Japanese Episode 14

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Japanese Episode 14

Japanese Episode 14: "Dengeki Taiketsu! Kuchiba JIMU"

(“Electric Showdown! Kuchiba Gym“)

After many trials and tribulations, the gang finally arrives in Kuchiba City! The first order of business--get something to eat! After everyone rests up, Satoshi challenges the Kuchiba Gym Leader, Machisu, to a battle. Satoshi’s Pikachu loses to Machisu’s Raichu, and has to be sent to the Pokemon Center. While it’s healing, the Joi of the Kuchiba City Pokemon Center offers Satoshi a Thunder Stone, which he could use to evolve Pikachu into a Raichu. Satoshi can’t decide what to do, so he lets Pikachu decide whether or not it wants to evolve--and it refuses. Takeshi comes up with a new strategy for Pikachu to use, so Satoshi-tachi go to the gym full of confidence (and who wouldn’t having the Rocket-Dan cheering you on?). The rematch commences, and Satoshi’s Pikachu uses its speed and agility to defeat the Raichu. After a well-earned victory, Satoshi earns his third Gym Leader Badge.

Thoughts
I like this episode a whole lot. For one thing, we finally get to see Satoshi win by using SKILL, rather than dumb luck. In addition, Machisu (pronounced like “Match-eesh”) is a really funny character in the Japanese version because he speaks English a lot. Literally half of what he says in the Japanese version is in English (he is the “Lightning American” after all) and it’s just so great sounding. Because of this, 4Kids didn’t have to change much of what he said, so that’s always a good thing. The only real shame about this episode is that there is so much electricity flying around that the people in Japan had to significantly slow down large portions to adhere to the guidelines placed after the Episode 38 fiasco.

Raichu keeps its Japanese voice.

Paint Edit
Now you know the big sign at the beginning of the episode didn’t really say “Vermilion City” in English letters. Of course not. Originally, it said Youkoso Kuchiba SHITI e, or “Welcome to Kuchiba City.”

Side Note
Both Machisu and Lt. Surge call people who lose to them “baby.” Machisu even says it in English! Isn’t that neat? No? OK!

Also, I have to wonder why everyone in the gym is just standing around when Satoshi arrives. I mean, do they just stand there all day, in the dark, waiting for challengers to enter the building? I mean, with Takeshi it sorta kinda made sense (“steady as a rock”), but with most normal people it doesn’t. That just struck me as odd…

Dialogue Edit
Now you know we couldn’t get through the electric gym episode without one of these puns:

Lt. Surge: “Oh well…I guess you’ll learn that playin’ wit the big boys can be a shocking experience!”

Hahahahaha…shocking...hahahaha...where do you come up with this stuff?

Music Edit
I wanted to mention the music during the whole hospital scene, when Pikachu refuses to evolve into a Raichu (a very important scene to the series as a whole, I might add). From the return from the commercial break until the Satoshi and Pikachu walk out of the Pokemon Center, except for the part when Satoshi’s holding the Thunder Stone, there is no music. None. It really heightens the tension of the scene, and 4Kids ruins it by playing a bunch of filler music. It really trivializes one of the most important decisions in the series to a small nothing decision, and that's a real shame.

Rocket-Dan
The Rocket-Dan’s little cheer to Satoshi-tachi, in Japanese, is quite simple. Here it goes:

“Pikachuu!
Pikachuu!
Ganbare! Ganbare!
Pikachuu!”

Ganbare means “good luck” (you should know that from the first episode comparison -_^) so you can figure out what the cheer means. The American one’s not bad, just a bit longer.

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