Pokémon, Cartoon Network, Saturdays 9:30am
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I find this show funny and cute, and I dunno, I just really like it. Which doesn't mean I think it's that good. I mean, it's better than fair, but good? I dunno. Maybe. I'm giving it one and a half stars, though. Which ain't bad. Maybe it deserves two. In any event, I love it, and I couldn't really tell you why, except that it's cute and I like the video games and... it's cute. So it becomes, in my mind, a sort of benchmark for the whole concept of my new rating system in which certain shows can receive at least one heart, but still less than four smileys. Okay?

Anyway, you know what it's about. It's about selling videogames and tons of other merchandise. Um... I mean, it's about these friends, who wander around the Kanto region (and later Johto, then Hoenn, then Sinnoh), occasionally catching new pokemon (a wide variety of types of animals which can learn all sorts of different "moves," most of which are attacks). Once captured, pokemon are kept in pokeballs, and occasionally released to eat or play or engage in pokemon battles, or whatever. Anyway, the trainers and their pokemon wander around, having cute, amusing, silly little adventures, helping folks out and stuff, and every once in a blue moon actually reaching one of the towns from the games, where they can have gym battles for badges, so that they (and by "they," I mean "Ash") may eventually compete in various tournaments.

Ash Ketchum, a trainer from Pallet Town who wants to become a pokemon master, is the main character. He leaves on a pokemon journey, which in the world of pokemon, kids are allowed to do when they turn 10. Which I guess means that the world of pokemon is supposed to be safer than the real world, in spite of the fact that there are criminal organizations like Team Rocket, not to mention countless wild pokemon who are powerful and may not want to be caught. But whatevs. Kids are also more self-reliant, apparently, and parents more trusting or whatever. And on a side note, as usual the damnable animators will make me find girls somewhat attractive at a disturbing age. Sigh. Anyway, Ash knew a pokemon researcher named Professor Samuel Oak, whose grandson Gary is Ash's main rival, though they do become friends. Gary pops up from time to time throughout the series, as does Prof. Oak. And Ash's mom, Delia. Well, new pokemon trainers are supposed to see a pokemon researcher to choose one of three starter pokemon. This is the same as in the games, of course, and in the original series those pokemon are Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. (Even in later seasons/games with different starter pokemon, the choices will still always be grass, fire, or water types.) However, Ash shows up late, and doesn't get any of these. Instead he gets a Pikachu, who, unlike most captured pokemon, never stays in a pokeball (because he was never really captured, he just chose to join Ash). Though their relationship is a bit rocky at the start, they eventually become best friends. Ash will also eventually get Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, as well as lots of other pokemon. But since a trainer isn't allowed to have more than 6 pokemon on hand at any one time, extras are left with Professor Oak (it's a simple matter to electronically transfer pokemon from place to place, as if they were emails or something). So throughout the seasons, Ash's party of pokemon frequently changes. Pikachu is the one constant.

Anyway... Ash soon makes new friends to travel with. The first is Misty, a water pokemon trainer (who we like); her three older sisters are gym leaders in Cerulean City. I'm not sure how old she is, but she may be a couple years older than Ash; still I find it disturbing to find her attractive. Ahem. Next there's Brock, a gym leader from Pewter City, who wants to become a pokemon breeder. Not sure how old he is, but he's clearly at least a few years older than Ash or Misty, and by far the oldest of his many siblings, who he was stuck taking care of, until his absentee dad returned, thus freeing him to leave with Ash and Misty on their journey. But anyway, he is often lumped in with the two of them by others as "kids," so maybe he's not yet an adult. I dunno. He's constantly hitting on pretty girls they encounter in each episode, especially Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny. It seems every town has a different Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, and while all Joys look identical, as do all Jennys, somehow Brock can tell them apart. I reckon many of the women he hits on are older than he is, anyway. But it doesn't matter, Misty will always drag him off by the ear when he hits on anyone.

Anyway... pokemon can't speak human (though every species of pokemon has its own language, all pokemon understand each other, and apparently humans, who for their part don't understand any pokemon language). But it is apparently possible for pokemon to learn to speak human, as evidenced by a certain Meowth (who, like Ash's Pikachu, doesn't stay in a pokeball). This Meowth works for the nefarious Team Rocket, an evil organization that steals pokemon, and tries out other nasty plots from time to time. The head of Team Rocket is Giovanni, who we rarely see. There are lots of smaller teams which comprise Team Rocket, but we usually only see one of them: Jessie (who we like), James, and this talking Meowth. Another team that shows up occasionally is Butch and Cassidy (who we kinda like). They sometimes assist a scientist named Professor Namba. Anyway, Jessie, James, and Meowth always seem fairly inept, but actually I think they're pretty cool and brilliant. They just have the incredible bad luck to always be up against the twerps (as Team Rocket calls them) who are the stars of the show. So who do you think the writers are gonna have win? Of course, I should also mention that every once in a great while, one or more of these three villains will actually do something nice for someone. And while they often insult or even hurt each other in a slapstick way, they're also often shown to genuinely care for one another. And as much as they can't stand the twerps, they may sometimes side with them against some common enemy or other.

Now, about the different seasons... I'm not clear on how they're broken up in Japan, but I'm sure it's different in the U.S. I suppose the first season is just called "Pokemon," though you might also refer to it as "Indigo League" or something like that, since the final tournament is of course held on the Indigo Plateau. Though the season takes place in the Kanto region, so you might also call it the "Kanto Saga," I guess. In the second season, the "Orange Island Adventures," Brock was replaced by a pokemon watcher (he draws pictures of them) named Tracey Sketchit, while Brock stayed with a pokemon researcher named Professor Ivy (who we like). Ash, Misty, and Tracey, meanwhile, travelled around the Orange Islands. At the end of the season, Tracey stayed in Pallet Town as Prof. Oak's assistant (so we'll see him again occasionally), and Brock rejoined his old friends on their new journey, in the Johto region. Johto was introduced in the Gold and Silver video games, so it includes a whole new selection of pokemon (but note, while most new pokemon aren't introduced til the corresponding new season, a few may be introduced in an earlier season). In season 3, "The Johto Journeys," they met another recurring pokemon researcher, Prof. Elm. Ash and friends continued their journeys in Johto in the fourth and fifth seasons, "Johto League Champions" and "Master Quest." The first five seasons are, I guess, collectively the original series.

Then for the sixth season, "Pokemon Advanced," Ash traveled alone (except for Pikachu) to the Hoenn region. Hoenn was introduced in the Ruby and Sapphire video games, so once again, it included a new group of pokemon. Misty had returned to Cerulean to become the gym leader, and Brock had left Ash, too. And Ash left all his pokemon except Pikachu behind with Professor Oak. (It is around this time that the spinoff series of stand-alone episodes, Pokémon Chronicles, is set.) But Brock would rejoin Ash after a few episodes or so. Anyway, in Hoenn, Ash met a pokemon researcher named Prof. Birch. He also met a new trainer named May (who we kinda like), the daughter of Norman, the Petalburg City gym leader. She wanted to become a pokemon coordinator, entering pokemon in contests instead of battles. She and her little brother Max (who will take up Misty's old duty of pulling Brock away from the girls he hits on) joined Ash in his journeys in Hoenn, and May will even get her own rival coordinator, Drew, who shows up occasionally for contests. Another recurring coordinator is Harley, who's constantly trying to mess up May's chances in contests. And in Hoenn, the major criminal organizations are Team Aqua and Team Magma, but since Jessie, James, and Meowth must remain part of the show, Giovanni asks them to try to establish a Team Rocket presence in the region. I don't think they'll have much luck with that. Anyway, "Pokemon Advanced" is the start of the "Advanced Generation" series, which also includes season 7, "Advanced Challenge," season 8, "Advanced Battle," and season 9, "Battle Frontier." In the Battle Frontier (introduced in the Emerald video game), Ash will have to battle "Frontier Brains" instead of regular gym leaders. Plus a recurring character named Scott is introduced, as a sort of guide to the Battle Frontier. It's also worth noting that in season 9, the show moved from the WB to Cartoon Network. And the characters have new voice actors because... it's now being distributed by a different company, or whatever.

The tenth season is "Pokemon Diamond and Pearl" (also airing on Cartoon Network), named after the Diamond and Pearl video games. It's set in the Sinnoh region, and introduces yet another bunch of new pokemon. Once again, Ash left behind all his pokemon except Pikachu, though one of his newst, Aipom, followed him. Brock had left, but he rejoins Ash again very soon. May and Max had also left, but Ash and Brock are joined by another new trainer who soon becomes a coordinator, Dawn (who we kinda like). At one point, Meowth says to her "We've been in Pika-pursuit since you've been alive," which brings up an interesting point. Since she did just turn ten, and this is the tenth season (at least as seasons are counted in the U.S.), he may be about right. But while people in this show often talk about years passing, the characters never really seem to age much. It's possible Ash might be a few years older than when he started his first journey, but he's clearly not ten years older, so... I dunno. I suppose cartoons are always like that, talking about years passing without bothering to have characters age. But it's just weird, and weirder still to imagine that Dawn could theoretically have been born around the time of the first season, even if the original characters haven't significantly aged. But whatever. The season also introduces a new pokemon researcher, Professor Rowan. Meanwhile, Jessie, James, and Meowth are still chasing the twerps, so they'll also try to establish a Team Rocket branch in Sinnoh. Plus there is a new rival for Ash introduced, named Paul, who likes to just catch pokemon that are already strong instead of raising them to become strong, the way most trainers do. He really doesn't treat his pokemon well at all, and simply releases them if he decides they're not strong enough. By the end of the season, he does this with his Chimchar, which Ash then takes on for himself.

The eleventh season is "Pokemon DP Battle Dimension," which has just started, so there's not much I can say, but so far it seems basically the same as season 10.

Anyway, there have also been several movies, though I haven't seen all of them yet. The ones I've seen so far include Mewtwo Strikes Back, The Power of One, Spell of the Unown, Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, and The Rise of Darkrai.