Pokemon Chronicles: Training Daze

Pokemon Chronicles (also known as Shūkan Pokémon Hōsōkyoku or Weekly Pokemon Broadcast) is a previously Japan exclusive series of specials centering around characters other than Ash. It was dubbed into English, but has not been released in the US. Here I shall review special #13, Training Daze (or "The Origins of Love and Youth" in Japan).

While flying through the air after another defeat, James comes across a very special part of his bottle cap collection, and this brings about the memory of Jessie and James' early days in Team Rocket. As it turns out, they weren't teamed together right away. In the course of the few months Jessie had been there as a trainee, she'd been through a good 10 partners, all of whom she rejected, believing none were good enough and were huge letdowns. By then she'd developed quite a reputation, and the poor girl had almost given up on any success in the organization, when her training instructor introduces her to the boy-haired wonder we all know. At the same time, a strange Meowth has found his way into Giovanni's office and is eager to please.



Throughout the course of the episode, Jessie is impressed by James' determination to prove his worthiness and dedication to their little team. During their first real test mission together he sacrifices his safety so that Meowth and Jessie can pull themselves away from a broken bridge, and ends up in the hospital for quite some time. In fact, he isn't able to show up for a trainee's most important task, leaving Jessie to believe that she's once again been shafted when it matters most. But not even broken bones can keep James from fulfilling a promise, and a hopeful future might still be in reach.

I personally found this episode to be very cute, it was enjoyable from start to finish and features the only time anyone says Butch's name correctly. My only problem is that it doesn't match up to what we've previously been told about Team Rocket's past. In the show it's demonstrated that Jessie and James have known each other since childhood, even going to the same school and joining a bicycle gang together. Yet in this special they act as if they've only just met! Either they ran into problems years ago and pretended to be strangers, or the writers didn't care about keeping it straight. However you look at it, if you're a Team Rocket fan this is a definite must see!