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[Pokémon] Pokemon Anime Marathon Club

Season 1 Episode 11 - "Charmander - The Stray Pokemon"

One of the most iconic episodes of the anime, and it definitely held up. The banter was good as always, but the real star of the show was Charmander. It's story and the party barely managing to save it before its flame went out was gut wrenching, and it was so satisfying to see Damion get burnt at the end after all he put it through. I did think Team Rocket wasn't super necessary this time (would've preferred more focus on the Charmander storyline) and that they weren't particularly funny either, but at least they were foiled relatively quickly. Overall the best episode I've seen on this rewatch so far, it was absolutely fantastic. I'd give it a 10/10
 
Season 1 Episode 12 - "Here Comes the Squirtle Squad"

The final in the trio of starter episodes, and I found it to be roughly in the middle in terms of quality. It doesn't quite match the previous EP, but I really enjoyed the Squirtle Squad's antics and how TR interacted with them. Although I found it a bit silly how easily the party let themselves be trapped by the Squad, I can see Ash forgetting to send out another Pokemon after Pikachu was knocked out; but Misty is supposedly a gym leader and she had a perfectly healthy Starmie that likely could've dealt with them. The drama with Ash having to make it back before noon also felt a bit contrived, especially with how he just happens to get knocked out cold by Gary for the exact length of time needed for him to make it back while maintaining tension. Nobody walking into the store for the ~12hrs prior bothered to check up on the kid sleeping outdoors? In any case, TR's plot this time around was actually fairly clever, and they only really lost because Pikachu just happened to fall out of the balloon after it was hit; and one of the Squirtle's deciding to travel with Ash at the end was a nice conclusion. Overall, I found it more engaging then Bulbasaur and the Hidden Garden, and it's definitely above-average on the whole, but it just couldn't match Charmander - The Stray Pokemon. I'd give it an 8.5/10.