Review- "The Blue Badge of Courage" (Pokémon Chronicles)

(Note: Due to recent events, parts of this review have been reworked so as to not cause further problems at this time.)

Hey everyone- going to be honest and open about this episode; that I don't really like it that much. It's not a complete trainwreck, knowing what lies ahead; but it's also not very good. Let's start this latest review of "Pokémon Chronicles" and open up "The Blue Badge of Courage."

This is another showcase episode for Misty, which also features Tracey Sketchit and Sakura of the Kimono Girls. In the latter case, she's a character who's made appearances in the anime and games before and since. Regrettably, she's really mishandled here; as is the story.

When Sakura comes for a gym challenge, Misty has to get Cascade Badges from a craftsman after her supply is tapped. Huh- it took me eight months to get my Zelda Joycons. After a quick call to her sister Daisy points her in the right direction, she leaves the gym in Nurse Joy's care before leaving with Sakura and Tracey. 

After heading into the hills, the three encounter the craftsman; who injured himself leaping from tree to tree; and they help him back into his cabin. His name is Kinso, and I already have some issues with this episode.

Helping him recover, he agrees to forge more badges on the condition they go through his training regimen. That's about half the episode; and it bogs things down; as does Kinso's demeanor. It goes on for days on end on-screen; and feels about the same off-screen. Trust me when I say I'm sparing you the worst of it.

I also haven't mentioned this, but this episode has the mistaken belief that Psyduck is afraid of water. In reality, the Pokémon is just so airheaded that it not only doesn't know how to swim; but breaks physics by being unable to naturally float. In the main series, it's mostly played as a joke; but for some reason, this episode think's a bug to be corrected rather than a feature.

Anyway, the last step is to paint the badges; which also glosses over the pins to place them inside a coat or in a badge case. Sakura also reveals more of what she's been up to since she last saw Misty, as does Tracey. I once again reiterate that this element isn't the worst; and if the episode focused primarily on the bonding with Misty, Tracey and Sakura; it would probably be better than a conflict that's more manufactured than the badges.

Speaking of which, the entire haul is stolen by a pair of nameless thugs; or at least they try to. These two chuckle-clucks would probably get busted trying to steal from 7-Eleven.

A multi battle ensues to reclaim the badges, and Psyduck is somehow able to damage Poochyena despite the fact that dark-types are immune to Psychic attacks. I'd also like to mention that this episode mistakenly refers to Tracey as being from the singular "Orange Island" rather than the plural "Orange Islands." Good job making a spinoff for fans- not like they'd notice details being wrong like I just did.

Long story short- the badges are reclaimed from the nameless thieves, Misty earns Kinso's respect; and Sakura wins a Cascade badge in her gym battle. They also cut a lot from the dub, but the subbed version isn't much better.

"The Blue Badge of Courage" honestly had me seeing more red. Apart from the odd title (I get that reference, but what kid would get a reference to an old Civil War movie?), the story once again wastes an interesting idea with uneven execution. Crafting badges with Sakura would have been sufficient, so the subplots with Psyduck and the burglars just feels like added fluff. I also wasn't thrilled about the creative liberties taken with the material or the dodgy animation. 

My recommendation for reworking this episode is simple- get rid of the nameless thieves and the Psyduck shenanigans; and focus on the story about crafting badges. Instead of the training injury, Kinso could be a reclusive artist who Misty, Sakura and to an extent Tracey have to convince to forge the badges and rediscover the joy of creating. Better production values would also be great- this was like paying to see Jurassic World Dominion and Lightyear; then getting shown a low-budget mockbuster from Argentina instead.

Post-review followup: Most annoying character of the episode goes to Kinso for his methods and the asinine way he hurt himself training. Dishonorable mention goes to the unnamed thugs who tried and failed to steal the badges.

Next Chronicles review will be on "Oaknapped," which so far marks the only mention of Pokérus in the anime to date; and utterly wastes that concept on a near half-hour of ennui. That will be all for now.