[28] Rokon! Breeder Showdown!
Feb. 15th, 2024 08:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marchionessofmustacheSo this episode opens up at a district called "Scissor Street." I THINK we're still in the big city of Tamamushi. Though it seemed like we were on the outskirts of it last time, but now we're downtown again...? Not sure TBH.
Anyway, Scissor Street is a district known for its Pokemon breeders and salons. Kasumi notices a particularly flashy salon called Lovely Charmy that dresses up Pokemon in unique outfits. Lovely Charmy is a part of the Rockets' motto, and the mascot Pokemon of the shop are Dogars and Arbo... so guess who runs the place :P
The salon seems to be all about making Pokemon as obnoxiously gaudy as possible using makeup and accessories.
Takeshi, on the other hand, is adamant about finding a certain place in Scissor Street. Before Kasumi gets a chance to check out Lovely Charmy, they stop by Salon Rokon.
Inside we find a very sweet and kind award-winning breeder named Yuki whom Takeshi idolizes. And for some reason I instantly started crushing over her. First of all, she's a Pokemon caretaker and if I was in the Pokemon world, that's what I would want to do, too. But she's also soft-spoken, very polite and feminine in her speech, and very humble. When Takeshi asks to become her apprentice, she says she's still learning and not able to teach someone else yet, despite the fact that she's pretty renowned as a breeder. She's also tall and pretty. Every time she talked, I was like *SWOON* big time hahaha.
ANYWAY, we meet Yuki as she is giving a massage to a Lucky, who looks particularly energetic and shiny afterwards. She also has a pet/mascot Rokon! Kasumi sees it and asks if it's okay to pet it. Before she can even get an answer, she PICKS IT UP. Rokon hates this and blasts her face with fire. Then Yuki is like "Oh, Rokon can't stand other people" and Kasumi is like "Well you should have said so sooner!" but it's like... no, you should have waited before picking it up and not just touch other people's pets without asking? I mean, she ASKED, but you should wait for an answer. And you got what was coming to you IMO lmfao.
Yuki invites the ggg for tea, and Takeshi gets out some of his special Pokemon food for Pikachu. Rokon wanders over and Pikachu invites it to try the food, and it eats it and enjoys it. Yuki says it's the first time Rokon has ever tried and liked someone else's food.
Then they talk about the Lovely Charmy shop and how it's become all the rage, and its popularity has led to a decline in Salon Rokon's, as well as a decline in Yuki's confidence as a breeder. Takeshi suggests having a seminar-like thing to show people the importance of her style of Pokemon care. Kasumi suggests Pikachu dressing up in a cute outfit, but Satoshi says Pikachu is fine the way he is, and it's what inside that counts. They get in an argument over what's more important, outward appearances, or who you are on the inside.
A shame that they make Kasumi seem so superficial in this episode.
Kasumi storms out to get Koduck a makeover at Lovely Charmy.
Takeshi and Yuki hold their seminar, where Yuki teaches Pokemon massage and how it creates happy, healthy Pokemon, and how it's important to have knowledge of your Pokemon's personality. She massages Pikachu's cheeks and then invites Satoshi to try.
I like how despite the art style being quite simple, they actually managed to make each of their hands look quite different and fitting to their characters. Not just in the color, with Yuki's hands being paler, but hers are longer and more elegant and adult-looking, while Takeshi's are smaller and more child-like but also a little thicker and more masculine. Very cool. Good job, animation team!
Also when Satoshi first puts his hands on Pikachu, Pikachu wiggles around like he got tickled and giggles and it's just THE CUTEST THING EVER. I love Pikachu.
Meanwhile, Kasumi enters Lovely Charmy and the Rockets ignore Koduck and think she's there to get herself a makeover. At first she objects but once they pull her away and dress her up in a silly outfit and put accessories all over her, she goes bonkers because she absolutely loves it. She gets all excited about how cute she is, and they offer to do her makeup, too!
They basically paint her like a clown, and while she's still having fun, Nyarth interrupts and says she's friends with the Pikachu they're trying to catch. He gets mad and scratches them up, making their little salon outfits tear apart. They're wearing their Rocket uniforms underneath for whatever reason. And it's only THEN that Kasumi recognizes who they are.
It wasn't even a disguise it was just literally different clothes than the uniforms... Like still the same faces and hair and voices and stuff...
They threaten to make her really ugly if she fights back, but Koduck is already there! She yells for help, but it seems Koduck is actually gone already. But it wasn't just slacking, it ran off to get help!
It runs to the seminar and gets Pikachu's attention, who conveys to Satoshi that something happened to Kasumi, so the gang runs over to see what is wrong.
All the commotion has attracted a crowd of previous Lovely Charmy customers. And for some reason Nyarth decides to blurt out their plan -- collect tons of money from naive customers who think that their Pokemon are better off with dumb makeup and accessories, and to steal any rare Pokemon that happen to stop in the shop! Everyone is shocked and disappointed in themselves lol.
Satoshi and Takeshi challenge the Rockets to a Pokemon battle (Kasumi is tied up to a chair) and Kojiro presses a button on a funny magical-girl-looking microphone that transforms the shop into a stadium of sorts with a big staircase.
And this is our first time seeing the crossdressing duo! We've had Kojiro in some ladies' attire before this, but this is the first time we see the two of them dressed opposite of their gender norms. This was always one of my (and probably a lot of people's) favorite things about the Rockets. It's cute and breaks social norms, and NO ONE ever calls attention to it, which is part of why it's so lovely. There's no gag where it's like "OMG BUT UR A MAN IN DRESS" or something. Everyone just completely accepts this as a thing.
They have a battle, but the Rockets actually seem to be doing pretty well, using their outfits to their advantage (they seem to be able to deflect electricity, and when Ishitsubute throws Arbo, it uses its dress to curl into a ring and roll away, hitting Pikachu).
...Until they backfire and trip over them, ripping the dresses. But not before Dogars is able to blind the two's Pokemon with a sludge facial makeover.
But then Yuki <3 <3 steps up with a more confident and angry demeanor, preaching again about the importance of understanding what's inside that counts, and Rokon takes the stage and blows away the rockets in a whirlwind of fire. It also happes to burn up Kasumi, who for some reason doesn't fly away with the Rockets. Maybe the chair she was tied up to was bolted to the ground? lolol
Anyway, Kasumi scolds Koduck for being completely useless when it mattered most (even though it went and retrieved the rest of the gang, who ended up saving her...)
We're taken back to Yuki's place, where she announces that she's decided to close her salon and go on a journey to find herself and her inner strength. Rokon cuddles up to Takeshi, and realizing this is the first time Rokon has ever shown interest in another person, she decides to let Takeshi take Rokon on his journey. The two shake hands, now rivals, and everyone cries.
And the Rockets get chased by an angry mob to end the episode.
Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. It showed another part of Pokemon life outside of battles (even though there was a battle) and YUKI <3 <3 <3 was lovely. Shame she was just a one-off character. We also got a new iconic Pokemon for Takeshi. Just the right amount of comedy. This was actually an episode of a lot of talking -- it was kinda hard to remember the exact order of events because most of my screencaps were just people standing/sitting around. But I think I did a good enough job.
And just when I was ready to jam out to "151," we get a new ending for the show. We've reached the first song change! A milestone! This song is sung by Nyarth, and is half about the moon being round. Probably a reference to how cats love round balls, which always seems to distract Nyarth in show gags. He stares at the sky while playing guitar, which shows pictures of various round Pokemon like Purin.
Overall this is one of my least favorite ending themes. Nyarth's voice isn't really that great for a ballad, and it's a little boring. It's not BAD though, the sound does have some kind of tinge of nostalgia to it somehow, even though I never heard this one as a teen.
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Anyway, Scissor Street is a district known for its Pokemon breeders and salons. Kasumi notices a particularly flashy salon called Lovely Charmy that dresses up Pokemon in unique outfits. Lovely Charmy is a part of the Rockets' motto, and the mascot Pokemon of the shop are Dogars and Arbo... so guess who runs the place :P
The salon seems to be all about making Pokemon as obnoxiously gaudy as possible using makeup and accessories.
Takeshi, on the other hand, is adamant about finding a certain place in Scissor Street. Before Kasumi gets a chance to check out Lovely Charmy, they stop by Salon Rokon.
Inside we find a very sweet and kind award-winning breeder named Yuki whom Takeshi idolizes. And for some reason I instantly started crushing over her. First of all, she's a Pokemon caretaker and if I was in the Pokemon world, that's what I would want to do, too. But she's also soft-spoken, very polite and feminine in her speech, and very humble. When Takeshi asks to become her apprentice, she says she's still learning and not able to teach someone else yet, despite the fact that she's pretty renowned as a breeder. She's also tall and pretty. Every time she talked, I was like *SWOON* big time hahaha.
ANYWAY, we meet Yuki as she is giving a massage to a Lucky, who looks particularly energetic and shiny afterwards. She also has a pet/mascot Rokon! Kasumi sees it and asks if it's okay to pet it. Before she can even get an answer, she PICKS IT UP. Rokon hates this and blasts her face with fire. Then Yuki is like "Oh, Rokon can't stand other people" and Kasumi is like "Well you should have said so sooner!" but it's like... no, you should have waited before picking it up and not just touch other people's pets without asking? I mean, she ASKED, but you should wait for an answer. And you got what was coming to you IMO lmfao.
Yuki invites the ggg for tea, and Takeshi gets out some of his special Pokemon food for Pikachu. Rokon wanders over and Pikachu invites it to try the food, and it eats it and enjoys it. Yuki says it's the first time Rokon has ever tried and liked someone else's food.
Then they talk about the Lovely Charmy shop and how it's become all the rage, and its popularity has led to a decline in Salon Rokon's, as well as a decline in Yuki's confidence as a breeder. Takeshi suggests having a seminar-like thing to show people the importance of her style of Pokemon care. Kasumi suggests Pikachu dressing up in a cute outfit, but Satoshi says Pikachu is fine the way he is, and it's what inside that counts. They get in an argument over what's more important, outward appearances, or who you are on the inside.
A shame that they make Kasumi seem so superficial in this episode.
Kasumi storms out to get Koduck a makeover at Lovely Charmy.
Takeshi and Yuki hold their seminar, where Yuki teaches Pokemon massage and how it creates happy, healthy Pokemon, and how it's important to have knowledge of your Pokemon's personality. She massages Pikachu's cheeks and then invites Satoshi to try.
I like how despite the art style being quite simple, they actually managed to make each of their hands look quite different and fitting to their characters. Not just in the color, with Yuki's hands being paler, but hers are longer and more elegant and adult-looking, while Takeshi's are smaller and more child-like but also a little thicker and more masculine. Very cool. Good job, animation team!
Also when Satoshi first puts his hands on Pikachu, Pikachu wiggles around like he got tickled and giggles and it's just THE CUTEST THING EVER. I love Pikachu.
Meanwhile, Kasumi enters Lovely Charmy and the Rockets ignore Koduck and think she's there to get herself a makeover. At first she objects but once they pull her away and dress her up in a silly outfit and put accessories all over her, she goes bonkers because she absolutely loves it. She gets all excited about how cute she is, and they offer to do her makeup, too!
They basically paint her like a clown, and while she's still having fun, Nyarth interrupts and says she's friends with the Pikachu they're trying to catch. He gets mad and scratches them up, making their little salon outfits tear apart. They're wearing their Rocket uniforms underneath for whatever reason. And it's only THEN that Kasumi recognizes who they are.
It wasn't even a disguise it was just literally different clothes than the uniforms... Like still the same faces and hair and voices and stuff...
They threaten to make her really ugly if she fights back, but Koduck is already there! She yells for help, but it seems Koduck is actually gone already. But it wasn't just slacking, it ran off to get help!
It runs to the seminar and gets Pikachu's attention, who conveys to Satoshi that something happened to Kasumi, so the gang runs over to see what is wrong.
All the commotion has attracted a crowd of previous Lovely Charmy customers. And for some reason Nyarth decides to blurt out their plan -- collect tons of money from naive customers who think that their Pokemon are better off with dumb makeup and accessories, and to steal any rare Pokemon that happen to stop in the shop! Everyone is shocked and disappointed in themselves lol.
Satoshi and Takeshi challenge the Rockets to a Pokemon battle (Kasumi is tied up to a chair) and Kojiro presses a button on a funny magical-girl-looking microphone that transforms the shop into a stadium of sorts with a big staircase.
And this is our first time seeing the crossdressing duo! We've had Kojiro in some ladies' attire before this, but this is the first time we see the two of them dressed opposite of their gender norms. This was always one of my (and probably a lot of people's) favorite things about the Rockets. It's cute and breaks social norms, and NO ONE ever calls attention to it, which is part of why it's so lovely. There's no gag where it's like "OMG BUT UR A MAN IN DRESS" or something. Everyone just completely accepts this as a thing.
They have a battle, but the Rockets actually seem to be doing pretty well, using their outfits to their advantage (they seem to be able to deflect electricity, and when Ishitsubute throws Arbo, it uses its dress to curl into a ring and roll away, hitting Pikachu).
...Until they backfire and trip over them, ripping the dresses. But not before Dogars is able to blind the two's Pokemon with a sludge facial makeover.
But then Yuki <3 <3 steps up with a more confident and angry demeanor, preaching again about the importance of understanding what's inside that counts, and Rokon takes the stage and blows away the rockets in a whirlwind of fire. It also happes to burn up Kasumi, who for some reason doesn't fly away with the Rockets. Maybe the chair she was tied up to was bolted to the ground? lolol
Anyway, Kasumi scolds Koduck for being completely useless when it mattered most (even though it went and retrieved the rest of the gang, who ended up saving her...)
We're taken back to Yuki's place, where she announces that she's decided to close her salon and go on a journey to find herself and her inner strength. Rokon cuddles up to Takeshi, and realizing this is the first time Rokon has ever shown interest in another person, she decides to let Takeshi take Rokon on his journey. The two shake hands, now rivals, and everyone cries.
And the Rockets get chased by an angry mob to end the episode.
Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. It showed another part of Pokemon life outside of battles (even though there was a battle) and YUKI <3 <3 <3 was lovely. Shame she was just a one-off character. We also got a new iconic Pokemon for Takeshi. Just the right amount of comedy. This was actually an episode of a lot of talking -- it was kinda hard to remember the exact order of events because most of my screencaps were just people standing/sitting around. But I think I did a good enough job.
And just when I was ready to jam out to "151," we get a new ending for the show. We've reached the first song change! A milestone! This song is sung by Nyarth, and is half about the moon being round. Probably a reference to how cats love round balls, which always seems to distract Nyarth in show gags. He stares at the sky while playing guitar, which shows pictures of various round Pokemon like Purin.
Overall this is one of my least favorite ending themes. Nyarth's voice isn't really that great for a ballad, and it's a little boring. It's not BAD though, the sound does have some kind of tinge of nostalgia to it somehow, even though I never heard this one as a teen.
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no subject
Date: 2024-08-20 04:19 pm (UTC)Raichu and bird friend by way of Trixie Mattel and Katya.
Yuki is cute! She’s got that Pokemon character hair going on, and it works for her.
Damn Kasumi. Never touch an animal without confirmation it’s okay first! As someone with a super sweet doggo who is wary around strangers the first time, please show patience! And my doggo can’t breathe fire. She’s lucky her face isn’t perma-melted.
Pikachu giggles < 3
So I remember this episode really well from the original dub. It’s one of my favorites, and part of that (aside from just loving Vulpix) is the Rocket motto segment. James looks so fly in his lovely gown, and Jessie’s French aristocrat-Othori Academy duelist uniform makes me feel funny in a nice way. They are such icons. I can’t decide if I prefer them as platonic life-partners or a super queer couple (who happens to be an opposite sex coupling) but always have, and always will be, my absolute favorite thing in the whole franchise.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-21 12:10 am (UTC)Yeah, I guess, in her defense, Kasumi is still like 12 and just wants to pet the cute thing she sees immediately.
Rocket crossfits are so amazing <3 Rockets in general are amazing. When I was a teenager I would draw the Rocket logo R on my hand with red and black pens lmao.