PM003 - Bring Down the Powerful Opponent Onix!!
 | Synopsis:
After a bit of rest in Pewter City, Red tries to rally Clefairy to start training for the first gym battle, but Clefairy would still rather not fight. While passing the Gym, Green and his Charmander get flung from their battle against Brock. Green deems Brock too strong, and warns Red against the challenge. Green leaves to train some more when Brock appears and challenges Red to a fight, but his Onix scares Clefairy. It isn't until Clefairy discovers that Brock has caught his cousin Pikachu that Clefairy vows to defeat Brock once and for all.
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New Character and Pokémon Breakdown
Pikachu
Presumably added as a response to the popular anime, Pikachu satisfies the need to have the franchise mascot appear in the storyline. Like his anime counterpart, Pikachu has a tendency to shock those he cares about. Also, he is the only Pokémon in this universe that can't speak like a human, furthering the connection.
Brock
Brock is very similar to his no-nonsense appearance in the games (and first episode of the anime). He just wants a straightforward, hard-hitting battle without any antics or tomfoolery. He's much older and larger than he is in the games, suggesting a more mature character.
Brock's Onix
Onix seems to embrace being a monster. He intentionally trash-talks and intimidates Clefairy throughout the battle. He also behaves more like a snake, in the way he slithers and coils around the arena. He is much smaller than the average Onix, seeing as how Brock is able to wrap him around his body like a long scarf. And he's even got a rocky tongue!
Brock's Pokémon Collection
To add to Brock's mystique as a master trainer, he has netted a large collection of Pokémon of many types. It doesn't appear that Rock is his specialty, but rather Onix is just is favorite Pokémon. Apart from Pikachu, none of the other creatures are specific enough to warrant analysis. They are just more of Anakubo's creations.
Setting
Pewter City
Unlike the games, Pewter City seems to be a large tropical climate, with palm trees and a bright sun, rather than the small city tucked away in the rocky mountains. There is a very touristy feel to the place, as Clefairy relaxes with ice-cold treats at an outdoor cafe. Since coconuts and palm trees are a more common occurrence in Japan, they probably aren't too out of place here. But it made more sense in the water-side Pallet Town.
Pewter Gym
The gym has a cathedral-like architecture that goes against the usual Rock-theme as seen in other canon. The inside of the gym looks like a fighting dojo. This is probably to introduce audiences to the basic idea of a Pokémon Gym, showing their importance and purpose through visuals alone.
Overall Review: B
The slapsticky jokes involving Clefairy are still a little grating, especially because they usually result in Red getting very upset and making horrible faces. And the plot this time around is a little bit more straight-forward than usual, probably because readers needed to understand the concept of a gym battle. Later gym battles in the series will get more creative. But my favorite part of this chapter is when we see Green get thrown out of the gym in defeat. In the games and anime, he is treated as this unstoppable force who can do no wrong when it comes to battling. But here, at the first gym no less, he is struck down. Both he and his Charmander are bruised and bloodied, showing how tense the gym battles can be. I thought this was a great way to humanize our antagonist and show that he isn't just some wealthy jerk who can get away with everything. Everyone falls at some point.
PM004 - Obtain the Moon Stone!!
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Synopsis:
While camping at the base of Mt. Moon, Red, Clefairy, and Pikachu attempt to catch some fish for dinner. When a Zubat steals their food (and then evolves into a Golbat), Green intervenes and captures the Pokémon. He claims to be on the hunt for every type of Pokémon, including the rare Mew. Red realizes that he hasn't really focused on building his collection, and Clefairy suggests that he evolve himself to another Pokémon. Clefairy mentions that the elusive Moon Stone is used to instigate an evolution, but he doesn't know where to find one. A nearby Snorlax mentions that the Gym Leader from Cerulean City collects rare stones and probably has one.
Red arrives at the Cerulean Gym and meets the leader Misty, who has a Moon Stone necklace. She offers to give it to him if he can beat her in a gym battle against her Blastoise. Clefairy has a difficult time fighting the monster, due to his constant water attacks. When it looks as if Clefairy is knocked into a nearby river for good, Clefairy sucks up all of the water to turn the tables on Blastoise, defeating it. Just as Misty is about to hand over the Moon Stone, Mew appears and snatches it away. Green arrives on the scene saying that he has been chasing the Mew, and both trainers take off after it.
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New Character and Pokémon Breakdown
Misty
Unlike nearly every other adaptation, Misty is not a flirty adversary who tease Red. Like Brock, she is focused solely on the battle and adheres to the rules set in place. This creates a virtually similar scenario as the previous chapter. Later on, Misty will begin to act more the way we are used to, but now, she is just a blank slate.
Misty's Blastoise
Like Brock's Onix, Blastoise is more of an unstoppable force than a full fledged character. But unlike the previous battle, Blastoise doesn't get fooled or tricked. Clefairy just happens to take great advantage of the situation he finds himself in. The notable thing about Blastoise is that Misty isn't known for owning a Blastoise in the games or pretty much anywhere else (Stadium aside). Starmie is her signature Pokémon. Perhaps Blastoise looked more menacing as an enemy.
Mew
The appearance is very brief, but this is our first introduction to the elusive Mew. It's surprising how early in the storyline we are introduced to this character, which is thought to be a myth in the games. By this time, Mew events would have become public knowledge in Japan, but for Americans, Mew was still a huge mystery this early in our awareness. We'll see much more of Mew in the next chapter.
Snorlax
Snorlax is always stated to be from the mountains in the games, but he never appears there when the player encounters him. This Snorlax is supposedly over 100 years old, and acts more as a wise guardian (or at least a helpful overseer of Mt. Moon). I don't quite understand why it's living in a tree, but it does harken back to the My Neighbor Totoro influence of the character who also lived near a large tree.
Zubat/Golbat
The first appearance of Zubat looks just like the original image by Ken Sugimori, but after it lands and begins to eat the fish, Zubat clearly has eyes. It isn't a Golbat at this point because its legs are still like a Zubat's legs, so it's a wonder why this art choice was made. Anyway, we've gotten our obligatory Mt. Moon Zubat attack out of the way.
Setting
Mt. Moon
During the time spent at Mt. Moon, Red and co. never travel inside its caves. It's strange, seeing as how this should rightfully be Clefairy's home, at yet, no effort is made to draw much of a connection between the two (other than the mention of the Moon Stone). Still, the scenery is pretty as it encompasses the meaning of the original Japanese name "Moon-Viewing Mountain."
Cerulean Gym
Speaking of not going inside places, the entire gym battle takes place in the river outside of the pagoda-like gym. With nothing else in sight, it's hard to be clear if Cerulean is actually a full city. There is a vague outline in the background, so I guess the gym is just on the outskirts of the city (rather than being as prominent as Pewter Gym). This seems more like an isolated structure which is just as nice and tranquil as Mt. Moon.
Overall Review: B+
The story is virtually the same as the previous chapter, as the gym battle goes through all of the same beats. And the story also feels a little more rushed, since we visit both Mt. Moon and Cerulean Gym. All other adaptations would break this into two stories, but maybe Anakubo felt rushed to get through the entire plotline. Eventually, he wouldn't have to worry and will resort to a lot of filler chapters to buy time until Generation II. But despite these negatives, I like the story more. Both settings have this peaceful quality to them, and we get the sense of everyone working together (Red, Clefairy, Misty, Snorlax, even Green). And the mysterious cliffhanger is an intriguing way to tie in the games' mythology. But mostly, I enjoy the lowbrow joke of Pikachu attempting to electrify the river and accidentally soiling himself instead.
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