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Pokemon! - Episode 26: Pokemon Scent-sation!

Oh brave, valiant Pikachu! He risks his own life to save that of a single flower. The fire is inches away, burning with the desire to devour the delicate plant, but that won't stop our heroic Pikachu. Truly the flora of the Celadon Gym are blessed to have such a staunch and loyal protector.

Speaking of the Celadon Gym, the Gyms in this anime don't seem to be just solely about Pokemon, do they? This one produces perfume, while Cerulean Gym doubled as a water park and Saffron's was a psychic training facility. I guess it makes sense, I just never gave much thought to this stuff before as a kid. 

Hooray! Ash has the Rainbow Badge, once again without actually winning the Gym Match. I think his tally is 1 actual win and 4 freebies. What a lucky guy. However, he did go through the trouble of letting Team Rocket dress him up in drag to break into the gym, and he did save Erica's Gloom, so it's arguable that he did earn it. He just has a very strange way of becoming the very best Pokemon Trainer, namely one that doesn't seem to involve testing his abilities as such a Trainer.

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Pokemon! - Episode 25: Primeape Goes Bananas!

It's the official hat of the official Pokemon League from the official contest! Isn't it glorious? To quote the internet, "When Ash turns this hat around, you know it's about to get real." But for something so amazing and official, Ash sure didn't do a good job of protecting it from that Mankey. It swiped it right off his head with no trouble whatsoever.

However, Oak brought up a good point early in the episode, which was that Pokemon is a lot like poetry. I'll follow his example and write a poem of my own, in the traditional Japanese form of Haiku.

The official hat, Atop a raging Mankey; Oak enjoys his tea.

Here's another one!

Look! Onigiri! Brock names it jelly donut. Translation facepalm.

What about you, readers? Do you enjoy writing poetry? If so, write your own Pokemon Haiku and send them to me! I would love to read them. 

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Pokemon! - Episode 24: Haunter Versus Kadabra!

Victory at the Saffron City Gym! Ash makes another spectacular, bedazzling, magnificent, completely BS win for his Marsh Badge! Haunter starts up his comedy routine in the middle of the match of Pikachu vs. Kadabra, causing Sabrina to be stricken with uncontrollable laughter. It just so happens that her telepathic link with Kadabra caused it to also become immobilized in its mirth, giving Ash the victory since Kadabra could not fight. Well, I guess it was worth it, since Ash wasn't going to get his Marsh Badge through a normal win. That Kadabra took a full power Thunderbolt yet used Recover to erase the entirety of the damage.

Also, it appears that the bane of any psychic apparition of a creepy girl is laughter, so remember that. It might come in handy in the future.

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Pokemon! - Episode 23: The Tower of Terror!

Do you see this? Ash and Pikachu had a chandelier crash down on top of them, and Haunter just PULLS THE SPIRITS FROM THEIR BODIES! How? What attack allows Haunter to do this? My guess is that it would be Dream Eater. The whole idea of Dream Eater is that Haunter eats your subconscious thoughts while you sleep. Ash and Pikachu were knocked out, so perhaps in this vulnerable state the separation of their spirits from their bodies is possible through some sort of adaptation of Dream Eater, just instead of the thoughts he rips out the entire subconscious self.

Also, in his new spiritual state, the first thing Ash does is play a prank on Misty by lifting her a good 20 feet in the air and then dropping her. Yes, this is how you prank your friends: let them plummet toward the ground from dangerous heights. Nice one, Ash. At least he dropped her onto Brock. Plus Team Rocket had dropped through each floor from the top of the tower, so I guess they had it worse than her. 

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Pokemon! - Episode 22: Abra and the Psychic Showdown!

I almost forgot just how creepy this episode was. The little psychic girl first nearly kills Ash by leading him off the edge of a cliff, and then she shrinks everyone down and puts them in a dollhouse as soon as Ash loses his Gym match. Seriously, little girls in their Sunday outfits with spooky laughs that punctuate every sentence are the most disturbing things in the world, even without the terrifying ability to control your every movement with their mind. If I ever got into a situation where I was being toyed with by such a little girl, I would be very appreciative of the Mysterious Stranger who would teleport in to rescue me. I would not antagonize him to the point of pants-ing me with his incredible psychic powers, as Ash did. 

So, individual reactions:

Ash - embarrassed

Pikachu - mildly confused yet intrigued

Misty - flustered

Brock - Brock

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Pokemon! - Episode 21: Bye Bye Butterfree!

This was a sad day, as we said goodbye to a good friend. Butterfree, the first Pokemon that Ash ever caught and whom he raised since it was a Caterpie, has left the team to start a family of its own.

Love has never been an easy affair to handle, and only after proving its strength and determination by saving all of the Butterfree from Team Rocket did our Butterfree win the affection of the beautiful Pink Butterfree. Wait a second, that Butterfree was pink...does that make it a Shiny Pokemon? Was this Pink Butterfree the origin of these incredibly rare, differently-colored Pokemon? It's something to ponder.

Now that this episode is over, I've been left with memories of my own Butterfree. No, not a Pokemon, but an actual Monarch butterfly, one of three that my second grade class raised. I had chosen the name for this one, and I felt particularly attached to it. Watching it fly away to make its way to its ancestral home in the mountains of Mexico was just as heart-wrenching for me as it was for Ash to watch Butterfree fly off across the sea.

I miss you, Butterfree. I hope you lived happily.

P.S. I just learned that shiny Butterfree in the games are not actually pink. Nintendo screwed up on that one, in my opinion.

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Pokemon! - Episode 20: The Ghost of Maiden's Peak!

Is there any crueler fate than to live life alone? Brock surely must have been contemplating this question as he lamented the end of summer, and thus the end of bikini-clad babes season. He's so desperate for companionship that he'll even chase after ghosts (as long as they're pretty!). Unfortunately for our good friend, the fair maiden was indeed such a ghost: a Gastly masquerading as the girl so as to remind the town of the legend of that maiden's love for her lost soldier.

I feel bad for Brock now, seeing as he never has much luck with the ladies, but at least Misty hasn't started pulling him away by the ear yet. And look at how cute she is in her festival kimono with her hair down! Why can't she keep it like that through the rest of the series? Now I'm the one lamenting the unfairness of it all...

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Pokemon! - Episode 19: Tentacool & Tentacruel!

By your powers combined, I am....oops, wrong show. But the same pro-environmental message runs deep in this episode. Nasteena (yes, that was made a name) has plans to build the most luxurious hotel in the world, but she's building it over the home of hundreds of Tentacool. Naturally, being Pokemon with amazing powers, they don't just stand by and let it happen. Look at them! They're shooting lasers and have done major damage to an entire city!

Clearly humans should not mess with the natural habitats of the creatures of the world. Not only will they rise up against us, but, as evidenced by the Tentacruel using Meowth as a puppet to speak to the humans, they have the ability to bend our minds to their will through physical contact. I would prefer not to have a slimy jellyfish controlling my thoughts and actions, thank you very much.

Yay environmentalism!

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I didn't post anything over the weekend because I'm super busy with work on those days. That will probably be a trend. I'll have a new post up in a moment.

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Pokemon! - Episode 18: Beauty and the Beach!

It's him! The one, the only, Gary "Motherf***ing" Oak! Are you a young boy of 10 trying to help an old man realize his dreams of sailing the world? Or maybe a young girl aspiring to win a beach beauty contest for the grand prize of 1000 dollars? Perhaps even you're a set of Pokemon entered in a costume contest pretending to be an Omastar? Well, if so, Gary Oak is here to ruin your day with his bloated ego and extreme arrogance. He doesn't care if you're a hotshot young trainer itching for battle, because when he goes to the beach he doesn't bring along a team of 6 Pokemon, but rather 6 beautiful women! And what does he care if Team Rocket has just launched a heat-seeking missle at you? He's just going to stand there and be snarky about it, because that's how he rolls. 

He's Gary Oak, and he's better than you, Ash.

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Pokemon! - Episode 17: Island of the Giant Pokemon!

This episode was incredibly fun to watch. Between the giant Pokemon, the bad puns, and the subtitled dialogues between the lost Pokemon, there was no lack or humor or enjoyment. Perhaps the best part of the entire episode was when Team Rocket calls their Boss to help get them off the island, but recite their motto before getting to the point, annoying the Boss so much he hung up on them and left them to their fate. Unfortunately for him, their fate was to completely destroy the Pokemon Land theme park, which he had spent millions creating, during their attempts to escape. Let that be a life lesson to all of you heads of evil organizations out there reading this: when your employees call you up for help, bail them out, even if you must endure their mindless drivel and possibly sacrifice a portion of your sanity.

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Pokemon! - Episode 16: Pokemon Shipwreck!

Sometimes I've forgotten just how incredible this show can be. Our heroes were sunk to the bottom of the ocean, but they manage to avoid knocking the ship into the abyss or being roasted in the fires on the ship on their way to escaping the watery prison. Yet, even after facing such daunting challenges, they find themselves adrift at sea, soon beset by the wrathful Gyarados that was once James' Magikarp, and then they get caught up in the onslaught its Dragon Rage! But such epic adventures are the norm for the Pokemon universe, it seems.

This episode did cause me to pause and contemplate the physics of this universe, though. At one point everyone had called out their Pokemon, but the weight of the Pokemon was unbalancing the ship, and they needed to call them back. My question is this: when inside their Pokeballs, where does the weight of the Pokemon disappear to? Does the Pokeball reduce the mass of the Pokemon inside it, or does it store the Pokemon in some sort of pocket (monster) dimension? I'd like to hear your thoughts on what exactly happens when a Pokemon is put inside its Pokeball, and what the scientific explanation for the event might be. Send your comments through the ask box.

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Pokemon! - Episode 15: Battle Aboard the St. Anne!

Oh no! There's a disaster on the St. Anne cruise ship! You'd think things were bad enough what with Team Rocket crashing the party in an attempt to suck up everyone's Pokeballs (is it just me, or does Team Rocket put too much time and effort into developing their vacuum technology?), but now the huge ship is sinking to the bottom of the ocean! Luckily the ship Captain bravely led the escape from the ship on the lifeboats, but our heroes and the Team Rocket Trio have been left unconscious inside.

I hope that knock on the head didn't make Ash forget the strength of the bonds he shares with his Pokemon that he became even more aware of when he traded Butterfree for a Raticate and then back again. Oh, and that they live. It would probably upset the viewers if the main characters all drowned to death...

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Pokemon! - Episode 14: Electric Shock Showdown!

This is one of my favorite episodes of the entire series, as it marks a critical point in Ash's adventure. This is the episode where Ash and Pikachu truly begin to mature as Trainer and Pokemon. They initially lose to the fearson Lt. Surge, and subsequently they are given the opportunity to beat him at his own game by evolving Pikachu into a Raichu for a power boost. It is here that Ash shows his true compassion for his very first Pokemon by allowing Pikachu to make the choice as to whether it should evolve or not. Pikachu fiercely displays its pride in being the Pokemon it is, denying the evolution.

Ash and Pikachu go on to face Lt. Surge again and win, beating him not through cheaply acquired power as Surge had done when he evolved his Raichu, but by working with their own innate strengths, this time being Pikachu's speed advantage. The significance of this event is profound, as Ash and Pikachu finally won their first Gym Match without any extenuating circumstances but rather through their own ability. Not only that, but Pikachu's decision to be the best that it can be as itself is one that carries through for the whole rest of the season, as it develops its own strength and power. Nothing shows the reinforced bond that has built up between Trainer and his Pokemon than when Ash is hugging Pikachu and Pikachu shock them in happiness. Rather than being electrocuted to a crisp as is the norm, Ash's spirit and hope are instead energized by Pikachu's electricity. It's been such a short time, but they truly have come far together, and they shall always head further along their path as their bond strengthens.

Also, in case you didn't notice, take another look at the picture. Ash may be a 10-year old child, but Lt. Surge is easily double his height. Assuming Ash is at least 4 feet tall, that makes Lt. Surge easily 8 feet tall! The Japanese must really see us Americans as gigantic. I think I may have actually heard of that stereotype before. I'll have to look into it in the future. 

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Pokemon! - Episode 13: Mystery at the Lighthouse!

Ash just doesn't learn. He should realize by now that you just don't go and poke Pokemon; it just never ends well. Especially when you're messing with such feisty little fellas as Krabby. Just look at those pincers and how scary they are. And this one isn't even half the size of Gary's.

But neither Krabby could compare to the size of the Mysterious Pokemon...*cough*Dragonite*cough*...that appeared at Bill's lighthouse. According to him, the Pokemon was possibly one of the largest of all Pokemon, and also apparently the only one of its kind, but I'm not quite sure what to make of that last part. Perhaps Bill should conduct some more research before making baseless claims like that. Though I guess he might have been referring to the super-huge kind of Pokemon. Then it'd make a little more sense.

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Pokemon! - Episode 12: Here Comes the Squirtle Squad!

This is now, quite officially, purely ridiculous. Over the course of three episodes, Ash has caught all three starter Pokemon. Sure, such a thing is theoretically possible, but to come across all three in such a short time span stretches the limits of plausibility. Maybe if they spread the captures out over the course of the season it would seem more reasonable to me, but whatever. 

Ash now has his full team of Pikachu, Butterfree, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. That's what is really important here, as his team of six Pokemon will carry him far through the Pokemon League Challenge. Also, the Squirtle Squad are the coolest Pokemon gang ever. Just look at those sunglasses, they are the essence of cool.

For you Homestucks, Ash's Squirtle is officially the Bro of Squirtle, what with his cool-guy anime shades and all. If you guys are not Homestucks, then I declare you must now become Homestucks. Follow this link to webcomic nirvana: www.mspaintadventures.com

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Pokemon! - Episode 11: Charmander - The Stray Pokemon!

Do you see the guy there being shocked by Pikachu's electricity and being roasted by Charmander's fire? Yeah, that guy's name is Damien, and he's a dick. The jerk thought Charmander was weak, so he left it on a rock in the middle of the forest, planning to abandon it. Charmander waited for Damien to return, even in the rain, and because of this its tail flame almost went out, which would have killed it. Luckily our trio came by and rescued Charmander, exposing Damien for the evil git he was.Ash, by virtue of being the main character, became Charmander's new trainer and got his second disgustingly rare Pokemon in as many episodes.

I'm just so very glad that Charmander's okay. It really hits you how desperate Charmander's situation is when you see just how small its tail flame was as he hid from the rain beneath his one measly leaf. Heartbreaking.

Jeez, how many times did I say Charmander in this post?