The hero of the series is a young man named Ash Ketchum who is a Pokémon trainer and his Pokémon Pikachu, who quite frankly is a personal favourite character of mine. What is a Pokémon? It's basically a monster creature that has specific powers that make it useful to a Pokémon trainer who catches (traps) a Pokémon and uses it to battle against foes and other Pokémon trainers. Put in perspective it's like kiddie friendly cock-fighting.  

The powers of the Pokémon vary greatly which is what makes them so valuable to the people of this world. It's also what makes them so utterly amazing to the kids who play this game in real life as it's just like the theme says "You gotta catch them all!". However, if you can overlook this standpoint, in which I confess I was being sarcastic a bit, this is a good bit of fun to watch and the dynamic between Ash and Pikachu is pretty awesome. 

This DVD follows the same pattern as the games, the formula for which has most certainly frustrated parents for a long time. There are two movies on here; Black and White, and to be honest they are essentially the same movie. Purists will watch both for the small changes but most of you will get away with just putting up with just the one movie. If you want a breakdown, basically the movie menus are a little different, the middle is a little different and the end is, you guessed it, a little different. A few different Pokemon are also used and their powers explored, and this is where this series gets the kids in and the parent's wallets emptied. The games are like this too, minor differences in virtually identical games. Frustrating to say the least. 

The movies both are revolving around Ash and Pikachu and their quest for a couple of dragons Zekrom and Reshiram, both of whom have extraordinary powers involving Ideals and Truth. It is about these two creatures that the movies differ but not by much. 

The Pokemon series always deal with pretty simple themes that are mainly good and healthy for kids. Trying your best and being there for your friends, along with doing the right thing, even if the wrong thing is easier are dealt with and it is the saving grace with parents the world over. 

The animation in these cartoons is bright ad colourful and really comes to life on the small screen. Audio is crisp and clear with well recording voices and a charming little soundtrack to go with it. There are no extras on this disc which is pretty disappointing, but I'm guessing that the target market for this release probably doesn't care too much about how it's put together. 

This is a cool little feature that will see your kids taken to another world for at least a good 90 odd minutes, and whilst it most likely won't keep adults occupied for that long, it's harmless inoffensive fun that you can safely leave your young audience in front of unattended while you cook dinner.