Recap: The Ice Cave

Hello again, and Merry Christmas, everyone! Even though this year has been quite turbulent (probably the most accurate word I can use for it given the circumstances); I can officially say that the 20th anniversary of Pokémon has been a huge success, thanks in no small part to the double-whammy success of the Pokémon Go mobile game and Pokémon Sun and Moon on 3DS shattering the records set by their seniors’ sales (not to mention the Virtual Console releases of Red, Blue, and Yellow). So, in addition to me doing the Wonder Trade Christmas again (breeding Riolu in X and Y, Charmander in OR/AS, and Pichu in Sun and Moon); I will give you all a present of me looking at another banned episode of the series as my last recap of the year! Let’s open up “The Ice Cave!” 

Our theme song for this anime is the tune “Ready Go,” which is a good song despite me being a relative newcomer to the Japanese version. I know the subs of it must be out there somewhere because of how people are doing all these comparisons (Dogasu is the man I cite most commonly); but you can take my word on how hard they are to find.

We open on Ash, Misty and Brock being on their way to Blackthorn City so Ash can try for his eighth and final badge. So, this episode, were it not skipped; would have taken place chronologically between “I Politoed You So” and “Beauty is Skin Deep.”

Anyway, they come to a fork in the road and decide to take a shortcut through the ice cave; with Team Rocket planning something behind them. 

We then get our title card to help lead us into this episode.

As everyone enters the cave, Misty takes a bad step and everyone goes sliding into a pitfall trap. Yeah, that was irritating when I was younger. Not only was 90% of the floor of the cave ice and obstacles, it was also a maze. It took me hours to navigate that mess on my Game Boy Color when I was 9 (with the Heart Gold remake also adding a bit about giving one of the Kimono Girls a push when her geta are frozen to the floor. I haven’t played Soul Silver yet, but I want to).

Team Rocket reveal themselves, and they all start dousing the gang in water in attempt to freeze them and take their Pokémon!

They’re able to send them blasting off; but everyone is soaked, most of all Brock, to the point where he catches a cold!

Everyone finds a Pokémon Center, and rather than Chansey or Blissey; the helpers of Nurse Joy are Jynx! All right, I will definitely have to address the reason why this was banned; as she is the Donphan in the room, so to speak. Even though Jynx is meant to be a sort of parody of the “ganguro” fashion trend in Japan (where young women often dye their hair and dress themselves in makeup and flashy clothes), many circles in the west perceive her as a racial stereotype of African-Americans (which has also led to certain Looney Tunes cartoons being part of the infamous “Censored Eleven.”). While some episodes like the Christmas special I recapped a while ago can be at least considered apocryphal due to the “Electric Soldier Porygon” incident; there really wasn’t much of a way to re-edit this episode to downplay or eliminate Jynx’s role without compromising the story. So, 4Kids took the easy way out and just skipped it; and Jynx would later be redesigned to purple skin to avoid a similar mishap (she’s even been redesigned that way in my Virtual Console copy of Yellow as part of Lorelei’s roster).

Anyway, Nurse Joy arrives; and she helps get Brock into bed as she tells Ash and Misty to get out of their wet clothes before they get sick too.

They hang their clothes to dry over a heater as Joy takes Brock’s temperature. As a result of seeing her, Ash and Misty aren’t sure whether his fever is from the cold or seeing Joy. 

As for Ash and Misty wrapping up in these blankets; barring their shoes, undergarments and Ash’s hat: even with their clothes drying in what’s effectively a hospital; it’s a bit much even for a couple 10-year-olds to be in a somewhat modest state of undress. Get your mind out of the gutter!

After their clothes dry, it turns out that this Joy is related to one in the Orange Islands in the episode “The Joy of Pokémon,” which I might recap in the future; but first I want to catch up on other projects I couldn’t this year.

It also turns out the Pokémon Center is for the ice Pokémon; as shown by how Jynx helps Joy wash the eyes of this Piloswine. Also, Piloswine apparently has tiny eyes.

Team Rocket in a boss fantasy, then starts coming up with things they could do with the ice Pokémon they send to him.

Jynx wakes him up LIKE A BOSS!

Swinub grooms him LIKE A BOSS!

Piloswine polish his floor LIKE A BOSS!

Reward his minions LIKE A BOSS!

As Jessie,James and Meowth start devising a plan to wreck the cooling system; Jynx actually kisses him! I’m not going to question anything, but I am going to play this music.

Then, suddenly, Ash, Misty and Nurse Joy discover that the cooling unit has been tampered with! As they try to fix it; they end up falling into another pitfall! Even when they get out, they have to get back to the Pokémon Center to protect Brock and the others!

First, however, they need to stop the temperature from getting higher; otherwise the roof of the cave will collapse! 

They’re able to repair the cooler, but Team Rocket reaches the Pokémon Center while Brock still hasn’t fully recovered!

Although Jynx tries to hold them off, Team Rocket has a bunch of heaters that sap her strength! Still makes more sense than Pyro Man in NT Warrior (I’m done with that series; not even the reboot cartoon is going to change my mind about that).

Brock tries to stop them, but his fever is too high to react quick enough in battle!

Luckily, Ash and Misty return in the nick of time! 

Then, the cave returns to its usual cool temperature; and Pikachu destroys the heaters!

Jynx’s strength returns and Team Rocket is sent frozen and blasting off!

I WAS FROZEN TODAY!

Thanks to Jynx’s help; Brock has recovered and everyone can continue on their journey!

We then close on everyone reaching Blackthorn City! That brings back some good memories of playing Gold, Silver and Crystal and beating Clair for the first time.

While I have no formal opinion on any stereotypes that Jynx embodies, I personally think it’s too bad this episode was skipped; and most likely will never be dubbed in English. However, it’s relatively easy to find online with subtitles, so I can definitely suggest giving “The Ice Cave” a watch and deciding for yourself. From a strictly fan perspective though, it’s a pretty fun little episode with some nice animation for the time and makes for good viewing in between playing the games. I am almost done with beating the main quest in X in my replacement game, and I have a combined 120 hours logged in my copies of Sun and Moon. By the time you read this, I will be having dinner with my family, and I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Next time will be a list I’ve been meaning to write for a while. See you space cowboy.