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Brad: Welcome to this week's commentary! Lots to talk about this week... and Kathy's slowly recovering...

Kathy: Unh... What the heck are you talking about, I'm dying, here... [groan]

Brad: ^^; Uhm, anyways... let's get started. Kathy, I think you wanted to talk about Episode 15, which many of us have seen already...

Kathy: [sniffle] Right. The episode that they showed on September 7th is actually episode 15, where we again see James and Jessie acting like complete idiots. For those of you who want to read our original commentary on that episode, click here! I do want to rant about 16, though... [chuckles evilly]

Brad: Ehh... ^_^; Well, Episode 16 begins where Episode 15 leaves off... with our heroes (and villains) trapped on the sunken St. Anne. The second in a three-part episode, I really liked this one, because you actually get everyone working together, for once.

Kathy: For once, yeah, although they do team up in episode 20, too... But anyways, it's a nice touch. Did anyone notice that they kept Megumi Hayashibara's "screaming" when Jessie and James are getting blown away in that water spout? (Megumi Hayashibara is the original voice actress for Musashi/Jessie) They cut it out at the intro of episode 17, but it's there in 16... Gyarodos is *scary*, though...

Brad: Yeah... I wonder what Dragon Rage would be like in the game, though?

Kathy: [whimper] ... fine. I'll use it on you when I get it...

Brad: [gulp] A-anyways, on to Episode 17. Very cool episode... you get to find out a lot about the personality of Ash's Pokemon. Bulbasaur is the ultimate loner and pessimist (but I still love him)... Squirtle is a little mischief maker, and Pikachu is, of all things, a peacemaker! Plus, you learn that Ekans and Koffing aren't really bad guys... they're only following orders. I almost feel sorry for Meowth, though... Team Rocket's boss obviously had a VERY bad influence on him...

Kathy: Bulbasaur's really depressing. (I thought I was pessimistic. Shyah, right!) As for Meowth, well... I dunno, you can't trust cats, so... ^^; [sneezes] Hey, anyone want a cold? I'll ship it for free! But anyways, it just goes to show that the trainer really has influence on the Pokemon. Episode 17 was a Jurrassic Park rip-off, though, but it was still good, one of my favourites. ^_^

Brad: Actually, if I had to find a complaint about Episode 17, it would be the subtitles themselves... as an avid fan of subtitled anime, I found them a bit too big and blocky. Mind you, consider the target audience... Also, when we watched the show, the feed was really lousy, with anything bright breaking up...

Uhm... I suppose, since Kathy doesn't want to go near Episode 19...

Kathy: Urgh. I absolutely hated that one. It's bad enough that they skipped Episode 18 because they felt the content wouldn't be suitable for North American kids, but that they actually showed this one... I mean, having a swimsuit contest isn't okay, but an old hag with manservants in their underwear's okay? Geez. (For those of you who want to see the synopsis for Episode 18, go to http://www.na.rim.or.jp/~shou/pokemon.html and go to the Film List section)

Brad: ^_^; ... uhm, okay... Episode 19 wasn't the best Pokemon episode I've seen, by any stretch of the imagination. The plot was alright, but... let's be honest, with a face like that, I'd avoid ANY episode with Nastina in it! [sigh] Hearing the Tentacools chanting was cute, though, and there were some really good parts with the Pokemon fighting... Pikachu riding Pidgeotto is just so priceless. =)

Kathy: True, true, but I dunno, the whole episode left me cold. Sure, Horsea's is cute as anything, but still... Anyways, what's shown is shown, we can't complain because we know better episodes are coming our way. ^_^ One least thing to note, though, is the Tentacruel's choice of Meowth for communicating with the humans; Meowth is the only Pokemon who can speak Japanese/English.

Onto Episode 20. Now, for those of you who still think that James is a girly-boy (and all rude variations thereof), this episode proves that he isn't. I mean, he totally fell for the ghost of that girl, just like Brock did... ^_^

Brad: Right. Actually, I like how they show Gastly's powers in this show better than in the game... when you initially encounter the Gastlys in Pokemon Tower, in Lavender Town, they seem to be nothing more than "normal" ghosts. Until you get the Silph Scope, of course...

And parts of this episode were utterly priceless... Jessie trying to do the Team Rocket speech all by herself (and having James enter into it anyways)... Kasumi with her hair down... Pikachu dancing... ^_^ KAI-YOOT!

Kathy: Everything a summer festival should be. ^_^ Jessie's mess-up with The Speech just goes to prove that she and James are inseparable. Poor Brock, he really needs a girlfriend...

Oh, just a thing to mention: those were NOT stickers that they were pasting all over the shrine; those were actually Shinto spirit-wards. If anyone remembers Sailor Moon, think of Raye's spirit papers she'd use from time to time.

Brad: Well, with those episodes done, it's time for the Tips for Expert Trainers! Two tips this week... if you're looking for more of a beginner's guide, the best I can recommend is Nintendo Power's Pokemon Power guide. We'll do what we can to answer all your questions about the game, but we're working on the game ourselves, so don't be surprised if we don't always have an answer...

Kathy: However, we are working on making a strategy guide of our own, so stay tuned for that!

Brad: We are? [Kathy elbows him] Ooof... okay, I guess we are. ^_^; Well, without further ado, here are this week's...

TIPS FOR EXPERT TRAINERS

No Pokemon is useless. While some Pokemon, like Magikarp, may seem weak or useless at first, if you keep training them, you can unlock their full potential. Magikarp, for example, can evolve into Gyarados, one of the most powerful water Pokemon in existence. If you're not that patient, you can always teach your Pokemon new skills that you get from TMs... give that Magikarp a Water Gun or Bubblebeam attack, and it might be a lot more useful.

Team up with a friend to take down the opposition. In Pokemon, you can trade Pokemon between friends to get Pokemon you missed, can't find, or can't catch. But you can also use the trading technique to loan a friend a couple of strong Pokemon for a difficult battle. If your buddy's having trouble with Erika, for example, you can loan him a few of your fire Pokemon for the fight. However, you have to be careful with this... if the Pokemon you loan your friend are too strong, they may not obey their temporary master! Also, letting your friend advance past a strong enemy that way may allow them to get into a region where they *really* aren't ready...

Kathy: Which is what happened when I traded him a Pikachu for a Caterpie; when Pikachu got to level 11, he just wouldn't listen to Brad...

Brad: Last, it's time for the answers to last week's quiz, and the winners! More than a few tough questions last week... the worst ones were questions 1, 8, and 10. Take a look and see how you did!

Question 1: Caterpie, Magikarp, Oddish, Paras, Rattata, Staryu, and Weepinbell.
Question 2: Vine Whip.
Actually, we accepted almost anything with the word Vine in it, since I myself wrote "Vine Lash" in Bulbasaur's character description (hey, it sounds cooler!).
Question 3: Route 24.
Question 4: Jessie.
Question 5: Pizza, chinese food, and tacos.
Question 6: They threatened to dye Misty's hair purple.
Question 7: Bellsprout.
Question 8: Dragonite.
They never actually say the name in the episode; the only way to figure it out is to compare Dragonite's silhouette to the pictures in the Pokerap. Oddly enough, they mention its name in Episode 14, when describing the power of Raichu's Thunderbolt attack...
Question 9: Two weeks.
Question 10: Sixteen (16).
Don't forget to count the Pidgey who came in just after Pikachu recovered...
Question 11: Seven (7) - Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Krabby.
Question 12: Forty-five (45).

Brad: The big winners this week are Eric Brooks, Gregory, and Maria M. Rider, all of whom got 11 out of 12 questions right! Runners-up, who all got at least 8 right, include Harrison, TsuramiSea, qwerty, The Cage, Jason Montgomery, Warlobster, David Pittman, Brandon Smith, Bulbasaur, Terrance Travis, and two nameless entrants. Congratulations to everyone who participated!

This week's quiz is a little easier, with only ten questions; give it a try!

Kathy: That's it for this week! As a parting note, I'd like to thank David Lo for writing in to wish me a speedy recovery from my cold. Thanks, David!

Bye-bye!

Brad: Bulbasaur! (Bye-bye!)

Kathy and Brad Vaughan
Edmonton City Gym Leaders