This is it. The beginning of a journey. Both my pointless journey into a show I fondly remember but have little idea of how it ages and Ash’s quest across the infinitely expanding world of Pokémon as an eternal 10 year old.
Lets start where anybody would reasonably start – the theme song. The original Pokémon theme song – while not my favourite of the bunch because I have an endless need to be contrarian and steadfastly refuse to be owned by nostaliga – is nonetheless iconic. The opening, as “I wanna be the very best” kicks in, Mew and Mewtwo coast across the screen and Ash – standing on his own in a Pokémon arena for some reason – looks up dramatically, transports me back to my childhood like little else.
I am not an artist. I have little discernible talent in that regard. However watching episode of this show would inspire me to draw it, crude as those sketches would turn out to be. I’d then rush to my Game Boy after an episode to somehow recreate the drama of the show by selecting options from a menu.
I am such a nerd that when Pokémon made the shift to the touchscreen DS systems I’d usually play by crudely prodding the touch screen with my fingers, but for big important battles I’d energetically grab my stylus as the music kicked in so as to simulate some sense of urgency and drama. This theme song still takes me to that place.
Equally, like any good theme song for a children’s show, it lays out the cores tenets of the series. Yes it’s a show about animal dog fights. Sure. But more importantly than that it’s a show about journey and discovery, about Pokémon and people working together toward a common goal and a greater understanding, and perhaps most importantly a show about obsessively compulsively trying to collect every darn one of these critters.
As if the nostalgia flares weren’t already firing in my brain, this episode begins with the Game Boy start up theme followed by the Opening theme from Red/Blue transitioning into a different, non-8 bit version of that theme. It’s almost like they were making this show in 1997 for 2018 Garrett. Can we talk about how unfair that Gengar vs. Nidorino fight is by the way? That poor Nidorino was doomed.
Before we start talking about the episode in earnest, can we talk about Gary Oak? Gary Oak is the coolest. He rocks up to his first day as a trainer to collect his first Pokémon with a mob of adoring fans and his own cheerleaders. That guy rules. I’m pretty sure I’m picking up Let’s Go Eevee over Pikachu solely to live out my best Gary Oak life. He is an utter jerk but Ash deserves it. Ash is a nerd. Gary rules.
The core tension of the episode centers around Ash Ketchum being utterly incompetent and Pikachu being above all this. Pikachu utterly disrespects Ash on multiple occasions, humiliating the poor boy in front of his friends and mother as they’re looking to give him a tear filled farewell. Pikachu electrocutes Ash. He electrocutes Professor Oak. He electrocutes anything that moves (some could also say Pikachu puts the cute in electrocute). The thing is? Ash deserves it.
Pikachu doesn't even dignify Ash with looking him in the eyes as he publicly embarrasses him. pic.twitter.com/GFKdN7ljfo
— Garrett Kidney (@garrettkidney) November 7, 2018
Ash is a giant nerd and Pikachu was his fourth choice at best. Why should Pikachu respect Ash? Jerk-achu was in full effect as he threw as much shade and sass as Pokémonly possible at his new trainer. When Ash was comically trying to catch a Pidgey he said “Enjoy your last moments of freedom Pidgey because you’re mine!”
What the hell Ash? What kind of crazy dictator nonsense is that? Where’s the whole “you’ll teach me and I’ll teach you” gone? Instead the theme song should focus on Ash enslaving all these poor creatures like Ken from Digimon. No wonder Pikachu wanted nothing to do with that monster.
Of course the word mentioned repeatedly in the Pokémon theme song is courage, not intelligence, and Ash wins Pikachu over in the end by idiotically facing down a flock of Fearow. An act of bold stupidity even Pikachu must respect. This disappoints me. Sassy Pikachu was the best.
Then Pokémon played it’s best trick. Ash looks up into the sky and sees an unidentified Ho-Oh – telling us if this catches on it could run and run and run.
And it did.
Random Observations
– Who’s that Pokémon? It was Pikachu. If you didn’t get that, this little game is going to be pretty hard for you.
– I love the idea that Pokémon serve the function of real life objects. Like the Dodrio alarm clock/rooster. Though clearly it’s not very effective because Ash slept through it.
– Seriously though, Gary was the freaking coolest.
