Pioneer Entertainment presents

Pokemon #19: Our Hero Meowth (1999)

"To protect the world from devastation, to unite all peoples within our nation, to denounce the evils of truth and love, to extend our reach to the stars above."- Team Rocket

Stars: Ash, Brock, Misty, Pikachu
Other Stars: Team Rocket, Meowth
Director: Michael Haigney, Jim Malone

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for suitable for all ages
Run Time: 01h:10m:00s
Release Date: 2000-07-18
Genre: anime

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B-	C+	C+	C-	D-

 

DVD Review

It seems only fair to let Roddy give his take on this one. Each of the Pokemon discs, like their VHS counterparts, contain three episodes. Here is Roddy's description of the three episodes on Volume 19:

Princess vs Princess
There's a princess festival that happens every year. Misty gets to go shopping because she is a girl, while Ash, Pikachu and Brock get to carry her packages (sound familiar?) Jesse (a member of the evil Team Rocket) buys some nice gifts for their boss so he will not be so mad when they tell him that they were once again not able to catch the elusive Pikachu. But Likatung eats Jesse's gifts. Then there is a beauty contest / Pokemon battle. Misty wins by beating Jesse, borrowing Pokemon from the boys. She wins a Pokemon princess doll set.

The Purr-fect Hero
It is kid's day at the Little Kiddie Preschool. A Pokemon trainer is supposed to bring Pokemon for the kids to play with, but he never shows. Thankfully, Ash, Brock and Misty arrive just in time to let the kids play with theirs. A kid named timmy only wants to meet Meowth and thank him for saving him from a Beedrill in the woods. Team Rocket come in disguise and put on a magic show. They of course try to capture Pikachu, but get Timmy instead. In the end, Timmy finds out that a wild Meowth was actually the hero, and the wild Meowth becomes Timmy's Pokemon.

The Misty Mermaid
Horsey (a Pokemon) lives in a fountain, but it is too small for him to exercise. So, he is taken to a gym with a pool that is run by Misty's sisters. They notice a poster for a show and Misty ends up being the mermaid in the show. Team Rocket comes, and an underwater Pokemon battle ensues. Seal beats Arboc and evolves into Dugong.

So, there you have it. Roddy's wording was a little different, but the stories are his completely.

Rating for Style: B-
Rating for Substance: C+

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: I must say that the image quality of this DVD isn't much better than that of the Pokemon VHS tapes we have. The colors are a little more defined and the image is sharper, but the difference isn't that substantial. The picture is noticeably soft and a bit grainy, but I'm not really sure it matters that much. After all, we ARE talking Pokemon, right?

Image Transfer Grade: C+
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	yes

Audio Transfer Review: As unimpressed as I was with the video, the audio quality is even more lacking. Once again, I will compare it to its VHS counterpart and note that there isn't a whole lot of difference. Dialogue is often muddy and the surrounds are used quite sparingly. But, as with the video, Roddy didn't seem to mind much?

Audio Transfer Grade: C- 

Disc Extras

Static menu with music
Scene Access with 5 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:

1. Collector Card

Extras Review: There really isn't anything here to comment on. Roddy liked the included Pokemon card, but he would have also liked some bonus material! The subtitles were helpful. Very poor disc as far as extras go.

Extras Grade: D-
 

Final Comments

If you are a Pokemon fan like Roddy, you will enjoy this disc. If not, well I'm not really sure what to tell you. The retail price tag of $20+ for these discs is really high, considering you only get 3 episodes and no extras. If your kids are serious Pokemon fans, they will want all of these discs, but I would suggest sticking to rentals until Pioneer gets around to putting more meat into the packages.

Brian Cook (age 32) and Roddy Cook (age 6) 2000-08-22