Japanese Episode 18

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Japanese Episode 18

Japanese Episode 18: "Aopuruko no Kyuujitsu"

("Holiday at Aopuruko")

Satoshi-tachi are having fun in the sun in the resort town of Aoporuko, and while playing they find a boat and take it for a ride. Unfortunately, they crash the boat (thanks to the Rocket-Dan) and have to take a part-time job to help pay the owner back for the damage done. They work at Ryuu’s restaurant, but the competition from Obaba and the Rocket-Dan aren’t giving Satoshi-tachi much of a chance to earn enough money. Ookido-Hakase and Hanako appear and alert Satoshi-tachi to a Beauty Contest being held on the island. Kasumi enters to win the prize money, and so do Musashi and Kojirou--in an inflatable suit! The contest is eventually interrupted by the Rocket-Dan’s Gyrados sub, but Satoshi-tachi are able to make quick work of Musashi-tachi. Satoshi-tachi leave the resort town as Satoshi says goodbye to his mother.

Thoughts
This was the first of the infamous "Lost Episode." This episode was shown almost at the end of the Orange League episodes in America, so it was shown waaaaaaaaay late. Fans were happy that they were finally able to see this forbidden episode. The whole reason this episode was cut in the first place was because Kojirou’s wearing an inflatable suit that gives him HUGE breasts, and he’s wearing too little for the censor’s tastes. That and the fact that he flaunts them around to tease how much bigger he is than the 12-year old Kasumi. It really is a funny episode--it’s too bad that Kids’ WB! won’t rerun it. I think they showed it twice, and they haven’t shown it since. And it's not like we can buy this episode on video anywhere.What’s the problem? All the objectionable stuff was cut out!

Side Note
When the Rocket-Dan landed on Obaba's beach, I was stunned when I saw...Japanese writing! In very plain sight! Yes, throughout this episode, almost ALL the Japanese writing was kept intact. The sign to Ryuu's restaurant. The sign to Obaba's Beach House. The poster for the beauty contest. The sign for the beauty contest. I was shocked, because up to this point in the dub (the end of the Orange Islands episodes) a great amount of effort was taken to erase every bit of Japanese in the series. I guess this episode was rushed out the door by 4Kids--it was to be the first new episode Americans had had for over six months, and plus it’s a great summertime episode for the June it was originally aired. I think they just wanted something to keep fans hanging in until the end of the Orange League and the beginning of the Jouto League could start.

Dialogue Edit
In the Japanese version, Obaba has a funny little speech pattern--after just about everything she says, she adds a little "–baba" at the end. “I run a beach house –baba. I know who you are –baba,” etc. It’s like Chichiri’s “no da” thing (“y’know” for fans of the dub) in Fushigi Yuugi. It’s a really funny thing that really doesn’t translate well (or if they had tried to, it would have sounded awkward as hell) so 4Kids just didn’t bother.

Paint Edit
Despite all the Japanese writing in this episode, something odd happens in regard to the writing. Nyasu is sabotaging Satoshi's restaurant; first, he takes a fan and spreads Pikachu's and Zenigame's flyers everywhere (with a very bad "FLYers" pun made by Meowth). Then he's pumping oil into the grill so it'd explode in Ryuu's and Pijon's face. But guess what? 4Kids actually erased the word OIL (written in English) and GAS (also in English) from the cans that Nyasu is pumping from! If you slow motion the scene in which Nyasu is pumping, you'll see that the words OIL and GAS appear for a brief second, and then they go away.

So now they're erasing all the English words and keeping all the Japanese ones?! What were these people on when they edited this episode!?

Side Note
Y’know, the part where Nyasu eats a banana and throws it on the ground for Kasumi and Fushigidane to slip on is great. It’s always funny when people slip on banana peels--contrary to popular belief, slipping on banana peels doesn’t JUST happen in cartoons. It happens in real life too. So anytime we can see someone slip on a banana peel is great. I know that’s a really random note for me to make, so I’ll just move on…

Dare da?
The pokemon for "Who's that Pokemon?" isn't Pijon. It's Obaba! But wait...Obaba's not a pokemon! Y'see, at the commercial break, a silhouette of Obaba appears. Then when the commercials return, the “pokemon” was revealed to be Obaba (the kids saying "Obaba!?" are really cute!). Then a bunch of junk is thrown at her, all of which she dodges. She sticks her tongue out and does the "bi da" thing, but then a bathtub falls on her head! I guess she was made the pokemon of the day because of her pokemon-like “–baba” speech pattern. You can see the eyecatch in picture-form here.

It's very funny, but 4Kids left it out. Why? Well, in the original, all the pokemon's pictures are in a box. 99.99% of the time, the pokemon is a still shot. So cutting around a still image and pasting it onto 4Kids' flashy background isn't all that hard. But in this episode, the "pokemon" moves. A lot. There is so much movement inside that little box that trying to cut around her and all the objects would be VERY time-consuming. So they just made Pijon the pokemon of the day.

The thing that's weird is that the commercials for this episode advertised a "new, never-before-seen pokemon." I was guessing that they were referring to Obaba, as she was the "never-before-seen pokemon" of the day, but I guess not. I’m still wondering who the new pokemon was supposed to be.

Pokemon Mis-identification
This is right before the infamous Kojirou scene...when Takeshi is talking about Zenigame's and Starmii's costume. Guess what? In the dub, Brock said that Squirtle was on top of a Staryu, not a Starmie. Seems like 4Kids didn’t learn anything from their mistakes with the first movie…

Cut--34 seconds
And now...the whole reason this episode got cut in the first place...Kojirou's breasts! Yes! Tons of fans were at the edges of their seats, anxious to see this scene on American TV. But much to their dismay, the scene was cut out! I mean really, I think a person would have to be pretty naïve to think that Kids’ WB! would air the scene, unaltered, on an American Saturday morning cartoon block.

Here’s basically what happens in the longest cut in all of Pokemon (outside of the two omitted episodes)--first, Kasumi’s out there, being sprinkled by her Zenigame. Suddenly, we see a huge cartoonish WHACK star as Kasumi’s pushed aside by Musashi and Kojirou. Kojirou’s wearing the infamous suit now. Kasumi is stunned by Kojirou’s appearance, and she asks him what kind of man he is, and he responds by saying that he’s wearing an inflatable suit. He demonstrates its abilities by making his breasts inflate! Then Musashi and Kojirou pose for the audience (trying to look seductive--Kojirou looks hilarious) and then Kojirou starts taunting Kasumi on how “undeveloped” she is (give her a break, she’s only twelve!). The audience is cheering for Musashi and Kojirou, and the scene ends with Takeshi announcing the Rocket-Dan’s pokemon, Dogasu and Arbo. You can see the scene in pictures here. The dub cuts the scene out for various reasons, and alters Brock’s description of Team Rocket’s pokemon to make it seem like Dogasu and Arbo entered the contest on their own.

My question is: if they were going to cut this scene, why didn't they just do so back in 1998 instead of making us wait two years!?

Cut--7 seconds
After Kasumi comments on Takeshi oggling over the girls in the contest, we see Musashi and Kojirou, still in their bathing suits, looking on from backstage. Kojirou basically says something about how he’s much more beautiful than the girls on stage. This scene was cut because it showed Kojirou, but luckily after this scene he takes that suit off and puts some clothes on, so 4Kids doesn’t have to cut anything else out.

Dialogue Edit
Right as the Rocket-Dan’s sub is launching, Musashi says “Hashin-baba!” (“Launch -baba!”). She then corrects herself, noticing that she’s beginning to talk with Obaba-speak. I forget what she says in the dub, but I just thought I’d mention this funny Japanese joke.

Paint Edit
The trophy Ash's mom has was originally given to Hanako, not Ash. Hanako had entered the contest and won, but in the dub Ash gets the trophy for his bravery. Anyway, the kanji on the trophy is erased and replaced with something about Ash being brave. I guess 4Kids did this to explain how Ash and the gang could pay off such a huge debt to Joe, saying that his debt was forgotten because he so bravely fought for everyone. Or maybe they have a problem with Ash’s underwear-obsessed mom winning a bathing suit contest. I dunno, but it’s a weird edit to end the episode with…

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