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Pikachu is Born! (1090)

AuraChannelerChris

Easygoing Luxray.
And now I have started watching the series proper. On Netflix, who claims it is as an original Netflix series (what the f-?!)

I like (dislike) how this episode doesn't elaborate much on Pikachu's actual backstory like who were his parents or why he suddenly detests being captured when he was such a nice and curious Pichu. Instead, it decides to use a random Kangaskhan and her baby as his adoptive family before Pichu becomes too heavy to carry around in her pouch (what the f-?!) so he leaves them behind without even saying a word. Yeah, teach kids that leaving people behind without a word is such a genius and touching move. That never ends well.

Young Goh sounded awful half the time whenever he got excited. Young Chloe was amazing in comparison, though. Young Ash was actually not that bad to listen to...shame he sounds worse with age.

So what kind of appointment did Delia do? This is the real mystery of the episode.

I'm surprised Young Ash was turned away from the lab despite rushing over there...or the fact Young Gary never attended the camp.

Flashforward 15,000 episodes anime time and we're back to canon, quickly brushing off the fact Ash had multiple regions of adventure. Good luck in Galar, Ash. Surely this series will take place there in its entirety.
 

LilligantLewis

Bonnie stan
who claims it is as an original Netflix series (what the f-?!

Netflix original just means the version of the show available on Netflix is original to Netflix. For example, if you watch Sun and Moon on Netflix, it won't say Netflix original because it originally aired on Disney XD. Whereas for this series, the first available location for this version of the show is Netflix. It's not unique to Journeys, every dubbed Netflix show, not just animated shows but live action too, and from various languages as well, has been called a Netflix original for like a decade. It's because this dubbed version of the show is original to Netflix. You can disagree with it all you want, but I'm just saying this is nothing new and is not a "wtf"
 

pacman000

On a quest to be the best...
Why did Pikachu choose to leave Kangaskhan?
He was getting too big, & was holding her back.

This episode was cute, but it created more questions than it answered. Why was Pichu alone? Wouldn’t Kangaskahn be worried when he dissapeared? How did Pikachu end up with Oak?
 

AuraChannelerChris

Easygoing Luxray.
He was getting too big, & was holding her back.
Oh boy. 4.4 pounds. Damn Pichu was freakin' heavy.

(Fun fact! In the real world, baby kangaroos weight from 0.6 pounds to 6 pounds in 10 months. Assuming baby Kangaskhan are forever stuck at .6, a full-grown Pichu wouldn't be enough to cross that 6-pound threshold... Then again, since we're dealing with a fantastic creature, it's rather weird to see a 176-pound monster (a little short on twice the weight of a real life kangaroo) struggling to carry a damn Pichu.)
 
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Dephender

Gizakawayusu
Staff member
Moderator
Netflix original just means the version of the show available on Netflix is original to Netflix.

It doesn't even mean that, it just means Netflix has an exclusivity contract for that show or movie in that specific region. Lots of "Netflix originals" are available through non-Netflix means in other regions and it's the exact same version that's on Netflix, and may have been available in these markets before it was on Netflix anywhere. It's an incredibly misleading and nonsensical name.
 

Emboar_Rulez

Pokémon Master (Kinda)
He was getting too big, & was holding her back.

This episode was cute, but it created more questions than it answered. Why was Pichu alone? Wouldn’t Kangaskahn be worried when he dissapeared? How did Pikachu end up with Oak?
I’m guessing Pikachu bumped into Oak one day and he caught him due to Pikachu either being “rare” in the area or to “study” him.But Pikachu would be pissed resulting in Oak giving him away to a child.
 

Spider-Phoenix

#ChespinGang
How Oak got Pikachu is kind of explained on the original Pokémon Yellow opening. There is not much need to address this point specifically.

As for Kangaskahn's reaction to Pichu leaving... Well, I think she probably figured he's reached the age where it's time to leave the nest.
 

Spider-Phoenix

#ChespinGang
I said "kind of" not "check Pokémon Yellow for the answer". Big difference there.

Either way, I don't see how it'd be so reasonable to think anime!Oak get Pikachu in a similar way YellowGame!Oak did.
 

LilligantLewis

Bonnie stan
How Oak got Pikachu is kind of explained on the original Pokémon Yellow opening. There is not much need to address this point specifically.
Again, this goes back to my point I made earlier in this thread (post #112) that outside context being needed to understand something is a bad directing choice. I would say this no matter the situation, but additionally in this case, I agree with AuraChannelerChris (for once!) that this doesn't really make sense anyway. People went into this episode expecting to find out how Anime Oak got Anime Pikachu. And btw the random exclamation points aren't needed. You can just write the words the way I just did.
 

Lord Starfish

Fond of owls
Alternately, the issue can be summed up thusly:
They were hyping this episode up as being Pikachu's origin story. Naturally, people expected to learn new things, maybe get a few questions answered about where he came from. And it technically did give us that... but it only gave us new details that nobody really cared about, and completely skipped the part that people most wanted to see, leading to a rather jarring disconnect between the bulk of the episode and the ending in the process. It literally goes "Pikachu runs off, completely free and full of hope for the future" -> "Pikachu is in a Ball in the lab and is pissed" -> "Pikachu and Satoshi are best friends now!"

Of course, the last two points are explained by watching the older episodes, but the show doesn't even try to link A and B.
 

Spider-Phoenix

#ChespinGang
Again, this goes back to my point I made earlier in this thread (post #112) that outside context being needed to understand something is a bad directing choice. I would say this no matter the situation, but additionally in this case, I agree with AuraChannelerChris (for once!) that this doesn't really make sense anyway.

That context isn't really needed. The scene of Pikachu running towards the screen, thus mimicking the Yellow OP is more of an easter eggs for us nerds than a "TO BE CONTINUED ON POKÉMON YELLOW OPENING"

People went into this episode expecting to find out how Anime Oak got Anime Pikachu. And btw the random exclamation points aren't needed. You can just write the words the way I just did.

Leave me out of this generalization. What I wanted to see is Pikachu's life as a Pichu before becoming Ash's pokémon which the episode gave me plenty of

Alternately, the issue can be summed up thusly:
They were hyping this episode up as being Pikachu's origin story. Naturally, people expected to learn new things, maybe get a few questions answered about where he came from. And it technically did give us that... but it only gave us new details that nobody really cared about, and completely skipped the part that people most wanted to see, leading to a rather jarring disconnect between the bulk of the episode and the ending in the process. It literally goes "Pikachu runs off, completely free and full of hope for the future" -> "Pikachu is in a Ball in the lab and is pissed" -> "Pikachu and Satoshi are best friends now!"

Of course, the last two points are explained by watching the older episodes, but the show doesn't even try to link A and B.

More generalizations. I like those details to be honest.

Honestly, I don't see what's particulary exciting about nor I see the need of an entire episode dedicated to Oak finding Pikachu and capturing it. I'd much rather what we end up getting since for me it did add more insight into Pikachu's personality.

And again, the episode does give us Pikachu's origin story. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but it does what it's set itself to do. I see no need to address things such whether his parents were both Pikachus, Raichus or female Pika/Raichu with a pokémon from the corresponding egg group. Pokémon are kind of similar to animals so it's way too out there for the parents to just leave the egg to live its life on its own after hatching.

Plus, there's the whole mystic thing they try to sell with eggs being this "mysterious thing we aren't supposed to know where they came from"
 

SerGoldenhandtheJust

Deluded Dreamer
I don't understand why people think there needs to be some secret sad backstory for why Pikachu doesn't like to go into a ball
This episode perfectly shows Pikachu's backstory, it tells us it had no parents when it was a young pichu and it was alone, it tells us how it liked the wild and used to roam it, it tells us how it evolved, and how his characteristics developed. Judging by everything it's pretty obvious Pikachu prefers to be out in the real nature exploring the world instead of being in a ball and a virtual environment. Which is why it's pissed when oak has it captured. And again, oak capturing it would have been nice to see but looking back, the ending of Pikachu running wild in the forest and then cutting to it first meeting ash is fine, oak randomly found this Pikachu and caught it, we really need to see that?
The biggest backstory question was that was Pikachu ever a pichu and if so did it belong to someone before ash? How did it evolve?
This episode answers it perfectly
Pikachu doesn't need a sad backstory forced in lol, and it being alone before kangaskan was pretty sad already imo
 

Spider-Phoenix

#ChespinGang
@SerGoldenhandtheJust put it way better than me. I completly agree there isn't any need of extremely sad, complex and convoluted backstory for Pikachu and the episode did just fine answering the main question that was how he evolved from Pichu to the Pikachu who would be Ash's partner and the world's biggest cultural icon.

He might not have come from doomed planet Pikachu , exiled from Paradise Pikachu island nor his parents were killed by a Lucario but his origin is still neat.

the ending of Pikachu running wild in the forest and then cutting to it first meeting ash is fine, oak randomly found this Pikachu and caught it, we really need to see that?

And as said the shot of him running towards the screen echoes the Yellow opening which kind of tell big nerds like us about what's coming next for him. The aforementioned op isn't necessary to understand anything but it's a fun bit of trivia.
 

pacman000

On a quest to be the best...
You don't need an entire episode about Oak catching Pikachu, just an extra scene at the end of this episode.

And I still wonder what happened to Pikachu's parents; they should've handled that a bit better. :/
 

Spider-Phoenix

#ChespinGang
Can I at least be shown the moment Pikachu got caught by Oak though. Why did Oak even catch him in the first place.
And I still wonder what happened to Pikachu's parents; they should've handled that a bit better. :/

I still ask why those two things are so important? Oak just threw the pokéball at Pikachu and he was captured. And since the scene of Pikachu running towards the viwer is inspired by Yellow, I'd say it's very likely the capture played just like Yellow did. Alternatively, He probably just did what trainers do (or used to do) in the show: battled Pikachu and put him in the pokéball but since Pikachu is so problematic he stored him the way he did on episode one.
 

pacman000

On a quest to be the best...
Why did we need to see Pikachu before Ash at all? If they wanted to give Pikachu a backstory, they should’ve at least included the details which connected him to the main story, otherwise it feels incomplete.

And leaving Pikachu’s parents out creates another question. Sure, we can assume they got split up; we can assume Oak found Pikachu & caught him, but we could’ve assumed those things without this episode.

What was the point of this episode if it creates more questions, & relies on the audience to make the same old assumptions they made from the get go?

This episode is cute, but it feels purposeless/incomplete.
 
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