Episode Stats:

Japanese Episode 27:  "Suriipaa to Pokemon Gaeri!?" 

("Sleeper and Pokemon Hypnotism!?")

American Episode 27:  "Hypno's Naptime"
Pokemon Dare Da?  Koduck
Japanese Air Date:  September 30th, 1997
American Air Date:  October 13th, 1998
Important Characters:  Hajime (Arnold)
Important Places:  Yoyoyo Town (HopHopHop Town)

Satoshi and the gang are now in Yoyoyo Town where a bunch of children are missing.  In addition, all of the pokemon in the Pokemon Center seem to have had all of their energy drained from them.  Junsa, along with Satoshi-tachi, are able to figure out that the source of all the town's problems come from a mansion located on the top of a skyscraper.  The mansion, owned by the insomniac members of the Pokemon Daisuke Club, is the home to the two hypnotic pokemon Sleep and Sleeper.  The pokemon were being used to help the club's members fall asleep, and as a side effect all the pokemon in the Pokemon Center lost their energy.  The missing children also wound up being at the mansion, but the sleep waves had caused them to believe that they were pokemon.  Musashi-tachi appear to steal the hypnotic pokemon, and after they're defeated all of the pokemon and children are cured with the help of the hypnotic pokemon.  As Satoshi-tachi leave town, a Koduck follows Kasumi and gets itself caught in one of her Monster Balls.

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Thoughts
I like this episode OK.  The writers were obviously trying their hardest to make a compelling mystery episode, and they almost succeeded.  The only thing that really bugs me is that Junsa just happens to have a sleep wave detector in her pocket.  I mean, doesn't EVERYBODY keep one of those on him at all times?  I guess the best thing about this episode (from my opinion) is that it introduces one of my favorite pokemon, Koduck.  I love the little guy because it's so goofy and always shows up whenever the show's getting too serious/boring.  Anyway, edit-wise this episode is pretty boring, except for one bizarre cut at the episode's end.

Side Note
The pun regarding the town's name at the beginning of the episode in the dub is almost the same as the Japanese episode.  In the Japanese version, Satoshi and Kasumi say "Yo Yo Yo" as they hop.  Ash and Misty say "Hop Hop Hop" as they hop.  In both versions, you can hear a "yo~~~" in the background, and it sounds just like the "yo~~~" used in the title screens of the Tenchi Universe TV series (that "yo~~~" is used in kabuki plays a lot).  But you can hear it a lot clearer in the Japanese version because it doesn't have some random filler music in the background the way the dub does.

Paint Edit
The names of the children on the posters are in Japanese originally, so 4Kids painted over it with some illegible text.  Actually, it looks a lot like braille to me.  You go 4Kids!  Way to represent the visually impaired fanbase!!!

Side Note
You know the part when Satoshi looks at Hajime's (Arnold's) mom and is reminded of his own mom?  Well, the flashback is a flashback to Episode 18, which, at the time of this episode's broadcast, had been cut out.  It's kinda funny, seeing a flashback to an episode that hadn't been broadcast, but I guess 4Kids didn't feel like cutting it out.  I'm surprised 4Kids didn't replace it with scenes of Satoshi's mom from the first episode, as it would have been easy to do, but at the same time I'm relieved they didn't.  Maybe 4Kids thought it wasn't significant enough to bother changing?  Or maybe they had been planning on dubbing Episode 18 all along?

Side Note
Did you notice the music in the background during the Rocket-Dan's first appearance in this episode?  It's made up by the dub, and I sorta like it.  The scene in Japanese didn't have any music and was pretty unexciting while the dub makes that scene special, using a music cue that isn't heard often in the series. 

So in other words, I actually like the change the dub made.  I think it was an improvement.  There, I actually said it.  Now put on a sweater, because it's starting to get a little chilly in hell.

Cut--2 sec.
At the end of the episode, right after Satoshi looks up Koduck's information on his Zukan (that Koduck always suffers from a headache), Takeshi, Kasumi, and Pikachu do the "Yo Yo Yo" hopping thing they did at the episode's beginning, except this time it sounds like they're saying "Yu Yu Yu."  Anyway, the hopping was cut out.  I don't know why--it couldn't be because of any censorship reasons.  And it wasn't a particularly long shot, so it wasn't cut for time.  So what was it cut for!?  This is starting to look like Sailor Moon, what with the random unexplained cuts here and there and all.

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