My Poke-Pinions #58 and 59 – The Guard Dog Line

Growlithe

Name: Growlithe and Arcanine are two of my absolute favorite Pokemon ever. I love dogs, Fire Pokemon are my favorite Type – they’re the perfect combination.

Growlithe’s name is a combination of “growl” and…..”lithe” Wow, thanks a bunch, Bulbapedia. That was really helpful. I didn’t know what “lithe” meant, so I googled it, and it means “thin, supple and graceful.” Uhm….I mean….I….guess? Those aren’t really traits that immediately jump out at me when I think of Growlithe, but okay? The “growl” part of the name obviously works very well, but I have no idea what the thought process was with the “lithe” part. It’s still a good name in regards to being memorable and snappy, but I just don’t quite get it.

In Japan, it’s originally known as Gardie, which seems to be indicative of “guard” or “guardian” I think like guard dogs. I prefer Growlithe, but Gardie is a bit more of a fitting name. It kinda just sounds like a name someone would give a Growlithe, if that makes any sense.

Fun Fact: In the beta version of RB, it was going to be named Flamie, which is……very not creative, but cute.

Design: Growlithe is one of the most perfect Pokemon designs. Fight me. It does indeed just look like a dog, but the absolute perfect shade of orange for the short fur with stark black stripes all over the body really help it stand out, and it definitely portrays the Fire Type quite well.

On its longer fur, it has shaping and spiky features that resemble flames, making the fire connection even stronger. I think Growlithe is absolutely adorable. I love its face, it ears, the little hair tuft on top of its head, its paws, its tail – just everything about Growlithe. I especially think the eyes are the perfect shape. They’re adorable and friendly while still having enough angle to them to convey a truly threatening expression if need be.

Sprite-wise, Gen I…pbbbtthhhahahaha…Sorry. R/B is really cute, but it comes off a bit too much like a real puppy/animal than it should. Also, I don’t much care for the tail being so tiny.

Yellow looks pretty normal, and R/G looks—PBBBTTAHAHAHAHAHA! It’s looks so doofy. It’s cute, don’t get me wrong, but it’s so doofy. It almost doesn’t even look like a real Pokemon. It’s kinda more like a plushie.

Gen II is quite the tonal shift, making all of the sprites for the Gen look really friggin’ angry.

Gen III is a bit better, but I have no clue what the animation for Emerald is doing.

Gen IV is pretty cute, but the animations for DPP are a bit too hyper for my tastes.

HG/SS is very adorable, though.

Absolutely adore the animations for Gen V. It’s such a playful pup in those sprites.

Everything else looks pretty good.

Shiny:

I hate you, Pokemon. First you spit in my face with Vulpix’s shiny, and now poor Growlithe? How dare you?

Granted, Growlithe’s situation isn’t quite as bad as Vulpix’s. Growlithe’s shiny is more stark yellow than anything, but still this is just insulting. It looks like it did a fusion dance with a mustard bottle.

In Gen II, its shiny looks…lame, but better. The orange parts were simply turned to a brown color, which kinda just makes it look like a regular dog.

Hisuian Growlithe

Oooooohhhhhhhhhhwwoooooooooooooooowwwwwwwww……Okay, uhm…I’ve never seen this version of Growlithe until this very moment, and it’s…..a lot to take in.

First of all, I’m not against the idea of having like a half-shaggy dog and half-short haired dog – I actually find that very cute – my issue is with the way they styled the hair. The fur on its head looks ridiculous. It looks kinda like a helmet, which is a neat idea, but it’s giving off seriously strong “I was desperately trying to look cool in 1967” vibes.

The fur on its chest is just confusing. Are those balls? Why are they balls? I don’t understand. The tail is fine. It kinda reminds me too much of Wartortle’s tail, though.

The other noticeable detail is that they changed the orange color to being a much deeper orange-red, heavy on the red. I don’t think it looks that bad, but it kinda looks unnatural.

The shiny version is shit, because they just did the exact same color scheme as shiny normal Growlithe.

Dex Entries and Backstory: Growlithe is noted as being extremely loyal, brave, friendly and territorial. It will bite enemies, and it will remain motionless unless commanded by its owner/Trainer. BW also mentions that it’s so protective of its Trainer that it will bark at enemies and run them out of town. It has such a good sense of smell that it never forgets the scents of those it smells, and it can use scents to determine the emotions of others.

Gen VII explains that Growlithe’s natural enemy is Rockruff, and Growlithe are said to have been living and working alongside humans since the stone age.

The only Dex entry for Hisuian Growlithe explains that they patrol their territory in pairs, and it’s believed their typing changed to be dual Fire/Rock Type because of nearby volcanic activity, which is kinda cool. This design doesn’t give off Rock Type or volcano vibes, though.

Growlithe’s design is based off of shisa, which are Japanese statues meant to resemble a mix between a dog and a lion. I can definitely see it. Shisa are guardians meant to protect people from evil spirits, which is very much like Growlithe.

It’s theorized that its striped pattern is either based on tigers, which I don’t buy because it doesn’t have anything to do with tigers, a thylacine, otherwise known as a Tasmanian wolf, which I believe a bit more, or a Kai Ken, also known as a Tora Inu/Tiger Dog, which is one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen.

Hisuian Growlithe’s Rock typing is seemingly based off of komainu statues, which, as far as I’ve researched, are pretty damn similar to shisa legends. The only difference I can see is that shisa are from Okinawan mythology while komainu are more generally used all over Japan and are primarily guardians for Shinto shrines? Correct me if I’m wrong there.

I don’t really understand this Type change if this is accurate. If Growlithe are already based off of statues, then it doesn’t make much sense for Hisuian Growlithe to be part Rock just because it’s based off of a statue and legend that is almost identical to the one its original form was based from. Why didn’t they just say it was because of volcanoes like the Dex entry stated?

Additionally, while the Wiki doesn’t note this, the fact that Hisuian Growlithe work in pairs is also taken from both shisa and komainu legends since they’re always put out in pairs – one with its mouth open and the other with its mouth closed. The shisa legends states that one pair is always male while the other is female. The male will have its mouth closed to keep evil out of the home while the female keeps hers open to share goodness.

In the komainu legend, the one with its mouth open is pronouncing “A” the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet while the one with the closed mouth is saying “Um,” which is the last letter. This is meant to symbolize the beginning and end of all things. Both combined create “aum” which is a sacred syllable in Sanskrit that has many meanings – far too many for me to go over here – but check out that link. It’s fascinating.

Arcanine

Name: As much love as I have for Growlithe, and it’s an awful lot, I have a tiny bit more for Arcanine. It’s a beautiful, adorable, powerful giant fire dog, and I love it to bits.

Arcanine’s name is a mixture of “Arcane” and “Canine” which kinda surprised me because I always thought the first part was meant to be based off of “Arf” like the dog noise, but “Arcane” is a much better origin for that part. So fitting, and such a cool word. I love Arcanine’s name. It has such a majestic and cool flair to it that it could easily be a Legendary name.

Speaking of legendary, while I usually don’t discuss category names, Arcanine is called the Legendary Pokemon, and this has lead to a lot of confusion. Arcanine is obviously not a Legendary Pokemon, but it is classified as THE Legendary Pokemon because it is a Pokemon of many legends and tales….Do you get it? Yeah, I don’t either. Maybe because it’s so relatively common given that Growlithe is so common it can be called a Pokemon of legend, but it’s not rare enough to be considered a Pokemon so few people have seen it’s considered simply a legend, making it Legendary?

Also doesn’t help that in episode two of the anime, Arcanine was included on a depiction of an ancient tablet with Legendary Pokemon including the Legendary Birds.

Back on topic, its Japanese name is Windie, which I was never really a fan of. It sounds overly simple and like something you’d expect them to use as a name for a Flying Type. It’s meant to be in reference to the fact that Arcanine supposedly runs faster than the wind, which I also think is flimsy. You have this awesome majestic Pokemon and your only thought is it runs faster than the wind?

Fun Fact: In the beta version of RB, it was called Blaze, which is cool, but also a bit too overly simplistic. I much prefer Arcanine.

Design: Arcanine’s design is amazing. It still has the cute characteristics of a dog, but it’s big and intimidating without looking scary. The lion attributes, though still subtle, come through much more with Arcanine than Growlithe, and it’s just the right balance here. I love that it’s big enough to ride on. When I was a kid, I always wanted to ride on an Arcanine, and I still do, to be honest. I want to give one a hug too. It’s such a cuddly-looking Pokemon.

Sprite-wise, RB looks pretty cool, actually. They made the longer parts of the fur more flowy instead of spiky and I actually think it looks awesome.

Yellow also has this really cool attitude to it. I love it.

RG looks doofy, though.

Gen II looks really cool except for Crystal where he looks like he’s about to sneeze and stops himself by gently putting his paw down.

Gen III looks really good. The animation for Emerald makes it look like it’s barking before growling really intensely, which is cool.

I don’t really have much else to say about the rest of the sprites. They’re all varying amounts of cool and cute.

Shiny:

They committed the same shiny sin to Arcanine as they did to Growlithe. He now comes in lemon flavor. The least I can say is that some versions, specifically Gen IV and V, make him look golden instead of yellow, but it’s not much consolation.

Gen II’s shiny is also brown, but it’s a bad shade of brown. Like Arcanine hasn’t taken a bath in three years and spends his days running in dirt.

Hisuian Arcanine

Aaaaggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..pbfft.

Where do I start with this thing? I don’t hate it, I just don’t like it that much. I think the tail is the best part. I like how it looks like a smoke plume, especially with the shade of dark gray they chose for the longer fur areas. I don’t dislike how the mane looks.

My opinion on it seems to vary by the minute. I never really like it that much, but I can’t bring myself to really hate it. However, if I do hate one aspect, it’s the way they changed the head design. It looks awful. I also don’t care for the shade of red they chose for the rest of the body. Unlike Hisuian Growlithe, this shade is a bit too red to the point where it’s basically fire truck red. I think having more orange in it is necessary, especially if they’re trying to pull off a lava/magma vibe. Lava/magma is not pure red.

Its shiny is, again, bright yellow. However, it works a tiny bit better with this version, because it comes off more like Arcanine changed to an Electric Type. Then I realized that this shiny looks a bit too much like a Raikou. I was going to make an Entei comparison with the main version, but I didn’t think it looked quite similar enough. But then I saw the shiny and couldn’t get Raikou out of my head.

Why yellow for ALL of the shiny versions of this line? It’s so bad. Please, if another version of this line ever comes out, choose a color besides yellow for their shiny.

Dex Entries and Backstory: Arcanine, like Growlithe, are known for their intense loyalty and bravery. They are incredibly fast and graceful runners. When running, they are considered captivating by many. They can run around 6,200 miles in 24 hours, which is insane. The fire within their bodies is said to help power it to run so far and fast. They are world-renowned for their beauty, and they are said to look like they have wings and are running on air.

In a bit of surprise, the early Dexes note that it is a legendary Pokemon in China specifically (this is later changed to “the east.”) There are legends of Arcanine working alongside military generals and conquering an entire country.

It has a bark so powerful and majestic that people actually grovel when they hear it.

Hisuian Arcanine has a fierce look, especially with fangs that they can cloak in fire, but it mostly feints and avoids fighting fairly often, choosing to playfully chase after and dance around its opponents instead…..Wait, that’s it? That’s all they have to say about Hisuian Arcanine? That’s kinda lame, actually. No notes about volcanoes or lava or rocks or what have you? Why even bother then?

Not many additional design notes for Arcanine except that it might have also been based off of Xiezhi, which…..maybe, but I doubt it? Bulbapedia says it’s a fire-breathing dog with similarities to lions and tigers, but the Wiki page for that legend specifically says it’s an ox, sheep or a goat, and there’s no mention of fire anywhere.

According to legend, the Xiezhi was called upon as a figure of justice. It could accurately detect who was guilty and who was innocent with a glance. They would signify who was guilty and innocent by ramming whomever was guilty and sparing whomever was innocent. That doesn’t sound like anything Arcanine does so….*shrug*

Hisuian Arcanine also doesn’t have any additional notes besides the very obvious fact that the tail and ankle fur look like smoke, which is very disappointing.

And that was the – eh, what should I call this one?….The Guard Dog line. I would’ve said “Legendary Dogs” but then people would probably get confused with the three Legendary cats/dogs/beasts…ya know. I still love Growlithe and Arcanine to bits and pieces, even if their only alternate versions are underwhelming. They’re just such awesome Pokemon, and they’re always high on my favorites list. I wish they existed in real life. Or at least I wish they were a bigger part of the anime. I still have trouble accepting that they wouldn’t let James keep Growly with him. Gary had an Arcanine, but we barely see him.

Next up, the Poli line!

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Pokemon Episode 54 Analysis – The Case of the K-9 Caper

CotD(s): None

Plot: As Ash, Misty and Brock continue on their journey to Cinnabar Island, they’re caught in the middle of a police pursuit. Jenny and several other officers are chasing a thief with a bag of stolen goods.

Pikachu doesn’t want to attack him because of the gun he’s holding, but Jenny’s Growlithe tackles him to the ground and disarms him. Seeing the gun out of the thief’s hands, Ash commands Pikachu to attack with a Thunderbolt. However, Jenny and the other officers scold Ash for attacking, revealing that this was a training exercise for the police squad’s Growlithe team, and the ‘thief’ is actually a fellow officer.

They clear up the misunderstanding, and Jenny formally introduces the Growlithe to their new friends.

Ash and the others are invited to eat a meal at the police training school. Ash is frustrated that Pikachu wasn’t brave enough to take on the thief when he had a gun. Jenny offers to have Pikachu train with the Growlithe the following day. Ash excitedly agrees, hoping Pikachu will become as brave and strong as Growlithe.

The next day, waking up before the crack of dawn, Ash and Pikachu are run through the obstacle course, racing Jenny and Growlithe. However, they soon find the course to be much harder than they first thought. They struggle through each obstacle while Jenny and Growlithe make it across relatively easily.

Even though they’re exhausted from the training, Ash is determined to toughen Pikachu up.

Just then, Team Rocket bursts in with a plan to capture the Growlithe. They first spray a gas around the Growlithe to make it so they can’t smell. Then they spray helium around the group to make their voices high-pitched and squeaky. The Growlithe can’t smell their Trainer nor can they recognize her voice.

Next, Team Rocket dresses up in police uniforms and uses voice modulation to change their voices into Jenny’s. The Growlithe now obey them instead of Jenny. They order the Growlithe to tie Jenny up and prepare to load them into the van. Ash and the others are helpless since they left their Pokemon back in the room.

Team Rocket tries the same trick with Pikachu, but to no avail. Pikachu knows his Trainer and his best friend no matter what he sounds like.

Pikachu shocks the Growlithe, but expends all of his energy. The Growlithe aren’t down for the count, and Jessie commands the Growlithe to attack again. Jenny, now free, attempts to stop them, but the Growlithe she’s been training most closely with bites her on the hand. As it digs its teeth into her hand, it suddenly remembers being raised by her and all of the good times they had together.

Realizing its mistake, Growlithe releases Jenny and apologetically licks her hand. The other Growlithe follow suit and turn on Team Rocket. They turn tail and run away from the Growlithe as they bite and bark at them.

Ash tells Jenny that more training at the school isn’t necessary. He doesn’t need to try to make Pikachu into the perfect Pokemon. He’s great just the way he is. With that, Ash, Misty and Brock bid Jenny and her Growlithe farewell as they continue their journey to Cinnabar Island.

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– I will give 4Kids props for keeping the gun.

Brock: “Look! That must be him!”

Misty: “He looks like a thief to me!”

…..I know you’re children, but do you really need to even discuss whether this dude looks like a thief? He’s wielding a gun, carrying a big sack on his back and is running from a bunch of police officers yelling ‘Stop, thief!’ Does he need a lapel pin that says ‘Hello, I am Thief.’?

– How is it that Pikachu has a healthy fear of guns, but these kids don’t? Keep in mind, they’ve had guns in their face plenty of times, and they’ve seen people being shot at.

Not to mention, in the next episode, Ash will see a glint in the forest, instantly assume the glint is from a sniper rifle and make a big fuss panicking over it. Yet here he’s faced with a criminal who clearly has a pistol and he pays it no mind.

– Ash hears that one of the Jenny’s has sicced her Growlithe on this guy, the Growlithe has handily disarmed him and tackled him to the ground, certainly he’s going to be arrested soon, but yet Ash sends out Pikachu anyway. Why?

– In fairness to Ash and the others, why the hell would you need to give this guy a gun (They don’t mention if it’s fake, but even if it was, it looks insanely real.) to do a mock police chase through public woodlands? Moreover, why not have an ‘Abort test’ signal when innocent people are clearly in the way?

– Why Use the Pokedex?: Ash, you’ve used your Pokedex on a Growlithe before. Remember? Episode 33? The Flame Pokemon-athon? Also, you met another one, Growlie, in episode 48, Holy Matrimony.

– Growlithe is one of my favorite Pokemon, by the way, and I’m a dog person so I’ve already got a bit of a soft spot for this episode.

– Ash: “Did you see the way that Growlithe tackled that robber, Brock? It was braver than Pikachu!” Tact, Ash. Pikachu is right there.

Brock: “But the officer playing the thief was holding a gun. You can’t expect Pikachu to attack somebody like that.”

I could swear Pikachu has attacked at least Team Rocket while they were wielding guns before. Nevertheless, he’s certainly attacked people with BOMBS before and that’s much worse.

Misty: “Brock’s right! I bet you never even thought about how badly Pikachu could’ve been hurt.”

I can’t believe I didn’t note this when it happened, maybe because he sends Pikachu into all sorts of dangerous situations in the first place, but yeah, Ash was pretty dumb right there.

Ash: “Of course I did!” So you’re admitting you knew you were putting your Pokemon in lethal peril. And all for what? A petty thief?

Brock: “Wait a minute, I hope you’re not thinking of having Pikachu train with the police, like Growlithe.”

What’s wrong with that idea? It would give Ash better discernment capabilities of when it’s appropriate to attack opponents and how to approach them safely, if at all, if they have weapons like guns.

Ash: “What’s wrong with that idea? It’d make Pikachu even stronger.” Yes, because clearly the problem with this entire situation is Messiahchu isn’t strong enough…..

– I find it kinda funny that a Dodrio is acting like a rooster crowing. We’re a ways away from any chicken Pokemon, so it’s understandable, but still…..Odd how the Torchic line really wouldn’t seem like they would fit any better doing that.

– Do Ash and the others not have pajamas of any kind? I know it’s a joke in cartoons to have the characters always wearing the same outfit, makes it easier for animators and designers and whatnot, but they seriously can’t throw some pajamas their way? What do they carry in those bags if not at least one pair of PJs? I mean, Ash doesn’t even take off his jeans or belt, Misty doesn’t take off her suspenders, and Brock doesn’t take off his vest that is full of random stuff. That has to be really uncomfortable.

– I really like that Ash has to do this course too. It’s all too rare to see Ash actually training alongside his Pokemon. It’s rare enough to see him training period.

– So Jenny’s running this course too, huh?….In…those clothes? I never really gave it much thought, but Jenny’s officer uniform is horrible for doing any sort of strenuous exercise. She’s wearing a pencil skirt and frickin’ HEELS. She shouldn’t be able to do a brisk jog, let alone a military-esque obstacle course.

There’s especially no way in hell she should be able to climb that wall, especially as easily as she did.

– Pikachu never tried to climb the wall, but he should’ve been able to do it much more easily than Growlithe, being a rat.

– Brock: “This police canine training stuff sure is tough. Are you sure you still want to go through with it?”

Ash: “Of course I’m still going through with it ‘cause I want Pikachu to be the best.” Again, wasn’t the problem. Even if Jenny and the other officers and the Growlithe weren’t pursuing that thief, even if the thief was real, Pikachu was perfectly in the right to not attack him. You’re a ten-year-old Pokemon Trainer, not a vigilante. Just because you beat Team Rocket every week doesn’t make you Batman.

Brock: “But don’t you think Pikachu’s a great Pokemon just the way it is?”

Ash: “Yeah, Pikachu’s great. But I want it to be just as tough as Growlithe.” This plotline is really not making sense to me. Ash pretty much acknowledges that he made a mistake sending Pikachu out against an armed criminal. But the issue is continuously that Pikachu wasn’t tough or brave enough, like the trained law enforcement Pokemon. Why is no one pointing this out to Ash? He’s making Pikachu feel like a weak coward all because Ash was an idiot.

And, hey, let’s jump back to Jenny’s line about not commanding your Pokemon to do anything you wouldn’t do. Even though that statement makes little sense (human limitations make it impossible to do 90% of the things Trainers command of their Pokemon) would Ash have been brave enough to tackle an armed man? I say ‘brave’ when that’s just stupid, but by Ash’s point of view, would he?

– I love that Growlithe van. Someone buy me one.

– Okay, as much as I find this to be one of Team Rocket’s better thought out plans, I find it hard to believe that these Growlithe get this close to these officers yet it takes them until one of them bites Jenny to realize, ‘Oh shit, you’re my Trainer. My bad.’

The fact that they’re confused because of their sense of smell being screwed up, I understand. Also, the fact that Jessie is using a voice modulator to sound like Jenny while Jenny’s own voice is screwed up, I understand.

But they have eyes. They can clearly see that neither James nor Jessie looks like Jenny no matter if they’re wearing her clothes. The fact that they were confused to the point of assaulting Jenny yet Pikachu isn’t fooled for a second makes the Growlithe look like idiots.

Not to mention that, since Jenny seems to know more about what it takes to be a true Pokemon Trainer/Master than Ash does, it’s even more unrealistic that the Growlithe haven’t bonded with her enough to recognize her instantly, even without scent or hearing similar people.

Just for the sake of argument, I wanted to see what cues were most important when training or commanding a dog. I have had dogs my whole life, I’ve trained several of my dogs and I used to study dog training on my own time. My own skills with dog training aren’t the best, but I agree with these findings.

I found several articles and studies that show that body language is most important when it comes to having a dog follow your commands. Vocal commands are obviously followed and important, but body language/hand gestures comes out on top over it.

Realistically, Jenny should be able to call off the Growlithe through hand gestures.

Additionally, while I couldn’t find any information on this, I kinda doubt that the Growlithe would pay much attention to Jessie’s voice in the first place because it would sound so different not only being an artificially created voice in the first place, but also being further altered by going through a megaphone. To us, it may sound pretty much the same, but to a dog it’s vastly different. They can pick up on little discrepancies that would inevitably be caused by both Jessie’s natural manner of speech and the artificial filtering.

All in all, I give this plan a B-. They put a lot of thought and work into it, and it is pretty clever, but it makes these trained police dogs look way too easily fooled to the point of stupidity, and it makes Jenny kinda look like a poor trainer.

– Awwww the Growlithe with the little bandit masks awwww.

– Expecting the Growlithe the rob banks, I can swallow, but that balloon art heist…What the hell was that even?

And, what, are you going to somehow clog the Growlithe’s noses forever? Because unless Jenny has a perfume line with her exact essence, they won’t be fooled forever by voice modulation. Dogs rely more on scent.

– Jessie: “Wait until they try Team Rocket’s….”

James: “Esopho-gas!” Pfft…..Alright, that one was pretty good, 4Kids.

– Jenny does have a point, though. Even if you make believe you’re Jenny through voice modulation, even if you somehow keep their noses clogged forever, they’re still trained to obey and uphold the law. They wouldn’t become criminals just because you say so. Again, this is kinda implying that they’re idiots who just blindly follow the orders of whomever sounds like their master.

You can make the argument that they’re animals, but they’re POKEMON. They have much higher cognitive reasoning than our world’s animals. The instant their Trainer OFFICER Jenny would order them to rob a bank, they’d probably go “What? That’s not what you taught us to do.”

– Just want to point out that Jessie and James are changing clothes behind the same changing curtain….

– If the effects of helium are lasting this long, they’d all be long since dead.

– Also, why does the helium not affect the Growlithe’s voices?

– Kinda random to specifically order the Growlithe to place Jenny under house arrest. Also, since when does house arrest involve tying someone up?

– Ash: “Uh oh! I know! We’ll use our Pokemon to battle them!” I have a great idea! Let’s do that thing we do to solve basically all of our problems! Ash must’ve caught a bit of Captain-Obvious-itis from Brock.

– I find it VERY hard to believe that they ALL left ALL of their Pokemon back in the room. And if they did, uh, Team Rocket, that’s more ripe for the picking and easier to get than these trained police Pokemon.

– You know, it’s not every day that Ash forgets he has Pikachu….He realizes he left his Pokeballs behind and he’s just not remembering that Pikachu is right there.

– Pikachu jumped down from nowhere to land on Ash’s head. I feel like that was his punishment for dare forgetting Pikachu for even a second.

– Either Jessie does an insanely good Ash impression or the dubbers screwed up and made Ash’s voice come out of Jessie’s mouth before she used the voice modulator.

– Still find it creepy that they have an Ash costume….

– I will admit that Pikachu’s even higher than usual voice is really cute and funny.

– Uh, Pikachu, can you chill the hell out? One or two shocks was enough to deter the Growlithe. You’re just torturing them now. Stop! This is getting hard to watch. They’re not evil Pokemon, they’re innocent police dogs getting tricked. If I want to impose my own twisted views on this, it’s almost like Pikachu is taking out his frustrations with Ash this episode, dinging his ‘lack of bravery’ in comparison to the Growlithe, on the Growlithe….

– What? You’re telling me one shock was enough to put the first team of Growlithe on their backs, but relentlessly shocking them to the point where Pikachu is out of energy and they still are able to get up and fight with little issue? Uh….Huh.

– Oh hey, Jigglypuff. That’s actually a good thing! Jigglypuff can sing, put them all to sleep and the gas will wear off in the meantime, ruining Team Rocket’s plans!

…..What…the shit?….Jigglypuff suddenly got…embarrassed? Self-conscious? And then walked away after one line? One of the few times this pink balloon might actually save the day and it just…..leaves for no reason? This isn’t an untranslatable joke, by the way, this scene is just completely random and makes no sense.

My sentiments exactly, Ash. Also, I love how Misty and Brock look pissed at Jigglypuff in this shot.

– It’s very heartwarming when Growlithe remembers the good times with Jenny and comes to its senses.

– LITTLE. BABY. PUPPY. GROWLITHE. *heart explodes*

– I can understand them having voice modulation options for Jenny and Ash, but why each other?

– Uh, Jenny? You gonna make some noise as you cuddle the pups in your weird little jutting animation? Anything? Awkward silence then? Okay.

– Aw, Ash actually learned a lesson today. It’s not the right lesson, given the context, but it’s a lesson.

– Jenny: “You two recognize what’s in each other’s hearts, and that’s what matters. I’ll try to keep that in mind.” Why are they kinda acting like Jenny made a mistake here? And maybe that’s why the Growlithe were fooled but Pikachu wasn’t? She was practically telling Ash that exact lesson earlier.

– And following up Jigglypuff’s initial pointless confusing cameo is its equally pointless and confusing follow up cameo where the Narrator says ‘Uh oh’ as Jigglypuff finds the voice modulator. Why ‘uh oh’ anyway? What trouble can it cause singing through a voice modulator?

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All in all, I like this episode, but it’s kinda dull, and the conflicts, both with Ash and Team Rocket, don’t make a lot of sense.

If you push that aside, it’s a really average episode with a good Pokemon at the forefront, but it doesn’t really highlight anything that’s special about Growlithe. These particular Growlithe are well-trained and brave, but the conflict makes it seem like they’re not trained well enough because they’re too stupid to visually recognize their Trainer.

Additionally, I would’ve liked more exploration on the police training of the Growlithe at the very least if we weren’t going to focus on what makes Growlithe special. Canine police training is actually very interesting, and I’m disappointed that they didn’t make much of an effort to explore it here outside of doing a mock police chase and running an obstacle course.

Much more effort and thought was put into Team Rocket’s plan this week, and, admittedly, liberties can easily be taken with what I researched, but it’s still far too stupid to think the Growlithe wouldn’t recognize their owner by sight, especially considering that they likely don’t have the visual limitations that real life dogs have.

Next time, it’s the debut of Snap—Todd….Todd Snap? I guess?

….Previous Episode

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Pokemon Episode 48 Analysis – Holy Matrimony!

CotD(s): Jessebelle – A seemingly lady-like southern belle, Jessebelle has been an extreme nag to James his entire life. She is incredibly demanding and controlling to the point where he ran away from home because his parents tried to betroth him to her. Jessebelle bears a striking resemblance to Jessie, which has massively confusing implications.

Reappears?: To my shock and horror, yes. She reappears way down the line in Diamond and Pearl to face off with James yet again.

Pokemon: Vileplume

James’ Parents: Never given actual names, James’ parents are terribly disconnected when it comes to what their son really wants or needs. They believe marrying Jessebelle will make him happy and, like Jessebelle, go to extremes to force him into doing what they want.

Reappear?: Kinda. They appear as a flashback to James’ childhood in the same DP episode Jessebelle makes an actual appearance in.

Pokemon: Technically, they own Growlie, James’ Growlithe.

Growlie (I’m counting him): James’ beloved Growlithe. He is fiercely loyal to his master and will do anything to protect him and make him happy. Likewise, James is incredibly attached to Growlie, which just makes his decision of not bringing Growlie with him to be insanely confusing.

Reappears?: Yes! Growlie makes one more appearance in the aforementioned DP episode where he basically does the same thing he did in this episode.

Pokemon: James.

Plot: Ash notices a Missing poster as they’re traveling and realizes that it’s an old childhood photo of James. As they discuss it, a limo pulls up and a butler emerges asking what they know about the boy in the photo. They admit that they believe it’s James from Team Rocket and, in a fit of excitement, the butler whisks them away in the limo to share the details.

Team Rocket also looks at the poster and decide to follow them, though James is very reluctant to do so.

Ash and the others arrive at a massive mansion, and the butler explains that James’ parents have died that morning. He must find James quickly because he’s their only heir and, per their will, he is entitled to their estate. The catch is, he has to marry a girl named Jessebelle within 24 hours of their passing or the estate will go to charity.

The group mulls over whether they should find James and tell him about his parents. Just as they’re deciding to find him and tell him, Team Rocket literally fall from the sky in front of them. James acts as if he has amnesia and doesn’t remember anything about this family.

Jessie and Meowth, more concerned with money above all else, decide to force James into making an appearance so they can take the money and scram. They don ‘invisible costumes’ and gag James so they can puppeteer him into going along with their plan.

It, shockingly, seems to work, and the butler leads James to his parents’ coffins. Suddenly, his parents emerge from the coffins and explain that they faked their death to lure James out of hiding and force him to marry Jessebelle.

They lead him down to a room where everyone finally gets a look at Jessebelle. To everyone’s shock and horror, Jessebelle looks and sounds exactly like Jessie.

She leads them down to the basement where James’ inheritance supposedly is, but it’s revealed to be some weird torture dungeon. Jessebelle and James’ parents reveal that they knew Jessie and Meowth were there the whole time and they were using their lust for Jame’s inheritance to force him into the dungeon.

Jessebelle subdues James by using her Vileplume’s Stun Spore, which also takes down Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie and Meowth. The butler kicks them out of the mansion while Jessebelle ‘tames’ James.

They hear a ruckus in the massive doghouse and Meowth translates that the dog wants to be let out. They all break the dog, James’ beloved Growlithe, Growlie, out of its doghouse and it rushes to its master’s aid. It manages to save James from Jessebelle and Vileplume and they all lock themselves in the doghouse.

James explains that being betrothed to Jessebelle is what drove him to run away in the first place. She was always incredibly demanding and wanted to change everything about him in order to conform to how the upper class does things. Her views were an extreme version of what he was already getting with his parents – suffocating rules and a complete lack of freedom. When he ran away and lived his own life, he was able to experience true freedom for the first time.

Jessebelle bursts through the wall and blasts Meowth and Jessie off. James and Growlie face off against Jessebelle and Vileplume. With an unnecessary bit of help from Ash and Pikachu, Jessebelle is beaten and runs off.

James tells Growlie that he has to stay at the estate and take care of his parents, but he can’t stick around because he has to live a life with freedom. He bids his old friend a fond farewell and reunites with his friends.

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– “Ash continues his journey with Misty, Brock and their EGGS-elent new companion.” First line of the episode.

First line.

Damn pun.

Damn EGG pun. Please don’t screw around with the egg puns on me. I have bad flashbacks to Egghead from the 1960’s Batman series….People thought Mr. Freeze in Batman and Robin was bad….And I adore the 1960s Batman series, puns included, but Egghead was just….a lot.

– I love how Ash, Misty and Brock give zero shits about being essentially kidnapped. Seriously, they’re drinking tea and everything. Don’t take rides from strangers, kids…..even if they forcibly throw you into the vehicle.

– I have a hard time getting a read on James’ parents in relation to Growlie. They keep him locked up just because Jessebelle doesn’t like him, but they give him a massive legit mansion as a doghouse. They also don’t get rid of him even though Jessebelle hates him and James has been gone for years.

– I get that it’s the joke, but how the hell did Ash and the others not notice the ginormous mansion mere feet next to the ‘doghouse’?

– Time to rip into James’ parents horrible ‘plan.’

First off, the butler says his parents died this morning….This morning. They’re already in coffins when they died this morning. There’s nothing to indicate this is taking place any later than noon, by the way.

Second, do they always have these coffins out just in case they get a bite on their bait? Did their butler call ahead to inform them that they need to get into the coffins and prep the flower arrangement before they arrive?

Third, they’re already making estate disbursements? When they died this morning? Let the bodies cool for god’s sake.

Fourth, this plan was setup horribly. They faked their deaths so they could lure James out, either because of grief or because it would make him believe he had just inherited a ton of money. Makes sense so far. However, the way we got to this point was through a Missing poster that didn’t even have any information on it. All it had was James’ picture.

They were banking on someone seeing the picture, recognizing him enough to realize this kid was James, being there when someone recognizes the poster, ambush them, bring them back to the estate with James in tow for some reason or at least being able to find him quickly, explain the situation, bring James back, and convince him to marry Jessebelle by claiming he has 24 hours to do so or else the estate won’t go to him while simultaneously not getting an annulment or divorce the instant he realizes that they’re alive.

They could’ve just put an announcement out that claimed they had passed away, hoping the message would find James and that would trick him into the marriage.

Would that not be more effective than a single Missing poster on a walking trail in the middle of nowhere?

Fifth, the butler explains that they both died simultaneously shortly after James left because they couldn’t handle the heartbreak? Come on. James may be an idiot, but he seems to be really knowledgeable about his parents. He should never believe that for a second.

Sixth, how long has James been gone? From the flashback, he seems to have run away as a young child, and that would explain why his parents don’t use an updated photo of him, opting instead to use one of him as a young boy. Yet the butler acts like he ran away very recently and the impact of the event was too much for them.

Seventh, there was something else really wrong with this whole plan….What was it?….Oh oh yeah, it’s insanely horrible to fake your death for the sake of luring your son out and forcing him to marry someone he obviously hates. It’s horrible to fake your death period, but that’s a stupid reason above all else.

It’s also slightly disconcerting that James doesn’t seem to care all that much that his parents died. I know they are controlling and abrasive, but still.

As a final note to this, while this won’t be the last weird moment of the episode, it is incredibly odd that 4Kids kept this entire plotline intact. They say ‘passed away’ instead of ‘died’ but that’s not censoring death at all. They show the coffins full out, even the crosses, and they talk about funerals. It’s really weird.

– James mentions Pokemon Tech, which is something else questionable about his past. Pokemon Tech is supposed to be really expensive, and I think he was there at an age where he’d already be away from his parents, so how did he pay for it?

– Pokemon parodying The Dog of Flanders….I never got the reference when I was younger, but now that I’ve seen the movie, this hits a little hard. Also, more death references, what the hell? Not to mention them being cool with referencing a really sad tragedy story, not that most kids in the west would get the reference.

– I love how everyone (Barring Misty and maybe Pikachu) buys the story, though. It’s one of the funnier moments of the series.

– I also like how Ash and the others are so nice to James here. Jessie and Meowth are treating him like a human ATM, but Ash, Misty and Brock want him to be free to choose who he marries and give him the opportunity to say goodbye to his parents.

– Not even Team Rocket should be stupid enough to think those ‘invisible costumes’ should work. If you were always perplexed by the weird black outfits somehow being seen as ‘invisible costumes,’ fear not. You are not alone. This is just one of those things that doesn’t transfer over to American audiences at all. To reference Dogasu’s comparison,

“The outfits they’re wearing are the same outfits that kuroko (黒子) wear. Kuroko are stagehands in traditional Japanese theater – kabuki, Noh, etc. – and wear black from head to toe in order to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Like stagehands in the West, kuroko are meant to be ignored.”

Even with this explanation, they still shouldn’t believe this would work. Ignoring the obvious, Jessie’s bright red hair isn’t even covered. I get that numerous people are surprised that it seems to work, but even little kids should be able to catch on that the people are either incredibly stupid or faking it (it’s the latter).

Let’s be overly generous and say they would work to trick someone – how do you get around the fact that James is clearly gagged right now?

Not to mention that both Jessie and Meowth are talking very loudly to James numerous times. Surely they have to realize that the invisible costumes don’t make it so people nearby only hear them when they’re pretending to be James. Dear god, everything about this ‘joke’ makes no sense. My brain is throbbing with stupid. Is that the point? That we’re supposed to believe these dunderheads are THAT dumb?

– I am really getting annoyed at this butler constantly speaking through a bullhorn for no reason.

– Why the hell do James’ parents know (and partially recite) the Team Rocket motto?

– People always bring up that Jessebelle looks ridiculously like Jessie, but can we also discuss how James’ mother looks quite a bit like Jessie too? It’s not nearly as obvious, but the design similarities are there.

– Team Rocket still believes that they can’t be seen even though the butler is carrying both James and Jessie – one under each arm.

– It’s very obvious, even before she puts the fan down from her face, that Jessebelle looks and sounds like Jessie.

– There’s never any reason given for why Jessebelle spends so much time at the mansion, even when James hasn’t been around in years. Jessebelle calls James’ mom ‘Mother’ Also, her parents are never seen nor do we know her lineage. Also, I already mentioned how James’ mom looks like Jessie, thus she also looks like Jessebelle.

Incest isn’t terribly uncommon among the massively rich folk and royalty is all I’m saying.

– I’ll be honest, I never got what we were supposed to take away from Jessebelle looking and sounding exactly like Jessie – and her having a very similar name on top of that. The Rocketshipper in me wants to believe it’s meant to be because James is attracted to Jessie, but he’s definitely not attracted to Jessebelle so this makes no sense.

Maybe it’s meant to be something along the lines of you can have two people look the same, but their personalities can differ quite a lot, and James is attracted to Jessie’s personality, but I can’t even see how that works.

In a lot of ways, Jessebelle acts exactly like Jessie too. She is extremely loud, violent and selfish. While Jessebelle’s focus is entirely on controlling James, Jessie’s is moreso on stealing Pokemon and getting rich.

Think about it. The only reason James is even in this room right now is because Jessie lassoed him and literally puppeteered him into it all for the sake of mooching off of his inheritance, no matter what he has to say about it.

This episode, given the very ending, has a somewhat heavy hint of Rocketshipping, but if James hates Jessebelle because she’s a loud, bitchy, controlling shrew who doesn’t care what he wants, why are we meant to believe he’d want to be with Jessie when she’s a loud, bitchy, controlling shrew who doesn’t care what he wants and is a physical clone of Jessebelle?

– Another problem with this episode is that Ash, Misty and Brock have no reason to be here. They’re now just commentating on everything they’re watching. Outside of being a moral voice that Jessie and Meowth don’t listen to anyway, they could be completely removed from this episode and nothing would change. Just have Jessie and Meowth find the poster and be kidnapped by the butler.

– That’s another thing – how is this inheritance plan even a thing anymore? James’ parents are alive – he won’t get his inheritance until they die, no matter if he marries Jessebelle or not. Unless Jessie and Meowth are just planning to straight up rob them, this plan lost its footing the instant James’ parents revealed themselves.

– Okay, let me prepare myself….

*inhale*…..*exhale*

WHAT THE UNHOLY HELL IS THIS ROOM!?

I was confused by it when I first watched it and I’m even more confused now. I can’t even bring myself to breakdown and analyze everything in this room. Just…what?!

They act like it’s just a strange gym, and it does have some normal gym equipment, but look at everything else! The spikes, the pendulum of death, the giant spiky mace!

And as if this weird dungeon weren’t suggestive enough, Jessebelle dons a whip and when we pan back to Ash, Misty and Brock, Brock and Misty are visibly uncomfortable and are blushing. What is even happening right now?!

– While the ‘invisible costumes’ were massively stupid, I will give props to James’ parents, the butler and Jessebelle for instantly opting to play along with it because they knew they would force James into the dungeon.

– Ash: *Seeing James being chased by Jessebelle* “Shouldn’t we help him?”

Brock: “Eh, I don’t like to get involved in these family squabbles.” Now you’re actively being inactive. Wow.

– Dexter: “Using the largest flower petals in the world….” Uh, no? Venusaur’s flower petals are way bigger.

– Also, the image of Vileplume in the Pokedex looks absolutely terrible.

– Jessebelle: “Hahahaha, sleepin’ like a baby.” Stun Spore paralyzes you – it doesn’t knock you out. His eyes are clearly open, too.

– I’m not exactly sure why they let Ash and the others watch this whole time. Unlike Team Rocket, their presence was unnecessary, and they were ‘hiding’ the whole time. Besides letting our main characters be a part of what’s going on, they should’ve thrown them out ages ago.

– Even though Ash doesn’t Dex it, he still questions what a Growlithe is when he’s seen one already.

– I love James and Growlie together. It’s nice to see something actually give legit love and affection towards him, and it’s equally nice to see something make James happy and content. It pains me quite a bit that they don’t have it be a mainstay Pokemon of his, but we’ll get to that later.

❤

– I don’t understand. If Growlie ran away with James back then, when and why did they get split up, and why is Growlie still with James’ parents?

– James’ parents are a lot worse the more I think about them. James ran away when he was…eight or so? He’s been missing for nearly ten years, and has been on his own since he was a young child. For all they knew, James was murdered on the street or kidnapped. Yet they don’t seem like ever cared about him the entire time he was gone, and their only intention upon finding him is forcing him into marriage before he’s even turned 18. What selfish, uncaring scumbags.

You’d think, even if they always knew he was alive and well, that ten years of contemplation would make them think ‘Hm, maybe we’re being too strict with James.’ Nope, they just get even worse in their controlling behavior.

– Jessebelle breaks down one of the walls of the doghouse….and that somehow…blasts Meowth and Jessie out of the roof…..???

– Jessebelle: “Vileplume! Stun them to sleep, just like before!” Stun Spore does not induce sleep! For someone who’s had that Vileplume since it was an Oddish ten-some-odd years ago, you suck at knowing what it does. Hint – it can do more than Stun Spore.

– Why does Ash only now feel the need to intervene? Growlie is more than enough of an opponent for a Vileplume, and it ruins Growlie’s heroic moment of defeating Vileplume and Jessebelle. Just had to give Pikachu his spotlight, didn’t you?

– And now the biggest mar on this episode.

Why the hell does Growlie not go with James at the end? They explain it away by having James claim he has to stay there to ‘take care’ of his parents, but that is both cheap and a terrible idea.

Why do his parents ‘need’ him? Certainly they have a bunch of security there, and it’s not like companionship is an issue. They have each other. They’re never even seen interacting with Growlie once. They don’t seem to give much of a crap about him, at least not enough to warrant this.

They don’t really deserve him, either. It’s nice to see that James still cares about his ‘lousy’ parents, no matter what they try to do to him (or what his lack of a response to their passing would indicate) but they’re terrible people.

While I would be hard-pressed to say they likely abuse Growlie, it can be assumed that he’s regularly locked up because of Jessebelle. Speaking of her, Jessebelle will probably do everything in her power to get rid of it. Growlie is one of the only things standing in her way of forcing James into marriage.

He probably wouldn’t have an easy time on the road considering Team Rocket regularly starves and never has a real place to live, but I think he’d sacrifice all that to be with his best friend.

I really like James’ expression here.

Not that I’d particularly like to see Growlie as a bad guy. If anything, Growlie is a symbol of James’ good side. Making him a member of Team Rocket, despite the significant and interesting power shift, would tarnish Growlie’s image.

Still, I at least would’ve liked a better reason as to why he couldn’t go with James. The one they came up with just seems too lazy and nonsensical.

I feel like the writers had this nice backstory laid out for James, knew they wanted him to have a great Pokemon at home to connect with, but couldn’t figure out how to fit that Pokemon into the regular storyline so they agreed to have it be a one-off character. He is reprised later, but, truth be told, while I haven’t seen it, that Diamond and Pearl episode sounds like a massive rehash of this episode.

Hearing Growlie howl as James walks away is heartbreaking. I wish they would’ve done more with this story.

– Why do Jessie and Meowth assume James suddenly changed his mind and married Jessebelle willingly and decided to stay at the estate? He was talking about how miserable Jessebelle and his parents made him as a kid, then they blast off and the next scene they’re in they’re lamenting over James leaving Team Rocket.

– As much as I like the Rocketshipping moment at the end, in hindsight, it seems really disjointed. Jessie goes from being dead set on forcing James into marrying Jessebelle for the sake of leeching off his inheritance to being sad he’s ‘leaving’ for no reason to happy that he’s staying.

Every moment that they wasted on Ash and Co.’s discount pointless recaps and reactions should’ve been spent on making these Team Rocket moments a little better. Have Jessie be at least reluctant to marry James off once they see Jessebelle or have her battle Jessebelle or something. Like I mentioned earlier, Jessie is being as much of a shrill harpy as Jessebelle is this entire episode yet they make the ending sweet Rocketshipping.

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I still really like this episode, and my main fault is really just with the Growlie issue. Everything else is basically a testament to James’ poor upbringing or just bad writing. Jessebelle is a good concept, but they have to make her more different from Jessie in order to have her truly work as a character.

The invisible costume shtick is kinda funny, but you have to be willing to accept that Jessie and Meowth are about ten times stupider than they normally are in order for it to work.

The episode still has a lot of fun moments and jokes, and the animation is higher quality than it normally is. Plus, it’s always nice to get some backstory and insight into our main cast.

One of the reasons the Growlie thing hurts so bad, aside from what I’ve mentioned, is Growlithe is one of my favorite Pokemon. It’s an adorable fiery powerhouse. The fact that we missed out on having one on the main team (and potentially an Arcanine later!) is disappointing to say the least. He could’ve rounded out the animal sidekicks! (Dog→Cat→Mouse) Plus, Growlie got very little screentime as a whole. He appears two-thirds of the way into the episode and is dumped at the end.

Next episode, our introDUCKtion (I’m so sorry) to Farfetch’d – the Pokemon who’s never not a douche.

Previous Episode…

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