by Brother Lapras
Posted 10-16-2001

To many Pokemon fans, a world remains unsearched...unknown; a universe of American dubbing that for some reason has stood unrecognised within the worldwide community.  What is this?  Can one find it?  Or is this just some weird psychological deal? 
Not by a long shot, my friend. 

Believe it or not, Pokemon has been altered quite a bit in the United States.  (Yes, yes--removed episodes and edits, but that isn't what has changed.)  What exists--by purpose or accident--is a true, strong, and original version of Pokemon that I affectionately refer to as the Pokemon OVA. 

In naming it, yes:  I am incorrect--this is not an original video animation series of Pokemon, but in most other ways, the first twelve episodes of Pokemon in the United States are of a completely different nature than all else following it.  Different moods, different voices, and in the end, a whole different experience. 

If you begin watching Pokemon from the beginning, you find a whole different feeling presented to you:  the future is uncertain, there is evil in a bright world, and the characters seem more disagreeable.  As the viewer sees Ash Ketchum leave Pallet Town with a monster (on a rope!), no-one is really sure of what will happen to him, even going so far as to challenge optomistic opinions.  Adding to this feeling of uneasiness is Team Rocket, who seem to have "the little twerp" defeated until he makes an amazing comeback (quite inspirational, by the way).  Furthermore, 'solo characters' (characters appearing in only one episode) present themselves as successful trainers...with methods contrary to young Ash's.  By this time, it is difficult to predict the future of Ketchum. 

How does this compare to today's Pokemon?--Gone is the uncertainty:  Ash has competed in the Indigo League Championships, captured the Orange League's winner's trophy, and is almost certain to win the Johto League championships; you get the idea. We know that Ash is gonna win, and there's seldom a contrary hint. Now, Team Rocket is comic relief and nothing else--they always lose, never put up a good fights as in the OVA, and have no presence of evil anymore. As for other characters, well, take a look at Gligar Man and you'll see that a mildly dark-edged show has become a full children's programme. 

In many cases, voice actors make-or-break an anime series--just ask the fans of Sailormoon...and then its new English dubbing--and the same is for Pokemon. As the series begins, voices are a little deeper, perhaps more somber, and this strongly contributes to a viewer's perception of the show:  the OVA does not have Ash in a voice of a cocky young Pokemon trainer...he is unsure of himself, and perhaps naively arrogant, but one can draw that he uses a facade to cover his insecurities.  The rest of the human characters exist in the same way:  Jesse sounds sadistic; James is sneering; and Meowth is greedy--not to mention the true emotion in the voice of a worried Mrs. Ketchum. 

Gone.  Bye-bye to emotion, and good wishes to adjustable voice actors--the show falls apart at the end of the OVA.  The reason?  It is my belief that it is  the departure of Ted Lewis from the voice acting of James.  Why so absurd a statement?--Lewis played James to a 'T':  his voice was nearly exactly like Kojiro's (the Japanese James) and it fit him a lot better.  When Eric Stuart took over the voice acting of James, his voice grew higher (to the point that most know today), and by some odd result, the rest of the cast's did as well:  Meowth, Ash, Jesse, Misty--everybody.  Now the dark edge of unassurance is completely gone--and Pokemon is no longer the same. 

Pokemon lost its swing on that fateful episode thirteen.  No longer could it be the anime that fought more mature-oriented shows in quality, and the idea of Pokemon as a 'kids show' came to life, pulling older fans away--if only slightly. 

What is the value of the Pokemon OVA?--it is pure Pokemon; the strongest feeling that one can get in American Pocket Monsters.  Dark, unsteady, and sometimes, brutal on the imagination.  For all hardcore monster trainers, this is your new haven on which to flourish. 

For those interested in adding the Pokemon OVA to their collection, the following titles from Viz Video comprise the collection: 

TAPES OF THE POKEMON OVA: 
1. I Choose You! Pikachu! 
2. The Mystery of Mount Moon 
3. The Sisters of Cerulean City 
4. Thunder Shock!