Pikachu, I Choose You!

I must admit, the first time my brother got me to sit down and watch this show with him, I was...disturbed? I was completely lost. I had no idea what was going on, and I just didn't get the Pokemon battle thing. And what is with that stop-motion animation? And the question marks coming out of Psyduck's head? And the way James' mouth fills his entire face when he laughs? And those little "x"s that appear in someone's eyes when they're stunned? And on and on and on.

But I was patient, and I allowed my brother to try to draw me into this world with him. After all, it was on every day at 7:00 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon. So I watched it. And gradually, it grew on me. I began to see past the odd animation tricks and the cheesy dialogue and the strangeness of collecting freaky creatures so they could beat each other up.

Then I was able to see what the children were seeing, what they were intended to see, what most adults aren't able to grasp. Far from being a violent, disparaging show, "Pokemon" encourages fair play, good sportsmanship, loving your enemies...The young hero Ash learns an important lesson in each episode. And the Pokemon, or pocket monsters, that are captured are not slaves. They grow to love their trainers and simply disobey or leave if they feel they are being mistreated. Good stewardship is a key element of this show. The needs of Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbosaur, Psyduck, and the other Pokemon under the care of Brock, Ash, and Misty come first.

Pokemon are, by nature, gentle creatures who enjoy working together. When they fight, it is not to hurt each other; they are only momentarily stunned in battle. When something more harmful occurs, great pains are taken to amend the situation so it will not happen again. "Pokemon" is a show about teamwork and devotion and being willing to pay the ultimate price to save a friend, even if the only word that friend can utter is his own name. There is nothing dangerous about this show; there's nothing wrong with, just once in a while, children knowing exactly what's going on when those "older and wiser" haven't got a clue.