Preview JN070: Please! Catch Morpeko!!

[Enzo]

Yeah, this summary is a bit... hum... weird to say the least.

I mean, I can totally see Jessie wanting to get rid of it, and considering how Morpeko is, she's not in the wrong here imo. But Meowth and James actively missing it to the point of (presumably) searching for it after shit finally hits the fan, is a bit... WHEW.

Idk about you guys, and while I get that it's just a hamster thing eating the cartoon villain's food, it's giving off a weird vibe to me. Sometimes I genuinely wonder if the writing team just... takes a step back sometimes and think some stuff through a little bit, u know?

Eh, guess I will have to watch this episode now.

 

[PrincessSakura21]

Maybe they understand that Morpeko can't control itself when it is hungry. And when it is full, it looks very cute and innocent.

Yes, you right! Morpeko can't control himself when he is very hungry and selfish foods, after he gets calm to back normal cute and Innocent. I guess so Morpeko have a energy of mode good or bad sides.

 

[PrincessSakura21]

In theory I agree with you but... in reality I have lived through everything from Bad to the Bone to Musashi vs Kojiro at the Alola League as a TRio fan and it is infuriating.

It might seem obvious in this forum that Musashi is not a bitch and the boys are not fluffy clouds of candy floss, but most casual fans still generally remember and are influenced by pivotal moments such as Musashi being utterly vile to Kojiro in the Chirean release episode, and these negative connotations stick like hell. The crucial thing is that most of these awful moments were written by ONE writer which why would you know this unless you are a hardcore committed Rocket fan?!

So yeah it is too early to be losing all hope and dying in a ditch, but if we have another scenario in which narratively Musashi is made to look like the bad guy out of the TRio (even though we all agree she is bang on the money for wanting Morpeko gone!) it will hurt me like hell without a little of this psychological pre-preparation.

Yes, I am big fan of Team Rocket, when I was a little kid likes Jessie, James and Meowth. Since I been seeing various design and movies. ‍‍

 

[Unireon]

I won't count bond-development that happened off-screen.
Like any flashbacks or montages of the TRio's moments with Morpeko, that didn't happen in a previous episode.

I agree that there's an abusive/toxic relationship going there.
And I'm baffled at how the summary was worded.

 

[PrincessSakura21]

I won't count bond-development that happened off-screen.
Like any flashbacks or montages of the TRio's moments with Morpeko, that didn't happen in a previous episode.

I agree that there's an abusive/toxic relationship going there.
And I'm baffled at how the summary was worded.

It's might to abusive to treat pokemon.

 

[PrincessSakura21]

I theory in happens until preview when James, Jessie and Meowth will stop Morpeko gets control it, Morpeko will selfish food when it's stopped to learn to TR Trio.

 

[Alola]

It might seem obvious in this forum that Musashi is not a bitch and the boys are not fluffy clouds of candy floss, but most casual fans still generally remember and are influenced by pivotal moments such as Musashi being utterly vile to Kojiro in the Chirean release episode, and these negative connotations stick like hell. The crucial thing is that most of these awful moments were written by ONE writer which why would you know this unless you are a hardcore committed Rocket fan?!

You're more attuned to the Rocket Trio than me I admit, but I feel like this comment is a generalization. Is there substantial evidence that Jessie is perceived that negatively by Pokémon fans or those who watch the anime? Outside of this forum? Internationally?

Out of the Trio, Jessie is the more assertive one and sometimes that assertion leads to slapstick, fits of comical anger, violence, and other similar attributes. But I don't feel she does it to such a blatantly higher degree than her peers, especially when compared with Meowth (who loved to claw out Jessie & James for the most asinine things, back in the day). Collectively, the three of them have all done a lot of vile things with equal participation. I also think it is important to not fall within the trope of mischaracterizing the aspects of a female character as "bitchy" or "angry;" not saying any of you are, but if you're taking Jessie's strong will, outspoken-ness, and any other trait that male characters have also demonstrated and perceive them as the former negative things, I think that speaks more to the person than the writers.

Speaking from my own personal experience, as someone who watched the English localized version of the show at its inception, I've never viewed Jessie in that light. My younger siblings who watched the OG-DP series, have not as well; one of them is a girl and they both love Jessie. Just an anecdote I wanted to share; one of my favorite memories is when we watched Princess Vs. Princess together and all laughed at the Jessie moments.

I see your point about how her occasional depiction may be regarded with a negative or sexist connotation, but I do not think those moments occur more often than not. And I don't think this episode's summary is a good argument to make for that cause. Just because Jessie may want to be rid of Morpeko while the rest of her team apparently does not, is a not a bad thing; having a dissenting opinion is not a bad thing and we really need to normalize that mentality.

 

[Singaporean]

First preview:

 

[BigDocFan]

I can't believe we're getting these silly episodes instead of consecutive Project Mew episodes

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I can't believe we're getting these silly episodes instead of consecutive Project Mew episodes

Patience. We'll get to Project Mew eventually. And the project doesn't seem to be a string of consecutive episodes, anyway.

 

[Singaporean]

I can't believe we're getting these silly episodes instead of consecutive Project Mew episodes

Project Mew is just a distraction, the real deal are the possibility Clown Tundra arc since everybody wanted to see how the former Chairman Rose had been doing what after the Dynamax disaster.

 

[TRNatalie]

First preview:

Well the preview seems promising

Wait a minute, Morpeko willingly sharing food and being nice towards TRio?! What is this madness!

Spoiler

 

[Craiden]

Alright, should've seen this coming, but am looking forward to seeing Gou's squirrel again.

 

[dawn dusk]

Wait a minute, Morpeko willingly sharing food and being nice towards TRio?! What is this madness!

Wait a second

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Well the preview seems promising

Wait a minute, Morpeko willingly sharing food and being nice towards TRio?! What is this madness!

Spoiler

View attachment 145791

Has Morpeko finally met its match in Greedent, and that makes it go through character development somehow?

 

[Eitarou]

I can't believe we're getting these silly episodes instead of consecutive Project Mew episodes

And have them burn through it like they did the Darkest Day? Hard pass.

 

[nickdt]

Well the preview seems promising

Wait a minute, Morpeko willingly sharing food and being nice towards TRio?! What is this madness!

Spoiler

View attachment 145791

Well... its official. Morpeko hates Jessie, but loves James.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Morpeko vs. Greedent! The Gluttonous Showdown!!

 

[ii kanji]

Yay preview
(The art looks very cute actually. No major red flags as far as I'm concerned, yet.)
Now, back to business...

You're more attuned to the Rocket Trio than me I admit, but I feel like this comment is a generalization.

Forgive me, I wrote this in the depths of a night shift so you're right, it is rather lacking in nuance. If not exactly a generalisation it is at the very least something of an anachronism.

Sorry this is going to be a long and probably irrelevant deep dive because I have chosen to watch today's episode and then write this post rather than sleep...

I became a part of the online Pokeani fandom at the end of AG/early DP at which time the anime (and fandom) was an altogether different beast. The TRio were at peak flanderisation and constantly at each others' throats. These extremes were exacerbated by the English dub (which given the absolute lack of contemporaneous subs was the primary medium for the English fanbase at the time). I'm actually dead certain that this is the time period Megumi Hayashibara was referring to in her book when she said she requested the producers to tone it down:

She certainly does have an arrogant side and sometimes tries to force her ideas on others, but I didn't want to see her say things like "Just shut up and do it" (lines you'll no longer hear in the anime) or use violence to make a point.

(Yes she also mentions that Shudo had already died by the time she made this request but either she's confused or she's obfuscating. There was a very noticeable change in their characters and dynamics mid-DP which we'd been theorising over the rationale for for years and nothing else in the chronology fits.)

So in this context, there was quite a lot of "Meowth and especially James are so nice, if only they could get rid of Jessie the world would be rainbows and sunshine". Obviously this was also in a time when people in this fandom were not checked for spewing blatantly misogynistic views. Honestly, Musashi was a legitimately unpopular character even on these forums when I first joined. But then they mellowed out in DP, BW happened and after that most people were grateful with the Rockets we had, even those who wouldn't consider themselves TRio fans, and the complaints reduced significantly. Though that's not to say there isn't still the odd 'Why do James and Meowth put up with Jessie' type posts, but they're much fewer and far between compared to the late noughties where that view was rampant.

So... having done so so much defending of her honour over the years, I guess I have developed a bit of a persecution complex about it I actually thought I was over it until her unsightly behaviour in the Alola League Musashi vs Kojiro episode, which in my mind has exacerbated the risk that we might at some point end up back in AG-land characterisation and me constantly having to remind people that she is a multi-faceted character.

Just an anecdote I wanted to share; one of my favorite memories is when we watched Princess Vs. Princess together and all laughed at the Jessie moments.

This is my favourite outing for Musashi in OS, and IMO her most underrated episode in the entire show. Such an amazing example of her absolutely taking no shit, but underneath having that marshmallow core. Her final line ('You idiots... but... this kinda feels just right') lives in my head rent free at all times - it's like the very epitome of her character!!

...God, I need to rewatch this ASAP.

Just because Jessie may want to be rid of Morpeko while the rest of her team apparently does not, is a not a bad thing; having a dissenting opinion is not a bad thing and we really need to normalize that mentality.

I completely agree with this, and I just hope the episode itself has the guts to go there, rather than taking a narratively easier route to paint Musashi as the bad guy. The preview gives me hope on that front. Let's see.

 

[CyberMonsterTrainer]

Alright so one hand that scene with James and Morpeko was adorable, but I dont wanna get up in arms like I did with the Grookey and Absol if Goh ends catching it (saving that anger for an even worse episode that will most likely come later.

On the other hand TRio needs to eat, and it will bring me immense joy if Goh catches Morpeko, and it ends up eating the park/lab out of house and home,

How should I feel?