Pokemon Indigo League Season 1 Blu-ray Review

Ash Kectchum, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and the rest finally return in their high definition glory courtesy of VIZ Media who recently brought us Pokémon Indigo League Season 1 on Blu-ray just in time for the holidays! Is this set worth it for the average fan? For the Pokémon diehard? Or is it something that is better left in the nostalgic past? Let's take a look and find out!

First, let's talk a little about the packaging and the presentation. I previously owned these episodes on various forms in other formats, such as DVD, and I am pleased to say that this collection not only surpasses them all, but it does it with a much smaller footprint. The 52 episodes are split across six discs that fit nicely inside a standard-size Blu-ray case. Packaged inside we get a 64-page sampler of the Pokémon Adventures manga and a recipe card from the Pokémon Cookbook. The manga sampler is a nice addition, but I can't help but feel that this is the type of product that one can usually pick up free at an event or something similar. The recipe card, on the other hand, is a very cute addition. I know that it comes from a much larger book (which I now want to check out), but its singular presentation here is probably my favorite thing in the package. Perhaps I'll make this recipe one day (Pikachu Sweet Potato) we shall see. Besides the nice case (fashioned after the Pokedex) and slipcover that hold everything together that's all this set comes with physically. I don't want to say that this set comes off feeling incomplete as they could have very easily shipped this with nothing but the discs (like my older DVD collections), but I still found myself wanting more. Perhaps the manga could have been an exclusive small story for this set? I'm not sure, but some better included items would have been appreciated.

Pokemon Indigo League Season 1 Official Unboxing

Moving onto the presentation of the show itself. The menus on the discs are nice and serviceable, but there's not much to say about them beyond that. The episodes are fully intact from their US broadcast versions and are neatly split into chapters and look and sound great. The episodes are presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio so don't come here expected a widescreen presentation. Though you can fake this with a crop or something that some people seem to like, but I can't stand. This set only comes with two real special features to speak of on the discs themselves. One is a gallery of the "Who's That Pokémon?" segments which is a cute addition and I guess could be screen capped for further amusement, but these feel a little random. Also included is a complete version of the Pokerap. Now I have to admit that this is a pretty cool addition (though it should be noted this was included on ALL the past DVD collections I own) but I can't help but feel that this is a bit needless as the rap still exists within the episodes themselves. That's it for special features. Just TWO notable additions; a little disappointing, but I guess there isn't much else from that era that could have been included. Perhaps a new documentary of sorts could have been added or even TV spots. Who knows? Also it kind of goes without saying that these are the US versions of the episodes so while they do have closed caption subtitles, they are presented only in English and have none of the original Japanese content, including the soundtrack.

It's not really my place to jump into the technical aspects of the transfer here, but it does display wonderfully on modern HD systems and I have no complaints on that front. With that said I must admit that you're not going to be taken away by the visuals as even though they are presented here in HD, they still come from a show almost twenty years old. While nostalgia is strong here it should be said that there are parts of the show that haven't aged as well as the rest.

Our hero, ladies and gentlemen.

This would NEVER work in the game.

Now what can I say about the show itself? It's Pokémon in its purest form. Indigo League literally starts with our first introduction of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu and chronicles their (still not completed) journey to become the greatest Pokémon Trainer. This collection is Season One and it contains Episodes 1-52 which start with "Pokémon, I Choose You!" and finishes with "The Case of The K-9 Caper". Anyone who grew up on this show is going to have a blast here. No matter how many times you hear the opening theme (and you're going to hear it a LOT here!) you're going to want to sing along. Reliving these early episodes is something that can't be put into words here. Seeing Ash "borrow" Misty's bike, watching him catch his first Pokémon, watching him say goodbye to Butterfree, it's all here and more. While I'll admit that I watched most of these episodes with my nostalgia glasses glued to my face, I have to point out that there are some episodes, plot devices, etc. that I was very forgiving of as a child, but couldn't really stand here. There are also a lot of inconsistencies with the show and the games themselves. I'm not talking about plotlines either, but in  terms of moves and the Pokemon themselves. These of course can be written off when taking into consideration who the target audience was, but it's still something that bugged me even in the shows original run. Now I'd be lying if I said I watched all the episodes for the purpose of this review, but I did watch most of them. Why did I skip some? Well, I mentioned it just a bit earlier, but there are some episodes that simply have not aged well and either are boring, didn't advance the plot much, or both. This isn't a true negative point to this collection though as you're going to have a couple duds out of 52 episodes and I'm sure even my most despised episodes have their own fans out there.

Metapod vs. Metapod in this episode...

Eeveelutions!

I said I skipped a few, but there are some real standout episodes here that definitely do stand the test of time. I'll run by a couple random picks here. "The Water Flowers of Cerulean City" just for the "You're a Pika pal!" line. "Charmander - The Stray Pokémon" still tugs at the heartstrings years later. "Mystery at the Lighthouse" is a surprisingly melancholic episode. "Electric Shock Showdown" reaffirms Ash's relationship with Pikachu. "Battle Aboard The St. Anne" made me realize that the show REALLY changed things up from the game. "The Ghost of Maiden's Peak" is just WEIRD. Do I have to explain how sad it was to say goodbye to Butterfree in "Bye Bye Butterfree"? Never mind that the title totally ruined any element of surprise. They later DID fake us out with this title trick in "Pikachu's Goodbye", but that's another story. "The Song of Jigglypuff" for introducing a song that would haunt my elementary school years. "Who Gets To Keep Togepi?" for including one of the cutest Pokemon that I feel is somewhat underappreciated these days. There are tons more to talk about such as Brock's ridiculous antics, Ash's sometimes extremely lucky or cheap victories, Team Rocket's constant appearance, the Eevee brothers in general (Eevee being my personal favorite Pokémon), and just generally being able to see Misty on screen with Ash and Brock again. Since she'd disappear after the Indigo League series. I feel I could go on and on about individual episodes but I'll refrain from going too in depth here. Watch these episodes however you can if for some reason you haven't and you'll see what I mean about there being a lot to say about them.

Now we come to the question that brings you all here. Is Pokemon Indigo League Season 1 worth picking up? That's a hard question to answer straight away so let's dance around the topic for a bit. This set comes with an MSRP of $69.99 and that price is a little steep for those trying to enter the series for the first time or anyone not an avid Pokemon collector. Add to this the fact that at the time of this review these episodes (and more) can be easily found on Netflix and elsewhere. Normally in collections like these one would look at the special features and inserts for value over digital content, but as I stated before, this set is very light on that front. What we DO get here is arguably the best presentation of these episodes collected for you in a beautiful set that would look great on anyone's shelf. That being said I think the high price tag might have been an easier pill to swallow if the ENTIRE Indigo League series was collected here. So, if watching this show tugs at the nostalgia strings and you want to see it in HD then by all means pick it up as you really can't go wrong with this one. If however you are a casual viewer who just wants to watch some Pokemon then this might not be the set for you. If you do buy the set though, be sure to try that recipe and let me know how it goes! With that said, let's all keep an eye out for more Blu-ray sets from VIZ because you know you gotta catch 'em all!

-Manuel (alavic_222)

More information on this set and where you can find it can be found below:
www.viz.com/watch/tv-series/product/pokemon-indigo-league/12617

---

Overall Rating: B+

Pros:
+Classic Pokemon presented in HD.
+Looks and sounds better than you probably remember.
+Nice presentation and packaging.
+IT'S CLASSIC POKEMON!!!

Cons:
-Hard to recommend with other viewing alternatives out there.
-Lack of many compelling special features on disc.
-Somewhat high price tag might turn some off this collection.

---

Pokemon Indigo League Season 1 Blu-ray Trailer

Note: This item was provided to us by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This fact does not affect the outcome of the review in any way.