Champion's Edition

Pokémon: Season 1 - Indigo League Blu-ray Review

This set doesn't catch 'em all.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman, December 12, 2017

For those who think the Pokémon phenomenon is a relatively recently one, think again. Sure, the series has recently seen a spike in awareness and mainstream appeal thanks to parent company Nintendo'smobile game, but the franchise has been a mainstay of the handheld gaming universe for decades, dating all the way back to the original GameBoy and on through a number of releases for the company's ever-popular handheld systems, up to and including the current 3DS (with many sales driven by the barrage ofreleases). The series has even spun off into adventure and fighting games rather than the RPG-style exploration and Pokémon battle system that is the franchise's bread-and-butter. It's also spawned movies , manga, and merchandise the world over. It's a major brand, here to stay, and for fans of the game who haven't ventured far beyond the series' digital roots,is a fun 83(!) episode series that explores the burgeoning relationship between a trainer and his Pokémon and the adventures that follow. Well, it follows that story here as much as Viz will allow, which isn't anywhere near complete.. Ha! No way, no how, not on this Blu-ray.Ash Ketchum has finally reached his tenth birthday, and that means one things: he's old enough to get his own Pokémon. He has long dreamed of becoming a successful trainer, of nurturing a Pokémon, honing his skills, and achieving greatness. He's so into the idea that he breaks his alarm clock in his sleep, unsurprisingly oversleeps, and misses his opportunity to snag a Pokémon from Professor Oak. All of the usual starter Pokémon are gone, but Oak, not wanting to break the boy's heart, cautiously agrees to give Ash a small yellow Pokémon named Pikachu. Pikachu is not like other Pokémon. He's more rebellious, unwilling to stay in his Poké Ball, and behaves in a generally uncooperative, even antagonistic, manner. Ash has to literally drag his mousy new companion back home, but along the way Ash finds himself in his first Pokémon battle. Pikachu is gravely wounded, gradually recovers, and the two finally begin to bond. As their story develops, their bond deepens, and their adventures unfold, they find themselves new friends, like Misty and Brock, and new enemies, like the villainous Team Rocket.goes on for a sprawling 85 episodes...but not here. Viz's release stops with the episode "The Breeding Center Secret." That's episode 59 in Japan, 57 in the west. And that's also only episode 52 in this set. The following episodes are missing: "Beauty and the Beach," "The Legend of Miniryu," "Cyber Soldier Porygon," "Holiday Hi-Jynx," "Snow Way Out," "Princess vs. Princess," "The Purr-fect Hero," and "The Case of the K-9 Caper!". Granted, some of these episodes were seen as too controversial to air in the west, and one, "Cyber Soldier Porygon," was notoriously removed from circulation for causing seizures in several young viewers in Japan. Though the episode should have merely been edited to alter the problematic flickering and flashing and restored for viewing, its absence is at least understandable in a broader historical and medical context. Considering everything else, and not to mention the dozens of episodes missing from the season's second half, this a seriouslyrelease. It's a shame, because the show is well made and thoroughly enjoyable.Sprawling though it may be and overstuffed with commercial interludes and rap songs, the show is otherwise tight and tidy. Stories expand the universe and characters and progress a larger narrative forward but often tell self contained tales. The show captures the charm, essence, and core battle mechanics of the game but expands on them all significantly, with much more action and movement as opposed to the more static battle screens that stand as the game's bread-and-butter presentation. Fans of the series -- whether they have played one game, a few, or have lived and breathed Satoshi Tajiri's games and have played and conquered them all -- will find this show a refreshing and enjoyable escape that faithfully builds the world with plenty of humor and action but a surprising amount of depth and heart as well. It's incredibly well balanced from beginning to end, and even if there are bits and pieces missing and then an entire chunk at the end (hopefully Viz will release a "part 2" as they have with thereleases), what's here holds together well and will leave the audience wanting more.