Recap: The Light of Floccessy Ranch!

Hello everyone, and Happy Year of the Sheep. Part of my theme for this year is going to relate to the Chinese Zodiac; starting with the new year we have entered. As a Mareep fan, this gives me the perfect opportunity to do a recap to detox from the Strongest Mega Evolution Act I; which, upon repeated viewings; is a bigger disappointment to me than The Phantom Menace was. 

While I watched the intro episode for Mareep in Johto, I couldn’t find enough material to do a recap on it. Instead, I decided I will do a filler episode from the fantastic Episode N arc in Best Wishes. So, let’s open up “The Light of Floccessy Ranch!”

We open on Pikachu and Axew frolicking among a field of Mareep.

Ash, Iris, and Cilan are calling out to them.

Then, part of the reason I decided to do this recap comes around: an Ampharos tries to herd the Mareep in a suggestive manner. 

We then get the theme song for this season, “It’s Always You and Me.” While not as good as the Episode N remix of the “Be An Arrow” opening; it is a relatively decent song with a very soothing sound. My favorite Pokémon Company theme is still their version of the Pokémon Theme (the full version of which is in the Diancie movie DVD); though the new one, “Be A Hero” may be a contender the more I listen to it.

We then get our title card over the seas of Unova; which goes great with this filter the copy I used to write this to get around Google’s bots!

A farm girl named Ellie thanks everyone for finding the Mareep; and invites them all back to Floccessy Ranch for lunch.

Her grandfather has prepared a banquet of sandwiches and soup. It was tea in the Japanese version, but OK.

Apparently, Ampharos is a bit timid; and learning a new move may help it herd the Mareep: Thunder Punch! 

Iris sends out her Dragonite to help. Her Dragonite has a bit of a reputation of being a bit of a curmudgeon; but also a badass. 

He encourages Ampharos to put some UNH! into his Thunder Punch. In my X and Y; I managed to raise some very good level 100 Ampharos. Their names are Bolt and Rinzler. 

He’s so strong he can punch through rock! UNH!

With this, he gets on Ampharos to encourage him to give his Thunder Punch some UNH!

Yet, he’s unwilling or unable to apply the elbow grease needed for the attack.

I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.

Team Rocket spies the flock of Mareep; and decide to make their move on them. Yes, because that line of work has done so well in the past! Couldn’t you take up golf?

Back at the ranch, Dragonite is still encouraging Ampharos to keep up his training. 

Even Pikachu and Axew can do it!

Suddenly, a laser beam attracts Mareep to an unseen location. That’s how most animals react to a laser pointer.

Team Rocket is behind this, as per usual. 

Due to Ampharos’ nature; grandpa decides to trade him away if he can’t improve. Ellie than asks for more time to perfect Thunder Punch.

Everyone decides to go into the woods to find the missing Mareep; as it turns out more have disappeared.

We're looking for a fuck to give about Yokai Watch coming stateside!

As more and more Mareep come into the case. Meowth then starts falling asleep. That never works for me, I usually put on Pink Floyd instead. 

When they’re found out, they say their motto in a sea of neon straight out of Batman Forever.

Ampharos tries to guide the Mareep back in another suggestive manner.

Let's stay together!

A battle then ensues in which Ampharos must use Thunderpunch to save them all.

You're gonna eat lightning, and you're gonna crap thunder!

Sure enough, his confidence is boosted to the power he needs to save the day.

Everything has worked out wonderfully; and the grandfather has decided Ampharos can stay.

That'll do, Ampharos. That'll do.

Dragonite even expresses contentment inside is Poké Ball. Aww. 

So, we close on everyone going on their merry way.

The first thing you may be wondering, is how could I prefer something like this over The Strongest Mega Evolution? It has a stock plot; laughable villains, and dialog changes for even weirder reasons! The simple answer is that “The Light of Floccessy Ranch” is more fun. In its own way; I find it more entertaining because it embraces its silliness rather than trying to Snyderize it. The late Pauline Kael once said there is seldom great art we can appreciate that we cannot appreciate great trash. As I started this blog; in many ways, the Japanese have some fantastic trash. The animation is a fun way to unwind from a surprisingly busy schedule this term. Even so, I must once again change up what I had planned to follow this up. Now that I have an official airdate confirmed for The Strongest Mega Evolution Act III on March 19 in Japan; I am going to accelerate my plans to recap Act II. You should see it up not long after this. Gong hay fat choy, everyone. 

Recap: The Strongest Mega Evolution Act I

So, here's yet another attempt at adapting Pokémon into an anime; The Strongest Mega Evolution Act I. It opens with some decidedly impressive showing off of all our favorite Pokémon from past generations. 

We then see the lead of this special, Alan, face off against one of the trainers who’s in the first XY movie, Astrid. As for you-know-who: I talked quite a bit about how I'm NOT trying to compare these specials to the mainline series. I do concede he's a good battler, but in terms of characterization; he seems very distant. Sure, he does have a clearly-defined goal, as any good trainer should, but I've seen more emotion from Sasuke! I think in the course of this special, he smiles exactly once.

I have a bad feeling about this...

Anyway, we get a battle with Mega Evolution, and-it's fucking amazing. While I wasn't sure about having the mega stones being pieces of jewelry on the Pokémon rather than biologically merged with them like in Origins, I do like the necklace on Absol and the sort of collar on Charizard. The way Astrid uses an earring and Alan has this sort of power glove to do this: that was pretty creative. 

Of course, Alan wins, and he seems bored with his streak; and wants something more. I like that idea, even if the character essentially has the emotional range of Hayden Christensen. If you get really good at battling, what then?

Then, we get the appearance of Maron; who is a large part of what dragged down this special for me. She is apparently a Chespin trainer; but she's a complete nitwit! It's rather telling that none of

the ads or trailers showed her before; because she has to give Tingle and the dog from Duck Hunt a run for their money in terms of annoyance. It wouldn't be so bad if she were just a one-off gag, but no; she's so big a fangirl for Mega Charizard X that she follows Alan around everywhere! Arceus, it's like Roger Rabbit was redesigned by Satan! 

Still, there are plenty of good characters to offset the bad ones. Remo, another trainer; is delightfully hammy. He could have served Maron's role much better, as could have Astrid. Heck, I'm even convinced they should have been the stars of this special because of how spectacularly wooden Alan is in personality. I'm reluctant to use that criticism, because I feel it often offends a rather useful building material.

His meeting with Professor Sycamore in Lumiose City shows how even though he's given a means to do great things, he has a stick up his ass the size of east Unova. I believe the reason people like characters is not just what they do, it's how much they enjoy doing it. Giving examples from the franchise: Red is as hot-blooded as his name suggests, Gold is a gambler with attitude, Ruby is a flamboyant showman, and from what I've read so far in his saga, Diamond is a joking glutton who likes mecha anime. Maybe I wouldn't be having this reaction to him if people weren't hyping him as the second coming of Kamina. 

My point is, that it's great if you're great at battling; but what's it mean when you don't enjoy the skills you have and the opportunity to test them? My favorite anime heroes are ones that would enjoy their conquests as much as I would: Goku, Luffy, Natsu, Simon, Rick Hunter from Robotech: they all love what they do. 

If you must have a stoic character, give them a reason for being the way they are. Spike Spiegel, Shinji Ikari, Madoka Kaname, Sosuke Sagara: they all had reasons in their backstory for not getting too emotionally involved in what they do. Alan seems like he could work nicely as a deconstruction of the Pokémon trainer; but without any qualities to endear him to the audience, he comes across as unsympathetic and unapproachable; despite his skills.

Now, we get to my favorite part: Alan's battle with Siebold of the Elite Four. He is a contender for my favorite member of the Kalos Elite Four. Well, him or Wikstrom. His Blastoise has this sort of headgear to hold his Mega Stone like one of the masks in Fist of the North Star; or like Spandam wears. Blastoise is my favorite starter of the original 151; and I'm very glad mine, Mako; proved to be so powerful. Siebold actually beats Alan, and also tells him he has a long way to go. I feel Alan needs this, as it proves he has some serious problems with his ego; as well as showing how joyless he is in most situations. 

Unfortunately, the dub changed this to praising Alan for his skills; essentially robbing the scene of much of the meaning behind this loss.

So, Alan sets off with that ninny Manon in tow; and we get what could help spruce up this special: the reveal of the leader of Team Flare, Lysander. His very presence in the games was effectively: you thought Ghetsis was the most vile main villain in Pokémon? Wait till they get a load of me.

This special was good, but not great. My skepticism towards new characters is not widely shared; but if I just took one new character as an opportunity to disparage another while ignoring the new one's own shortcomings; I'd be deluding myself, or a Kotaku writer. What I have been trying to convince people is that making a new character; or a new continuity in a beloved series is not as easy as one thinks, and this special is a good example of that. While the approach to Mega Evolution was very good, I found the story lacking and the characterization inconsistent. While Alan is certainly a good trainer; I barely know anything about him as a character, and I never felt an emotional connection to him the way I did other protagonists in the franchise. With Red: we got to see how he lived, what his family was like, and how he reacted to his role; which made his actions satisfying to see. Most of all, he enjoyed being out in the Pokémon world. Alan wants to train Mega Charizard X because he apparently has nothing better to do.

My point is, not even the best character can create a good story out of nothing. While I may not have had as big a case of hype backlash as I did with Chronicles; I still felt that most of my friends and other YouTube channels oversold Alan as a character. People claimed I would fall in love with him. I personally wanted to punch him out of his stoicism like Simon did to Rossiu. Maron is also a character that makes me appreciate Shauna from the games. It really doesn't help that Astrid, Remo, Siebold, and Sycamore would have been fine to have the special revolve around; and I'm expressing more interest in the villains for the next act! That's what hype backlash is: when other people set expectations that are so high, there is no way your own will be realistically met!

Still, though no Origins; this works remarkably well as an alternate continuity. I have also been trying  to get others to understand that the mainline series is not the worst anime of its kind, and people should really stop trying to expect qualities the creators clearly did not intend for it to have; when they should be enjoyed on their own merits as adaptations and extensions of the games. It's essentially like trying to compare the first two Christopher Reeve Superman movies to Man of Steel: different ways of looking at the same franchise; enjoyable for different reasons. I really can't believe I have to address this again, but here I am. Ash, Red, and Alan are essentially like trying to compare the Christopher Reeve Superman, the Tom Welling Superman, and the Henry Cavill Superman: all essentially different ways of looking at the same character. That's how I approach most of the adaptations. As if I was just playing a Pokémon game and saying, "Hey, this could make a good show." That is what I believe most of the adaptations try to create the feeling of, and many succeed in doing so. 

I will give the special this: the animation is incredible. The angles, the lighting, and especially the battle scenes: it almost looks like something made by Studio Ghibli. I expect the next act of the special to have this animation quality; even if the characters need more qualities to endear themselves to me.

The next act should be online by the time you see this; and I will recap it when it gets closer to the debut of Act III in Japan. I want to get more of the projects I wanted to do last year, but couldn't, done. See you, space cowboy.

Recap: Let's Play Football!

Hello again. Well, to my dismay; the Seahawks could not repeat the Super Bowl win they had last year; losing out to the Patriots, right on the heels of the Ducks losing the Rose Bowl, no less. Be that as it may; it’s as good a time as any to look at another episode of Eyeshield 21. That series is gushing with shonen camp; so I think the second episode should help me cope. So, let’s open up; and “Let’s Play Football!” 

I don’t think I mentioned this in last year’s recap of “The Man With the Lightspeed Legs”, but the theme song is “Let’s Find Breakthrough.” It still doesn’t stand out to me too much; but here’s a tune that fits just as well. 

Our title card is laid out among the helmet of the Demon Devil Bats on the football field. Short, sweet, and to the point.

We open on Sena breaking the news to Mamori about the football team, mentioning that Kurita is very nice; even if he routinely eats his weight in Mallomars. Then, he inevitably mentions Hiruma, a man that’s every bit as hammy as Ming the Merciless. 

Gordon's alive?!

Oh, and apparently Mamori is head of the disciplinary committee; but that still doesn’t explain how she’s so controlling outside school. More on that later.

For now though, enjoy Hiruma as he screams for vengeance in a manner worthy of Judas Priest! 

You've got another thing coming!

He and Sena meet Kurita practicing, as he apparently has been doing so since 2AM.

Right after my late night World of Warcraft!

Apparently, he’s so strong he broke the tackling dummy!

There goes the deposit on that!

He decides to call it a day after he does a 40. He’s been up all night, so why not get crunk?

No, it actually means a 40-yard dash. Sena asks how long it takes. It depends. How long do you plan on living?

Apparently, despite having the girth of Kobayashi after his fifth Pepperoni P-Zone, he can do it in 6.5 seconds.

Naturally, Hiruma expresses incredulity at this, doing his best “Impossibru” face.

Impossibru!

He encourages them to push themselves further; and break some school records in the process. 

It'll be fun for approximately 3.7 seconds!

Sena gives it a try, and runs it in 5 seconds on the dot.

Not satisfied with this, Hiruma summons his dog, Cerberus; to chase after Sena. Well, a mad dog and an opposing team’s tackle do have similar amounts of incentive to run.

Naturally, his new best is 4.2 seconds, rendered as 420. Heh heh heh!

Sena, all tuckered out from his practicing; is resting in class because of the task of gathering 8 more players before the school tournament begins. Side not here: sorry this recap is so late, but part of the reason I’ve delayed it is because of how busy I’ve been with school. 

Even the school bullies fear Hiruma, he is that powerful!

Sena’s attempt to recruit the basketball team is fruitless. They already said no to those Kuroko’s Basketball guys!

Hiruma has a different approach: blackmail the star player by threatening to tell everyone he’s an idol-kissing bedwetter!

Sena’s attempt to recruit members of the sumo club is less successful. Even less so with him in the bushes in a fundoshi!

We are then treated to another football tidbit about how many meters is equal to 40 yards.

Sena does manage to recruit one player after agreeing to help him deliver magazines by that evening.

It also turns out that Kurita is exhausted at this as well. 

I was up till 2 looking at Danganronpa doujinshi!

Mamori is also still blissfully unaware she’s hindering Sena’s growth. Her intentions are noble, but she causes way more problems than she solves.

The bullies from the last episode return, saying Sena got them good the other day. They must have been hit pretty hard if they can’t remember who got them. They say they can’t touch him in school. Changing the location will stop Hiruma how?  As I recall, he got them at the shopping center and most likely knows where they live.

So, Sena makes further use of his skills to deliver the remaining magazines and ditch the bullies.

Despite the other boys coming up short, Hiruma has managed to gather more than enough team members for the three of them. 

So, we close on Sena being overjoyed they managed to get all the team members they need.

“Let’s Play Football” is a solid second outing in Eyeshield 21. With a healthy amount of camp and football action, it’s just what I needed to get over the fact that the Seahawks couldn’t go 2 for 2 in Super Bowl wins. I’m also going to change up what I had planned for the next recap. I was going to do an episode of Danganronpa; but I’m delaying it because of what happened with Ricardo Medina. Instead, the next recap will be on Pokémon: The Strongest Mega Evolution Act I. I hope to be done by the time Act II airs on Saturday. See you, space cowboy!