Device name: Totally Pokémon Pop! CD
CD by Nintendo, 4Kids, Kellogs, Transcontinental Records, Cherry River Music Co.
Reviewed by Duke
Released: 2001
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Opening Snide Remarks: All right, let's get this straight now. This is NOT the soundtrack to Pokémon: The Johto Journies! It is a special CD you can get with 2 Proofs of Purchase from any kind of Pop-Tarts© and $2.99 for Shipping and Handling. It's your basic preview CD, but has a song that you can't get anywhere else, if you wanted to listen to it anyway. -.-'
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Impressions: Well, since this is a CD and not an accessory, I'll list all the tracks and describe them.
1) Pokémon Johto - This is the exact same one from the "Pokémon 3 the Movie" soundtrack. Still makes me wonder why it was made, especially since it was sung by the SAME GUY who did the original, TV version. Of course, this version is better than the other two movie themes, which doesn't surprise me one bit. It's much more downbeat compared to the original, and almost a full minute longer. It just doesn't seem introey, whatever the hell that means. Whereas the original "Pokémon Johto" was real upbeat and lively, this seems like a dead corpse most of the time. Most of the time they just have the drum beating until they get to the refrain, in which they add a guitar. o.O Don't ask me, ask Warner Brothers.
2) To Know the Unknown - If anyone read my mini-review of the Pokémon 3 soundtrack at my web site (http://www.newjourney.cjb.net), then you know that, unlike most people, I actually LIKED this song. It has a good beat, and sounds kinda like a cross between "Misty's Song" and "The Power of One." Plus, Innosense has more talent than 98% of the singers in the past movie soundtracks. (The exceptions being Weird Al and Donna Summer.)
3) Medley of Hits From "Pokémon 3: The Ultimate Soundtrack" - Basically samples of "You & Me & Pokémon," "Pikachu (I choose you!)," "Song of Jigglypuff," and the awful "Pokérap GS." Each sample is about :35 seconds long, and includes half of the first verse and the refrain. Basically about what you would see on the TV show's "Kareokemon." I liked "You & Me & Pokémon" and "Song of Jigglypuff," but the other two I completely hated. Ugh.
4) The Best at Being the Worst - Yep, you guessed it, this is the single that is exclusive to this CD. Honestly, they needed something stronger. It's an upgrade of the original, great "Double Trouble" and it features Team Rocket, talking about how they are the best at messing up. I know it's funny on the show, but putting it into a song was just not right. Plus, it seems Eric Stewart and Rachel Lillis were unavailable, because the vocals for Jesse & James in this CD are awful. James sounds like he's drunk, while Jesse sounds like one of the "one-timer" girls on the various episodes that Brock falls in love with. The lyrics weren't that great either. Plus, the beat wasn't a rock song, it was more Mexican, with casanets even. (Think the music played when Tuxedo Mask arrived in the first two seasons of Sailor Moon, except more upbeat.)
Liked: "To Know the Unknown" was nice, the medley was kinda nice.
Hated: "Pokémon Johto" and "Best at Being the Worst" just suck. Shoudla just had the original intro, and made a better Team Rocket song with a better beat.
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Improve: Include an exclusive song that is GOOD. Stop making new themes for the movies. If Digimon can keep it's (horrible) theme, then Pokémon should too!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Final Words: If you don't have Pokémon 3: The Ultimate Soundtrack or want everything that has Team Rocket in it, start eating Pop-Tarts. Otherwise, just ignore it. Also, it'll take almost 10 weeks to deliver this thing (don't ask me.) so you would be better off just buying the real soundtrack.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Score: 35% (25% for "To Know the Unknown" and 10% for the samples of "You & Me & Pokémon" and "Song of Jigglypuff")
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Secrets: Umm. It comes with a purple cover that has Hitmontop, Unown, Pikachu, the Pichu Brothers, and Team Rocket on it? It has the word "Pop!" in white, not yellow? O.o