[Pokémon] Pokemon Anime Marathon Club

Explanation: I'm skipping EP 38, "Computer Warrior Porygon" due to it having no English dub. There's a split where "Holiday Hi-JynxI" and "Snow Way Out" were originally supposed to air after it, but "Pikachu's Goodbye" replaced them due to the show being put on hiatus and the episode schedule being shuffled around (since it wouldn't make much sense to release 2 Christmas episodes in April). Since the episodes were intended to air after "Ditto's Mysterious Mansion", Ash / Misty's team composition reflects that, and we're currently in the holiday season. The best compromise I could come up with is reviewing all 3 at once, and waiting 9 days instead of the usual 3 to post the next review to maintain the same pace.

Season 1 Episode ? - "Holiday Hi-Jynx!"

tbh I can see why they edited Jynx's skin to be purple after the initial airing of this episode; as it definitely comes off as a racial stereotype. Outside that, the episode was fairly average; it feels pretty disconnected from the main quest, which is fair enough considering it's a special. I was surprised it featured Santa so heavily, since my understanding is that Santa Claus / Christmas more broadly isn't considered a big deal in Japan. The episode dragged in the middle, since I felt the gang spent a bit too much time on the water (and even with anime logic in effect, the gang going from what seems to be a tropical beach area to the North Pole within a single day is extremely unrealistic). But I enjoyed getting some backstory on Jesse, and the moment where she forgives Santa but still tries to make off with the presents was pretty funny. Overall, it's a solid time, but Jynx being a borderline offensive racial caricature in this EP loses it several points in my book. I'd give it a 3/10.

Season 1 Episode ? - "Snow Way Out!"

The budding streak of mediocre / bad episodes ends here, as this one was an absolute banger. The premise of the gang being stuck on a cold mountain felt a bit contrived since they could've avoided it by just taking the other path, it would've worked better in my opinion if there was no fork and they had to cross the mountain to continue; but that's ultimately a nitpick. I felt like the episode had a nice balance of humor and drama, which the show's often struggled with in my opinion. The bit where Jessie (insert me realizing I've been misspelling "Jessie" as "Jesse" this entire time) reminisces about "snowgasboard" was simultaneously hilarious and actually kinda sad. I liked how nearly all of Ash's Pokemon and even a few of Brock / Misty's got an opportunity to help out as well, with Pidgeotto scouting out a path, Bulbasaur saving Pikachu and everyone else helping seal off the igloo. And the iconic scene of all the Pokemon huddling with Ash still held up fantastic. It feels much more earned compared to the emotional moment in Bye Bye Butterfree; since they've all gone through 6 gyms together and Ash has put himself on the line for his Pokemon numerous times to this point; including several times in this episode. It definitely felt like the show pushed Ash into this esoteric situation where he's completely separated from everyone else a bit forcefully, but the scene it maneuvers into hits so hard I can give it a pass; it's easily the best emotional payoff in this series so far. The ending is also quite good, with the gang finally making it out of the mountain, while TR is stuck being too cold out of the hot springs and too hot in it. TR was actually pretty good in general this time around, though I felt kinda bad for them being stuck in the cold, since they didn't really do anything wrong this EP. Overall, this was one of the best EPs so far. I'd give it a 10/10.

Season 1 Episode 39 - "Pikachu's Goodbye"

Another solid episode. We finally continue the main story after the specials, though tbh I found this one quite overrated. The beginning very much feels like your typical filler episode, with the gang helping free a group of wild Pikachu from a wacky TR scheme. TR were very much their generic villain selves this EP, and weren't particularly funny either. The main tension comes from Pikachu integrating into the wild Pikachu tribe, first saving a not-Pichu and later chewing through TR's net (after so many failures, why don't they ever try steel or barbed wire, or spray chloroform, or generally try anything apart from the exact same strategy that's failed dozens of times?). The bit where Ash runs away from Pikachu is still legitimately great; and I remember crying at that portion when I initially watched this EP when I was younger. But coming back to it, it's very obvious that they weren't actually going to separate both in the context of the episode (Pikachu still seems pretty OK with Ash, he just spends time with the Pikachu tribe as well) and the out-of-episode context that they aren't going to abandon their money printing mascot. And ultimately, one great scene can't save what's otherwise a generic filler episode. Overall, it's definitely well above-average; but I didn't find it to be the masterpiece a lot of people seem to depict it as. I'd give it an 8.5/10.
 
Episode 36

The only thing I have to really say about this episode was how great it was to see the twerps do the Team Rocket motto! It was cute and funny, and I really enjoyed it.

Other than that, the plot of the episode was basic. Especially for having a Pokémon that could transform into pretty much anything. I kind of wanted to see Duplica actually be doing petty crimes, but dressed up as an Officer Jenny or a Nurse Joy, using Ditto to cause problems. But the only clue that the twerps have to solve the problem is the fact that Ditto's face is stuck (as it pretends to be a Growlithe or something). IDK. Something better than basic "COTD's Pokémon has a problem and Team Rocket fixes it because they're better trainers" or something.

It was also a little strange that Ditto was able to talk like a human when it copied Meowth. Does that mean that Duplica can now have Ditto transform into humans? (This idea is going to get way too dark.)

The other great part was the way Zubat had the zoomies when it came back from searching for Ditto. Pidgeotto's having a conversation with Pikachu while Zubat's just flying around happy to be free.

Episode 65? (At least according to the list I'm using)

This episode felt like an eggnog-induced dream.

A lot of it was just weird. Jynx is not a Pokémon that makes me think Christmas. Lapras was weird with its ability to talk telepathically, which is something that we'll never see a Lapras do again. It was weird that Ash could pull a raft by himself when it took four Pokémon. It was also weird that the twerps thought that taking a raft from *tropical island* to the North Pole was a good idea.

It really just came off as a slapped-together Christmas special and was the only way that the writers could think of to include Jynx without things becoming too offensive.

Episode 66?

This was probably the best episode to date.

It had everything. A decent plot that wasn't just "COTD with new Pokémon." The storyline was one about survival (which wouldn't have happened if either Brock or MIsty would have fought against Ash's suggestion to climb the really huge snowy mountain). It was really great to see every Pokémon of Ash's be used in different ways. Especially Pidgeotto, after not seeing it for that long streak of episodes. Even Brock's team had some special attention, with Vulpix and Onix making an appearance.

Team Rocket was also great in the episode. They didn't cause problems. They were just in the same survival situation as the twerps. More of Jessie's backstory was revealed. Though it does make watchful audiences wonder how truthful she is if in the last episode she was living in a castle on a hill, while this episode she's living in a small village and poor enough that she has to eat snow. Really, the only thing I guess we can say for sure so far is that Jessie did not come from a rich family (which is an interesting parallel once we reach another episode).

Fun fact: The version of this episode that I watched had a Pikachu's Jukebox attached to it! The music video had clips from the Orange Islands in it, which was neat. (I absolutely can not wait to get to the Orange Islands.)

insert me realizing I've been misspelling "Jessie" as "Jesse" this entire time)
Click to expand...
I didn't notice until I think last week. Then I thought that I had been spelling it wrong.
[PokeCommunity.com] Pokemon Anime Marathon Club
By Friday nights (when I watch these) I am very tired, and so very easily confused.

Episode 39
"I think the best thing in the world is for Pikachu to be here with its own kind."

Brock. What the heck.

I'm sure that I enjoyed this episode way more when I was younger. Because those first few minutes of the episode were seared into my mind. Every frame of it was so familiar, right up to the title card. So this must have been an episode that I watched many times over back in the day.

These days, it's just an episode. It's obvious that Pikachu isn't going anywhere. And there really weren't any signs before this that Pikachu was having an identity(?) issues not being around other Pikachu. That's why Brock's statement came off as very odd. Because that should hold true for every Pokémon then, right? Except trainers go around capturing wild Pokémon, taking them away from their families and homes. (The line is a little better in the original. Takeshi says that it's nice to be surrounded by companions, but still. Pikachu has companions in the rest of Ash's team. This whole thing makes no sense.)

I guess Pikachu herds sing songs to the full moon? Are they worshipping it? What's the connection to Pikachu and the moon?

Also that song at the end? Pure 90's pop.

And now I've seen so many Pikachu that they don't look right when I try to see one in my mind.
 
Season 1 Episode 40 - "The Battling Eevee Brothers"

A nice portrayal of Eevee and its central gimmick. I found it a bit odd how the 4 brothers presumably live together, but their parents are nowhere to be found; but I liked how Misty brought up that Pikachu also didn't want to evolve when Mikey was having trouble deciding what to do while not letting him off the hook for leaving Eevee alone. In general, the episode did a good job not feeling like a rehash of Electric Shock Showdown despite having a similar premise of evolved Pokemon not inherently being superior to unevolved Pokemon. This time around it's Eevee's trainer who doesn't want to evolve it, while previously it was the Pokemon (Pikachu) who didn't want to evolve. TR was really good this EP as well, their plan was more clever than usual, driving away in a Jeep instead of trying to escape via balloon. The 3 Eeveelutions were also each portrayed very well, I liked how they all had unique abilities aside from just being different types; and it was nice to see Mikey's brothers accept him just training Eevee instead of evolving. Overall, this EP wasn't off-the-charts incredible or anything, but it was a solid, entertaining filler episode. I'd give it an 8/10.
 
Must be Friday.

Episode 40

At first, I thought that I wouldn't have much to say about this episode other than that I found 75% of the COTD to be really obnoxious. I think it was mostly the designs of Mikey's brothers that bothered me the most. Those clothes. And that hair!

But then that scene with Misty talking to Mikey came along. I liked that scene. It showed a lot about MIsty's character, and how she could relate to Mikey's issues. She's also the youngest of four, and had decided to go her own way, leaving the Cerulean Gym. Kind of wish that we could have seen Misty talk to her sisters about that. Like why she decided to leave from the Gym and head out even though she's the best battler of the three. But at least we can get some characterization from Misty as she takes on her own "older sister" role to guide Mikey.

It also wasn't until this episode that I realized just how intelligent Pokémon are written as in the show. To bring it back to a previous episode, Pikachu had its own reasons to not evolve, and it was able to get that point across. Horsea came up with the idea to leave a trail of ink so that the captured Pokémon could be found. And Pidgeotto saw those ink blotches on the ground and realized that they were a clue that could be used to help the others.

I'm going to have to agree with Jessie. Dark Flareon is the best. (That's a TCG reference.)
 
Season 1 Episode 41 - "Wake Up Snorlax!"

The town having a food shortage felt extremely contrived, cars exist in the Pokemon world, couldn't the supermarkets just import food from the presumably nearby Stone Town? In any case, this EP felt like a box they had to tick to say they adapted the Snorlax / Pokeflute storyline from RBY. It's not bad, TR and the gang working together to try and wake Snorlax up / trying to emulate Prince Charming was really funny. It's very straightforward though, once they figure out Snorlax is the problem, they go back to the guy with the Pokeflute, he wakes it up and the river flows again after it eats the thorns. It portrays Snorlax accurately to how it's described in the games, and has some good humor as well. But there just isn't a lot to say about this one. Overall, it's perfectly fine if a bit forgettable. I'd give it a 7.5/10.
 
Season 1 Episode 42 - "Showdown at Dark City"

This is a pretty intriguing episode with interesting lore implications. I liked the Wild West aesthetic, which fits well with the gang war that's ravaging the town. Yas and Kaz competing to be an offical gym shines an interesting light into how Pokemon Gyms work; it seems that strong trainers are given the status of gym leader rather then gym leaders being dispatched to various towns. I found the sequence where the gang gives out false names really funny, and proves that their inability to see through Jessie / James' obvious disguises and lies isn't exclusive to them. Ash using red paint to set the 2 gym's aces against each other was actually a pretty clever plan, and I liked how Yas and Kaz wise up and adapt to it instead of just immediately blasting off. The ending was also solid, with Joy being revealed to be the Pokemon League Inspector and laying into both of them. Overall, it was a great time without any major flaws that I noticed. I'd give it an 8.5/10.
 
Episode 41

The main thing I remember about this episode was how delicious the vines sounded as Snorlax ate them. I don't know what it is about that crunching noise, but I wanted to munch on something myself after watching this.

The animation for this episode also seemed better. Every main character (and Psyduck!) had some great expressions. There were even different poses for some of the Pokémon, like Pikachu stretching or Meowth riding on James's head, holding on by his mouth.

The story itself was really basic. It was another problem that could not be solved until these three random children came along to help the town. If the Twerps didn't show up, would Mayor Moustache allow his citizens to starve to death? And why didn't the mayor set up a sort of crew to keep the vines from becoming that overgrown? Or at least do something about the hippie allowing his Snorlax to be that much of a public nuisance. Or, as you said PoryKid, get help from the near-by town via car or helicopter.

Episode 42

Apparently, there's no real law enforcement in this world. It's ridiculous that an entire town could be destroyed like that, and people could almost get killed, and nothing is done in Dark City. It's crazy to think how much more damage there could have been to the building if Nurse Joy didn't decide to show up then. Kind of wonder how much longer the destruction would have gone on. Also kind of wonder who checks on the gyms after they receive official status, if Sabrina's allowed to turn people into dolls and Erica's allowed to deny trainers entry just because they don't like perfume.

It's also crazy that Ash was held up as a gold standard of being a trainer. He electrocuted three children pretty much as soon as he entered the town. Brock was the one that defeated Team Rocket. And I highly doubt that Ash was the one that came up with that entire plan on his own any further than "shock sense into people with Pikachu."

At least this episode introduced Pikachu loving ketchup.
 
Season 1 Episode 43 - "The March of the Exeggutor Squad"

Charmander finally evolves! Melvin was a more interesting COTD than usual, how I interpreted things, he genuinely wanted to improve and didn't intend to hypnotize Ash; he just took advantage when his Exeggcute decided to do so on its own (we don't see him ordering Exeggcute to use it). I felt like he didn't receive enough accountability for controlling Ash though, using someone as basically a slave like he did is a pretty big deal, but the gang essentially just laughs it off while wishing Melvin good luck after the Exeggutor fiasco is resolved. A good slap from Misty or even a warning to not do it again would've been fine in my opinon, but it's odd how he just gets off essentially scot free. It's also odd how Las Vegas is specifically mentioned as somewhere Melvin wants to go, it's a reminder that they still considered the series to be set in the real world, with real countries and animals alongside Pokemon at this point. Outside of that, the humor was fairly solid, especially Ash's magician act. Though TR were mostly just in the way / an annoyance. Charmander finally evolving is really nice, but we get an ominous sign of what's to come with it blasting Ash's face. Overall, this was another solid episode without any major complaints from me. I'd give it an 8/10.
 
Season 1 Episode 44 - "The Problem with Paras"

We get our first full taste of Charmeleon no longer obeying Ash. I've never been a fan of this whole arc, and I didn't like it on this rewatch either. I've read online that it doesn't obey because Charmander is technically a traded Pokemon and Ash didn't "earn" enough badges. But it's really not traded, Damion released Charmander when he abandoned it, and Ash catches it in his own Pokeball rather than being given its old one by Damion like in a regular trade. And while Ash may not have "earned" all of his badges in straight battles, it's not like he snuck in and snatched them while the leaders were sleeping. Most of the time he was battling fair and square before TR intervened, and the gym leader chose of their own free will to give Ash a badge for heroic deeds. Ash also saved Charmander's life from its flame being put out, and just recently was willing to sacrifice his jacket in a raging blizzard to ensure it would be warm. It's unbelievably disrespectful for it to turn its back on him after all he's done for no real reason. I wouldn't mind so much if, eg, Ash started putting too much pressure on Charmeleon due to it being the only evolved starter, or he did something that brought back memories of Damion, but Ash has been nothing but kind to Charmander since he got it. The possibility of Pokemon changing their personality after evolution was technically foreshadowed by TR's conversation in "Dig Those Diglett", but it doesn't feel like a particularly good foreshadow when none of the evolutions we've seen to this point (or will see after this) involve any significant temperament changes. Overall, the whole thing just feels like a cheap way to generate melodrama and prevent Ash's team from becoming too OP. As for the episode plot itself, it's pretty decent minus the Charmeleon shenanigans; I found TR really funny throughout, and the idea of everyone having to find ways to lose against Paras so it could evolve is definitely unique. Overall, it's not bad as a stand-alone episode, but it loses several points for introducing by far my least favorite aspect of Indigo League. I'd give it a 2/10
 
Episode 43

I don't think I have ever loathed a character-of-the-day like I loathe Melvin. Everything about him is the worst. His design. His voice. His personality. His story. I'm desperate for some way for this episode to work that didn't involve him because he's dreadful. I don't even understand why his own Pokémon would like him.

How did Exeggcute evolve without a Leaf Stone?

A weird part of the plot happened after Ash was hypnotized. Brock and Misty were right there. Next scene, Ash is with Melvin, carrying him off in a wagon alone. Did Brock and Misty see that Ash was not acting right and decided to just...meander off to enjoy the carnival? Both of them really thought that it was a good idea to leave their friend in that sort of situation?

And finally, after almost 30 episodes, one of Ash's Pokémon evolves. I'm going to miss Charmander on the team. It was wicked cute, and I liked its shy personality. I do wish that more time was devoted to the characters discussing how and why a Pokémon's personality changes so much upon evolution. It gets brought up, but I don't think it's ever fully explored in any way.

Also, Brock... Why aren't you helping with Vulpix? I get Vulpix is special, but he could have at least helped Charmander out so the Exeggutor wouldn't get blown up. And so Melvin wouldn't get rewarded.

Episode 44

Those are all my thoughts about Charmeleon's personality shift as well. It came out of nowhere, especially since no other evolved Pokémon had the same dramatic shift upon evolution. And it's also weird for something like that to happen to Charmander. Of all of Ash's...more marketable Pokémon, Charmander was the second-most loyal to Ash after Pikachu. Charmander was one of the few that was concerned about getting back to Ash on the island of giant Pokémon. Charmander was also used a lot in battles or even just little adventures, like the Tower episode or the blizzard episode.

It really just seemed like a way for the writers to give Ash the most marketable final starter evolution without also making him a skilled trainer. This part of the storyline won't really go anywhere for a while.

Paras is a common Pokémon. Just find one that likes battling. Or it would have been interesting if Cassandra had a medicine that she wanted to give Paras to make it "more determined and smarter" (as this experimental medicine she wants to make is claimed to be able to do), but she had to realize that just giving a Pokémon medicine isn't the same as training its confidence. Like it's fake confidence. Or maybe she was making the anime version of Rare Candy, and the Twerps would have to show her different. And Team Rocket actually succeeds in training Paras like they did here.

This episode felt like it was trying to do a little too much. There wasn't enough time to devote to the Charmeleon subplot, so that gets brushed aside. And the Paras plot just felt rushed.
 
Season 1 Episode 45 - "The Song of Jigglypuff"

I found this episode a great palate cleanser after last time. Neon Town is a very distinct location that stands out from Gringey / Dark City, though I wish the gang did more there instead of spending most of the runtime in the woods. The recurring gag of Jigglepuff putting everyone to sleep and marking up people's faces is one of my favorite parts of Indigo League, and Brock gets a nice chance to shine with giving Jigglypuff the fruit that restores its voice. TR were also pretty good this EP, having a fairly clever plan that likely would've worked if they found a way to stay awake through the singing. Overall, it's just a really fun time and a solid episode. I'd give it a 9/10.
 
Season 1 Episode 46 - "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokemon"

Approximately 2 seconds after Charmander's evolution, he goes straight to Charizard; while honestly pretty game-accurate since it feels like the middle forms of starters are brushed aside there as well, it's a reminder that this show exists to sell toys and video games first and foremost; and if that means rushing through Charmeleon's evolution to get to the cool fire-breathing dragon and boost action figure sales, so be it, good writing be damned. It reminds me of the 4Kids dub of One Piece where they cut out entire arcs like Reverse Mountain and Little Garden so they could pump out cute Chopper plushies quicker. The actual episode plot is pretty average, it's always nice to see Gary, and the premise of the gang competing to find fossils had potential; but the whole sequence that leads to Ash and TR getting stuck in the cave felt like a contrivance so Charmeleon would have an excuse to fight Aerodactyl and evolve. In general, I wish TR stayed out of this EP; they've been getting pretty stale and I feel like Ash and Gary competing would've created enough conflict, as well as allowing us to actually see their rivalry in action instead of them just taunting each other. At the end, the gang finds a Pokemon egg; I was surprised to see Gen 2 teasers so soon, as I figured Togepi wouldn't come into the picture until like episode 60. Overall, it's an EP with an interesting premise that's mostly ignored to speedrun Charmeleon evolving way sooner then it should've. I'd give it a 4/10.

Astinus said:
Those are all my thoughts about Charmeleon's personality shift as well. It came out of nowhere, especially since no other evolved Pokémon had the same dramatic shift upon evolution. And it's also weird for something like that to happen to Charmander. Of all of Ash's...more marketable Pokémon, Charmander was the second-most loyal to Ash after Pikachu. Charmander was one of the few that was concerned about getting back to Ash on the island of giant Pokémon. Charmander was also used a lot in battles or even just little adventures, like the Tower episode or the blizzard episode.
Click to expand...
I agree, Charmander always had kind of a puppy-like personality and never showed any signs of being secretly resentful or anything towards Ash pre-evolution. I wouldn't be surprised if Charmeleon was originally supposed to have a more involved arc, with more EPs spent dealing with the personality change and going into detail about why it did such a 180; but execs cut it because cool dragons sell and character development doesn't.
 
Episode 45

I forgot that Jigglypuff was a thing. Like, I know it's a Pokémon, but I completely forgot that it essentially becomes a minor-major character on the show. I forgot that it draws on people's faces. Since I forgot about its character, I'm interested in finally learning what the end result was for Jigglypuff.

Will it have to wait for the Soundproof ability to be invented?!

I also forgot about Team Rocket's song. Years ago, I listened to the Japanese version of their song a lot. It's inspiring while also being hilariously Team Rocket, if that makes sense. It has their humor in it and the way that they fail all the time, but they get right back up and continue trying.

Where was there a giant desert in Kanto? I get that the animators were going for a Las Vegas vibe, but the desert felt random for the southern edge of Kanto.

Episode 46

Gary! I don't understand the purpose of him being in this episode, but it's always great to see him. He added absolutely nothing to the story other than his presence, and that's good enough.

This episode came way too soon after Charmander's evolution to Charmeleon. There was absolutely zero time given to Ash's changed relationship to his Pokémon. There wasn't time given to explore the new personality for Charmeleon. Since Charmander had several instances of interacting with the other Pokémon on Ash's team, it would have been interesting to see Charmeleon with Bulbasaur or Squirtle. There could have been an episode of Ash trying to train Charmeleon and get it to respect him more. Or, as I saw suggested elsewhere, explore why Charmander evolved before the others on the team. Like if it was from insecurity, thinking that Ash would abandon it like Damien did if Charmander didn't get strong enough to win.

But alas. Now we have Charizard because Charizard prints money.

Also: Egg.


PoryKid575 said:
I agree, Charmander always had kind of a puppy-like personality and never showed any signs of being secretly resentful or anything towards Ash pre-evolution. I wouldn't be surprised if Charmeleon was originally supposed to have a more involved arc, with more EPs spent dealing with the personality change and going into detail about why it did such a 180; but execs cut it because cool dragons sell and character development doesn't.
Click to expand...
It feels even more like a marketability thing, given how Charizard was disobedient to Ash for so long, but Charmeleon's little appearance was so short.
 
Season 1 Episode 47 - "A Chansey Operation"

One of the best premises for an episode in a long time. The gang trying to help hurt Pokemon in a human hospital with a human doctor is a really unique spin on the "helping Nurse Joy" plot we've seen a few times; and it's always nice to see them doing stuff other than battling. TR were pretty solid, I found it unrealistic how they were able to capture a whole truck's worth of Pokemon considering how pathetic and incompetent they're shown as, not to mention how they're able to escape a wreak that injured all the Pokemon inside badly enough to need urgent medical attention pretty much unscathed; but having them work with the gang to help the Pokemon for a bit was a nice shakeup, and their wacky scheme didn't overstay its welcome. Chansey was also fantastic, I loved how it didn't take Meowth's crap while still being kind / gentle. Dr. Proctor on the other hand was a huge creep, it's one thing for Brock (15) to flirt with Joy / Jenny (though that's creepy as well), but a guy in his mid 30s like him aggressively flirting with Jessie (17) and Misty (*10*) is a whole different level and honestly should've gotten him on a watch-list. I get it was the 90s and all that, but he still takes it way too far and doesn't face any accountability or push back. Overall, it's a really solid episode; though dragged down somewhat by Proctor. I'd give it an 8/10.
 
Season 1 Episode 48 - "Holy Matrimony!"

Another great premise; we've heard snippets of TR's backstories in prior episodes, but this is the first to fully focus on one of them. And after watching, I honestly can't blame James at all for running away considering how unhinged his family and Jessebelle is. I liked how he also wasn't a complete idiot like usual, he knows that going back is a bad idea and tries to get away every chance he gets; though I was surprised Jessie / Meowth were so willing to force him in regardless. Obviously they're supposed to be the villains, but I figured they'd have more respect for their teammate. In any case, I enjoyed the ending with Growlithe saving them, it was built up well from James talking about it earlier in the episode; though if it's technically his I don't know why he didn't take it with him when leaving either the first time or at the end of the episode. I also would've liked to see it interact with James' Wheezing. Overall, it was a great time and I've been enjoying the creative premises recently. I'd give it a 9/10.
 
Season 1 Episode 49 - "So Near, Yet So Farfetch'd"

Don't have too much to say about this one, it's pretty much the epitome of the generic COTD episode. I feel like they did the best they could with Farfetch'd, making him into this really rare, sought-after Pokemon; but Keith's excuse for why he turned to crime is so flimsy it makes paper look like titanium in comparison. It's hard for me to believe he really thought Farfetch'd was just too weak to battle even after it was clearly back to full health considering how ingrained battling seems to be in Kanto's culture. And even if it couldn't battle, what was stopping him from catching another Pokemon? At least he receives some accountability by the end, which is more than I can say for several other COTD's. Overall, it's passable filler and probably the best Farfetch'd could've hoped for; but it's nothing special. I'd give it a 6/10.
 
Episode 47

This was, by far, the weirdest episode.

Doctor Proctor comes off rather creepy. His design is overly detailed for a character of the day, and he looks like he doesn't even fit in with the show. His characterization wasn't great when he was first introduced, what with him constantly saying that he was off-duty, even though apparently he's the only human doctor on staff. And despite him being a human doctor, he knew a lot about Pokémon.

That was something that was weird to me. That a human doctor could know off the top of his head how to help Pokémon of all different species. I'm sure that Dodrio's physiology is far different from a human's. So how could Doctor Proctor know how much medicine to give to all the different Pokémon, and maybe that was the joke with him super-gluing everything back together. Including a Raticate's teeth.

The plot was also weird. How did Pikachu manage to inhale an entire apple the size of its head like that? It's also weird that the Center is too far away, but there's a human hospital when Pokémon and humans are pretty much always together. And a lot of those injuries that the Pokémon received in the accident didn't come off as injuries they'd get in a car crash.

This episode also made Ash look like a little jerk. He's strapping baby Cubone to the bed with vines, knocking wounded Dodrio out with electricity, and demanding that Doctor Procter refuse medical care for Team Rocket.

Also, between the line "I just can't refuse a request from young girls" and Doctor Procter having a nurse's outfit in Misty's size... Ew.

Episode 48

Finally, the James's past episode!

When I was younger, this episode was fine. Might have even found it a little funny, with Jessebelle and her antics. Though the purpose of her dungeon and whip flew way over my head many years ago.

These days, I feel like the episode should have focused less on Jessebelle and more on James's past. Especially with Growlie. For a Pokémon that was claimed to be James's only friend for years, Growlie didn't show up a lot. So it kind of left the good-bye between the two of them not that emotional as it could have been. Probably would have had room for it if James's parents weren't written into the story.

But then we wouldn't have an explanation for James's goofiness. It's genetic!

That Rocketshipping at the end though... Cute.

Episode 49

Apparently the kid's name is Keith?

Yet another episode where the police are useless. If five trainers have had their Pokémon stolen in a week, Jenny should be calling in for backup to find him. Or at least one of the other trainers should be around to help. But none of those trainers are main characters, so they just never appear on-screen, leaving their Pokémon behind. It's strange to think that all those trainers had their Pokémon stolen and did nothing about it.

It's also strange that Jenny didn't just slap handcuffs on Keith. But maybe I just wanted that to happen because I didn't like Keith.

This was really just another one of those basic formulaic episodes, and there's not a whole lot else to say about it.

Though I did think of a question: How was Keith expecting to use the Pokémon he stole to make money? I get that he would battle with them, but why would they listen to him? He stole them. They're not his Pokémon, and he has no idea what he's doing as a trainer. He still wouldn't be making money and he's also a wanted criminal.

Everyone's problems would have been solved if Jenny just slapped handcuffs on him and carted him off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top