Pokémon

This show is known by many the world over, regardless of whether you played the video games, trading card game, or neither. It is also one that many older fans look back to with longing nostalgia. I myself have watched this anime and its many seasons that followed, and have enjoyed each incarnation of Ash Ketchum's journeys even to this day for various reasons. But does this Kanto and Johto journey still hold up even to this day? Well, if the music and humor are any indication, it's that this show is likely the only version of Pokemon that could appeal to all kinds of anime and cartoon fans...depending on your expectations going in.

To preface, I grew up watching the English dub, so I won't have much perspective on how much better or worse the original Japanese actors and edits make this show. I am aware 4kids made many edits back in the day, such as cutting episodes for violence or health issues. And I'm sure NOBODY thought those rice balls were jelly donuts. But I'd say they did a great job in getting a great voice cast.

Looking back at this show, the music is I think the best part that's stood the test of time. The orchestral remixes of the Game Boy tracks are awesome! Every battle theme pretty much carries the action, despite the limited animation frames at times. Of course, the English opening theme from the first season is pretty much one of the best anime openings of all time, though I must say all the other four English openings are really great. The Japanese opening "Aim to be a Pokemon master" has also slowly grown on me as the years have gone by.

The humor from the show is probably best compared to the type you'd see in most shonen anime of the 90s. There is a lot of physical comedy you don't seen in Pokemon anymore, or at least to the violent extent you may see here. The English writers and voice actors did pretty well to sell the ridiculousness of some senarios. The Team Rocket trio in particular gets the funniest lines.

The first season in Kanto region is the most streamlined when it comes to plot, but also the most ridiculous (see spoiler portion below). The second season is essentially one giant filler arc, but does have developing moments for some of Ash's Pokemon. The third to fifth seasons follow Ash in the Johto region has some of the best story beats, but also has more filler episodes that kind of drag at times.

All-in-all, if you are not much of a Pokemon fan, this show will likely be your best (and only) point of entry to this franchise, particularly Season 1. I say that mainly because the first season doesn't exactly follow the "logic" of the Pokemon games. Type advantages are laughably non-existent, and battles are resolved in mostly unconventional ways. There are also a lot of "real-world" props and references you never really see in future Pokemon shows. So knowing almost nothing about Pokemon won't hinder you from enjoying the characters, humor, and fights the way the anime presents them.

Spoilers may follow

Now, as a Pokemon fan, I'd like to mention in more detail what I liked and disliked, so if you don't wish to know about what I think of the character arcs and gym battles, you may stop reading here.

Ash Ketchum: As the rookie trainer he is, he acts much in the mold of most shonen protagonists: acts like a kid even by comparison of his peers, cares for his friends, gets hungry often, and is often unorthodox in fighting style. But thanks to the writing of this time, he is enjoyable to watch in a goofy way. He does get slightly better in terms of maturity and learning from experience in the Johto seasons, so if you are worried about him staying as such a kid for so long, fear not!

Ash's Pokemon: I won't really mention Pikachu in my Pokemon reviews much, because I often think of him as an extension of Ash himself. If you enjoy Ash, you'll enjoy Pikachu. I do like how the first few episodes get Ash and Pikachu to gradually trust each other, though. This show also has the most captures made by Ash, which can be categorized into three parts: starters, powerhouses, and gimmicks. The starter Pokemon Ash capture from Kanto and Johto have notable personalities and character arcs of their own throughout the seasons. Especially when it comes to Ash's Charmader as it evolves and trains into a Charizard. The powerhouse Pokemon, like Snorlax and Heracross, don't appear much, but when they do, they are often involved in some of the most spectacular and exciting fights in the show. The more gimmicky captures, like Krabby and Phampy, don't do much other than being diversity for the team, or used for particular scenarios. This series also sees a lot of Ash's Pokemon get released or sent away to train, which can be somewhat tearful if you stuck around for their development.

His traveling companions: Misty and Brock play the short-tempered female lead and kooky wise mentor roles on their sleeves. So if coming from watching other shonen anime, they'd be familiar in that way. They don't have much of an arc in any of the five seasons, but mainly serve to cheer on Ash, or prop up reoccurring jokes. Brock's failed attempts to get the ladies to date him are hilarious. Misty's Psyduck and Togepi have some great funny gags when they are given the spotlight.

Reoccuring characters: Jessie, James, and Meowth are hilarous, and practically steal the show with each failed attempt to capture Ash's Pikachu. They are the lovable idiots many fans site as their favorite part. Gary Oak I personally liked better as that over-the-top jerk rival compared to when he mellows out by the end. But despite that, his final showdown against Ash was really great.

The battles: In the Kanto region, Ash rarely ever "wins" his gym battles. Brock and Misty's sisters just give their badges, Erika gives her badge after Ash saves her Gloom from a fire, Sabrina gives her badge when a wild Haunter finally makes her laugh, and Team Rocket hijack the eighth gym battle for their boss in the shadows. Only Surge, Koga, and Blaine give badges to Ash in a way fans would deem "fair and square", so it's kind of a shame those gym battles overall aren't really memorable in a good way. The Johto battles are much better, with the likes of Whitney, Morty, and Clair as my personal favorites. The Kanto League had some funny wins for Ash, using some of his neglected Pokemon to pull those hilarious wins. Though his losing battle, while understandable his Charizard would cause it, was kind of deflating to end that arc. The orange islands league is mainly memorable because it introduced the first 6v6 battle to the series (which was really great in all honesty). The Johto league had many great fights that properly showcased Ash strategizing with his Pokemon, and using everything he learned from his prior fights in the series to get as far as he did. And a good tease for what was to come in Hoenn.