days 192-193 bulbasuar refuses to evolve, learns solar beam {ep51}
If Squirtle is a Kamina expy, in my mind that makes Bulbasaur Spock, and Charizard Yusuke Urameshi, my mind is a very strange place. Oh and I imagine that Pidgeotto is a girl, even though gender specifications didn't exist back in Gen 1. What? I don't have anything interesting to say about this episode. (2013) Just a normal good over-all ep, still doesn't muster up any talking points. Only thing I want to add is that this along with Pikachu's dilemna in ep14 are much better ways of handling the evolving issue than a certain whiny penquin... but that's in the future.
day 196 butch+cassidy appear, james gets victrebell {ep57}
There are 3 episodes of the Kanto saga, that I consider to be not just filler, but non-canon all together. The first is the Christmas episode "Holiday Hi-Jynx" where Ash meets Santa Claus, enough said about that. The other two episodes 52+53 were the only other episodes completed before the Porygon incident and have our heroes celebrate two random holidays that are equivalent to real ones in Japan.
Wait a sec, a Pokénerd might say isn't 52 where Jessie gets Lickitung, and I would say yes, but screw that because except for an offhand reference to the Rockets having 3 pokeballs in the farfetch'd ep (49) which aired before 52 obviously, she doesn't even use the damn thing till the Orange Islands!!!
Therefore since (57) establishes a precedent, James getting a weepinbell offscreen and then having a victrebell ever after, I just treat her Lickitung the same way. (54-56) is a mini-arc about Todd the guy from Pokémon Snap, so you can cut that shit out. At least he only sticks around for a day or two “Jigglypuff as seen from above” my ass.
day 199 ash gets to cinnabar island {ep58} day 200 ash beats blane/gets badge {ep59}
You know logically, overloading a ground types immunity to electricty by directly forcing it into a conduit like a horn, that connects to their bodies presumably squishy innards and bypassing their armor makes sense. Especially considering that since they're in a volcano (Why the fuck does Blaine have a rhydon anyway?) prevents them from further redirecting the voltage by bleeding it into the ground. Lastly, abilities didn't exist yet and even taking that into account Blaine's Rhydon could have had rock head or reckless instead of lightning rod. But my justifications don't matter because Ash doesn't win that round, and the Charizard vs. Magmar fight is so awesome! It has lava wrestling! On top of that, Jigglypuff and Gary both make appearances, so all in all good two parter. (2013) nice dig at Erika via Blaine saying it would be stupid to give Ash a badge for stopping the volcano. I can't decide between this one and the Surge as to which is the best of the Kanto gym bouts.
ep60 is just an episode focusing on Kamina-Squirtle helping out some of his shelly brethren with their sleeping problems, courtesy of a certain singing balloon. Happy to see an ok filler after this last tedious stretch of plot. Sorry the post is so short, Sadly Johto's gonna be much worse.
Next Time... "~~We're on the Road to Viridian Ci-! Wait, Master Challenge? World in Peril? Guys, we're gonna have to take a detour... again." Eps 61-70 + movie#1
