Recap: To Catch a Rotom

Alola everyone. Well, Pokémon Sun and Moon is officially within striking distance; and I will be picking up my copies when they launch on Friday. As per usual, the anime is being rebranded to help sell them. To be frank, I don’t think the Sun and Moon series looks as bad as everyone says. The whole thing doesn’t look like it’s trying to be taken too seriously and I feel that the shakeups to the usual formula might actually provide a good opportunity to compete with Yo-Kai Watch and maybe even do the premise of that anime better. Not only that, but the redesigned art style actually fits the tone pretty well and I don’t mind the redesign of Ash himself too much. It actually isn’t that different from the male player character of the new games, and it wouldn’t be the first time people have reacted this way; and that’s coming from someone who generally considers the idea of redesigning characters to be a crapshoot.

That said, this mentality is nothing new among certain fans. Virtually no two people I’ve talked to have drawn the same conclusion about the various sagas of the anime. It’s gone up, down and sideways in quality for me; but as time has passed, there’s always been at least something I can get it out of it for content here. This brings me to the episode I’ve chosen today, so let’s open up “To Catch a Rotom!” 

We open on Ash, Iris and Cilan heading to Torom Island in the Decolore Islands to meet Professor Oak for a new topic he’s researching! 

As they disembark, Iris and Cilan say that it’s a pleasure to meet the professor.

Of course,Team Rocket is not far behind, with Meowth wanting to know what the professor is researching so they can steal it! Yes, because that line of work has turned out so well in the past! Why not take up tennis?

Professor Oak explains he’s there to research Rotom and its forms, leading to a staple of the Japanese version, Pokémon Live Caster! 

As he explains their forms, I also note that the images onscreen actually have Japanese text as opposed to that not-quite-Japanese, not-quite-English lingua code they usually have to make show easier to dub for foreign markets. Isn’t that something?

Their forms can take the shape of refrigerators, fans, lawnmowers, microwaves, and even washing machines!

However, they are known for being rather mischievous, always playing jokes; as this poor Purrloin learns the hard way.

You think your dirty socks can stop me? Well, they are making me dizzy. (groans)

So, everyone goes to this “electric playground” they have set up for the Rotom, and Ash says it’s really fun as he pushes this lawnmower around. You bet it is, dude.

The Rotom appear from the power poles, and start making mischief as promised!

The professor tries to catch one, but it doesn’t work! Oh, pooh!

One of them zaps the professor, and his hair turns into an afro! 

I'm going nowhere, somebody help me, somebody help me yeah!

Iris tries to attract them with her Emolga, but the Rotom are genderless, so it doesn’t work! 

Ash decides to keep drawing them in with Pikachu’s electricity, like a cat with a laser pointer! Let’s light them up! 

Then, all of a sudden, Team Rocket appears with these electricity-shooting guns; which may or may not bear similarity to a film franchise that involves busting ghosts which may or may not have a polarizing reboot with Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy in lead roles. I’m not going to make any assumptions, but I am going to play this music. 

They put Rotom in a box with their trademark seal on it! Now, that’s odd.

After capturing one Rotom, they try to go for the others, but they’re on the move!

However, Ash, Iris and Cilan send out their Krookodile, Excadrill and Stunfisk to stop them! This will not stand! This aggression will not stand, man!

One of the other Rotom even takes control of a fridge and freezes Team Rocket!

I WAS FROZEN TODAY!

The last Rotom is freed, and Team Rocket is sent blasting off! Some things never change, huh?

Cilan is impressed by the ordeal, much more than this Ben 10 Omniverse! Yeah, not a big fan of the franchise; the reboot of that looks kind of weak to be honest. Besides, any comparisons they make towards the Sun and Moon series using that don’t work for me as someone who never watched Omniverse. When the original series was on, I was more of a Samurai Jack/Avatar guy; and I will probably be compiling my top 13 best/worst anime-influenced Western cartoons soon. 

So, after it’s healed, Rotom agrees to join the professor, who proudly declares he’s caught a Rotom!

Iris says she “just loves happy endings!” So do I, Iris. So do I.

So, we close on the professor heading back to Kanto as the others continue their journey, as they bid each other “best wishes” in a nod to the Japanese title of the saga.

“To Catch a Rotom” is an enjoyable episode among the later BW episodes; full of slick, colorful animation and clever nods to previous sagas. As the Sun and Moon series begins; I am totally fine if the writers and animators want to adopt a similar model for the journey in Alola. I will get into more detail in another post after I pick up my preorders of the games tomorrow afternoon; but sometimes I want to watch a fun series. If the people in charge want to do more specials like Origins and Generations, that’s totally fine; but without more idealistic takes like this for contrast, the series will not only get boring because of how bleak it might be; it will get depressing and the audience will lose interest. Let’s just say for now that my early impressions of the Sun and Moon series are actually rather positive, and I want to keep that energy going.

Seeing as how this recap helped tie into the new Rotom Pokédex (love the idea of a companion in the vein of Kremzeek or BB-8); the last one I have on the table before December will be related to Snorlax, seeing as how he has a new Z-move in the games via special DLC given to those who buy it at launch. You’ll just have to see what it is. See you, space cowboy!