Geodude's Kanto Reviews: from the beginning!

[Pewter City Geodude]

I liked doing reviews of Master Quest episodes, so I've started to do them for Kanto now as well. My Master Quest reviews have a new home now too, and you can find the link in my sig.
Here's where to find my Kanto reviews. We can use this as kind of a general discussion thread of the Kanto episodes as well. So here's the first one:

Pokemon! I Choose You!

Ah, the classic first episode, the one which introduced us to most of the characters that would mold the Pokemon anime into what it is today. I like how it started like the Red/Blue games do, with a Nidorino battling a Gengar on what appeared to be a Game Boy screen, before the picture cleared up and they were shown in their anime form on the TV in Ash's room. I always liked how they set up Ash's character in this episode: one can easily see that he's determined, but in those early days not all that responsible (the whole oversleeping thing). We also got introduced to Gary, Ash's longtime rival, and one of the first mysteries of the show started right then: who was Gary's starting Pokemon? For a long time, it was widely believed to be Eevee, but that idea was squashed in the recent episode "The Ties that Bind". The good-bye scene was classic, establishing Delia's character right away (she couldn't help reminding Ash to change his underwear, even after getting shocked by Pikachu). The scenes with Pidgey and Rattata were classic too, with Ash trying to catch Pidgey with his pajama shirt, and the Pokedex hinting that Ash is a 'stupid traveller'. A bit of the dialogue might sound a bit corny compared to the writing in more recent episodes, most notably Ash's soliloquy near the beginning and his speech to the Spearow when he stood between them and Pikachu, but this isn't really a bad thing. For some reason, it's just one of the things that makes this episode a classic.
And of course, we have the memorable first meeting with Misty that *apparently* served as her reason for travelling with Ash as long as she has. At least, that encounter, resulting in her bike being destroyed, was the excuse she ended up falling back on a few times during the first season. It was funny when she asked "Are you all right?" and Ash thought she was talking to him when she was actually referring to Pikachu.
Can't really complain about this episode, since it set the stage for the entire anime, hence the high score.



Geodude's rating: 10 out of 10

[Shuppet Master]

Since Serebii is putting in episode pictures for the Kanto Episodes which were denied in the beginning(there was a 14-episode gap between the first episode and the one with the battle on St. Anne!),it seems that "retro" is in.

Even though Kanto seems old and ancient by my standards now,I find some episodes still pretty cool. For example,the one with the Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee and how Ash gave his Primape to that trainer was pretty classic. And I loved the "Butterfree" arc where Ash caught a Caterpie and evolved it all the way,then spent some time training Butterfree until he released it to mate.

Keep up the good work,Pewter City Geodude! Maybe I'll review the Hoenn episodes when they come out.

[Venasaur89]

yeah, those classic episodes are must-to-see. We almost didn't had any fillers.....compare those to mid-Johtos!

[Animelee]

I totally agree, they were classics -- but, the Hoenn Saga takes all the wonderfulness of Kanto, multiplies it by ten-fold, and, God, wow, well, let's just say that when AG starts on November 1st, you're gonna feel all those good vibrations of Kanto all over again!

[Nikku-San]

I hear you, Animelee. The one hour preview had my eyes locked on the TV like back in the old days, regardless if I was recording it. I'm already starting to feel the Kanto vibes though in the Silver Conference. Very good stuff, you can tell the old writers are back.

On topic: Pokemon - I Choose You! is the classic of all classics. Heck, it ranks right up there with A Christmas Carol and... other classics, lol. I have seen this episode probably about 10 times, just guessing, but it's a very reasonable guess. However, I don't get tired of it. It's just THAT good. The moment Ash threw himself between those Spearow and the rebellious little Pikachu will be forever etched in my heart. From the on, I loved Pokemon and I always will.

[Pewter City Geodude]

Yeah it established their special bond right from the beginning. One other thing I forgot, the first episode is one of (if not the) only times we've seen dramatic points animated in only black and white.

I'll have a review of the next episode up tomorrow.

[Pewter City Geodude]

Pokemon Emergency!



The second episode of the anime was just as good as the first. So many things were introduced here, to name a few: Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, the Pokemon Center, the Pokedex doubling as the trainer's ID, Team Rocket makes their first appearance, we saw Ash use the videophone for the first time, Delia made her first and only mention of Ash's father...
The Viridian City Officer Jenny was cool. She was the first one to appear in the anime, and she introduced the "friendly yet ditzy" character of the Jennys in general. Brock said in a later episode that he could always tell the Jennys apart because each had her own distinguishing feature, so I guess for the Viridian Jenny it'd be her wild driving. ^_^ The episode also introduced the concept of the love between a typical trainer and his Pokemon. Nurse Joy was initially mad at Ash because she thought the reason for Pikachu's condition was that it had battled for too long, and that Ash shouldn't have let that happen. So even though trainers train their Pokemon to fight, they also have to recognize each Pokemon's limits and not leave them in battle for longer than they can handle.
Team Rocket really seemed more threatening in this episode than they turned out later in the anime. In fact it seems Jessie, James, and Meowth started out in the anime having a fairly high rank in the organization, but gradually got severely demoted as they got obsessed with catching Pikachu. Meowth's style of talking has changed since this episode too, it was only in the early days that he actually said "Meowth!" occasionally while talking.
Then of course Misty caught up to Ash at the Pokemon Center and the stage continued to be set for the *supposed* reason she would travel with Ash as long as she has. I like how they portrayed her in that confrontation too. We didn't know her too well at the time, so it was easy to see her fierce temper, but love for Pokemon, as she really softened when Ash said that Pikachu wasn't doing very well.
We got to see and hear TR's motto for the first time here too. With the different voices they had at the beginning, their motto sounds almost strange in the first few episodes now, since I'm so used to hearing it with the current voices. Misty stalling for time by sending out and returning Goldeen was weird but funny. It was also the first time we saw any of the "good guys" send out a Pokemon. In these first few episodes, they said, "Pokeball, go!" when either sending out a Pokemon or tossing a Pokeball. Now that phrase is only used for the latter, while "[Insert Pokemon name], I choose you!" or some variant of that is usually said when sending out a Pokemon. Just an example of how some of the conventions of the anime got established.
Pikachu attempting to tell Ash that it wanted more power was cool, and when TR was hanging from their balloon after the attack, they decided to go after Pikachu because of its unusual strength. I found it kind of amusing how even though the Pokemon Center was destroyed, the computer was still intact and usable. They must have had a backup computer in storage or something. ^_^ At the end, we also got introduced to Misty's fear of Bug Pokemon, and seeing her hide behind Ash was cute.
Since this was another great episode to set the stage for the rest of the anime, I can't resist giving it a top score as well.



Geodude's rating: 10 out of 10

[Pewter City Geodude]

Ash Catches a Pokemon



Maybe this episode should've been called "Ash Catches Two Pokemon"... Anyway, Kanto really started off with some awesome, classic episodes, didn't it? This was another one of them. The foundation continued to be set for the rest of the anime in this episode. Misty's fear of bugs was again established. We know from the last episode that she considers herself pretty and that she's a more experienced trainer than Ash, so maybe she was either thinking a little too much of herself or underestimating him. That's why it was so cool to see Ash teach her a lesson about love for Pokemon, right after she'd explained to him (annoyed as she was) some of the basic mechanics of battling and catching Pokemon. Some people like to bash Ash because of his enthusiasm in the early episodes, as well as initial lack of Pokemon knowledge, but I never understood that. Keep in mind, he was doing all this stuff for the very first time, taking the first steps to live out his dream. Who wouldn't be enthusiastic? As far as lack of knowledge goes, he didn't have access to the FAQs and full Pokedexes that we do. He had to obtain most of his knowledge from hands-on experience and by talking to others.
The little nighttime conversation between Caterpie and Pikachu was really cute. You didn't need a translator to figure out that Caterpie really wanted Misty to like it, and decided that maybe if it fully evolved, she'd appreciate it more. It's always nice to see an extra dimension to a Pokemon's personality, and Caterpie's was one of the first we saw in the anime. Then later Ash caught Pidgeotto, with Misty yelling at him about the stupidity of sending a Bug-type (Caterpie) in against it in the process. There was a bit of a "rookie mistake" by the dubbers, I think. Some people think Ash said, "Caterpie, Counter attack!" but I think he actually said, "Caterpie, counterattack!" as in make a counterattack, not use the Counter attack. I guess the writers were just getting used to how much they would stick to the games as far as battles were concerned. Anyway, Ash's timing was perfect when he recalled Caterpie, since it caused Pidgeotto to get its beak stuck in the tree. Too bad we never saw too much of a similar strategy in other battles later in the anime. ^_^ After the capture, Pidgeotto would go on to be a fixture in Ash's team, right up until the end of the Kanto episodes.
Seeing Team Rocket lose to Caterpie was great! Was that the start of their decline in skill? Maybe, that's up for debate. Anyway, Caterpie's String Shot was cool, and that battle finally got Misty to appreciate it, at least a bit. This was also the only episode in the entire anime to date that saw Ash catch two Pokemon and have one evolve, very cool.
And of course, this was the first episode that showed some Pokeshippy hints, or at least semi-hints. (For anyone who doesn't know, Pokeshipping is the belief that Misty and Ash have the potential for a romantic relationship.) First, Misty followed Ash after he said he'd go on without her, and when confronted, she stammered and fell back on the bike excuse. Then after Caterpie evolved, with the body language of an infatuated girl, she said to herself, "I've never known anyone like him. He really does love Pokemon."
Yet another classic episode to start off the anime.



Geodude's rating: 10 out of 10

(forgot to mention, this is the only regular episode ever where someone other than Ash announced the title)

[Hanada Tattsu]

Thanks for posting this, this is like Kanto all over again. Kanto is better than Hoenn, the classics.

LOL, reading these memories makes me remember back during the good ol'days.

[PAK Man]

Originally posted by Pewter City Geodude
(forgot to mention, this is the only regular episode ever where someone other than Ash announced the title)

Actually, it isn't. In The Stun Spore Detour, Misty said the title. On topic, I really love this episode. Ash captured two Pokemon, and he won his first battle. Also, Team Rocket started following around Ash and Misty.

[Pewter City Geodude]

Originally posted by PAK Man
Actually, it isn't. In The Stun Spore Detour, Misty said the title.

Really? The only OI eps I've ever seen are "The Rivalry Revival" and the ones on the first OI DVD so I've never seen that one...I don't think.

[Pewter City Geodude]

Challenge of the Samurai



Another good episode here. I seriously doubt we'd be seeing anything like that kid's samurai sword in any of the newer Pokemon episodes, especially with the way he was waving it around. Anyway, he was Ash's first human opponent in a Pokemon battle, and he certainly had character. Too bad he made Ash miss catching that Weedle though, but it'd be a bad and predictable way to start off anyway if Ash successfully caught every Pokemon he saw. Anyway, we saw another rookie mistake (or learning experience, whatever you want to call it) of Ash's, sending out a tired Pidgeotto to face Samurai's Pinsir. That battle also had the lamest matchup in Pokemon history: Metapod vs Metapod. It was funny to see Ash and Samurai's concentration though. However, for that battle they seem to have forgotten one thing: only wild Metapod have Harden as their only move; human-trained Metapod can still use Tackle and String Shot. Oh well, Ash's Metapod used Tackle on its own later, but I'll get to that. As mentioned, this episode introduced us to Weedle, and we also saw its evos for the first time, as a bunch of Kakuna evolved into Beedrill and chased the humans. In the confusion, Ash lost Metapod, which Samurai scolded him for when they ran to his cabin to escape the Beedrill swarm. I liked how it showed that the Pokeball beam isn't infallible, the Beedrill holding Metapod was able to dodge it several times. Then Samurai told of his battles with the other three trainers from Pallet, including Gary, and we saw that Samurai wasn't as good as he acted because he lost all three of the other matches. At least he had the right attitude. Anyone else besides me notice that when Ash was lying in his sleeping bag in Samurai's cabin thinking about Metapod, the nametag on Ash's sleeping bag read "Satoshi"? I'm surprised the dubbers missed that, since they'd normally have painted "Ash" on over it, but in this case I don't think it's really a bad thing.
Anyway, Ash managed to get Metapod back and admitted that it was his fault that it got lost, then it evolved into Butterfree and used Sleep Powder on the Beedrill swarm, that was cool. Seeing TR trussed up with the Kakuna at the end was cool, as it was the first time we got a little clip at the end of the episode of what happened to them.
The Metapod battle brought down the score a bit, but we met Ash's first human opponent, were introduced to five new Pokemon, saw one of Ash's Pokemon evolve, and saw a group of wild Pokemon evolve. That's pretty good for one episode.



Geodude's rating: 8.5 out of 10


Showdown in Pewter City



So here we go, Ash's first Gym battle. I like how Misty pestered Ash through the episode saying that it'd be much easier to borrow some of her Pokemon for the match. I guess that in itself can be considered a semi-hint about her feelings for him, since she mentioned it several times and really wanted to help him. At the start of the episode, we got to see TR try a pitfall trap for the first time...and forget where it was for the first time. ^_^
I never did understand why Ash didn't scan Onix and Geodude with the Pokedex, since he does that for most Pokemon making their first appearance in the anime. Anyway, Ash lost badly to Brock the first time, who by the way, seemed quite intimidating in this episode. Compared to Ash's team at the time, his Onix especially was a force to be reckoned with, which is cool because Onix is one of my favorite Pokemon. The initial loss prompted the mysterious Flint to help Ash out by powering up Pikachu with a hydro-powered generator, only the river was dry so Ash had to turn that big wheel himself. Meowth had already recognized Pikachu's above-average power previously, but maybe this bit of added juice helped Pikachu permanently, not just for that match.
Anyway, during the rematch, I understand that Ash's team was at an extreme type disadvantage and all, but did the writers have to have Pikachu successfully shock Geodude? That wasn't supposed to have worked. Maybe it was because it was off the ground, but in this case probably not since it successfully Thunderbolted Onix too, who was on the ground. Oh well I guess the plot had to advance somehow, so they took the lazy way out...or maybe at the time the writers weren't sure how closely they were going to stick to the games as far as type matchups went, or they were just demonstrating Pikachu's unusual power...anyway, whatever. Brock ended up halting the match anyway because he said he didn't want to hurt Pikachu, and then the sprinkler system that Pikachu had unintentionally shocked earlier went off, soaking Onix and giving Ash the chance to finish the match. It was funny how Ash *thought* he was dreaming that Brock's brothers and sisters were stopping him, and Misty told him to open his eyes because they actually were. Then Ash showed a little bit of maturity by voluntarily forfeiting the match because the sprinkler thing was unfair, much to Misty's disappointment. ^_^
Then Brock caught up to Ash, gave him the badge, and said that Ash really had won both in battle and in being kind to all Pokemon. Then he revealed his real dream of becoming the world's best Pokemon breeder. Flint showed up and revealed himself as Brock's father, and it was funny how he expected Brock to spill his guts and talk about his feelings toward his father for being gone all this time, but all Brock did was start giving him reminders on how to take care of the kids. It was a funny scene at the end too with Ash and Brock walking ahead talking and Misty running behind yelling about her bike. This episode also showed two of the rare references to money in the anime: Flint's joke about the $2 charge for sitting on his rocks; and Misty walking out, leaving Ash with the $11.50 bill.
Very good episode. We were introduced to Brock and his Pokemon, got some background on him, met Flint, saw Ash get his first badge, and saw Brock "join the party", as your typical RPG game would say. There was a stupid dub error dealing with Brock's mother, but I won't say what it was in case someone reading this doesn't want it spoiled. The rest of you know what I'm referring to.



Geodude's rating: 8.5 out of 10

[Hanada Tattsu]

Thanks for those reviews, we got a double dose this time around!

Yeah, I was too appaled that Pikachu could have fried Geodude, I can't believe that the writers let that happen. In Kanto, the writers overrate Pikachu, so we see this happen many more times in the future.

[Pewter City Geodude]

Forgot this, just edited it in...back in "Challenge of the Samurai," anyone else besides me notice that when Ash was lying in his sleeping bag in Samurai's cabin thinking about Metapod, the nametag on Ash's sleeping bag read "Satoshi"?

Clefairy and the Moon Stone



This marked Brock's first full episode with the group, and it was a pretty good one at that. We were introduced to Zubat when the trio encountered a flock of them attacking the man who later introduced himself as Seymour the Scientist. Seymour was the first real nutcase we saw in the anime...that guy really needs to get out more, and I don't mean simply outside, but he was funny to watch. Brock also made his first capture of the series besides his two starters, catching (off-camera) one of the Zubat from outside. As Seymour showed them one of the caves of Mt. Moon, we saw Sandshrew and Paras for the first time in the anime as well. Then they encountered a Clefairy, so we were introduced to it too. Of course, Team Rocket was responsible for the lights that drove the Zubat out of the cave and confused the other Pokemon, so they made their appearance. This episode also showed the first one of what at the time wasn't done in the games but we're familiar with now, namely a 2-on-2 battle. In this case it was Butterfree and Zubat vs Ekans and Koffing. A stupid dub error showed itself here. Ash told Butterfree to use Whirlwind on the Smokescreen, and Brock told Zubat (for some reason) to use Double Team, but Zubat did the exact same thing Butterfree was doing, so Brock should have said Whirlwind as well, since Zubat can in fact learn it.
This episode was also the first time we saw Brock feed some of the group's Pokemon (in this case, just Pikachu, Butterfree, and Zubat) and talk about how he's always trying to perfect his Pokemon food recipes for each individual Pokemon. So that gave us a little more knowledge of Brock's character.
Later in the new cave, Pikachu trying to communicate to Ash what Clefairy had told it about the Moon Stone was funny. I like when it plucked off one of Ash's hairs. ^_^ Then another 2-on-2 match started, Onix and Pikachu vs Ekans and Koffing. Too bad it didn't progress, since the match turned out to be only a smokescreen (figuratively AND literally) for Team Rocket to steal the Moon Stone that the Clefairy had shown the trio and Seymour. Apparently, the Moon Stones from the games are just fragments of the bigger Moon Stone we saw here. One of the Clefairy bringing Seymour his glasses was cute, maybe that's how he started to bond with them and decide to live with them at the end of the episode.
We were also introduced to another of Misty's Pokemon in this episode, Staryu, when she used it to keep Meowth away from the Clefairy. Staryu's Swift was cool, and I like how its Water Gun inflated Meowth and then made it fly away like an untied balloon. I like how Brock used Onix in this episode, to follow Team Rocket underground and then block their escape. There was another "counterattack" dub error here, like the one in "Ash Catches a Pokemon". Oh well. Then all the Clefairy reached the scene and we were introduced to their Metronome attack, which I assume turned out to be Explosion.
So did Pokemon really come from space, like they discussed in the episode? Was their spaceship really the Moon Stone? Like Misty said, it's a fun theory to think about, at least. I like the scene at the end where Ash found that little taunting note from Gary on the sign for Cerulean and rushed off to catch up. Misty saying "What's the rush?" right after they saw the sign for Cerulean was a subtle but good hint as to what would happen in the next episode.



Geodude's rating: 8 out of 10

[Shuppet Master]

Great job,PCG! Clefairy and the Moon Stone was one of the Kanto episodes I liked,and my friend wrote Seymour as a character in his fanfic series! ^_^

[Pewter City Geodude]

The Water Flowers of Cerulean City

No, before you think it, this episode title does NOT confirm Misty's last name. "Water Flowers" is two words, not one. That aside, continuing on after the hint from the last episode, the opening scene was funny with how Misty was trying to convince Ash not to go to Cerulean. She mentioned a romantic park in Vermilion, hoping to get him to go there instead...she also mentioned something romantic in the Clefairy episode...wonder why she keeps mentioning "romantic" things when Ash is right nearby? ^_^ Anyway, Ash and Brock then came across a store that had been robbed (we saw Team Rocket do it, but nobody else knew it at the time), but all that was taken were a large vacuum and hose. Jenny's suspiciousness of Brock and Ash was funny, and Ash remembered that Dexter was also his ID, some good continuity there. It was funny how Jenny said that she was now suspicious of her sister-in-law in Viridian because of her choice of friends. ^_^ This was Brock's first encounter with a Joy in the anime, and he asked her out quite calmly. Too bad he didn't stay that way because he seemed quite mature, but I think we all know of a certain traumatic experience that later changed him. I like how Brock chose not to reveal what he knew about the Gym Leader in Cerulean, it added a bit of realism to have a "trade secret" like that. Coincidence that Brock never met "him"? Maybe...but it's funny how Brock assumed the Leader was male...and that there was only one. ^_^ We were then introduced to another great mystery of the Pokemon anime: what "stuff" did Brock have to do in Cerulean that took him away for most of the episode? We can only speculate.
When Ash found the Gym and saw the Sensational Sisters' synchronized swimming act, I like how the whole crowd was cheering for them and yelling that they were beautiful and so on, while Ash just stared, unable to figure out why this apparently wasn't a Pokemon Gym. Even Pikachu was entranced by the sisters. ^_^ He then discovered the aqariums and saw...real-world fish instead of Water Pokemon? Strange and unexplained. Chalk that up to a rookie mistake by the animators, I guess.
The Sisters were just about to outright give Ash the badge because they'd just lost to the three other trainers from Pallet and were tired of battling, but Misty stopped them and said she'd battle him, revealing her reason for not wanting to come to Cerulean. The resulting dialogue between the four sisters also revealed something about Misty's past, that her sisters considered her a no-talent runt, so she wanted to run away and prove she could be a great Water Pokemon trainer. I like how Pikachu didn't want to battle Misty, and Ash understood. There's further proof that trainers consider their Pokemon's feelings too when it comes to battling. The battle between Ash and Misty was good and fairly close too. Misty used the water to her advantage (and the battle introduced her Starmie to the anime in the process), while Ash used the air to his advantage. The Whirlwinds from both of his Flyers, as well as Pidgeotto's Gust and Wing Attack, were good. Then TR broke in with the stolen vacuum and hose and started to suck up all the water and Pokemon. I like how Ash remembered pretty quickly that water conducts electricity, and had Pikachu Thunderbolt them. James' quote then was classic:

"It's times like these that make me want to go straight."

The Sisters gave Ash the badge for good this time for beating Team Rocket, and Ash accepted it. I like how the episode ended with the trio walking off into the sunset, and Ash and Misty arguing about the match. ^_^
A classic episode with major character development for Misty, and a decent Gym battle to boot. The whole thing with Brock was a bit weird but interesting, and the real-world fish just didn't seem right somehow...yeah I know they were aquariums, but there should have been Water Pokemon there instead. But this episode gets a good score overall, with a slight demerit for the match itself not being finished, but the argument at the end kinda made up for it. This review was a bit long, I know...I seem to do that with most Gym episodes for some reason.



Geodude's rating: 9 out of 10

[Pewter City Geodude]

The Path to the Pokemon League



This was yet another well-done Kanto episode. At the beginning, much to the dismay of Misty and Brock, Ash was getting a little too cocky over his two badges. Then when they found A.J.'s unofficial gym with 98 straight wins, Ash even thought he could win there. A.J.'s Jeff Foxworthy-type accent was a nice change. I like how Misty and Brock changed their attitudes about the badges when A.J. unwittingly insulted their hometown Gyms. ^_^ Misty's the one we're used to seeing with the flaming background behind her, an anime sign of anger, but this is one of the rare episodes where the usually calm (except around girls) Brock was shown in that same way, in this case with both of them "burning up". I thought that was funny.
AJ's Sandshrew was cool, and it totally owned Ash's Butterfree and Pidgeotto. Sandshrew was true to its Pokedex entry too, curling up and rolling around a lot in battle. It could even launch itself through the air while curled up to hit Flying types. (Maybe this was what gave Game Freak the idea to introduce the Rollout attack in Gold/Silver, who knows?)
Ash's initial reaction when he found out A.J.'s training methods was understandable, while Misty and Brock seemed to want to hang back and find out a bit more first. It was funny how Ash ended up tackling A.J. into the pool not once, but twice. But it was gradually revealed that although A.J. was very tough on his Pokemon, he really cared about them, and they loved him back. I like how he got into a conversation with Brock about the kind of Pokemon food he used. A.J.'s relationship with his Pokemon became evident when Team Rocket, whose ponderings over a change in motto were kinda funny too, stole Sandshrew, who they thought was Pikachu. Sandshrew found its way back, with an unconscious Meowth on its tail (literally), and TR showed up to do the job right. Sandshrew was great again when A.J. battled TR, and its Fissure looked cool.
So this episode had a good plot, a bit of character development for Ash, and an interesting one-shot character in A.J. I don't like how Brock called him "a new rival" at the end though, since he never showed up in the anime again, which is too bad. I think most of us would've liked to have seen if he kept his winning streak alive, or possibly better yet, how he dealt with his first loss(es).



Geodude's rating: 8.5 out of 10

[Pewter City Geodude]

The School of Hard Knocks



This episode raised another one of the longtime questions of the anime: the trio have encountered several schools so far, but what do they themselves do for education? Theories vary, but it's just another one of those things that keeps the interest going I guess. The introductory scene with Brock planning what to cook and sending Ash out for firewood was funny. They then came across Joe, who was being interrogated by other students with questions about the Pidgey family. When Joe explained about the way beginner students were "helped," I liked Ash's disgusted reaction. Joe showed them a picture of the student who was in charge of that beginner help system. I like how BOTH Ash and Brock were attracted to Giselle in the picture, with Brock's classic line: "She can violate my rights anytime."
The next lines were funny too. When Misty asked why Joe carried a picture of Giselle when she treated beginners so badly, he said: "I hate the way she treats us, but I like the way she looks." Then Ash said something about how that's better than certain people who treat you badly and look even worse, earning Misty's wrath again. ^_^
Misty's jealousy of Giselle during this episode was hilarious too, I like how she stomped off to find Giselle, leaving Ash and Brock behind.
I like how Misty taught Joe a lesson about Pokemon, with her Starmie beating Joe's Weepinbell. But I don't like how most of the battles in this episode were very light on specific, called-out attacks. With a few exceptions, the trainers mostly encouraged them to keep going and stuff, but instructions weren't as specific as later in the anime, or even in previous episodes. You would've expected more of battles that took place in a Pokemon school.
Then Giselle came along, and I like how Misty was totally astonished when Giselle's Graveller not only beat Starmie, but knocked it out the window and into the pool. Giselle explained that level, or battle experience, is also a consideration, not just the type advantage. Then it was Ash's turn, out by the pool. After Giselle insulted Ash's intelligence a few times, the match began, Pikachu vs Cubone. Pikachu's come-from-behind victory was kinda cool, at least this time it wasn't by shocking the Ground-type Cubone. It backed up Ash's claims too, that there's more to battles than level and type, and Giselle seemed to get the message.
Team Rocket showed up, but they were easily chased away since the students knew about their having achieved the lowest test scores in the history of Pokemon Tech. James complained because the rules only allowed 1-on-1 battles, then Giselle said, "Bad guys never play by the rules." I liked that little twist of fate, since that was TR's usual line of reasoning.
So Giselle and Joe patched things up at the end, that was nice. Ash asked Misty why they couldn't be like Giselle and Joe, and Misty reminded him of the bike again. Some people think Ash's line here might be a Pokeshipping hint, but probably not. Ash probably was just talking about ending the arguments between them. The battles left a little to be desired, but all in all this was a very good episode, and it's become one of the more talked-about early Kanto episodes in the Pokemon community.



Geodude's rating: 9 out of 10

[Pewter City Geodude]

Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village



I like the narrator's comment at the start of this episode. He talked about Ash leading his friends through the forest, and said that without a compass, Ash has to rely on his instincts, and that means trouble! ^_^ A bit of a strange scene happened soon after...Misty wanted to catch the Grass-type Oddish, just because they found it by a little pool of water? That just didn't seem right. Then Bulbasaur showed up and Ash wanted to catch it. Opinions vary as to what attack Bulbasaur did to blow back Butterfree's Sleep Powder, but I just think it has a good set of lungs. The scene with the bridge breaking and Brock falling into the water would've been fairly suspensful for anyone who hadn't seen any of the later episodes, so that was pretty well done. I like how Ash and Misty got caught in that net after that and struggled to get out, I even found a sound clip somewhere online a long time ago from that scene. Click here for the WAV file.
Then Brock showed up and got them out, with something you might not see in more recent episodes--his fairly tough-looking pocketknife. He introduced them to Melanie, who takes care of sick Pokemon while they recover. His relationship with Melanie was really interesting here; he was attracted to her but surprisingly enough, didn't want her to know it, as evidenced by his shutting Misty up when she first started teasing him about her. Misty teased him a few more times in the episode, and his reactions were nothing short of hilarious. We actually saw his fist come down on Misty's head twice! ^_^ I guarantee you we'd never see that in more recent episodes. Melanie was the first girl that Brock actually seemed to have a chance with, too bad we never saw her again.
I like how Ash was wondering if Melanie's traps were good enough to keep robbers out, then said that you'd have to be pretty stupid to fall into one of those holes, much to Misty's annoyance since she'd done just that earlier. Then immediately after that, we saw TR fall into one of the holes and Jessie complain about that being the third one they'd fallen into. Gotta love timing-based humor.
The flying stadium that TR used to attack and suck up Pokemon with was probably the biggest machine they'd ever used, and to me it seemed kinda like overkill considering that there were relatively few Pokemon in the village. (Speaking of which, the "village," for all we saw, only consisted of one cabin...what's up with that?) I like how Ash finally gained Bulbasaur's trust when he helped it get into the cabin. Then between Bulbasaur and Ash's Pidgeotto, they blasted TR off again. I like how Pidgeotto's Gust countered the air from the giant hose and created a tornado...BUT wouldn't the air have to be going in opposite directions for that to work? The hose was *sucking* air, meaning that the Gust attack should've only been pushing more air towards it. I don't quite get that, but oh well.
After all that was over, Melanie agreed to let Ash have Bulbasaur, and I like her explanation as to why. Pikachu's battle with Bulbasaur was short but not too bad. Brock offered to stay with Melanie, but she said they'd be fine and she didn't want to keep him from his adventures, and he kind of agreed. I like how Misty teased him again about that when they were out of earshot, with Ash finally noticing (now that there were no other distractions) and wondering if he missed something. ^_^
It was a great episode overall, with the capture of a Pokemon who would be a fixture on Ash's team for a long time to come.



Geodude's rating: 8.5 out of 10

[Pewter City Geodude]

Charmander - the Stray Pokémon



The scene at the beginning with the trio being lost was cute. I like how Brock scared Misty by saying there was a bug on her, then he started laughing and she kicked him square in the face. Their first encounter with Charmander was funny, they thought it was a really big Pokemon at first but it turned out to be just little Charmander on a big rock. ^_^ Pikachu did another of its cute little translation sequences here (first one was in Clefairy and the Moon Stone), I like those. Too bad we only ever saw a few of them. Later in the Pokemon Center...wow, it's not often we see Brock get angry (besides at the usual TR appearances), but he grabbed Damian by the shirt, got right in his face, and ordered him to go back and get Charmander. This was also our first exposure in the anime to trainers who don't love and respect their Pokemon, since Damian bragged about abandoning Charmander. The trio went back into the storm to save it, with Brock carrying it and Ash protecting its tail flame, and they just got it back to the Pokemon Center in time. When it recovered it went back to the rock on its own to wait for Damian, since it was still loyal to him. There was nothing more the trio could do so they were about to move on, but that's when they fell into another of Team Rocket's holes, and TR trapped Pikachu in a rubber balloon. Charmander knew that the trio had helped it so it showed up in their defense and demanded that TR let Pikachu go. When they didn't, they got burned...literally. ^_^ Damian showed up then and wanted to take Charmander back, but only because he'd happened to see it chase off TR. Charmander finally realized who its real friends were and rejected Damian; I like how Pikachu joined in the attack after Charmander started Flamethrowering him.
There's an interesting what-if scenario here: Brock HAD done a lot for Charmander and DID seem to be the most concerned about it, so how would the rest of the course of the anime have changed had he kept Charmander instead of letting Ash catch it? Interesting thing to think about, n'est-ce pas? But Brock was right though, Ash did keep Charmander's tail flame lit, which kept it alive, so he did deserve to catch it.
A great episode, with our first exposure to an abusive trainer, and the capture of a Pokemon that would go on to have one of the most fleshed-out personalities of any of the trio's Pokemon.



Geodude's rating: 9 out of 10


Here Comes the Squirtle Squad



Hmph, at the beginning of this one, the trio actually fell into a pitfall that wasn't dug by Team Rocket, hence introducing the Squirtle Squad. The little showdown thing between Pikachu and the leader of the Squirtle Squad was funny, while the rest of the gang rushed their injured teammate away. The trio found out from Officer Jenny (who, we found, had lots of identical relatives, just like the Nurse Joys) that the Squirtle were deserted by their previous trainers and now caused trouble all around town. We then saw Team Rocket spying on them. James and Meowth just wanted lunch while Jessie wanted to think of their next Pikachu-snatching plan. I like her line: "Am I the only member of this team who thinks world domination is more important than what's for lunch?" And then of course her stomach growled too. ^_^
When the Squad captured TR (funny concept in this episode -- Pokemon catching humans), they got the idea for Meowth to try to gain their trust to trick them into catching Pikachu. The conversation about Jessie and James being Meowth's pets was hilarious, I actually have a sound clip from it that I found online ages ago: click here. When the Squad did capture the trio, it wasn't before Pikachu had gotten injured by that Goldeen. After some convincing, the lead Squirtle allowed Ash to run to town for a Super Potion, on the condition that if he wasn't back by noon the next day the Squad would dye Misty's hair purple. (I heard that in the original version they threatened to *kill* Misty, which explains the vision of her falling into a black hole that Ash had when he got back to find them no longer tied up.) The broken bridge and fall-into-the-river scenes were good, but not entirely necessary IMO. I guess they were there to build suspense and make people wonder if Ash would get back in time though. Ash would've been back a lot sooner if it wasn't for Gary, who unwittingly KOed him by opening the shop door in his face, walking by without even noticing, that was kinda funny. The weapons TR used when they stole those flash bombs (heh..and floss) from the store were weird, to say the least. They said they wer ice guns, but James' looked more like some kind of assault rifle. Funny how everyone in the store pointed their guns at Ash when he entered right after TR had left, yet the later Dratini episode was banned because the warden was waving a gun around...weird. Odd to see the same store selling both guns and trainer supplies, but it looked like your stereotypical "general store" so I guess it was a small town. Anyway, Officer Jenny vouched for Ash and brought him back to the cave. Charmander led the way through the back entrance to the cave, only to find that nobody was in the main part of the cave where they were all tied up before! They were actually outside, so when Ash found them he was relieved to see Misty OK (heh...and still with her red hair), and found that the Squad was bluffing.
TR attacked with their flash bombs, and everyone ran for cover back inside the cave. But oops, the lead Squirtle was flipped on its back from one of the blasts and couldn't get up! I think even Ash-bashers have to admit that even in early Kanto, he was completely selfless when it came to Pokemon, in this case diving on top of Squirtle to protect it, and telling it to go save itself. But Squirtle wasn't really injured per se, it just couldn't get up, so it carried Ash out of the way in thanks. ^_^
Ash and Squirtle then confronted TR, and Squirtle blasted them off with Water Gun, saving Pikachu in the process. Then Ash got the idea to have the Squad combine their Water Guns to fight the fire that the flash bombs had caused. The Squad earned commendations from Officer Jenny for their efforts and were named the town firefighters, so that solved the problem of the troublemakers. I like how at the end, the lead Squirtle was following the trio along the road, and when Ash asked if it wanted to come, it finally took off its shades to reveal its shining eyes ^_^ and joined the group.
The weapon stuff in this episode was kinda strange for several reasons, and the Squad's thread could've been something a little more serious than dying Misty's hair, but the episode was very good overall, and Ash obtained his sixth Pokemon in Squirtle.



Geodude's rating: 8.5 out of 10

[Kojiro]

I have to say I love your reviews! They really are interesting.

BTW I could help you with the MQ ones if you want,since I know alot about MQ,and here in VA it comes on every day cept fridays and soon saturdays.

[Pewter City Geodude]

Well the newest MQ eps haven't aired here in Canada yet (I don't think) so I can't do those yet anyway. Not only that, we don't have cable at home, at least for now...so I may have to get the eps by...other means. :p As for the few I'm missing, I have a few of them on tape already, just haven't reviewed them, but there still are a couple I don't have taped. I'll get back to you, thanks!

[PAK Man]

These reviews are bringing back great memories! I forgot about how in Here Comes the Squirtle Squad Ash's Squirtle picked him up and carried him away. I loved that scene! One question that's bothered me from the first time I saw this episode was this: How come Pikachu didn't shock Goldeen? It's not like it would've been a big deal. In response to your question on why the producers didn't think it was a big deal having the locals point guns at Ash when they banned the Dratini episode, here's my theory: The locals didn't shoot the guns at Ash, while the Warden actually shot at Team Rocket. He also pointed the gun right at Ash's head. That's my theory on why it wasn't a big deal here.

[Pewter City Geodude]

Good points. I guess the reason Pikachu didn't attack Goldeen was that it was not only in the water, but caught off guard. I think its swimming ability improved as the series went on, but back then Ash hadn't even done a battle yet where both Pokes were completely in or under water. So Goldeen had the element of surprise, and Ash was inexperienced at that kind of battle at the time. That's my theory anyway.

[Chris 2.1]

these are really good reveiws, Geodude! It's been like a trip down memory lane, and it's great to see you putting so much effort into the whole process - round of applause all round!

[Venasaur89]

Great reviews! I thought that Canadians are almost over wiith the Master Quest?

[Entropy]

Aren't they airing Advanced episode already?

[Pewter City Geodude]

I have no idea if the AG episodes have started in Canada or not since I no longer have cable at home. I need it back ASAP.

Mystery at the Lighthouse



This was quite an interesting episode, especially for anyone watching it who was very new to Pokemon. I liked the little recap at the beginning of Ash's full team and number of badges, and how Misty and Brock were saying that he should catch more Pokemon. He encountered and caught Krabby without too much difficulty, and it was revealed and explained that a trainer can only carry 6 Pokemon at once, while any others are automatically transported to where they got their Pokedex. The trio found Bill's lighthouse and used his phone to call Prof. Oak to check on Krabby. The ensuing dialogue and jokes by the writers about eating Pokemon were kind of amusing and disturbing at the same time. I wonder if it's more than a coincidence that talk like that was never again heard in the anime.
Then Bill was introduced, and the trio's initial confusion over whether his costume was a real Kabuto or not was funny. I wonder if a the writers took that Pokemon costume idea for a certain character in the Pokemon Advance Generation episodes...those who have kept up with the spoilers know who I mean. I like how when Ash said that he'd only caught 7 Pokemon, the pictures of those 7 were circled on Bill's wall automatically. It was an interesting graphical way of showing the message of the episode...that there is much to be discovered about Pokemon.
Team Rocket's quote when deciding how to approach the lighthouse was funny...at least I thought so, and totally in-character for them:

Jessie: "If we want to be criminals, we always have to do things the hard way!"
James: "Then we'll be...hardened criminals."

When the Pokemon that Bill had been waiting for appeared, it seemed kind of mysterious, what with it being dark and foggy. I guess to someone who was still very new to Pokemon, it would have achieved the desired effect, as well as the dialogue about it being the only one of its kind, but most of us now know that it was an unusually large Dragonite. It was hardly the only one of its kind, unless that meant its size. Too bad Team Rocket had to scare it away, but I like how James was having regrets about it. And oh yeah, this episode marks the only time in the anime we've ever seen Brock dance with Misty. Make of that what you will, but just because a guy asks a girl to dance doesn't mean he's in love with her or anything.
I like how the episode hinted at the end that there could be many more than 150 Pokemon on Earth, which of course we now know to be true. Interesting that Bill said near the beginning "on *this* planet there are 150 known species of Pokemon" (with the emphasis on "this"). Was that a dub error, or was it a hint that there are Pokemon on other planets? Interesting.
All in all, it was a pretty good episode, although it kind of lost its mysterious effect now that we know what the mystery Pokemon was and now that 236 more Pokemon have been "discovered". And of course we got to see Ash catch his first reserve Pokemon. But for its time, the desired effect of the episode was well-done.



Geodude's rating: 7.5 out of 10