Ash encounters a trainer that demands he stay away from the nearby Cyndaquil...
Well, this character of the day is an ass. There's not really any backstory, or reason given for why the character is so threatening towards Ash and feels like he can just call dibs on Pokemon. It feels satisfying to see Koji fail by the end, but he's such a punk that I wish he would just get off my screen.
Otherwise, it's nice to bring on a new Pokemon into the crew: Cyndaquil! Naturally, after parting with Charizard not long ago, there is an opening for a fire type, and Cyndaquil gets a few opportunities to show off its fiery potential here. Unlike Chikorita's exuberant, go-getter attitude in battles, Cyndaquil proves to be a lot sleepier and reserved. While he makes short work of Team Rocket's Mecha-Meowth, the battle against Koji's Sandslash involves a lot of dodging on Cyndaquil's part until he decides to heat up and actually fight back.
The Mecha-Meowth is a fun use of Team Rocket's money in this episode. The best part is that we actually get to see their flashbacks of working menial jobs to save up to buy the robot. After having wondered for so long how they afford all their gear, it's now so much funnier to see Team Rocket working fast food shifts to buy overly-complex mechs that get blown up instantly.
I like this episode because of the funny Team Rocket bits, and bringing Cyndaquil onto the team, but it loses marks for an irritating rival of the day.
Well, this character of the day is an ass. There's not really any backstory, or reason given for why the character is so threatening towards Ash and feels like he can just call dibs on Pokemon. It feels satisfying to see Koji fail by the end, but he's such a punk that I wish he would just get off my screen.
Otherwise, it's nice to bring on a new Pokemon into the crew: Cyndaquil! Naturally, after parting with Charizard not long ago, there is an opening for a fire type, and Cyndaquil gets a few opportunities to show off its fiery potential here. Unlike Chikorita's exuberant, go-getter attitude in battles, Cyndaquil proves to be a lot sleepier and reserved. While he makes short work of Team Rocket's Mecha-Meowth, the battle against Koji's Sandslash involves a lot of dodging on Cyndaquil's part until he decides to heat up and actually fight back.
The Mecha-Meowth is a fun use of Team Rocket's money in this episode. The best part is that we actually get to see their flashbacks of working menial jobs to save up to buy the robot. After having wondered for so long how they afford all their gear, it's now so much funnier to see Team Rocket working fast food shifts to buy overly-complex mechs that get blown up instantly.
I like this episode because of the funny Team Rocket bits, and bringing Cyndaquil onto the team, but it loses marks for an irritating rival of the day.
