The eager fan of Pokemon or those curious of the phenomenon will want to get their hands on this first video. This volume includes three TV episodes "Pokémon, I Choose You!," "Pokémon Emergency!" and "Ash Catches a Pokémon," this DVD is guaranteed to please anyone who's caught up in the Pokémon phenomenon. In the Pokémon world, 10-year-olds acquire their Pokémon training license and begin their quest to catch, train, and fight these adorable creatures--all 151 of them! Our enthusiastic hero, Ash Ketchum, is determined and intensely eager to become the best Pokémon trainer in the world! Ash's closest Pokémon is the lovable Pikachu, who helps Ash fight other Pokémons and accompanies him on his quest. In these three episodes Ash meets Misty, his future traveling companion and friend, and the two of them combat Team Rocket, who will always be their arch enemy. This video includes the full-length "Pokérap," in which all 150 Pokémons are described. Followed by
The Mystery of Mount Moon.
--Samantha Allen Storey Pokémons, the little high-tech toys, and the Nintendo game involving them, emerged as a pop-culture phenomenon in 1998: the TV show aired six times a week, a theatrical feature was released in 1999, and Pokémon Web sites popped up all over the Internet. These episodes of the TV series center on Ash Ketchum, an adolescent boy who aspires to become a champion Pokémon trainer. He sets out for his first tournament, accompanied by his sometimes friend, a girl named Misty, and his special pet Pokémon, Pikachu. Along the way, he defeats another boy, Samurai, in a duel and makes a valuable new friend when he challenges Brock, the local champion, while learning lessons about friendship, perseverance, and honorable play. On Moon Mountain, he discovers a fallen meteor with magical powers over the excessively cute Clefaries. Jessie and James, the Team Rocket, attempt to steal the Moon Stone, but are defeated by Ash, Misty, and Brock in a slapstick battle. Adults may have trouble keeping track of the different Pokémons without the help of a child, but the "Full-Length Pokérap" at the end of the disc lists them, an obvious attempt to stimulate the urge to collect all 150 (plus one rare collector's Pokémon coveted by fans). --Charles Solomon
Ash Ketchum continues to work toward his goal of becoming a champion Pokémon trainer as he challenges a trio of synchronized swimmers in "Cerulean City"; A.J., a stern trainer, in "League"; and the conceited champion of a posh prep school in "Hard Knocks." Assisted by Misty and his friend Brock, Ash also overcomes the inept villains of Team Rocket and learns lessons about modesty, honesty, and sportsmanship. Although Ash initially feels that A.J. drives his Pokémons too hard in "League," he discovers how deeply he cares for them when Team Rocket tries to kidnap Sandshrew, his favorite. In "Hard Knocks," Ash defends a smaller boy from bullying upper classmen, and shows the snobbish students that training Pokémons isn't an academic exercise, but a way of life based on friendship and mutual affection. Viewers not caught up in the Pokémon craze may find the idea of fighting high-tech duels with these cute little animals incongruous. But millions of kids in America and Japan embraced it, and they've given the Pokémons a higher profile than such earlier product-characters as My Little Pony, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and Herself the Elf. --Charles Solomon
