Episode Stats:

Japanese Episode AG 012: "Hasuboo to Furawaa Shoppu no San Shimai!!"

(Hasuboh and the Three Sisters of the Flower Shop!!)

American Episode 284: "The Lotad Lowdown"
Orchid-Hakase Pokémon Lecture:  Neitio
Pokémon Dare Da?  None (Japanese), Magby (American)
Japanese Air Date:  February 13th, 2003
American Air Date:  December 20th, 2003
Important Characters:  Naoko (Natalie), Noriko (Nicole), Reiko (Rita)

Satoshi-tachi are cooling off in a lake when they are surrounded by a large group of Hasuboh.  Among the group of duckweed pokemon is one whose Water Gun is not quite as advanced as the others', and Takeshi takes notice of this.  Suddenly, the group is approached by a young girl named Naoko, who shows them to her sisters' Flower Shop.  There, they meet Naoko's sisters, Noriko and Reiko, and the three girls teach Satoshi-tachi about the effects of various berries on pokemon.  In addition, it is revealed that the Hasuboh in the area (including the slower one that Takeshi took notice of) help the sisters with the irrigation of their garden.  Takeshi becomes very interested in the lesson and Naoko, who has developed a crush on the young breeder, decides to go off on her own to pick some berries.  As she finds the one that Takeshi is most interested in, she's attacked by a Spear, but Takeshi and his Forretress is able to ward off the bee pokemon.  After Naoko is scolded by her sisters for running off on her own, Pikachu hears the sound of the Rocket-Dan stealing all the Hasuboh in the lake.  The little electric pokemon, along with the Hasuboh from before, rushes off toward Musashi-tachi and frees the water-type pokemon.  The Rocket-Dan are blasted off by a powerful Water Gun from Hasuboh, and soon Satoshi-tachi is able to regroup with all the kidnapped pokemon.  Later, Naoko gives Takeshi a list of the various berries as Hasuboh expresses its desire to travel with Takeshi.  The sisters agree to let Takeshi take it with him, and so Takeshi and his first Houen-region pokemon head off into the sunset.

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Thoughts
I really like this episode.  Not only does is start off a nine-episode (by my count) streak of non-filler episodes, but it also gives Takeshi his first Houen-region pokemon.  And let me tell you, that little Hasuboh is one of my favorite little Houen pokemon encountered so far.  It's pretty much Koduck's replacement in the team as far as a doofy pokemon goes, and its English voice is really about as perfect as I could hope.  The episode also gives a nice little tutorial about pokemon berries, which someone like me (who knows next to nothing about berries and Pokémon Contests) finds very helpful.  To top it all off, the animation looks a little bit nicer than usual, and the backgrounds are really quite nice looking as well.

This is a pretty boring episode edit-wise.  Lotad has a great voice, the Rocket-Dan's promotion schtick is finally translated, and there is very little cut from the episode.  Let's hope the rest of the episodes are more like this.

Video Edit
The episode is zoomed in...AGAIN!  Seriously, is Kids' WB! going to keep doing this or what?  One big giveaway about this is the very last scene--the TO BE CONTINUED text is almost gets cut off at the very upper edge of the screen. 

Side Note
After the funny Sakaki dream sequence (ya gotta love his shampoo afro!), Team Rocket says:

I'm pointing this out because this is the first time I think they've bothered to try to translate one of the Rocket-Dan's newer sayings.  The Japanese saying, "Kanbu shoushin, something-something, Ii kanji!!" is basically this little thing they chant before they do something that they feel they'll get promoted for. 

Cut--4 seconds
Right after the last commercial break, the shot of the sunset is shortened by two seconds.

Also, the TO BE CONTINUED... screen has two seconds trimmed from it.  

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