Pokemon Side Stories

Ok the enjoyment score is high, I'm a pokemon nut and I'm not ashamed. If you're reading a review for chronicles then you probably know what pokemon is and have a good idea about whether or not you'll like it. But here's the clincher; an entire series of pokemon with no ash/satoshi whatsoever! I know, great right? anyway that's why this series earns a respectable seven.

“Old friends! New adventures! Never-before-seen stories from the world of Pokémon!” I honestly don't know what to think of Pokémon Chronicles. It's a great idea to have side-stories on secondary characters that we don't get in the main series, and it would've been nice if they had kept this going in later seasons. However, what was good about the series tended to be overshadowed a bit by the bad, and that nearly ruins Chronicles for me. Maybe it's because I expected a little more out of it because it wasn't part of the main series, but the thing about Pokémon as a whole is it's not the best idea to have “high hopes”. After all, I'm not the target demographic (though I think it's safe to say no one here is), what I personally would like to see is not something that could fly in a franchise geared towards children, or at least not fly the way I want. I've come to consider Chronicles as the “awkward tween” of the Pokémon series, and I say that because it seems to appeal to a specific group of fans without getting out of its “kiddy”, or “advertising” stage in this case. It wants to fit in, but it doesn't know where, let alone how to balance it out. A better way to describe it is this is a “testing the waters” entry, to see if a well-known show like Pokémon can still stand on its own without its name and face, Ash Ketchum (and Pikachu), being the main focus. Luckily it does, but not without its problems—most of which get fixed in future specials. Story (6): It's hard to pin-point what the “story” is for Chronicles as not all of it is connected. Sure, there are recurring characters, but each episode deals with a different adventure, or conflict that needs to be solved. For instance, in one episode, you may have Brock fighting with his mother for the rights to the gym, while in another, you got Misty wanting to get new gym badges from a cranky old guy who makes her and her two companions with her work for them. And then in another batch, you may have the recurring villains kidnapping Professor Oak for information on PokéRus, and in the next episode, Ritchie's going back in time to help save an old Pokémon Center. So Chronicles is a little unique in that you can technically watch any of these episodes out-of-order because, well, they're side-stories. You can pick any episode, and you have an equal chance of liking it, or disliking it. Unfortunately, some of these stories sometimes fell short of the potential they set up in the beginning. Some of the better-received episodes are “A Family That Battles Together, Stays Together” and the three-parter “Legend of Thunder”, and possibly “Training Daze” for delving more into the Team Rocket trio's past (although I feel like that one retconned something or whatnot), and one could consider those the highlight of the series. Others like “A Date with Delcatty” and “Those Darn Electabuzz!” weren't so well-liked due to being boring or a missed opportunity, although there's a fan for any episode. Art/Animation (7): As Chronicles was most likely in development when Pokémon moved to digital, and it debuted alongside the beginnings of Advanced Generation, the animation and digital coloring thus reflects the same style as Advanced Generation. Colors are bright and lines are clean with the animation quality being the same as that from the show, though in some areas, it's reminiscent of Mewtwo Returns' animation (which was a TV movie/special, so slightly higher production quality). The best-looking Chronicles had gotten was “Legend of Thunder”, although that's not really saying much, to be honest. It's fair for its time, but it's nothing special. Sound (5): Just getting this out of the way that I watched Chronicles dubbed. I'm sure subs exist, I just can't find them, so all comments on the voice-acting is all on the English dub. (I typically watch Pokémon dubbed anyway, just a personal preference.) With that said, the dub is just awful here, and it's distracting. It's odd how 4KIDS slipped on this one—it's probably understandable given the circumstances at the time (this was dubbed just as 4KIDS' contract was expiring, so it may not have been them at all who did the scripts and voice-directing), but the script was terrible—whether it was directly translated or not—to the point it didn't feel like 4KIDS. Even the voice-acting was a step down from the main series, with some awkward line readings and lack of passion in some areas, although this is probably a more personal issue as there were times where I got uncomfortable with Rachael Lillis' voice, and Mike Pollock as the narrator just didn't sound that great. (He's a great voice actor regardless, being Pokémon's temporary narrator just wasn't his brightest highlight.) Cassidy had a new voice actress for this series, Andi Whaley, and while she's not that bad, she's no Megan Hollingshead. Kerry Williams as Casey had to have been the worst voice-acting in the show (not counting tertiary characters). I'm sure she's okay when properly directed and casted, but I never found her charming as Casey even in the main series, so whoever did the voice-directing had to have brought out her worst here. The soundtrack comes mostly from the 4KIDS archive, ranging anywhere from the movie soundtracks to those from Totally Pokémon or 2.B.A. Master. I'm sure music from the original soundtrack still remains like the main series, but they don't stick out to me as much, interestingly enough. The theme kicking off the series is “Pokérap GS”, but mainly the “P-O-K-E-M-O-N (Party!)” and “Gotta catch 'em all!” portions with Mike Pollock giving a very, very brief tagline as to what Chronicles is. It's short, but it's... kind of cringe-worthy to watch and listen to. But damn that beat, I fight to keep from bobbing my head to it every single time. Characters (7): I cannot deny that Chronicles was a fresh entry to the Pokémon anime (even if the debate of it being canon or not seems to be a thing in the fandom), and part of that freshness is because Ash isn't the main character. His absence didn't take away from the rest of the cast that were featured, giving them a chance to stand on their own, and that's part of its charm. One-shot characters do exist in this series, however, Chronicles is more like a reunion than anything. Some of them had more screentime than others (whether they really needed it or not), but while some of them I personally never cared for even if they have pleased other people, it's clear the characters are who carried the series along more than anything. Then there's the factor on whether-or-not the characters had some kind of development—something Pokémon's not really known for. In some areas they appear to have character development (although this is rather subjective), but most of the time they were the same as when we first met them. Brock, Misty, and Tracey, for example, got a little more to their character in this series (yet this does depend on the episode they're featured in), but they're still the same Brock, Misty, and Tracey from when we last saw them in the main series. Ritchie and Casey were the worst offenders in not changing at all, but this is not counting Butch and Cassidy who were actually regressed as characters to fit Jessie, James and Meowth's roles—despite the trio being in the series as well. To be frank, I doubt anyone really “grew” in this series, and I'm not sure if that was really a good thing or not considering the series is more-or-less a fanservice show. Considering just about every single recurring character here has at least one fan somewhere in the world, it's safe to say that liking or disliking a character is purely based on personal preference, and there really is something for every Pokémon fan. If all one really cared about was just seeing so-and-so again, that's fine, and was probably the objective of that episode all along. Enjoyment (6): It was tiring to watch, I'm not going to lie. I love Pokémon, I really do, but this felt more li…

Pokemon is more or less the same with Ash doing the same thing over and over again, getting 8 gym badges and losing the pokemon league just to do the same thing in every new region. I can't complain too much because really Pokemon is just to show what your favorite pokemon does in the wild. But this show is something I really like, it shows what the more memorable characters like Misty who left after Johto, Richie and a few new faces. I guess maybe it was that it was the same Pokemon formula just in a different setting and maybe if was just that fact that it was what the pokemon anime could have been for that stuck with me but I really do recommend this to any fan of the pokemon anime.

If you like Pokemon, you’re bound to like this on some level. The episodes focus on either Pokemon (like the Pichu brothers and their friends in the Big City), or Misty, Brock, Tracey, Ritchie, Cassidy & Butch, to name a few. As in the original series, there are stronger and weaker episodes. Especially the “Legend of Thunder” trilogy was a strong start. The art was pretty good, the sounds and stories the usual Pokemon-style and quality you might expect. It was a nice, refreshing change to turn the focus onto other trainers for a bit (plus they had some important tie-in stories there as well, linking back to the events in the original series).

Episodes that are hard to find, but ultimately nothing special. I personally had a really hard time finding these episodes. In some cases, I had to watch them with Japanese subtitles simply because I couldn't find more accessible or dubbed versions. That ended up wearing me out a bit before I could even enjoy the content. When you have to put in so much effort to find episodes that are, theoretically, just side stories, you end up expecting to find something special in the end. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Pokémon Side Stories collects episodes that stray a bit from the main storyline and put other characters in the spotlight. The idea is interesting, mainly because it allows for the exploration of characters who usually stay in the background while Ash is traveling. I don't think Ash's absence is a problem in itself; in fact, I find it interesting when the franchise tries to expand its universe this way. The problem is that, for me, these stories simply didn't have enough substance to justify the trouble I went through to find them. I’d describe these episodes as "cute" or "mildly entertaining." There were moments I enjoyed; I found certain situations interesting and liked seeing familiar characters take on different roles. One example is Gary appearing as a sort of "new professor", something I found interesting precisely because it showed character growth and a role different from the one he held previously. It’s cool to follow that kind of change, even if it is quite simple. The issue is that almost everything stops there: interesting, but nothing more. I would watch an episode and enjoy a few moments, but I rarely finished thinking I had seen something truly important or memorable. Many of them feel like supplementary stories that exist more to fill space and show a bit more of that universe than to tell a story that really makes a difference. I also think the format plays a part in this. Since they are side stories, there is more freedom to play around with different characters and situations, but at the same time, this makes many of the episodes feel completely disposable. You watch, have fun for those few minutes, and soon after, you don't feel much of a need to remember what happened. And perhaps that was the biggest issue I had with this collection: the experience didn't feel worth the effort. After searching high and low for the episodes, even having to resort to Japanese subtitles, I expected to feel like I’d discovered something special within the franchise. In the end, I found stories that were, at best, average. I don't think they’re bad episodes. Some manage to be entertaining, and there are certainly people who will really enjoy seeing different characters get more screen time. For die-hard Pokémon fans who want to consume absolutely everything related to the franchise, there is likely some value in experiencing these stories. But for me, watching them was more about filling in the gaps than truly enjoying a memorable experience. Overall, I had fun at times, but I was also bored at others. It was a fairly neutral experience, the kind that likely won't stick in my memory for long. After all the trouble I went to just to find these episodes, I expected a bit more of a payoff. Ultimately, these are episodes I don't regret watching, but also ones I wouldn't go out of my way to watch again. Raiting: 5/10. =================================================================================================================Versão em Português===================================== Episódios difíceis de achar, mas que no fim não são nada demais. Eu particularmente tive bastante dificuldade para encontrar esses episódios. Em alguns casos, precisei assistir com legenda em japonês, simplesmente porque não encontrei versões mais acessíveis ou dubladas. E isso acabou me cansando um pouco antes mesmo de conseguir aproveitar o conteúdo. Quando você precisa fazer todo esse esforço para encontrar episódios que, teoricamente, são apenas histórias secundárias, acaba criando uma expectativa de que vai encontrar alguma coisa especial no final. Infelizmente, não foi o que aconteceu. Pokémon Side Stories reúne episódios que fogem um pouco da história principal e colocam outros personagens em destaque. A ideia é interessante, principalmente porque permite explorar personagens que normalmente ficam em segundo plano enquanto Ash está viajando. Não acho que a ausência do Ash seja um problema por si só, inclusive considero interessante quando a franquia tenta expandir seu universo dessa maneira. O problema é que, para mim, essas histórias simplesmente não tiveram força suficiente para justificar toda a dificuldade que tive para encontrá-las. São episódios que eu definiria como "divertidinhos". Em alguns momentos eu me diverti, achei certas situações interessantes e gostei de ver personagens conhecidos assumindo papéis diferentes. Um exemplo é o Gary aparecendo como uma espécie de "novo professor", algo que achei interessante justamente por mostrar uma evolução no personagem e uma função diferente daquela que ele tinha anteriormente. É legal acompanhar esse tipo de mudança, mesmo que seja algo bem simples. O problema é que quase tudo acaba ficando nisso: interessante, mas nada além disso. Eu assistia a um episódio e conseguia aproveitar alguns momentos, mas dificilmente terminava pensando que tinha visto algo realmente importante ou memorável. Muitos deles passam a sensação de serem histórias complementares que existem mais para preencher espaço e mostrar um pouco mais daquele universo do que para contar algo que realmente faça diferença. Também acho que o formato contribui para isso. Como são histórias paralelas, existe uma liberdade maior para brincar com personagens e situações diferentes, mas, ao mesmo tempo, isso faz com que vários episódios pareçam completamente descartáveis. Você assiste, se diverte durante aqueles minutos e logo depois já não sente tanta necessidade de lembrar do que aconteceu. E talvez esse seja o maior problema que tive com essa coletânea: o custo-benefício da experiência não pareceu valer a pena. Depois de tanto procurar pelos episódios e até precisar recorrer a legendas em japonês, eu esperava sentir que tinha encontrado algum material especial da franquia. No final, encontrei histórias que são, no máximo, medianas. Não acho que sejam episódios ruins. Alguns conseguem ser divertidos e certamente existem pessoas que vão gostar bastante de ver personagens diferentes recebendo mais atenção. Para quem é muito fã de Pokémon e quer consumir absolutamente tudo relacionado à franquia, provavelmente existe algum valor em conhecer essas histórias. Mas, para mim, assistir foi mais uma questão de completar o que faltava do que de realmente aproveitar uma experiência marcante. No geral, eu me diverti em alguns momentos, mas também me chatiei em outros. Foi uma experiência bastante neutra, que dificilmente vai permanecer na minha memória por muito tempo. Depois de todo o trabalho para encontrar esses episódios, esperava um retorno um pouco maior. No fim, são episódios que não me arrependo de ter assistido, mas que também não faria questão de rever. Nota: 5/10.