Yeah. YEAH. Since the usual chapters are on break this week, I figured it would be an optimal time for me to do another “Nostalgia Corner.” But I couldn’t exactly think of what series I wanted to talk about. And I’m holding off on 1 in particular until a certain mile stone in the series. And a “Nostalgia Corner” on that series(not the one I was talking about) would take me a month or so to write! So I went with “Pokemon!”
I have been watching this series since…………I can’t remember when. No, like LITERALLY; I could NOT tell you the first episode I ever saw! It’s like it was just always part of my life. I know it wasn’t the very first episode because I wouldn’t watch that until I was like 6. And my earliest memory came when I was………4. It was a daycare memory. Anyway; I watched episode whenever they were on. It was never really something I went out of my way to watch. Really, I would prefer to watch other stuff than “Pokemon.”
I didn’t seriously try to watch it until Dragon Ball Z finished airing. By that time, I was completely entranced with anime. Dragon Ball Z and “Pokemon” were not my first anime, btw. The title of “First Anime I Ever Watched” goes to either Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakushou. Dragon Ball Z would be 3rd, and “Pokemon” is the 4th. And because I’m listing off the anime I watched; One Piece is 5th, and Naruto is 6th. But I’ll talk about all of those at some other points in the future.
Years passed, and I watched “Pokemon” on and off again at random. The last episode I watched consistently happened to be the “Orange Island” season of the anime. You know; when Ash had Lapris, and they replaced Brock with Tracey? I also started watching in the middle here. I remembering being all confused like “What happened to Brock?” But me being a child, I didn’t question it much. I just went with it. Then off again until like the middle of Ash vs Gary towards the end of the Johto league. Then off until coming to the “Advanced” generation. This is where I started watching consistently because after the episode went off, re-runs of Ben 10, Ed Edd N Eddy, and Codename: Kids Next Door would come on. Again, I’m left asking “Where’s Misty? Who are these 2?” in reference to Max and May. Didn’t question it much again, and just watched through to the end!
This was the period of time where I mainly watched Cartoon Network; I rarely flipped over to Nickelodeon or Disney Channel. And so; I saw commercials and trailers for “Pokemon: Battle Frontier.” I made sure to tune into the first episode right when it came out. It was like 8pm on a Friday if you can believe! Tuned in, and………………I was exposed to the opening. I ADORED this song. Then again; I also like the “Pirate rap” 4kids made for One Piece, so…….might be kinda tone deaf. I remember hearing Ash’s voice changing. I think I actually said out loud “Did Ash finally go through puberty?!” I know now that Ash’s voice actor changed from Veronica Taylor to Sarah Natochenny when 4kids 4closed and went bankrupt, and the dub was taken over by “Pokemon USA.”
I think this is legitimately the only season I saw every single episode at least once. I think it was because of all the promotion it got; I never saw any promotional material for the other iterations. And when it ended and Ash defeated the Battle Frontier Brains, I was left wondering “Is ‘Pokemon’ finally over?” NO! Cause like the minute after it ended; they started promoting the F*CK out of “Diamond and Pearl!” I will tell you right now; this is my favorite portion of the anime. Everything from the animation to the characters to the openings……………the movies were kinda trash, though. And it may have also been the HYPE behind it; Cartoon Network must have showed a billion d@mn commercials telling us the “Pokemon: Diamond And Pearl” would be coming out. And what they were doing to keep you watching: Pokemon MARATHON! As a child, I would love the tv show marathons; I could watch old episodes I like, and one’s I missed. So I was on Cartoon Network from early in the morning to when Adult Swim would come on(my bedtime).
I couldn’t watch EVERY SINGLE EPISODE, but I watched the majority, and even caught some of the movies. AND THEN………THE MOMENT: “Pokemon Diamond and Pearl” aired its first episode. After about 2 weeks; the DAY had COME! Dawn. Where do I start with DAWN? Look; around this time, I was still trying to deny that I liked girls. Even though I always had “tingle” feelings whenever I heard a Taylor Swift song or saw her in a commercial on TV(GOD I hope she’s not reading this……….who am I kidding; of COURSE she’s not! Right; “Taylor Swift is reading my blog.” What are the odds?). But then came Dawn. I had legitimately planned to marry Dawn. At this time, I was 7 or 8. She was(and most likely still is) 10 years old. It could have worked! And then there were the starters. This was really my first exposure to the starter Pokemon. I told you before; I just jumped around watching episodes at random. I didn’t know about starter Pokemon.
I didn’t even know much about the Pokemon gyms or anything. So this was like my first TRUE exposure to Pokemon. Back to my dear Dawn; he presence in the series was much different than May or Misty. LIKE those 2, she had her bike charred by Pikachu, but UNLIKE them, she didn’t use that to guilt trip Ash into doing something for her. Kindness/Not being a total b!tch! And her growth threw out “Diamond and Pearl” was kind of amazing. And I think this may have been done because Ash by this point was nearly fully developed. I actually had a feeling he could have won the league this time around; like the anime could actually END. Of course, I didn’t know about the games(yeah, I was THAT stupid), so I didn’t know that it wouldn’t have been the end no matter what.
Ash didn’t act like a child that just got started; he actually was a competent trainer. Dawn, however, WAS. And it was by travelling with Ash, and experienced trainer, that she grew from a cocky, loud but really cute and adorable girl to a strong, beautiful, confident woman……….not literally, but you know what I mean……….I hope. Brock was still there, but that was more of a “food source/exposition/comic relief” he’s always been. The only development for him happened around the end where he decided to be a Pokemon Doctor. However, I enjoyed the change in the gag; when Brock would fawn over the new female introduced in the episode, his new Croagunk would come out of its pokeball and use Poison jab to paralyze him. I found that much funnier and a little more tolerable than Max or Misty pulling his ear and making some snarky remark.
I could continue to fawn over “Diamond and Pearl,” and how much I adored Paul as a rival, but we’d be here all day. Let’s get into “Black and White.”
This was sort of a “Soft reboot” for the anime. Okay, scratch soft; this was like a FULL F*CKING REBOOT, just with the original characters being the same from the original continuity. Ash was dumb as a sponge, Iris was an annoying “Misty Clone,” Silan was……………well, Silan was fine. Trip was a “Paul clone.” Paul in “Diamond and Pearl” was a great rival; he actually had a philosophy that challenged Ash’s, causing further development throughout “Diamond and Pearl.” Each time he lost to Paul, it would only further strengthen Paul’s stance. But when he lost to Ash during the Sinnoh League, it was like Ash saying “I told you so.” TRIP on the other hand is nothing more than a “Paul wannabe;” he doesn’t having a real philosophy, or anything interesting about him. Except for the fact that he had JUST gotten his starter Pokemon from the lab the SAME DAY Ash came to Unova. And THAT Pokemon defeated ASH’S PIKACHU. The SAME Pikachu who had episodes prior fought Latios, a LEGENDARY POKEMON, to a DRAW. THAT PIKACHU lost to a starter Pokemon right out the lab. And the BULLSH!T EXCUSE they tried to give: “Zekrome’s thunderstorm earlier overloaded Pikachu with electricity, and when that elctricity was used up, then Pikachu wasn’t able to use electricity for some time, leaving it only with Iron tail and Quick attack.” BULL. CR@P.
And he was trying to be a JERK like Paul because the writers heard the reviews on Paul and thought “So a jerk rival that wins a lot is what people want? Let’s do that again, then!” Paul “worked” because he was on the boarder of being an abuser to his Pokemon. Oh, poor little Chimchar! We were waiting for him to lose to Ash to prove that his methods of training and battling with his Pokemon were WRONG. Not with Trip, though! He seemed a little more analytical in how he went about his battling; you could have done something with that. Like; Ash’s stance is “Battling is supposed to be about connecting with your Pokemon” and Trip being “That’s illogical.” A bit cliche, but compared to Gary, who was nothing more than a childhood bully, and the friendly rivals Ash meets along the way that he will loose against in the league(there are QUITE a few of those in “Black and White”); it would have at least kept people invested. Especially the long time fans who’ve been watching Pokemon since it began; they probably LOVED Paul, and wanted MORE of that.
That’s the WORST of it; it gets better, but…………not all that much I’m afraid. Iris…….IRIS. When it comes to “Pokeshipping;” it seems everyone’s in agreement that Iris isn’t so much a love interest for Ash. She’s more of an “annoying sister.” Older or younger; I let you decide. They’d argue…….like A LOT. But…that’s pretty much ALL she was good for; forced tension. And it wasn’t even “big” tension; more like petty squabbles they would get in at random moments for no reason. And then there’s Silan, who’s so much of a Brock clone that it’s kind of not even worth talking about him.
Wow…………all this time and I never talked about the BEST characters in Pokemon. People sure seem to love them. Even more than the protagonists. You know the trio: Team Rocket! Jessie, James, and Meowth! And from Johto onward, except for in “Black and White” which REALLY hurts that part of the anime, Wobbuffet! With Chimecho and Mime jr in from like the middle of gen 3 to the end of gen 4. Wow, what can I say about them? They’re…………honestly the best parts of any given episode. I always look forward to to the end of the episode and seeing them “blast off again.” It’s so funny that you really notice it when they’re not there. We’re meant to hate them, but………we kinda hate Ash more. Something I really wanted for a long time: a “Best of Team Rocket” episode. You know; a clip show about Ash’s history with him, and how their relationship really works. There are times when they helped each other just as much as annoyed each other. It’s to the point where I think they have some weird level of respect and care for one another. And they have this weird “bond” over taking care of Pikachu. They’ve been chasing that electric rat for YEARS now; they certainly don’t want anything to happen to it or someone other than them to steal it.
I also like the Team Rocket centric episodes because it shows that they COULD be the good guys if they truly wanted to. They’re not “villans” so much as they are “antagonists.” Or probably just rivals because of how often their actions cause a Pokemon to evolve or learn a new move. You ever notice that? But in “Black and White;” they stepped up their game, and became legitimate threats. I remember feeling genuine fear whenever they were on screen with how refined and serious they were. It really got me confused on if Unova even HAD an evil team to deal with! But by the end of it they went back to their typical, screw uppy selves.
The one gym I can remember so well is the flying type gym. The gym leader had this system where she would examine Pokemon, imagine how the fight would go, and give you the badge based on if she thought you could win. I can see how that can cause some……………some problems when it came to getting a gym badge, but it was a way to force a philosophy into the mix. I think this would have worked better on Trip than a gym leader, but WHAT DO I KNOW?!
“X & Y” was……………..it was THERE. Didn’t feel to strongly about it one way or another. It would play Saturday morning on Cartoon Network. I watched. Not………not really much to say. The animation was really a step up, and “Black and White,” despite its many, many, many problems was already pretty well animated so…..progress! Mega Evolution was a cool concept. This where Pokemon started having a gimmick once per generation. For gen 6(starting at X & Y), it was mega evolution. For gen 7(starting with Sun and Moon), it was Z moves. And for gen 8(Sword and Shield), it’s dynamaxing. I suppose that’s as good a way as any to segway into the “Sun and Moon” anime. Like I said; X & Y was just kind of “there.”
“Sun and Moon” saw a shift in art style, going for a more cartoon-y look that allows for a lot more facial expressions. Which I found to be a bit jarring at first. I came around after a while, but………not a fan of the direction One of the biggest reasons kids would say they would want to be in Pokemon: No School. Ash didn’t have to go to school. And then he got to Alola, and that’s kind of ALL he did. I was also paying close attention to the anime’s portrayal of Lillie, this gens “Poke girl.” Having played the games and wished my character and her could be “more than just friends.” She was GREAT, what can I say! And then the anime came around and…………meh. Not as interesting. ALTHOUGH; what they did with her being afraid to touch Pokemon because of an Ultra Beast was VERY interesting. And just what they did with the Ultra Beasts in general was pretty good. Ash getting a Poipole was COOL. Too bad he didn’t get to keep it.
That’s one of the things I never liked about Ash; he ALWAYS gave away his best Pokemon, and for the DUMBEST reasons! Pidgeot left to protect a flock of f*ckin’ birds, he gave away his Primeape, which was potentially 1 of his STRONGEST at the time, to fight in some f*ckin’ tournament(not the one he was training for), and whole bunch of others I’m probably forgetting. And you KNOW he won’t be going back to get Primeape or Butterfree. No; they’re all just GONE. We’ll forgive Butterfree leaving because that episode was really sad, but that’s all!
The other characters like Malo, Kiawai, and those guys were fine. I especially liked the running gag with Lana’s siblings asking if Ash was her boyfriend. I’m not gonna get into shipping! All I’ll say is: Ash x Serena FOREVER.
I like the wedding they did for Pr Kukui and Pr Bernette. I think they’re relationship was fun. One of the few times where Pokemon got very “real.” It was actually kind of beautiful. As for the unfortunate change to Team Rocket’s “Blast off;” I was NOT a fan. Like I said; it was always the part I looked forward to in every episode. So to see them just being carried off by Bewear in every episode was kind of disappointing. Bewear might end up leaving Alola with them, but it’ll probably go under the command of Team Rocket. I don’t want these shenanigans in “Sword and Shield.” The animation can stay, but bring back my “blast off,” d@mmit!
I haven’t been keeping up with the anime thus far, but I’ve been keeping up with the anime news. I know from a long time ago, there was some build up that Officer Nanu and Giovanni of Team Rocket had some kind of past partnership. I don’t know if they ever paid that off. I also know that 1)It’ll be wrapping up soon and 2)Ash does NOT win the Alola league. He looses………to Hau. Why? Because he went back to “Novice Ash” and let Rowlet fight Hau’s Deicidueye, it’s FINAL evolution to make Rowlet feel good. W. T. F. Is it truly too much to ask that Ash WIN? Like; he won the Orange Island league and the series didn’t end. AND the Battle Frontier! So………..WHY NOT?!
I’ve seen clips on Youtube, so I know that Ash FINALLY caught an Eevee, and about Team Rocket battling Team Skull. I think they had 3 Skull grunts trying to copy the Team Rocket Trio’s comedy. Like; they’re always around trying to cause as much trouble as possible, but fail. Meh; the joke kinda fell flat for me.
I guess I should also tell the story of how I got into Pokemon games. Let’s go back to my 9th grade year of High school: my dad had started going to community college for technology. 1 of the best parts of this school is that they gave him a computer to do homework. And of course he would let myself and my brother’s play on it. We pulled up Youtube, and one of the first things we saw was a walkthrough for “Pokemon Y” by the Youtuber Shofu. That’s where it started; we would watch Shofu play this game all the time(he had finished it, so we were able to binge the whole thing). After a while, my brothers lost interest, but I kept watching.
After I finished the whole list, I looked for one about the new “Omega Ruby/ Alpha Sapphire” games. It was here that I found Munchingorange. Again; he had finished. So I binged it. My brothers jumped on, and………….we’ve been watching his walkthrough’s ever since. “Sun and Moon,” Ultra Sun and Moon;” all of them! Every episode. This is what got me to ask for a Nintendo 3ds, and “Pokemon Sun.”But my parents messed up, and I ended up getting “Pokemon Moon.” I wasn’t too upset; it was the same game, just a 12 hour difference between the 2. And I made sure to ask for “Pokemon Ultra Sun” the next time around.
I’m really looking forward to playing “Sword and Shield” on the Nintendo Switch Lite. It’s basically a handheld switch in the same vain as the 3ds. Any portable game on the regular switch is playable on the switch lite. Plus; the switch lite is much cheaper! I haven’t had the chance to play the “Let’s Go” games. Which I guess brings us to the next topic: the Pokemon themselves! If I were to rank my top 5, it were to be something along the lines of:
- Mimikyu
- Banette
- Chimchar
- Cranidos
- Cacnea
- Eevee
- Pikachu
- Vaporeon
- Emolga
- Mewtwo
My favorite type is ghost type. Not cause I’m like goth or anything; I just like the ghost Pokemon. And even though I’d get a little bit annoyed; I find their playful nature funny. And I always enjoy the episodes when they’re shown; it’s always funny to see someone in the anime get scared when going into that abandoned house. I also find Eevee to be very fascinating just because of its Pokedex entry: “it can adapt to survive habitats by evolving due to its irregular genetic structure.” It’s biology really appealed to the part of me that wanted to be a scientist when I was younger.
Now we come to the Pokemon MOVIES! The first movie I ever watched……..was the first one ever made! Yeah; I remember watching the very first Pokemon movie on Cartoon Network. And it was on like a holiday from school. Not like Christmas or anything; it was probably Martin Luther King Day. And I don’t think it should surprise anyone that the first is my FAVORITE Pokemon movie. I loved the way it began, how it ended, the animation, and just Mewtwo as a villain. I LOVED this movie! I can even remember how they played the entirety of the iconic opening we all remember. You know the one; your humming it to yourself right now! And Ash’s battle at the beginning. My favorite scene is probably the one when Ash freed the Pokemon from Mewtwo’s Pokeballs, and caused a big explosion. He then just walked through the dust with all the Pokemon like a bad@$$. So cool!
And then there’s the “Spell of the Unknown.” This was the second movie I watched. Funny story: I was like 7; I was old enough to still need a babysitter. It was my Great Aunt who was living with my paternal grandmother. It was one day, and I saw promotional material for this particular movie on a popcorn box. It said there was a prize in the box! I was 7; that’s like telling a dad with a daughter who’s going off to college that there’s a MILLION DOLLARS in a cereal box! So I ripped it open, and out came the toy: Entei. But I didn’t know that; I had never seen this Pokemon before this. I enjoyed playing with this toy a lot. It wouldn’t be until a month or 2 later that I see the actual movie on tv and learn it’s name. After learning it was a LEGENDARY, I had felt bad for knawing and biting off of it.
I also enjoyed the second Pokemon movie, and “Pokemon 4ever.” I don’t even remember what the 3rd movie was. Wasn’t it like “Mewtwo Returns?” I don’t think I saw that one. The movies were all consistently good until “Diamond and Pearl;” the first Diamond and Pearl movie was pretty alright, but after that they all kinda went to sh!t. I HOPE “Mewtwo Strikes Back EVOLUTION” delivers. It’s supposed to just be a CG remake of the first movie. The Pokemon look okay, but the humans………………MMMMMMMM. And I’m still not completely sold on Natochenny as Ash’s voice actor. I still prefer his old voice, even if the lines were suck-ish. Part of me hopes that they just pull from the original dub of the movie and use those voices and lines.
I think that’s everything! Didn’t expect to get done with this so quick. Although I did kind of jump around and cut corners. I think I actually only complained about Trip in “Black and White,” and really nothing after that. But I wanted to make this as quick and easy to read as possible. This should hold all of you over til next week. So I guess this is “see ya!”
Sun God Zero 