Ash and the group are welcomed into a Pokemon Dojo, but there is one student that believes data, not battling, is the worthwhile part of Pokemon battles...
Pokemon usually offers some moral or lesson in an episode. Usually it's centered around Pokemon, or their trainers. In this episode, the concept is a bit more abstract; that stats and predictions make battling obsolete. It seems like an odd lesson to put into a show that makes up its own rules for battling from episode to episode. I found myself interpreting this moral towards the games, and the overall "metagaming" of the format; letting numbers decide how you train your Pokemon rather than training who you really want to. I dunno, it had me at least pondering more than an average episode might.
So anyway, Scizor makes his debut, and hooray for that. Scizor is awesome, and the show does him justice here, in both instances. The master, Muramasa, and the student, Shingo, both use very strong Scizors. The final battle between Scizor and Heracross is one of the best of the season. Gen II has good bug additions, and I enjoyed watching them go at it.
Team Rocket's segment is pretty good, as well. They decide they're going to get onboard this so-called "internet" thing, and "download" Shingo's data. Jessie's ineptitude at technology causes a lot of amusing screw-ups for Team Rocket, which is rare compared to James and Meowth's usual buffoonery.
Overall, a good episode with strong characters of the day, a memorable battle, and an interesting message.
Pokemon usually offers some moral or lesson in an episode. Usually it's centered around Pokemon, or their trainers. In this episode, the concept is a bit more abstract; that stats and predictions make battling obsolete. It seems like an odd lesson to put into a show that makes up its own rules for battling from episode to episode. I found myself interpreting this moral towards the games, and the overall "metagaming" of the format; letting numbers decide how you train your Pokemon rather than training who you really want to. I dunno, it had me at least pondering more than an average episode might.
So anyway, Scizor makes his debut, and hooray for that. Scizor is awesome, and the show does him justice here, in both instances. The master, Muramasa, and the student, Shingo, both use very strong Scizors. The final battle between Scizor and Heracross is one of the best of the season. Gen II has good bug additions, and I enjoyed watching them go at it.
Team Rocket's segment is pretty good, as well. They decide they're going to get onboard this so-called "internet" thing, and "download" Shingo's data. Jessie's ineptitude at technology causes a lot of amusing screw-ups for Team Rocket, which is rare compared to James and Meowth's usual buffoonery.
Overall, a good episode with strong characters of the day, a memorable battle, and an interesting message.
