a-pokemon-retrospective

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A variety of chairs; all credit goes to chairmaker, muddycap.

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Crow doodles~☆

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Check out this lady's beautiful weird dress

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No matter what our differences, every 90s kid would band together to beat the shit out of that fucker who abandoned his Charmander out in the rain

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Viridian Forest is just Misty's hell, isn't it? There is absolutely nothing pleasant in there for her. Every bug we've seen in the series so far wants to interact with her (friendly or otherwise) and every time she's terrified or miserable. It's downright comedic. I bet she’s glad that this is the last episode set there.

Meanwhile, we have our first character of the day in the form of Samurai! ,,,,,Gonna be real with y'all, I thought he was super annoying and I'm pretty glad he won't be appearing again after this (even if I'm kinda interested in what that follow-up battle would look like tbh). The endless Metapod battle was at least an amusing reference, but a ridiculous plot point. He's the one that caused the Beedrill to become enraged, not Ash >:[

Team Rocket in this episode was absolutely hilarious, though. Their anti-Beedrill armor was never going to them any favors, even if the Weedle didn't eat it--Beedrill can sting through solid wood! (Which is. Such a thought to have about how dangerous those Pokemon are in reality. Ash and Misty were in mortal danger that whole time. Good thing this is a family-friendly anime!)

Butterfree saving Ash from the Beedrill was awesome :D No further commentary, the power of friendship prevails! Overall: a solid episode, and a great introduction to Butterfree.

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S1ep3

The banter between Misty and Ash in this episode is absolutely top-tier. Misty's sarcastic nature wasn't something I expected when I started watching this series, but it's been a delight. Caterpie, the focus of the episode, reminds me very much of ornery cats: they know exactly who least wants to give them attention and will purposefully choose to go interact with them. And then Caterpie gets its feeling hurt (the cat would just get offended and swat). Ash choosing Caterpie over Misty was funnier than hell when it happened, and it once again reinforces how much Pokemon mean to him. (But it was never going to work given that Misty still cares about her old bike at this point in the season). Another important dynamic is actually between Pikachu and Caterpie. Pikachu is loyal to Ash first and likes Misty enough, but he doesn't have any significant relationships with other Pokemon this early in the series. Caterpie is his first Pokemon friend. I really liked their conversation/storytelling by moonlight about a third of the way through the episode. They even hug! Their easy companionship contrasts handily with Ash and Misty's turbulent dynamic. Speaking of that turbulence, Misty is less than impressed with Ash's clumsy capture of Pidgeotto. Ash makes the remark that if he tries hard enough it should just work out, which Misty vehemently disagrees with. Misty values strategic thinking, and Ash values effort and passion; they're inherently at odds. One could make the argument that either was proven right in the following fight with Team Rocket: the strong (comparatively) Pidgeotto lost the fight with Ekans and Koffing, but the weak Caterpie won due to Ash's string shot strategy. Misty's point that strategy is important is correct, but so is Ash's idea that Pokemon can do great things if you believe in them. And by believing in Caterpie, it was able to evolve into Metapod! (The way it startled Misty by forming its cocoon just as she went to pat it was hilarious, as expected). While we didn't see much of Pidgeotto this episode, Ash now has three Pokemon in his party. I'm excited to see where this goes!

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S1ep2

Episode two is the first time I really notice the narrator. It made me nostalgic for the X/Y seasons because it hasn't changed <3 From my notes: "There is something wrong with this Jenny. She is not all there." I have no idea what I meant by this. Also from my notes: "Oak is a few fries short of a happy meal." This time I know what I'm referring to, and I'm absolutely right. The way he speaks is so Out There. (Also the phone call ringtone added to the vibes by being annoying lol.) This is also the episode that introduces our favorite (incompetent) villainous trio: Team Rocket. It felt strange for them to be royally uninterested in Pikachu, but this was also the episode that *established* their interest. It also established how extra(tm) they are, since they used a whole ass hot air balloon to steal their wanted poster. To be fair, I would do the same thing if I had a hot air balloon and a wanted poster. I also find it very interesting how this episode portrays the infrastructure of the pokemon center. As it is in this episode, all Pokemon centers are part of a network that can transfer information and Pokemon between each other. In addition to the healing Chansey, a squadron of Pikachu also act as a backup power source when Team Rocket cuts the power (readers, I want you to remember the Pika Power Source for later. Put that in your back pocket). The integration of Pokemon into everyday living makes the world feel more alive. Really though, this episode did the most important thing to me: INTRODUCE MISTY! <33333 She had a minor appearance in the first episode, but this is where she was namedropped and got more than a handful of lines. I adore her tough-girl attitude combined with her softer demeanor toward Pokemon. I totally get it though, animals are in fact better than people. I understand her. She's very blorbo-shaped. A fun character detail about Misty: she intentionally sends out Goldeen when battling team rocket despite knowing that water Pokemon can't battle on land. When Ash asks her about this, she just tells him to get his injured Pikachu out of there. The conclusion: Misty was obviously stalling for time and Ash wasn't taking the hint. This points towards Misty being far more experienced with battle tactics (something that makes perfect sense once the audience and Ash learn about her background). Pikachu craves violence. He absolutely did not need Ash to generate more power for his thunderbolt, but it blew Team Rocket sky-high and that's what matters <3 And finally, we see the first appearance of Caterpie in the stinger! What a fun episode <3

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Ah, the first episode.

 There’s nothing like a first episode to a series. It’s rough around the edges, maybe it’s lacking an element we’ve come to expect or has one that was left behind as the series marched on, but it is the groundwork. The foundation. A good first episode will tell the viewer, “Hey. You’ve found something special.”

Not a whole lot actually happens in the episode, plot-point wise; Ash oversleeps, gets a stubborn electric rodent, runs around with the birds while arguing with the rodent, runs away from the birds, steals a bike. etc etc. The majority of the time spent it the back-and-forth between Ash and Pikachu, which I think works to its benefit. Ash and Pikachu both have really strong characterization right out of the gate. Their relationship is so central to the identity of the show, so it’s cool to see that consistent theme even from the very beginning. Pokemon knows it’s a show about friendship, so it spends the first episode making sure the audience believes in the core friendship. Overall, a solid writing decision.

I hadn’t expected nearly the amount of cartoon violence that I’d be getting from the early episodes, however. I swear, that blessing/favor from Ho-oh is what keeps this boy alive through all the nonsense he faces. By all accounts, he should’ve drowned in that river or died from electrocution, and that’s just episode one.

I can see the headline now: “Local boy drowns first day of Pokemon Journey: Sparks questions about trainer reforms.” Needless to say, that would’ve been a very different story.

The world of pokemon is fun and exciting, but also dangerous. I don’t remember this much danger from X/Y, but I could easily be mistaken. I’m interested to track this detail to get a view of the region’s environments and culture about the wild in relation to each other.

As for the characters introduced, there are many:

Ash himself is the main event, of course. The opening scene does so much to characterize him despite not being that long. He’s exuberant and confident, but still very immature with a lot to learn. Pokemon are everything to him. He’s meant to be a vehicle for a young audience to project themselves onto, and he works perfectly for that. His excitement, kindness and naivety are a perfect combination for the audience to learn more about the world alongside him. Not to mention it’s just fun to watch.

Pikachu, on the other hand, is equally as stubborn and decides not to like Ash immediately after being gifted to him. Their strong-willed natures clash intensely, generating much of the conflict for the first episodes. Despite this, it’s clear the two of them are more similar than they are different, as evidenced by mutually saving the other from the flock of spearow. I can definitely see the foundations to their later bond here.

Not much is seen of either Gary or Professor Oak in episode one, but enough to make me reevaluate my pop-culture based opinions on them. Gary is, a brat, but who wouldn’t be as a ten-year-old local celebrity with your own cheer squad? He’s clearly been spoiled. The professor, conversely, is goofier than I anticipated. It becomes apparent in later episodes, but the viewer can still tell he’s not that serious of a person here in episode one.

Even in episode one, the Pokemon Anime knows exactly what it’s trying to do. I respect that.

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Preseason/Midseason Expectations: S1

Pokemon is a deeply nostalgic IP for me. I got into fan games first, and then Pokemon the series: XY not long later. I’m not very familiar with the older seasons, but I already knew bits and pieces of the Indigo League before beginning due to both Pokemon’s overwhelming presence in pop culture, and having caught a very small handful of episodes on reruns as a child. It’ll be interesting to see how its reputation conflicts or aligns with the reality of the season.

Full disclosure, this post is being written over halfway into my watchthrough of the first season. I didn’t have the idea to make expectation posts or wrap-ups until about episode 20, so I’ll do my best to recreate what I felt beforehand.

It’s interesting--I knew more about Ash’s team going in than about Ash himself or any of his traveling companions. I could tell you that his Charizard didn’t like to listen to him, but didn’t know that Misty caught a Psyduck, or anything about her sisters. The characters existed, but only as what I saw other fans make them out to be. I hardly had much in the way of expectations going in, but I’ve been charmed and charmed again! Misty is by far my favorite character right now.

Another thing I expected was to see more fodder for pokeshipping (given how I’ve seen fans act about them), but as of episode ~35, I just don’t see it. I don’t hate the ship, mind you (I only dislike one ash companion ship and it’s not pokeshipping, but that’s a story for another time), but I’m not getting many shippy or romantic vibes for them, either. Of course, it’s still fairly early in their dynamic; there’s time for things to change. I’m open to the possibility!

Brock as a character has been very interesting for me. I knew about the flirtation before I started, but not about the rest of his character. “Dad friend who hits on older women” was the extent of my understanding, but he’s way more interesting than that. His loyalty and devotion, for one, are admirable character traits, and his relationships with his various family compel me. I’ll save the more detailed thoughts for their own posts. I have a lot to say about Brock, so stay tuned!

Indigo!Ash is a stark contrast to the XY!Ash of my memories, but not in any way that feels unnatural. Early Ash is bull-headed, cocky, and arrogant in a way that the experienced Ash echoes but no longer represents. Especially in the first few episodes, he really does feel like a kid convinced he’ll take on the world with ease. I heard other people describe Ash as dumb, so that’s what I braced myself for. Instead, he’s simply young and inexperienced. I’ve been enjoying his character a lot.

Overall, I was expecting a less polished product  with less depth than I got. I’m happy to be proven wrong!

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Woah, what’s all this?

Welcome to A-Pokemon-Retrospective, a tumblr blog dedicated to viewing the entire pokemon anime from start to finish semi-blind! This blog is run by @paradoxlemonade with assistance from @aplatypusshapedkite. This blog is best viewed on desktop (but is compatible with “show desktop site” mobile browser) in order to see “the tagging system” and “about the reviewer” side pages.

I’ve been a pokemon fan since I was young, but the only anime arc I’m familiar with is X/Y. I know vaguely about what happens in the Indigo league and Sun/Moon because of pop culture osmosis; otherwise, I’m going in blind. Like, I can’t tell you anything about the other arcs blind. I might get the traveling companions right, but only by crossing over knowledge of the games. I’m super excited to learn more about the anime and share my thoughts!

This blog runs on a queue, meaning that episode reviews will post once daily until there are no more reviews in line to post.

Ask box is currently OPEN! Feel free to ask me anything as we go on this Pokemon journey together :]