-- I know many will hate me for this, but The theme song was pretty bad. Sounds like 2nd-rate Bon Jovi. I made a mashup that synchs it up with the song "Prophecy" by Queensryche, it's really good!
+++: The episode starts with a Pokemon battle on GameBoy, which transitions seamlessly into a real Pokemon battle. Very nice, artistic animation choice. Could imagine lots of kids in 1998 being stunned.
++ The action scene was top-notch and exciting.
Pokemon battling is apparently an official sport. Wow. Imagine Pokemon at the Olympics! That would be a sight.
Gotta love the "panning over still image" background!
Ash is introduced, and he's using a crappy 1960s analog TV. Shows him as pathetic! His voice is also bad, very raspy and whispery.
Woah, was that JAPANESE TEXT? 4Kids usually edits that out!
Keep prononcing Pokemon wrong. It's POK-E-MON, not POK-A-MON.
+ Bulbasaur's face in the dream was good for a chuckle.
Gary Oak is introduced, and he also has a terrible voice, very annoying and whiny.
-- "The early bird catches the worm, or in this case, the Pokemon" very lame pun.
Pikachu is introduced! And he's so chubby and cute!
++ The shocking scene was funny, especially Oak's lame "Shocking, Isn't it!"
Wait, so Ash's mom is letting him leave? HE's TEN YEARS OLD! What a world.
Bad animation with the packing of all the supplies, only a few appeared!
++ Pikachu and Ash playing catch was another funny scene. I especially like how Pikachu goes "Pi...Ka...Chu".
+++ "Don't forget to change your underwear" says Ash's mom. Hilarious!
So Ash sets off. Anyone else think it's odd they're just letting a 10-year-old boy go like this? Or is it just me.
Man, the Pokedex has got 'tude, calling Ash "stupid" and all.
Pikachu's laughing was so cute! Though he is kind of a jerk.
Wow, Ash's throwing rocks at birds. That's pretty cruel.
++ Great action scene with Ash running away from the Spearows, tense and exciting.
+ Also, more nice artsy black and white animation from the Spearow's point of view.
Misty is introduced! Her voice is good, unlike all of the others.
Ash falls off his bicycle. This is apparently, when he falls into a coma. BUT I don't buy it, there's no evidence to prove that the rest is a coma fantasy, no sudden shifts. Plus, "Brock represents Ash's sexuality" and other stuff are just dumb. I declare this theory FAKE!
+++ The final action scene... WOW. The thunderstorm atmosphere, Ash's rousing speech, the artsy animation, the AMAZING orchestra music... WOW. Almost drove me to TEARS, and i'm not a very emotional person!
Closing Thoughts:
The narrator at the end said "Non-stop action, millions of laughs, heart-pounding peril, and always excitement". This episode sure lived up to that!
The episode, in case you've been living under a rock, was about Ash starting his Pokemon journey, getting a Pikachu, and having to run away from a flock of angry Spearows! The plot was fast-moving and exciting, even if it was kinda thin and flimsy.
The action scenes were generally good, but the last one was AMAZING, for reasons listed above.
And the humor was good as well, with quite a few laughs.
Overall, a great episode! Not a 10, some of the jokes bombed, and the plot was kinda thin, but still a great start. 8/10.