Anime Overview: Pokemon, Indigo League

There was a time when Pokemon was honestly much simpler in its design and execution and looking back on it now it is easy to see why this era is looked back on with such fondness though probably not with the same love as Digimon Adventure. It takes itself seriously and doesn't overwhelm the viewers with a lot of information each episode, it isn't an adventure series so much as it is an action series with the end goal each time to be the League. It honestly broke down exactly how the Pokemon universe worked in comparison to the game in a way similar to the games and tries to show you a different take on that sense of wonder. While I think a lot of people who saw this can admit that there is a LOT good here in terms of character, looking back on it now it is full of stuff that not only makes sense but also will be ret-conned heavily as the series progresses.

A Serious and Heartfelt Theme

What the first series was always good at was showing the growing theme of friendship between trainers and Pokemon as well as how hard it was to achieve the dream of "Pokemon Master". Ash makes a great job of showing just how serious he is about wanting to achieve that goal but also oddly doesn't realize how hard it is. This is of course done to show us the viewer how exactly that goal can be achieved. This is best shown in his growing relationship with Pikachu though we will see other great moments.with his Pokemon and this will ultimately be the great focus of the show in all of it's future seasons. As a character and as a show the line "You teach me and I'll teach you" I think is bet shown here. This is interesting when compared to Digimon where the relationship there was more the Digimon really getting stronger with the kids learning more about themselves whereas with Ash and others, as they try to become better trainers, they grow as people. Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, and James will all have moments that flesh them out more as people through their interactions with other Pokemon more than they will people but they will also learn more about each other in how they interact with Pokemon.

The Pokemon 

So in the early days of the series, it was established early on that Pokemon were a unique take on humans and actual animals. With Ash and his Pokemon as well as others, it was hard to just see them as just sort of animals you fight with. Whether it was Caterpie's dreams of becoming a Butterfree, Bulbasaur's refusal to evolve, Charmander's loyalty almost getting him killed, or Pikachu's pride which was only rivaled by Ash's, it was clear that they were more than just animals you used to fight. I think this is best shown whenever Ash chooses to leave one of his Pokemon behind. This reflects the relationship with the Pokemon as even though he does own them, Ash never sees them as anything beneath him, whether it be for their own desires as a species or something more personal, Ash will let a lot of his Pokemon go.                                                                             

A good example of how Pokemon function within the universe itself I think would be the Squirtle Squad. They are a group of Squirtle that were abandoned by their trainers and took to causing all kinds of trouble in the town. Later on they become the firefighting force for the town. The Pokemon exist separate yet with humans and as the series continues we will see a world that feels more dependent on Pokemon and seeing how the two have to live together. Another example would be the relationship with the Diglett when a construction company wants to level the forest. We find out that not only do the Digletts and Dugtrio's live there but they also plant trees there. The Pokemon don't just live in the world, they are a part of it.

The Evolution of the Battle

From a purely visual standpoint, what I think has always made Pokemon more popular than Digimon was the battles. Pokemon battles were the main attraction of the series and still are, with fans who have long been done with the show tuning in just to see Pikachu or Charizard or some new Pokemon have an epic clash with another. From our first gym battle to the Pokemon League, the battles kept getting bigger and more intense with it coming down less to the straightforward rules of the game to the idea that anything could happen. Victory didn't go the person with the best Pokemon with the best type match up but to the person who could think and adapt better and bond with their Pokemon the most. This is best shown in Ash's first battle with Blaine as Ninetales, a fire Pokemon easily beats Squirtle, a water Pokemon but then Pikachu defeats Rhydon, a ground Pokemon, both of which do it with unconventional methods. This is something that some fans have trouble accepting, especially when it comes to Ash as a trainer as he seems to ignore the conventional and goes for the instinctual.

An Ever Expanding and Confusing Universe

The most and possibly only consistent rule of this universe is that there are Pokemon, but how they shape and impact the world changes not just from season to season but almost episode to episode and to varying degrees. A good example is, of course, the Pokemon Egg and Baby Pokemon, which changed exactly how we thought Pokemon are born. Another note could be how the series mentions and even shows animals like cows, dogs, mongooses, and regular fish but slowly they are removed from even being mentioned. I honestly think it was the inclusion of the Pokemon Miltank that led to this as by that time Ash had stopped mentioning one of his favorite foods, cheeseburgers and if you watch, you'll see that the series as a whole has kind of stopped mentioning the eating of meat even among other Pokemon. There is also the issue of the number of Pokemon. Ash and company learn that there are 150 Pokemon, but the reveal of Togepi showed that be false with Togepi but the Pokedex already knew about Togepi and so did Professor Oak, even more, we learn later that there are plenty of Pokemon that the Pokedex Dexter doesn't even know about. The argument could be that the Pokedex is purely a regional device which makes sense but later we will see Pokemon that aren't native to specific regions be in those regions.

Story (about time)

The story is pretty straightforward in that it is about Ash pursuing his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master, though we never actually know what that entails. He is accompanied by Misty, a trainer who wants to be the world's greatest Water Pokemon Trainers, and Brock who wants to be the greatest Pokemon Breeder. We honestly don't know what these dreams entail, like exactly what is the standard the three of them have to meet to reach those goals? By the logic presented, Misty and Brock should be doing the same thing Ash is doing, challenging gyms and catching Pokemon but the focus is pretty much on Ash and him as the avatar of the audience as he discovers the world of Pokemon. Ash goes from someone who has no idea of what he is doing to showing that he is very capable but just needs experience. The story constantly challenges Ash as a trainer and a person, and even kills him at one point. There is also the underlying feeling of friendship between our main characters, and it honestly made the series feel more like a sitcom to an extent. Episodes didn't just focus on Ash battling but even him learning to take being a trainer more seriously. Misty and Brock as a characters are honestly just great and I'll go more into them later on when I do Johto but it is hard to ignore how big of an impact the two of them have had on the series. Misty is a great foil to Ash and I honestly feel she gets a lot of flack because she is a product of her time but at the same time we saw her become an interesting character with layers to her. Brock is possibly the most popular character on the show for one reason or another, namely in his comedic timing. Pikachu himself shows to be very expressive, and puts a lot emotions into saying the same words over and over again. Finally we have Team Rocket who along with Ash and Pikachu have been mainstays of the series itself as Team Rocket members Jessie, James, and Meowth provide their own brand of classic evil comedy.

There were also episodes that referenced moments and locations in the games, like "Battle Aboard the St. Anne", "Mystery at the Lighthouse" and  "Tower of Terror" along with others were based off of events in the games like Snorlax. The episodes aren't just designed to make you remember the games but also to build on those moments and making them feel less like things you did in a game and more like actual events that exist independently of the gaming experience. The idea of fleshing out the world and our seven characters (Ash, Pikachu,  Brock, Misty, Jessie, James, and Meowth) never really felt forced, some episodes would honestly just throw in some little tidbits of information and we would see how those characters deal with opposition. An example would be "The School of Hard Knocks" where Misty takes offense at claims of type advantage being more important and in the same episode we find out that Jessie and James were drop outs from that school. I'm not 100% sure that the series has kept that spirit going but I would dare to say it was never done better than in this series.

The Pokemon League and the End 

As a series, Pokemon does "end" each season pretty much the same way each time, with a tournament though, few have the same emotional weight. Ash's first lost at the League felt like a huge loss for everyone involved, even more so when you look at the episode and realize it wasn't ultimately his fault. The Pokemon League in itself is where Ash shows what he has learned as a trainer on his journey and makes a good showing until he is ultimately defeated. The Pokemon League is the culmination of Ash's efforts and he is always just one move off from going to that next round. In this particular League challenge, our first for that matter, I think that the entire thing was done at it's best as Ash falls to the ground defeated. The whole thing reminded Ash that he had a lot to learn and I think was a sort of letter to fans of the game. Ash does undergo the real experience but wasn't really ready to take the championship if you think about it but what works is that while the plot keeps Ash from winning, here the reason is not only that Team Rocket stopped him but that he never really properly prepared for it.

The Indigo League of Pokemon feels like a more open world than later seasons if for no other reason than it is less formulaic. You never knew what as going to happen as Ash kind of stumbles his way to the Pokemon League with is friends. It went from big to small, from funny to serious, and like Digimon it is about growing into more mature and complete people. Like Digimon, it was an experience, and with a dash of Rocky added to it.

Next time, we will be going over to Orange Islands and then Johto, where we will go more in depth on the characters as we say goodbye to a longstanding character and see the end of an era.