Japanese original directed by: Kunihiko Yuyama	Japanese original written by Hideki Sunada
Adaptation directed and written by Jim Malone

30 Second Bottom Line: In this fifth installment in the fantasy series, the Pokemon gang thwarts a pair of thieves bent on snatching the Soul Dew, a priceless gem that provides the power to rule the world.

Tell Me More About It: Wearing thin after its initial frenzy five years ago, the Pokemon craze might earn a much-needed shot of adrenaline for its diminishing fans with this action-packed adventure.

Originally titled "Guardian Spirits of the Water Capital: Latinas and Latinos", this Pokemon tale focuses on the town of Alto Mare and the sibling Pokemon creatures who protect its inhabitants and their sacred gem, the Soul Dew. These new Pokemon characters, Latinos and Latinas, introduce new powers: the ability to transform themselves into humans, to become invisible and to "sight share". And of course, that is the appeal of Pokemon to the younger set who collect all of those cards-the various characters and their intriguing powers.

Ash, the Pokemon trainer, his sidekick Pikachu and his buddies Misty and Rock open the story with a water chariot race through the canals of this town that bears an amazing resemblance to Venice. Eventually Ash learns about the valuable gem and becomes embroiled in the nefarious plot by thieves Annie and Oakley (Cute, eh?) to take the priceless orb. Pokemon battles ensue with each creatures special powers trying to outdo the others. It's routine and totally predictable but fans of the series will delight in the mayhem.

Parents should be forewarned, however. This G-rating does not take into account the depicted cruelty to some creatures, most notably Latinos (or was it Latinas?), who is electrocuted and left semiconscious spinning in a gyroscope-like device.Gut-wretching to watch, to be sure. Some of the monsters churned up by the villains look like nightmare material to me as well.

Creatively, this anime¢ style is puzzling and reminiscent of hastily produced Saturday morning cartoons. Truly the background drawings-some hand rendered and others computer generated-are richly detailed and fascinating to behold. From cobble-stoned streets, to the movement of water, to the wrought iron fencing, this is well-done, expansively produced animation. But the actual characters are incredibly flat, with lifeless eyes. Indeed, this is the hallmark of Japanese animation, copied to a degree in Disney's "Atlantis"-the dimensionless figures moving atop a lush, almost 3-D background. I just feel it looks cheap and unfinished; I suspect I am not alone in that opinion.

At a slim 80 minutes-with about 8 minutes devoted to the closing credits-"Pokemon Heroes" probably does not deserve a big screen theatrical release. The question is: Can parents resist the whining of their youngsters and hold out until this ho-hum cartoon comes out on video?