Recap: Wings "N" Things

Hello everyone. Before I get started, I thought I would let you know a few things. First off, the live-action Ghost in the Shell has been bumped out of the top 10 at the box office, plummeting in the wake of the record opening of Fate of the Furious (not to mention the continued success of the surprise critical and commercial smash Get Out). Second, the official premiere of Pokémon the Series: Sun and Moon will be in May; thereby meaning I will start recapping it as soon as it does. I've been meaning to talk about it for some time, especially to counter some points raised by detractors of Generation VII. Third, I decided I would do this episode given the circumstances outside this blog; least of all how it would have been my grandfather's 82nd birthday this week. So, let's open up "Wings 'N Things" and just take a break for a while.


We open on Ash, Brock, and Misty being on the way to their next destination on the journey through the Johto region when they come across a Yanma! After Ash scans it with his Pokédex, the little rotter snatches Ash's hat! Mischievous little bug-type, isn't it? You would not believe how tough it is for me to find these guys in Pokémon Go, let alone capture them. 

After the intro and title card, we see Yanma's trainer, Zachary Evans grab him when he lands on a rock!

He then returns Ash's hat, but Yanma flies off again into town and unleashes shockwaves that shatter all the glass in the shop of the baker, Mr. Streusel! Fitting name, don't you think?

It also turns out this isn't the first time this has happened in town, and Zachary's father grudgingly agrees to fix the damage.


Miserably, Zachary laments he can't control Yanma; even telling how he became his first Pokémon after a harsh storm!

Just as Mr. Streusel observed, this isn't a new problem at all; as Zachary tells of how Yanma broke all the glass in his father's shop almost immediately after he came to stay with them!



Even if they moved to another town, the same problem would still happen. Ash then suggests using plastic instead, but Misty points out Mr. Evans would go out of business if he did that!

Zachary decides to let Yanma go, but Team Rocket snatches him right away! Jessie exclaims she "caught a Yo-Yo," but demands Meowth not correct her when he says it's a Yanma.


Jessie then suggests that "if you added wings to Caterpie, it'd look just like a Yanma, see?" James adds she has an "honest to goodness talent," but Meowth says it's "not in poetry." Oh, snerk!

After discovering Yanma's shockwaves, Team Rocket then hatches an evil scheme! 



After Meowth and Victreebel use Yanma to break all the windows in town, Team Rocket comes in selling phony replacements while wearing open red sales jackets that don't even cover the "R" sigils on their uniforms. Okay, Johto filler haters, you only get one: have this Picard and Riker facepalm in response.

As Meowth counts their spoils, Jessie presses the fake glass against James' cheek, showing it's really ice!

The townsfolk then find out they've been had; but they insinuate Zachary was in cahoots with Team Rocket and take him to see his father! Sheesh, this is almost as aggressive as PR at United! Topical humor, ha!

Conveniently, Ash and his friends are at the Pokémon Center where Mr. Evans is installing a stained glass window; right when the townsfolk come to reprimand Zachary and Team Rocket comes in with Yanma! This anime is full of convenient things, isn't it?

Team Rocket then presents an ultimatum: surrender, or the stained glass window gets it!

After briefly considering meeting their demands, Zachary then just decides to return Yanma to its Poké Ball! Nice try, fellas.

With their plan foiled, Team Rocket decides to drop the subterfuge and engage in battle! Zachary then finds out that the shockwaves are really Yanma's Sonicboom attack! With the help of Ash's Chikorita and Misty's Poliwhirl, they do a makeshift Triple Finish and send Team Rocket blasting off!

The townsfolk, especially Mr. Streusel, then apologize to Zachary; and he even decides to give him and Yanma special treats from his bakery! Lot more sincere than Pepsi over that horrible commercial with Kendall Jenner! More topical humor, ha!



So, we close on Mr. Evans installing the stained glass window in the Pokémon Center, and it's a great one! It's adorned with a Jigglypuff, a Butterfree, an Aipom; a Bellossom and a Sunflora; clockwise from top left! I needed a break this week, and this was just the thing for it.

"Wings 'N Things" was just what I needed to unwind from everything going on right now. It may not be my favorite episode by any stretch of the imagination; but it's a fun way to kill a half-hour all the same. The animation is decent for the time, and it's actually a pretty nice use of what's arguably one of the more underrated Generation II monsters. Jessie even gets one herself later on down the line, and it evolves into a Yanmega when Giovanni sends it back! All in all, it was just the breather I needed for what lies ahead.

While I still have plans for my next Yo-Kai Watch recap, that's a matter for another day. Next time, however; will be my next Pokémon movie recap: Destiny Deoxys! See you, space cowboy!