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insaneladybugAs much as I love Articuno's design, color, and ice powers, it seems like he and the other Legendary Birds are all really rather jerks. The moment one is taken, the others just want to take over the kidnapped one's territory and have more power. And the way they attack Lugia ... oy. That was brutal. I love when they all harmonize at the end, but I have to wonder if the thing would repeat all over again if one was taken or otherwise disappeared.
(Also, honestly, Articuno is a way cooler name than Freezer, LOL. So unimaginative. And I think I read that Moltres's Japanese name is Fire? Seriously? Boring!)
Then I had the thought of an AU branching off from the movie. Team Rocket is apparently thought dead in the movie, or at least, we don't see anyone acknowledging they're alive except Slowking, and he breaks the fourth wall talking about all the people watching them. ROTFLOL. I know the novelization has Ash and company see them alive, but I don't like how the novelization handled the scene. It downplayed their sacrifice and had Ash saying something about how they'd never change (meaning it negatively). So, I won't accept the novelization version. Anyway, I'm toying with the idea of Team Rocket running with the idea that hey, while they're thought dead, maybe they really will try going into business for themselves like they talked about at the end of the movie. Every time I watch the film, I always hate the thought of things going back to the status quo afterwards. It's just too meaningful to be dismissed that way. Of course, they'd end up drawn into the conflict again anyway, but they'd probably be or end up on Ash's side in it.
I put aside Johto for a while because I was getting frustrated with all the formulaic episodes. I tried one again tonight and got frustrated again. Honestly, the first two seasons had so many episodes breaking away from the formula and having Team Rocket be awesome/show their softer sides/etc. Johto seemed to hardly ever do it. Most episodes were formulaic, with them as the bad guys, and the few times fun things with them did happen, like the Wobbufett Festival one or the one with Articuno saving them (and what's he doing in Johto when the movie says he only lives in the Orange Islands?!), the writers mostly trolled the viewers by having them turn traitor again. Ignorance is Blissey and the flaming Moltres episode are two of the only ones I've really liked so far on this Johto set. They seemed to be pretty rare, breaking away from the usual Johto formula. I have enjoyed some of the others, like the first owl illusion one and the two with the Snubbull, but as far as good Team Rocket content goes, those are about the only season 3 ones I can think of that are good for them. Maybe there's some other nice Team Rocket episodes on the set, but the summaries all sound like the rest are pretty formulaic.
I also watched Training Daze again. It was sweet seeing how they first bonded and how nice James was. I still wish they hadn't changed the dialogue about him running away and such, but I did love the heavy emphasis on teamwork and being loyal to each other. It was cringeworthy that not even Cassidy could say Butch's name right, though. Although it was funny when, after "Hutch" he goes, "That's it. I'm changing my name." ROTFLOL.
The episode really does contradict earlier canon, though. We know from season 1 that Jessie and James knew each other long before Team Rocket. Training Daze heavily implies that they only met in Team Rocket. I like the origin story, so I tried to bridge the plothole by saying that they'd had a falling out after the bike gang and hence, were cool to each other upon meeting again in Team Rocket.
Another plothole not so easily explained, however, is that James clearly doesn't know Butch and Cassidy in The Breeding Center Secret. But in Training Daze, there's no way he wouldn't be aware of them.
One more reason to consider the first two seasons as absolute canon and everything else is nebulous. They were rebooting things as early as Johto!
(Also, honestly, Articuno is a way cooler name than Freezer, LOL. So unimaginative. And I think I read that Moltres's Japanese name is Fire? Seriously? Boring!)
Then I had the thought of an AU branching off from the movie. Team Rocket is apparently thought dead in the movie, or at least, we don't see anyone acknowledging they're alive except Slowking, and he breaks the fourth wall talking about all the people watching them. ROTFLOL. I know the novelization has Ash and company see them alive, but I don't like how the novelization handled the scene. It downplayed their sacrifice and had Ash saying something about how they'd never change (meaning it negatively). So, I won't accept the novelization version. Anyway, I'm toying with the idea of Team Rocket running with the idea that hey, while they're thought dead, maybe they really will try going into business for themselves like they talked about at the end of the movie. Every time I watch the film, I always hate the thought of things going back to the status quo afterwards. It's just too meaningful to be dismissed that way. Of course, they'd end up drawn into the conflict again anyway, but they'd probably be or end up on Ash's side in it.
I put aside Johto for a while because I was getting frustrated with all the formulaic episodes. I tried one again tonight and got frustrated again. Honestly, the first two seasons had so many episodes breaking away from the formula and having Team Rocket be awesome/show their softer sides/etc. Johto seemed to hardly ever do it. Most episodes were formulaic, with them as the bad guys, and the few times fun things with them did happen, like the Wobbufett Festival one or the one with Articuno saving them (and what's he doing in Johto when the movie says he only lives in the Orange Islands?!), the writers mostly trolled the viewers by having them turn traitor again. Ignorance is Blissey and the flaming Moltres episode are two of the only ones I've really liked so far on this Johto set. They seemed to be pretty rare, breaking away from the usual Johto formula. I have enjoyed some of the others, like the first owl illusion one and the two with the Snubbull, but as far as good Team Rocket content goes, those are about the only season 3 ones I can think of that are good for them. Maybe there's some other nice Team Rocket episodes on the set, but the summaries all sound like the rest are pretty formulaic.
I also watched Training Daze again. It was sweet seeing how they first bonded and how nice James was. I still wish they hadn't changed the dialogue about him running away and such, but I did love the heavy emphasis on teamwork and being loyal to each other. It was cringeworthy that not even Cassidy could say Butch's name right, though. Although it was funny when, after "Hutch" he goes, "That's it. I'm changing my name." ROTFLOL.
The episode really does contradict earlier canon, though. We know from season 1 that Jessie and James knew each other long before Team Rocket. Training Daze heavily implies that they only met in Team Rocket. I like the origin story, so I tried to bridge the plothole by saying that they'd had a falling out after the bike gang and hence, were cool to each other upon meeting again in Team Rocket.
Another plothole not so easily explained, however, is that James clearly doesn't know Butch and Cassidy in The Breeding Center Secret. But in Training Daze, there's no way he wouldn't be aware of them.
One more reason to consider the first two seasons as absolute canon and everything else is nebulous. They were rebooting things as early as Johto!
