Japanese Episode 19

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Japanese Episode 19

Japanese Episode 19: "Menokurage Dokukurage"

(“Menkurage Dokukurage”)

Satoshi-tachi have missed the ferry to the next town, so they have a few hours to kill. While waiting around the port, Kasumi catches a Tattsu and nurses it back to health. Meanwhile, Obaba’s plans to build a hotel in the middle of the ocean are being thwarted by the Menokurage who live there, so she employs the aid of the town’s citizens to exterminate the jellyfish pokemon. The Rocket-Dan lend their aid, and in the process accidentally make one of the Dokukurage grow to be a giant! The Dokukurage and a bunch of Menokurage start attacking the town because the humans don't respect the ocean, but Pikachu and Kasumi convince the pokemon to stop their rampage. The jellyfish pokemon cease their destruction, saying that if humans disrespect the ocean again, they will return and finish what they’ve started. Satoshi-tachi are relieved as they get on the ferry to their next stop.

Thoughts
I like this episode a lot, but I don’t know why. Luckily for 4Kids, this episode doesn’t really depend on the viewer having seen the previous episode, so for two years fans could watch this episode without knowing that they’d miss the one before this.

Anyway, like I said before, I really don’t know why I like this episode. Maybe because Tattsu’s so cute (it’s sooo much cuter in the Japanese version). That and the final scene, where Kasumi’s ripping off Satoshi’s pose--that’s a great scene. Before I get on to the edits, I’d like to mention the deal with Obaba’s name--you’ll notice that in this episode and the last one, the little old ladies who look the same, while being two different people (I think it’s stated that they’re cousins) are both named Obaba. In addition, they both have the same Japanese seiyuu (Sakamoto Chika), and I’m pretty sure they have the same American voice actor. In the dub, they have two different names--Brutella and Nastina. I’m sure 4Kids gave them two different names to not confuse the viewers, so I won’t fault 4Kids on that. It’s pretty confusing in the Japanese version.

The episode is currently "banned" by Kids' WB! because of the scenes regarding the buildings being demolished. It seems that Kids' WB! doesn't feel that enough time has passed since September 11th to air the episode again. Unfortunately, this episode isn't the only one that Kids' WB! deems insensitive...

Dokukurage keeps its Japanese voice when it’s not talking through Nyasu.

Paint Edit
The kanji on the fans of Obaba’s very effeminate and scantily-clad men is removed every time they appear (whenever Nastina says “Isn’t Nastina generous!?”). They break out the fans three times this episode, and each time 4Kids paints out the kanji. But the big question is: does anyone else wonder why Obaba has a bunch of almost-naked men hanging around her home? Maybe it's a joke alluding to the fact that Obaba's seiyuu is also the seiyuu of Nuriko from Fushigi Yuugi (and if you've seen past Episode 5 or 6, you can figure where the effeminate men come in to play)? Who knows?

Dialogue Edit
4Kids did a bit of a rewrite here--it’s when the Rocket-Dan first see Obaba:

Jessie: “Look at that hair!”
James: “Disaster!”
Nastina: *blasts Team Rocket with her cannon* “I don’t need your beauty tips!”

The dialogue originally has Musashi and Kojirou asking if she’s the Obaba from Aoporuko, and apparently she’s insulted by being mistaken for her relative. This reference to the previous episode was obviously changed so as to not confuse fans who had only seen the dub and had therefore missed the previous episode.

Paint Edit
The barrel of the liquid the Rocket-Dan plan to use to get all the Menokurage has the kanji for tokuyou (“economical”) on the middle. 4Kids replaces it with a picture of a Tentacool with a red cross-out sign (I don't know what they're called...it's the red circle with a bar going down the diameter that's used in "No Smoking" signs).

Also, since it’s in the same scene, I’ll list it here--the part that shows Kojirou selling the Menokurage has a lot of signs, all with Japanese writing on it. The top and bottom banners say sonomono, and the left and right banners say kurage (“jellyfish”). In the dub, the text on the top banner is replaced with TENTACOOL, the one on the left is replaced with a Team Rocket R, the bottom one is replaced with three pictures of three Tentacool, and the one on the right is simply wiped clean. You can tell 4Kids painted that in because it looks really crappy and half-assed.

Dare Da?
The pokemon for the “Who’s that Pokemon?” segment is the same, but 4Kids uses a different picture of Tattsu--the Japanese one has it curled up a little bit and there are a few bubbles above its head, while the American one is just the standard promotional artwork of Horsea.

Dialogue Edit
Hmm…this one caught me off guard…they call Tentacruel “The Gangster of the Sea.” I thought “gangster” was a no-no word, but I guess not. And if it’s OK, then why are the Rocket-Gang still being called “Team Rocket!?”

Dialogue Edit
When Tentacruel is talking through Meowth, his voice does that weird Giovanni thing. In the Japanese version, Nyasu’s voice just echoes, like he’s talking in an empty gymnasium or something. A minor change I just felt like mentioning.

Dialogue Edit
Misty makes this little slip-up:

Misty: “That’s exactly what Horsea was trying to tell us! I should’ve understood what he was trying to say. And I call myself a water pokemon trainer…”

Misty accidentally called Horsea a “he.” 4Kids had been doing a good job of keeping the pokemon’s gender ambiguous, because pokemon aren’t supposed to have genders until Jouto (unless it’s an exception, like the Pink Butterfrii two episodes from now). I think this is the first “gender slip-up” in the series, but to 4Kids’ credit it doesn’t happen too often.

Paint Edit
Right before Obaba lands on Obaba’s Beach House (the one she’s rebuilding because it got destroyed in the last episode), we see Ryuu’s restaurant. Well the sign with all the kanji on it (the same sign that was left as-is in the previous episode) is painted off the roof by 4Kids, as is the “closed” sign on the door. So now it just looks like a standard house. I suppose if 4Kids hadn’t been rushing the last episode, they’d taken the sign off throughout the entire episode.

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