Mew has had an interesting journey throughout the Pokemon games, anime, and manga. The mythical Psychic-type is sought after by trainers and researchers alike, not necessarily for its strength, but more so to learn about its mysterious origins and how it relates to the overall Pokemon universe.
Mew has had a recurring role in the anime, appearing in various anime episodes, films, and shorts. As with its game counterpart, Mew maintains an air of mystery throughout the series. It’s only natural that fans would want more light shed on the iconic Gen 1 Pokemon. Luckily, the Pokemon anime has recently introduced a group set on doing just that.
What Is Project Mew?
Project Mew was introduced in the Journeys episode, Advice to Goh!, where Ash and Goh travel back to Pallet Town to visit Oak’s lab. The episode not only established the existence of the organization but also ensured Goh a role in it given his fascination with Mew.
Members of Project Mew set out to discover more about the origins of Pokemon by tracking the mythical creature down and using it to gain answers. Mew contains the DNA of every Pokemon in existence, so it makes sense that a group looking to uncover the secrets of Pokemon's origins and biology would turn to it for help.
Though they’ve taken on a colossal task, Project Mew is still a relatively small operation. Spearheaded by Professor Amaranth, the project’s research team will eventually be made up of five members. The current iteration of Project Mew consists of newcomers to the series, Danika and Quillon. Both Gary and Goh are in the running for the third and fourth spots and will have to continue to prove themselves going forward.
This is a great opportunity for Goh, especially. Goh has been shown to be very adept at catching and relating to Pokemon, and his passion for finding Mew fits in perfectly with the Mew Project’s objectives. The inclusion of such an organization in the anime seems like an effective way of expanding upon Goh’s character arc while also potentially answering some decades-old questions.
How Do Trainers Join?
Rather than simply enlist as many trainers as possible, Project Mew takes a much more selective approach to its hiring process. The recruitment process involves applicants taking ov different trial missions, which are sorted according to type. Successfully clearing these missions earns trainers tokens, with the trainers who amass the most of these being promoted to “Chaser”.
Both Gary and Goh have one token each so far. Gary earned his token by finding a Moltres and securing one of its feathers in the same episode Project Mew was introduced, while Goh would earn his first token by finding a Shiny Volcarona and collecting some of its scales.
The way that Project Mew’s trial missions are set up is very similar to how Field Research works in Pokemon GO. The two require the completion of specific tasks, tracked and marked on one’s phone, in order to earn rewards. The Project Mew missions only seem to do with observing and collecting small samples of Pokemon, while the Field Research missions can cover anything from catching Pokemon, to battling, evolving, and much more.
Project Mew should stay relevant to the anime so long as Goh is still traveling alongside Ash. The project still seems to be in its infancy, and so fans should expect to see more of it as Ash and Goh’s adventures continue on. With any luck, it’ll become an even bigger part of the narrative and give Mew some more screen time down the road.