Tim decides to come to Ryme to say his final goodbyes. Upon reaching Ryme, Tim, while still dealing with an acute feeling of bereavement, meets his father's detective partner - a Pikachu. Together they realise that things don't add up and his father's death is not as open and shut a case as the local police are trying to portray. Together they embark on a journey to find Tim's father and Pikachu's former partner. This journey forms the crux of the story. They are joined by various other Pokemon en-route and we see a really wide and well animated Pokemon roster come to life on screen. Tim and Pikachu come across an intoxicating chemical called Serum R, which sends the Pokemon who inhale it, into a state of frenzied carnage. Eventually, they face off against some very powerful foes (Pokemon and humans alike) but divulging those details would be tantamount to a spoiler so I'll leave that for you to figure out

Having said that, the movie does progress slowly in the beginning but once Pikachu is introduced, it picks up its pace and makes for an entertaining watch. Ryan Reynolds has given voice to Pikachu and brings his own set of quips and humour to the character, which makes it all the more lovable. Justice Smith as Tim also does a competent role of what is expected of him. The development of his relationship with Pikachu from disdain to friendship is reminiscent of Ash's relationship arc with Pikachu in the original anime and lends the movie some strong throwback feels

All in all, this is as good an adaptation as it gets. Could it have been better? Of course, it could have, but does it keep you entertained throughout nonetheless - Yes it does. Watch it for the very cute and  fuzzy (mostly) Pokemon and some really heartfelt aww moments with Pikachu

So until next time, keep watching, keep reading, keep recommending and keep sharing the love, for more the passengers on the Paperback Trails, the better it is.