EP003 - Ash Catches a Pokémon

EP003 - Ash Catches a Pokémon

I Caught a Pokémon!

Original Airdates: April 15, 1997 (JP), September 10, 1998 (EN)

Written by: Atsuhiro Tomioka

Synopsis:

Satoshi succeeds in capturing Caterpie, much to Kasumi’s dismay.  Despite her protests at Satoshi keeping the bug out of its ball, she continues to follow him through the Viridian Forest.  That night, Caterpie tells Pikachu of his dreams of becoming a Butterfree.  The next day, Satoshi foolishly tries to fight a Pidgeotto with Caterpie, who is at a type disadvantage.

With Pikachu’s help, Pidgoetto is captured.  Suddenly, Team Rocket appears to steal Pikachu.  Their Ekans and Koffing manage to take out Pidgeotto, and Pikachu is blinded by Koffing’s Sludge, so Caterpie is the last resort.  It subdues the villains with String Shot and promptly evolves into a Metapod.  Satoshi happily continues trekking through the forest, hoping to catch more Pokémon.

Who’s That Pokémon?

It's Caterpie, because Ash catches a Caterpie and it goes through a whole character arc.

New Character and Pokémon Breakdown

Ash's Caterpie/Metapod

Caterpie technically appeared in the previous episode, but this is basically the real introduction of the character, whose story is told in three parts.  Part 1 focuses on Caterpie, who quickly bonds with Ash and manages to explain to the audience (without subtitles) that he dreams of evolving into a Butterfree and being strong and loved.  It's a simple dream, but we definitely feel all of the emotions he runs through as he meets with failure and triumph in both his battles and relationsip with the bug-hating Misty.  His victory results in a speedy evolution, which will play out in the next episode.

Ash's Pidgeotto

Pidgeotto kind of gets the short end of the stick in this episode, basically existing to give Caterpie a foe to play off of and to supply Ash with a bird (which he will always have on his team).  As such, very little of Pidgeotto’s personality is created.  He is more a creature of necessity rather than drama, even in future episodes (until the end of the Indigo League).  It's interesting to note which Pokémon get the "animal" treatment and which get the "human" treatment.

A Random Beedrill at the End

Follow that Beedrill to the next episode!

Setting

Viridian Forest

We saw it briefly during the preview at the end of the previous episode, but we get a fuller view of the Viridian Forest here.  It is large enough to serve as the setting for two consecutive episodes (a feat that is rarely seen during the Indigo League season), but it is just a standard, unremarkable forest.  It seems to have a fairly linear path, unlike the forest of the games which is curvy and has multiple forks in the road.  Still, it doesn't need to be anything fancy.  Virtually half of the series is our heroes travelling through the woods, which helps it feel like an actual journey.

Japanese vs. American Versions:

- Satoshi reads the title in the first person, while Misty reads the title in English

- Satoshi compares his newly captured Caterpie to being in Heaven and while Kasumi says she’s in Hell.  Misty however just calls Ash a worm for liking a worm.

- Kasumi slaps Satoshi after his poorly executed fight with Pidgeotto that put Caterpie in great danger.

- Ash tells Caterpie use Counter (an attack Caterpie doesn’t know), which is a mistranslation of Satoshi saying, “Fight back!”

- The Japanese Pokédex says all Caterpie evolve quickly, while the American one implies that Ash’s Caterpie is unique in its fast transformation

ANOTHER BLAM!

Overall Review: A-

The tone of this episode is definitely more comedic than the first two.  Jokes and dialogue moves a lot quicker, and there is a lot of slapstick and visual humor as well.  Team Rocket is closer to the personas we are familiar with, due to the influx of comedy.  Pikachu is also “cuter” in this episode, acting very babyish.  Once again, this episode focuses on explaining an aspect of the games, namely catching Pokémon.  Unlike the previous episode, the necessary information is weaved in with the story of the episode so it doesn’t feel as slow.

This episode focuses on two relationships, that of Satoshi and Kasumi and that of Satoshi and Caterpie.  Kasumi’s purpose for travel is a little bit mysterious at this point.  Satoshi calls her out on following him and she dismisses him.  At times it seems as if the writer didn't know what to do with Kasumi's presence.  Like, why doesn’t she help in the battle against Team Rocket?  Had Satoshi not crossed paths with her, where would she be going?  We later learn she, like Satoshi, wants to be a great Trainer.  But she doesn’t participate in battles or have a plan mapped out for herself.  Was Viridian Forest going to be part of her quest?  She seems to hate it in there.

The character arc of Caterpie, who does not get much focus after evolving, is a nicer set piece.  I would like to have seen this bond between Satoshi and Caterpie/Metapod/Butterfree develop more over the season, as his initial celebration of catching Caterpie is very endearing.  I also like that the scene in which Caterpie and Pikachu have a conversation was left in, despite no understandable dialogue occurring.  It was just like a little silent, emotional piece that did not feel forced or tacky (like some later Pokémon-only conversations do).

Finally, Team Rocket’s appearance is a little strange in that they do not seem to have a big plan (as they normally do).  Perhaps it is because this is only their second meeting and they have yet to realize how stubborn Satoshi and his crew can be.  But since their true characteristics appear in this episode, I allow them their screentime.  I especially like Meowth a lot better than his introduction, which was very grating.

All of these elements add up to a more consistent tone and a good idea of what the rest of the series will be like.

EP002 - Pokémon Emergency

EP002 - Pokémon Emergency!

Showdown! Pokémon Center!

Original Airdates: April 8, 1997 (JP), September 9, 1998 (EN)

Written by:  Takeshi Shudo

Synopsis:

Arriving in Viridian City after the Spearow attack, Satoshi meets Officer Junsar (Jenny) who warns him about Pokémon thieves and transports him to the Pokémon Center.  There, Nurse Joy takes Pikachu to heal him, a process which takes a long time due to Pikachu's state.  After talking on the phone with his mother and Prof. Okido, Satoshi learns that he is several steps behind Shigeru.  He also learns that the mysterious bird he saw is thought to be a mythological creature and Okido doubts his story.  Satoshi is then joined by an angry Kasumi who demands that he repay her for destroying her bike.  Suddenly, Team Rocket appears, consisting of Musashi, Kojiro, and Nyarth (Jessie, James, and Meowth).

They cause a power outage, forcing Nurse Joy to use the backup Pikachu-generator to gather enough energy to transport the weakened Pokémon away.  Team Rocket attempts to rob the Pokémon Center but with a revitalized Pikachu and Satoshi using the bike as a generator to charge him up, Pikachu’s Thundershock (combined with Koffing’s smoke) blows up the building and sends them flying.  The next day, Satoshi and Kasumi head to Viridian Forest and find a Caterpie, which Satoshi attempts to catch.

Will he catch Caterpie?!

Who’s That Pokémon?

It's Koffing, because James's Koffing is partially responsible for the destruction of the Pokémon Center.

New Character and Pokémon Breakdown

Team Rocket: Jessie, James, and Meowth (Musashi, Kojiro, and Nyarth)

This is a big episode for introductions, and this trio consists of the most important characters outside of Ash and Pikachu.  Throughout the entire series, they will appear in nearly every episode as our main antagonists.  Team Rocket are not as goofy as they will become, but this is a nice introduction to them (although it would have been better to include them earlier in the episode to give them more screen time, hinting at their future personalities).  Many of the usual Pokémon tropes are established with them, most of them involving Team Rocket (their motto, their attempt to steal Pokémon, Pikachu zapping them, and them blasting off).  Also, Meowth is a talking Pokémon!  I wonder what the story behind that is...

Jessie's Ekans and James's Koffing

These two Pokémon are almost forgettable, despite appearing nearly as often as their trainers.  This is probably because they are used more as weapons and diversion tactics (Ekans scares the weak Pokémon from attempting to battle and Koffing's gas allows for cover).  Still, this duo are as crucial to the early episodes as the rest of the cast and will eventually have their days in the sun.

Officer Jenny (Junsar)

While Jessie and James are based on the Team Rocket members from the games, Officer Jenny is the only main character not directly originating from the source material.  Or should I say "characters."  As we'll see later, each town has an Officer Jenny with virtually the same appearance and personality, which allows the animators to not have to create new police characters for every episode.  This creates a weird trait of the series, in which we feel as if we are just watching one character (who needs to be constantly reminded of who our heroes are).  Still, Officer Jenny is basically just an authority figure who is necessary to move the story along (or in some cases, stall it).

Nurse Joy (Joi)

Like Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy has an identical counterpart in every city, running the Pokémon Centers.  Joy is usually kinder and more understanding than Jenny, and is always ready to help our heroes in anyway possible.  Like with Jenny, one feels as if they'll see this character "grow," despite actually seeing all of the relatives one at a time.  For all intents and purposes, there is one Nurse Joy and one Officer Jenny (unless the story demands something unique).

Nurse Joy's Chansey

Nurse Joy's are almost always assisted by Chanseys, but this episode barely introduces who these Pokémon are, since they appear so briefly.  I'd imagine first time viewers would be highly confused as to what these pink egg things wee supposed to be.  But, as you can tell by their hats, they are nurses in Pokémon form.

Misty's Goldeen

Despite being a decent fighter in the games, we are now introduced to the stigmatizing concept that Goldeen are usless on land.  Why is Misty acting so cocky when she sends out her Goldeen?  It seems like she was distracting Team Rocket so that Ash could get Pikachu out of there except…they weren’t after Pikachu.  They were after the other Pokémon.  They explicitly said that they did not care about the electric rat.  So why did Ash have to leave the situation?  Weren’t they there to protect the Poké Balls and make sure they got safely transferred?  And why didn’t Misty use her Staryu instead?  Did she not have it with her at this point?  It seems like a bunch of random stuff happened to get Pikachu to the bike so as to make for an epic conclusion.

The Pokémon Center Pikachu

Ah yes, the deus ex machina of Viridian City.  Perhaps they were all caught from the nearby Viridian Forest.  But the abundance of these creatures is never really explained.  Pikachu is supposed to be rare and special and than, WHAM! here's dozens of them, ready to blow things up.  They just serve to remind the kids at home that Pikachu is the toy you should be asking for this Christmas.

A Random Caterpie at the End

We're being violently thrown into the next episode.  Gotta keep watching the show, I guess?

NOT Ho-Oh

When Ash points out the legendary Pokémon he saw, he is actually looking at an engraving of Articuno (as evidenced by the presence of Zapdos and Moltres cavings).  It is understandable that he could make that mistake, but there is no ambiguity in the scene about it, making it seem as if the writers made a mistake too.  Maybe if Prof. Oak explained what it was or if Satoshi began to doubt himself, there would be more of a clue that the bird he saw was even more special than those on the wall.  (And yes, Arcanine is up there as well.  He is never really treated as a legendary Pokémon, but he is based on a mythical creature.  They could’ve played this up in the anime, but it was dropped outside of this one reference.)

Ash's Father (Not Pictured)

This is the only episode that mentions Ash’s father (and his grandfather in the Japanese version) planting a little mystery that never comes to fruition.  Had the series ever decided to show us who his father was, there would have been some sort of closure.  But now it’s been ignored for so long that there is no point in thinking about it anymore.  But it’s fun to speculate.  We only have a couple hints about who he was.  Apparently he is a great, well-respected trainer (as was his father) and he started his journey from Pallet Town as well, taking him four days to get to Viridian.

Setting

Viridian City

Ash arrives at the town just as the sun is setting, and it takes until nighttime for Jenny to drive him from her outpost to the Pokémon Center in the middle of town.  Viridian City is set up to be much larger than Pallet Town, consisting of both suburbs, as well as a downtown area.  With so much time spent in the Center, we only get brief glimpses of the city.  But we shall return in a few important episodes down the line.

Japanese vs. American Versions:

- In the Japanese version, Nurse Joy is ready to go into emergency mode as soon as Junsar arrives, but in the American version, she reprimands Jenny for driving her motorcycle inside.  “We have a driveway, you know!”

- When Satoshi calls his mother, she asks if he’s caught a Pidgey or Spearow yet, bringing up bad memories for Satoshi.  Ash’s mother instead mentions soaring like a Spearow, but Ash makes a weak metaphor about a Pidgey.

- When Prof. Okido calls, he asks if Satoshi finally got Pikachu to get inside his ball.  Prof. Oak however called to say he bet Gary that Ash caught many Pokémon more Pokémon than him by the time he reached Viridian.

- Also, Okido is eating ramen while Oak has ordered a pizza.

- When Kasumi confronts Team Rocket, she introduces herself properly and they comment on her elegant introduction.  Misty doesn’t reveal her name at all in the American episode and it is only mentioned at the end offhandedly by Nurse Joy.

- In the Japanese version, Team Rocket lament their failure while floating away, while in the American version, they officially decide to catch Pikachu, sparking a franchise.

Overall Review:  B+

This episode suffers a little bit in that hit has to do a lot of explaining and set up.  Pokémon Centers are explained, Joy, Junsar, and Team Rocket are all introduced, and Satoshi has to do a lot of waiting.  Not much happens until the very end, which ends up feeling a little rushed as a result.  So, as a basic episode without any gimmicks, this is could give someone a basic idea of the series.  Happiness and destruction.

One problem is that the bar is set very high with Pikachu’s power.  The explosion looks amazing and exciting, and Pikachu will never quite reach that level of awesomeness for the rest of the series.  I do like that Satoshi is able to understand Pikachu’s instructions, showing how much they have bonded in a short period of time, though.

The grand finale packs the spectacle, while the slow start contains the important building blocks.  I wish there had been slightly more balance, but both halves are necessary for the series to continue.