* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: The show makes it clear that Delia left Giovanni for Ash's father, however fans are more likely to reinterpret Giovanni ''as'' Ash's dad, which was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally planned]]. Not helping are comments that imply they had sex at least once, as well as the show writer saying in an interview that the implication was intentional.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** ''You Just Can't Win'' for all the fans who would've liked to see Ash and Giovanni actually face each other. This was the closest they'd come to a fight until the ''Best Wishes'' series 13 years later. The song is made even cooler in context, as it takes place after [=MechaMew2=] defeats Pikachu, so Ash tries to fight Giovanni himself.
** ''Team Rocket's Rockin' (Double Trouble)'' is pretty damn awesome. As is Giovanni's VillainSong.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
** ''Two Perfect Girls'' has no plot relevance and seems to be in the show because it was on the CD soundtracks, and to showcase Brock's awesome dancing skills.
** ''What Kind of Pokémon are You?'', a song performed by a man representing Dexter, Ash's PokéDex.
** Psyduck's cameos, which are used to change sets.
* EpilepticTrees: The show having Giovanni be Ash's father in an earlier draft, as well as the finished product having him date Delia before she met her husband, gave credence to the "Giovanni is Ash's father" theory for the main anime. An interview with the writer of the show revealed this was intentional, stating the intent was to imply Giovanni was Ash's biological father before Delia met the man she eventually married.
* EvilIsCool: Giovanni, Team Rocket, and even the Rocket Grunts completely steal the show.
* FanficFuel: Delia being a FormerTeenRebel and dating Giovanni in the past. It gets used in a lot of fan-works and brought up in "[[LukeIAmYourFather Giovanni is Ash's dad]]" theories.
* FridgeBrilliance: Giovanni's claim that he'll tell the sun to shine on "only him" at first is just standard fare villainous gloating, but it's not ''just'' an empty claim. [=MechaMewTwo=], knowing both ''Sunny Day'' and ''Rain Dance'', can control the weather.
* HamAndCheese: Darren Dunstan's performance as Giovanni is reminiscent of Raul Julia in the ''Film/StreetFighter'' live-action film.
* HarsherInHindsight: "My Best Friends" talks about how Ash, Misty and Brock will adventure together forever, which is awkward since Misty and (much later) Brock were PutOnABus and stopped traveling with Ash. It became HeartwarmingInHindsight with their return appearances in the ''Sun/Moon'' anime, though.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** Delia's reluctance to watch Ash grow up, since Ash in the anime is [[ComicBookTime eternally]] [[NotAllowedToGrowUp 10]].
** "My Best Friends" is a little awkward since Misty and Brock have left the show.
** During Giovanni's VillainSong, he refers to [=MechaMew2=] as a [[Anime/PokemonVolcanionAndTheMechanicalMarvel Mechanical Marvel]], which later became a movie title, and Magearna's status as an artificial Pokémon made by humans also brings the musical to mind. Spoofed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZm8xe1mb08 here]].
** Giovanni being played by Darren Dunstan, who dubbed Maximillion Pegasus, ''Anime/YuGiOh'''s first ArcVillain, becomes this when you realize that Giovanni's dub actor in the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries anime]], Ted Lewis, also did the voice of Yami Bakura, the BigBad of the latter series who at one point puts Pegasus in a coma while stealing his Millennium Eye.
* JustHereForGodzilla: A lot of people watch copies of the show either for Creator/AndrewRannells or because of the unique plot points (Giovanni and Delia having a history, [=MechaMew2=], Ash fighting Giovanni himself, etc).
* MagnificentBastard: [[BigBad Giovanni]], as always, is the charismatic leader of Team Rocket out to conquer the world. Building the [=MechaMew2=] robot after failing to capture [[Characters/PokemonMewDuo Mewtwo]], Giovanni lures trainers to his gym with his Diamond Badge, having [=MechaMew2=] copy various Pokémon's attacks and using them against its opponents. Having defeated hundreds of trainers with this tactic in a single day, Giovanni plans to use the attacks copied by his mechanical marvel to [[TakeOverTheWorld gain world domination]]. Also having had a romance with Delia Ketchum when they were teenagers, Giovanni lures her and Professor Oak into a trap, kidnapping them to force them both to witness his victory. Luring Ash to him after acquiring his Pikachu, Giovanni easily defeats the Pokémon and orders [=MechaMew2=] to kill Ash once and for all. [[DeusExMachina Despite Mewtwo suddenly stepping in and saving the day]], Giovanni still proved to be a cunning mastermind prideful of his own manipulation skills.
* MemeticMutation: Joking about Creator/AndrewRannells playing James is commonplace, especially since he hated working on the show.
* MoralEventHorizon: Giovanni orders [=MechaMew2=] to attack Ash, a 10 year old boy whom he ''knows'' is the child of his ex-girlfriend, directly.
* {{Narm}}:
** Most of the songs are well-sung, and many are quite heartfelt, but as soon as the word "Pokémon" pops up, you can't help but laugh a little bit.
** The entire show thanks to the DawsonCasting and plot elements that feel lifted from a fanfic (such as [=MechaMew2=] and Delia's secret past). It gets this even more in hindsight as the plot revolves around Ash growing up and him staying with Misty and Brock, which the anime itself moved on from.
** "I've Got A Secret" is a perfectly fine ballad about keeping secrets, until Misty sings "But he shares it all with Pokémon" and that kills the momentum.
* OnlyTheAuthorCanSaveThemNow: If [[spoiler:Mewtwo had not shown up]], there is no way that Ash would have been able to beat Giovanni on his own.
* RealismInducedHorror: Delia is scared of Ash confronting Team Rocket, not only because of the fear that he might be hurt, but because she used to date Giovanni and doesn't know how he'll take the news. It's implied she worries he'll ''hate'' her like he does the rest of Team Rocket.
* RelationshipWritingFumble: Originally, [[LukeIAmYourFather Giovanni was Ash's father]], rather than Delia dating him before she met Ash's father. However, they still have a lot of subtext and innuendo together in the finished product, and as a result it's easy to see Giovanni still being Ash's biological father. This turned out to be [[InvokedTrope invoked]] by the writer, whose intent was to suggest he was Ash's father rather than outright say it.
* RetroactiveRecognition: Yes, that's Tony-nominated Broadway star Andrew Rannells as James; he'd also play Harley in the ''Pokémon'' anime and Noah and Leon in ''Anime/YuGiOh''. ''Yu-Gi-Oh'' fans may also recognize Giovanni as Darren Dunstan, the English dub actor for Maximillion Pegasus.
* RootingForTheEmpire: Some viewers wanted Giovanni to win, especially since [[EvilIsCool Team Rocket gets the best songs]].
* SoBadItsGood: Again, it probably would have been just plain good if ''Pokémon'' '''hadn't''' been involved.
* VindicatedByHistory: The show wasn't received very well when it was toured (in fact, this reasoning is speculated as to why the home release was cancelled), with critics calling it extremely derivative and eye-rolling. However, when a recording surfaced online, fans of the franchise were quite fond of it. While the show is [[DenserAndWackier admittedly very silly]], most fans praised its production values with the Pokémon puppets, and the plot itself being a good sendoff to ''Indigo League'' that some would argue [[SugarWiki/BetterThanCanon is a better ending]] than [[StatusQuoIsGod how the season actually ended]]. That, and the silliness [[TropesAreTools gives the show its charm]].
* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WE5RAG68UI An interview]] ''Magazine/GameInformer'' held with the writer of the show lampshaded that a big part of the musical's plot is a ten-year-old dealing with the concept of his mom's previous boyfriend being a renowned criminal.
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