DR. BELCH
10-27-2001, 02:45 PM
POK-JLC:
*"Woba-palooza!"
Well, first we saw a town that worshipped Quagsire...and now there's one that throws a whole festival to honor Wobafett. Very strange.
Not that Wobafett is an unlikable Pokemon, by any means. It has a strange Zen charm to it in that it never picks a fight first and that its sole attack is to reflect its opponent's own strength on them. I suppose one can find nobility in that.
So in this small town, to show it respect, it's against the law to Pokemon battle on festival day. It seems a band of thugs is going about taking advantage of this fact and attacking Wobafetts..and Ash blames Team Rocket. But for once they're inncoent...and this is the first time in Pokehistory Ash has ever had to apologize to Jessy and James! And, oddly enough notfor the first time Jessy and James--with Wobafett--help the heroes mop up the three goons.
All right...Team Rocket aren't total angels. They do steal the food for the festival while everyone's attention is distracted and try to make off with it (in front of everyone, no less, their own sense of showmanship doing them in). Actually if they had not been so sneaky the townfolk, who loved them to pieces, proably would've let them have a few crates to take with them. But Jessy is never one to do things halfway, so the three wind up blasted off again.
It seems the three goons with fighting Pokemon--and incidentally, did one sort of look like a blonde Tracey Sketchit to anyone else?--want revenge for an incident a year ago when the Wobafett of a heavyset trainer named Lulu whipped their behinds after they showed up trashin gthe town trying to look like big men.
Anyone else think Lulu looked a lot like the fat woman who spanked Jessy in "The Song of Jigglypuff" (though I think that was cut in the American dub) and tussled with her over an outfit in "Princess vs. Princess"?
*"Imitation Confrontation"
Team Twerp checks into a Pokemon center and meets up with a strange Chansey and an oddly diminutive Nurse Joy. At first I thought she had a daughter--on that subject, with all those Joys, it's suprising that none of them seem to actually be married/have kids--but it turns out to be that mistress of disguise, Duplica.
Duplica has a new Ditto too, Mini-Dit...which is unable to alter its physical size, thus producing miniature version of tiny Pokemon.
It's in this episode Jessy shows some sense of strategy and awareness: Team Rocket will not rob the Pokemon center. She realizes their greed is what costs them, and Pokemon in bulk isn't the way to go. Meowth recommends taking one rare Pokemon--Mini-dit--and using a well-orchestrated bait-and switch scheme to swindle up a mess of Pokemon (which actually sounds a bit like the scheme Chuck Jones devised for "Chow Hound". I wonder if James and Jessy will remember the gravy?).
The greatest bit in the episode is when Jessy dresses and Duplica and James as Ash...very unsettling sight, getting some idea of what one will look like in ten years or so. Plus a great screenshot for the slavering fanboys.
Nit: Jessy refers to "Arbok" as a rock Pokemon...but didn't it swim very well in "Misty Mermaid"? Seems it wouldn't have been able to, rock types being weak in water and all.
Watch also for the bit where Misty unwittingly offends Duplica with the remark about her Pokemon all being abnormal. Tact is not her strong point.
Also interesting to see that Wobafett has a two-pronged attack: one for deflecting active attacks and one for throwing back the physical results of one (like a sludge). Jessy is hilarious when in a dither trying to keep them straight.
JCA: "And He Does his Own Stunts!"
This one is a very metahumor-heavy episode--an action movie star playing an archaeologist who is acting as if he's trying to break into action movies. In fact, a lot of scenes in the animated series mirror Chan's movies (compare the scene of Jackie trying to rescue Uncle's artifacts from getting broken in Tohru and Toro's fight in "Stronger Evil" with the scene in Rush Hour where Chan has to fight off several goons while keeping a giant urn from tipping...both with the same shattering results).
The next demon portal turns up in modern-day Hollywood, right smack in the middle of a movie lot...and the confrontation itself is taken for the filming of some new monster movie, with the thunder demon himself mistaken for an animatronic robot.
Watch for the [Matrix[/i]-style 360-deg. turn, and the Charlie's Angels/Scary Movie suspended-in-midair face kick. "How come everybody here knows how to do that?" whines Jackie.
Note that Chandu greets his thunder brother warmly; apparently they're on speaking terms (unlike the toadlike wind brother).
How did a Chinese sorcerer millennia ago acquire Mexican castanets to cast a chi spell, I wonder? Uncle purcheses the other stuff from a local apothecary, but has to borrow those from a Mexican joint in Chinatown. He's also visibly angry that Jackie borrowed his apprentice and left him in the lurch. A lot of guys must come in the shop ordering strange items, as the clerk doesn't bat an eye at Uncle's order, at least right up until he asks for those clickers. "In Chinatown?"
Jade shows some skills as an "agent" and may want to consider pursuing that career in future. "Hollywood's getting younger by the day."
Note that Tohru's a John Wayne fan. I've heard The Duke is pretty popular overseas.
Note also the Leonardo DeCaprio clone that Jade's gaga over, until she learns he's a schmuck. If only the real Leo's popularity would fly down the porcelain that fast. (Actually it might be. Don't really read the trades....)
Also in this episode, "Decorating with Chandu". The finest in Pre-Columbian Chinese furniture. Plus maybe a new look for Valmont.
Memorable Hok line: "Woodchuck chucks wood!"
XMEN: "The Beast of Bayville"
This episode introduces us to Hank McCoy, although intead of an intelligent man with a simple body hair problem, it plays him as pretty much a cheap Hollywood cliche Wolfman...trashing the furniture, destroying the chem lab, going on a savage rampage, ripping up his clothes, yadda yadda yadda. Rather insulting, IMO.
I never understood why he recited Shakespeare while he was going into a fit--if it was to show us he's really an educated man or whether it was a form of autohypnotic suggestion to relax him--but it seems that, and his serum, have failed. He also knows Xavier--it seems Charles counseled Hank in his youth (so I would presume if the X-Teens are about 16, and McCoy is, say, 37, then the Prof must be in his fifties or so, as is Magnus. Give or take.) It's notable also that he's referred to as Mr. McCoy, rather than Dr.. McCoy will apparantly become a fixture at the mansion but refuses to use a holographic disguise like Kurt's...so either he will use a bikini wax that will cost about as much as the Louisiana purchase if he wishes to go out, or be pretty much housebound. Original Beast incarnations had him, if rather grotesque-looking, at least known and respected by his medical colleagues, and able to move about moderately in public circles, but here, a fugitive and freak? I have my doubts.
Also, Kitty buys a multidecker pyramid hat to boost her brainpower for a test. I haven't seen those things since about 1985 or '86 (which by my calculations would be around when Kitty was born, if this is set in current time). They were big in the late '70s, early '80's, or thereabouts, when people were gaga over the harmonics of the power of this geometric shape, believing it could perform miracles. Oddly enough, for a class assignment some fifteen or so years ago I placed a jar of peanuts under a balsa-wood pyramid, with a second jar (my control) elsewhere, to see if the pyramid could improve the flavor. Spookily, it worked!
Kitty passes her test throws the hat away ("I looked in a mirror!"). She should have kept it--they make great bowls for cheese dip.
Watched a little of Yugioh, although I migrated to the kitchen halfway through and found a pan of cheese eggs far more entertaining. And The Ripping Friends had a parody of Batman and Robin, Manman and Boyboy, which played on the homoerotic subtext of the Dynamic Duo (the finger grappler on the belt gag was the ultimate HS/LOL gag, IMO.)
*"Woba-palooza!"
Well, first we saw a town that worshipped Quagsire...and now there's one that throws a whole festival to honor Wobafett. Very strange.
Not that Wobafett is an unlikable Pokemon, by any means. It has a strange Zen charm to it in that it never picks a fight first and that its sole attack is to reflect its opponent's own strength on them. I suppose one can find nobility in that.
So in this small town, to show it respect, it's against the law to Pokemon battle on festival day. It seems a band of thugs is going about taking advantage of this fact and attacking Wobafetts..and Ash blames Team Rocket. But for once they're inncoent...and this is the first time in Pokehistory Ash has ever had to apologize to Jessy and James! And, oddly enough notfor the first time Jessy and James--with Wobafett--help the heroes mop up the three goons.
All right...Team Rocket aren't total angels. They do steal the food for the festival while everyone's attention is distracted and try to make off with it (in front of everyone, no less, their own sense of showmanship doing them in). Actually if they had not been so sneaky the townfolk, who loved them to pieces, proably would've let them have a few crates to take with them. But Jessy is never one to do things halfway, so the three wind up blasted off again.
It seems the three goons with fighting Pokemon--and incidentally, did one sort of look like a blonde Tracey Sketchit to anyone else?--want revenge for an incident a year ago when the Wobafett of a heavyset trainer named Lulu whipped their behinds after they showed up trashin gthe town trying to look like big men.
Anyone else think Lulu looked a lot like the fat woman who spanked Jessy in "The Song of Jigglypuff" (though I think that was cut in the American dub) and tussled with her over an outfit in "Princess vs. Princess"?
*"Imitation Confrontation"
Team Twerp checks into a Pokemon center and meets up with a strange Chansey and an oddly diminutive Nurse Joy. At first I thought she had a daughter--on that subject, with all those Joys, it's suprising that none of them seem to actually be married/have kids--but it turns out to be that mistress of disguise, Duplica.
Duplica has a new Ditto too, Mini-Dit...which is unable to alter its physical size, thus producing miniature version of tiny Pokemon.
It's in this episode Jessy shows some sense of strategy and awareness: Team Rocket will not rob the Pokemon center. She realizes their greed is what costs them, and Pokemon in bulk isn't the way to go. Meowth recommends taking one rare Pokemon--Mini-dit--and using a well-orchestrated bait-and switch scheme to swindle up a mess of Pokemon (which actually sounds a bit like the scheme Chuck Jones devised for "Chow Hound". I wonder if James and Jessy will remember the gravy?).
The greatest bit in the episode is when Jessy dresses and Duplica and James as Ash...very unsettling sight, getting some idea of what one will look like in ten years or so. Plus a great screenshot for the slavering fanboys.
Nit: Jessy refers to "Arbok" as a rock Pokemon...but didn't it swim very well in "Misty Mermaid"? Seems it wouldn't have been able to, rock types being weak in water and all.
Watch also for the bit where Misty unwittingly offends Duplica with the remark about her Pokemon all being abnormal. Tact is not her strong point.
Also interesting to see that Wobafett has a two-pronged attack: one for deflecting active attacks and one for throwing back the physical results of one (like a sludge). Jessy is hilarious when in a dither trying to keep them straight.
JCA: "And He Does his Own Stunts!"
This one is a very metahumor-heavy episode--an action movie star playing an archaeologist who is acting as if he's trying to break into action movies. In fact, a lot of scenes in the animated series mirror Chan's movies (compare the scene of Jackie trying to rescue Uncle's artifacts from getting broken in Tohru and Toro's fight in "Stronger Evil" with the scene in Rush Hour where Chan has to fight off several goons while keeping a giant urn from tipping...both with the same shattering results).
The next demon portal turns up in modern-day Hollywood, right smack in the middle of a movie lot...and the confrontation itself is taken for the filming of some new monster movie, with the thunder demon himself mistaken for an animatronic robot.
Watch for the [Matrix[/i]-style 360-deg. turn, and the Charlie's Angels/Scary Movie suspended-in-midair face kick. "How come everybody here knows how to do that?" whines Jackie.
Note that Chandu greets his thunder brother warmly; apparently they're on speaking terms (unlike the toadlike wind brother).
How did a Chinese sorcerer millennia ago acquire Mexican castanets to cast a chi spell, I wonder? Uncle purcheses the other stuff from a local apothecary, but has to borrow those from a Mexican joint in Chinatown. He's also visibly angry that Jackie borrowed his apprentice and left him in the lurch. A lot of guys must come in the shop ordering strange items, as the clerk doesn't bat an eye at Uncle's order, at least right up until he asks for those clickers. "In Chinatown?"
Jade shows some skills as an "agent" and may want to consider pursuing that career in future. "Hollywood's getting younger by the day."
Note that Tohru's a John Wayne fan. I've heard The Duke is pretty popular overseas.
Note also the Leonardo DeCaprio clone that Jade's gaga over, until she learns he's a schmuck. If only the real Leo's popularity would fly down the porcelain that fast. (Actually it might be. Don't really read the trades....)
Also in this episode, "Decorating with Chandu". The finest in Pre-Columbian Chinese furniture. Plus maybe a new look for Valmont.
Memorable Hok line: "Woodchuck chucks wood!"
XMEN: "The Beast of Bayville"
This episode introduces us to Hank McCoy, although intead of an intelligent man with a simple body hair problem, it plays him as pretty much a cheap Hollywood cliche Wolfman...trashing the furniture, destroying the chem lab, going on a savage rampage, ripping up his clothes, yadda yadda yadda. Rather insulting, IMO.
I never understood why he recited Shakespeare while he was going into a fit--if it was to show us he's really an educated man or whether it was a form of autohypnotic suggestion to relax him--but it seems that, and his serum, have failed. He also knows Xavier--it seems Charles counseled Hank in his youth (so I would presume if the X-Teens are about 16, and McCoy is, say, 37, then the Prof must be in his fifties or so, as is Magnus. Give or take.) It's notable also that he's referred to as Mr. McCoy, rather than Dr.. McCoy will apparantly become a fixture at the mansion but refuses to use a holographic disguise like Kurt's...so either he will use a bikini wax that will cost about as much as the Louisiana purchase if he wishes to go out, or be pretty much housebound. Original Beast incarnations had him, if rather grotesque-looking, at least known and respected by his medical colleagues, and able to move about moderately in public circles, but here, a fugitive and freak? I have my doubts.
Also, Kitty buys a multidecker pyramid hat to boost her brainpower for a test. I haven't seen those things since about 1985 or '86 (which by my calculations would be around when Kitty was born, if this is set in current time). They were big in the late '70s, early '80's, or thereabouts, when people were gaga over the harmonics of the power of this geometric shape, believing it could perform miracles. Oddly enough, for a class assignment some fifteen or so years ago I placed a jar of peanuts under a balsa-wood pyramid, with a second jar (my control) elsewhere, to see if the pyramid could improve the flavor. Spookily, it worked!
Kitty passes her test throws the hat away ("I looked in a mirror!"). She should have kept it--they make great bowls for cheese dip.
Watched a little of Yugioh, although I migrated to the kitchen halfway through and found a pan of cheese eggs far more entertaining. And The Ripping Friends had a parody of Batman and Robin, Manman and Boyboy, which played on the homoerotic subtext of the Dynamic Duo (the finger grappler on the belt gag was the ultimate HS/LOL gag, IMO.)