The Best of the Indigo League

Hello there my ceiling fans, if I have any. In this episode’s post I will be talking about the original season of Pokemon. Instead of an analysis, this will be more of an appreciation post. That being said, I’m expecting this to be a bit short compared to other posts. Out of nowhere, while watching clips on Youtube of Pokemon, I got got reinterested in it and lo and behold, Pokemon TV is posting up all their episodes season by season on Youtube. Pokemon was my first ever big show that I got into by myself and I remember watching it after school in the fall of 98 way back when I was in 1st grade. I’ve come to realize that it always be a part of me because it had a such a huge impact on me as a kid. That being said, let’s dive in and talk about the best moments from the first 80 episodes of the Pokemon anime.

Right from the start, the 1st ever episode of Pokemon is an absolute classic. It’s the first time Ash and Pikachu meet and it’s crazy that at first Pikachu disliked Ash. You wouldn’t know it by the way their bond has evolved by the end of the season. The first episode is iconic because it introduces the music that plays when Ash is being chased by the Spearows and then the music that plays when he starts biking in the rain. The music and the scenes together are intense and dramatic especially when Ash makes a sacrifice for Pikachu and then Pikachu lets off that gigantic lightning bolt. Rewatching it again, I got really emotional when Ash looked down at his injured Pikachu, his eyes all teary after Pikachu licks him. Man did that bring back memories and hardcore nostalgia. The first season theme song is a downright certified platinum hit song all on it’s own and has deservedly cemented itself into pop culture and Western society. To this day, people still sing it. The first 5 episodes of Pokemon are instant classics because they introduce Misty, Team Rocket, Ash catches Caterpie and Pidgeotto, and Caterpie evolves into Metapod and then into Butterfree. And let’s not forget Brock’s introduction as well. He sure wasn’t playing around with Onix and showed Ash exactly what to expect in a Gym Leader battle.

The next three iconic episodes is the trio of episodes introducing Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. And then only two episodes after that is Ash’s confrontation with Gym Leader Lt. Surge of Vermillion City for the Thunder Badge. This episode left a big impact on me as a kid because I did remember Raichu totally throttling and beating the crap out of Pikachu. I feel like from Episodes 1-23, they all had connective tissue, like one big mini-story within the story. This is especially true when Ash, Misty, and Brock board the St.Anne from Vermillion City and then get shipwrecked. Stranded out at sea, the trio and Team Rocket are attacked by a Gyarados that evolved from an abandoned Magikarp owned by James which uses Dragon Rage and flings them all onto an island of giant Pokemon. The Gyarados introduction is badass and extremely impressionable. The Island of Giant Pokemon episode is cool because we see the Pokemon communicating with each other without their masters for the first time and subtitles show what they are saying. There was just something special about the original episdoes. I think part of this is because we see concepts for the first time and the animation. The stretch of episodes from 14-23 will always be my favourite I think. The mini story continues with the Tentacool and Tentacruel episode, the Ghost of Maiden’s Peak which I really like the tone of, and then it gets sad with Bye Bye Butterfree. That’s also another emotional moment. It was Ash’s first Pokemon and the music they played, it’s enough to make any kid cry. The next little mini arc (still part of the sub-arc I’m talking about) is Ash’s confrontation with Saffron City Gym Leader Sabrina. From Raichu to Kadabra, these stretch of episodes are just top-tier. Sabrina brings the dark tones into the show by psychically shrinking the trio into dolls and almost rolling them over with a ball. The creepiest episodes of the season by far. The sub-arc ends with the ghost episodes when Ash goes to Lavender Town to obtain a Ghost Pokemon to beat Sabrina. There we see Ghastly, Haunter, and Gengar.

Ash catches his 7th Pokemon and Butterfree’s replacement, Primeape. That was sure an impressionable episode and he earns his Rainbow Badge from Erika the Celadon City Gym Leader. A few more episodes happen and Ash releases Primeape and catches a Muk. One episode later, Jessie and James’ Pokemon Ekans and Koffing evolve into Arbok and Weezing in an episdoe featuring Diglett and Dugtrio. Ash earns his Soul Badge from Koga the Fuschia City Gym Leader one episode later. Some episodes later, every kid gets a scare when they think Ash almost leaves Pikachu after Pikachu meets other Pikachus in the forest. In episode 40, the second of Ash’s Pokemon evolves and it’s Charmander into Charmeleon. Man was I in love with guy, I remember I had his toy as a kid and I just loved the redness of it. Too bad it got lost. A couple of episodes later and we meet Jigglypuff. Then one episode later, one of season 1’s best episodes ever, Attack of the Prehistoric Pokemon. A great milestone of an episode because not only do we meet Aerodactyl but it’s the episode when Charmeleon evolved into freaking Charizard- Ash’s most powerhouse Pokemon.

Then, it’s not until episode 54 where Ash confronts Blaine, the Cinnabar Island Gym Leader for a Volcano Badge. EASILY the best battle in the season, it’s Charizard vs Magmar, doi. Fire Blasts, lava everywhere, Seismic Tosses? It’s a popcorn episode for sure. The Battle of the Badge is cool I guess only because Ash gets his final badge he needs for the Indigo League, the Earth Badge. The Pi-Kahuna is a cool episode. Go West Young Meowth and Master the Onixpected are both cool because the former reveals the revelation of how and why Meowth began talking like a human and the latter because of the huge bad-ass Onix in it. The Ancient Puzzle of Pokemopolis is a good episode for touching on Pokemon history.

And then it’s the final stretch of episodes which take place at the Indigo League on the Indigo Plateau. Misty and Brock think Ash made it through the first 4 rounds on luck but I certainly saw skill and quick-thinking. He used his smarts with Squirtle vs Nidorino on the rock field, certainly owned Exeggutor and Golbat with Krabby who evolved into Kingler in the water field, made a smart choice with Muk against Bellsprout on the grass field, but maybe did get lucky with Pikachu vs Arcanine on the ice field. Even so, he made it through to face off against his newfound friend Ritchie but because Team Rocket sabotaged Ash, he lost. Good ol Ash took it humbly though and like a good sport. We got to see Moltres oh and I forogt to mention Ash’s sighting of Ho-Oh in the very first episode. The very final episode of the first season is Pallet Party Panic. You might think the highlight of the episode is the party but it’s very much Pidgeotto evolving into Pidgeot and taking on Fearow. The very same Spearow that Ash hit on the head with a rock in the first episode.

As you all know, one episode that aired became banned and that is Holiday Hi-Jinx. I’m sure you know the reasons why. Without it there are 79 episodes but you can actually still find it on Pokeflix. The three actually banned and unaired episodes are Beauty and the Beach, The Legend of Dratini, and Cyber-Soldier Porygon. Just look it up. Well my friends, that is all for my appreciation of the Indigo League. Stay tuned for the Orange Islands.