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Weekend Warrior! A Contest episode that hits a bit different than many of the others. A typical salary man archetype named Jeremy competes in the Contest in Non-Canon City against May. His wife and son are unhappy, but after a passionate speech about his dream of being a rockstar and pleasing the crowd, he wins over May and the Contest authorities. Team Rocket also doesn't show up, so good work.
I have a few thoughts about this episode. I'll start with the cynical one first. Part of the strategy behind the Battle Frontier season was to shill FRLG, since the whole thing takes place in Kanto. Why do they keep having Contests in generic cities, when Kanto has towns that the audience knows more. Put a Contest in Lavender Town or Celadon, since the last one was in Saffron. You can have Erika cameo or something.
Secondly, I really appreciate how Pokemon portrays older characters, and by proxy, their older viewers/players. Sure, all of Ash's companions (and Ash himself later) would all be 10 years old and appeal to the young kids the franchise is marketed to. ADV in particular has three episodes I can remember off the top of my head -- this one, A Fan With a Plan, and Having a Wailord of a Time -- in which an older character either starts liking Pokemon or does Contests, with the implication from their perspective that liking to do these things is un-adult and embarrassing. But generally, the moral that comes out of the main characters' mouths is that regardless of being "adult," or having responsibilities, it's okay to have a silly hobby or passion. Jeremy's story in particular is a heartwarming one, because I know a lot of people who got into their adult lives and then thought that meant they had to be boring and give up youthful past times. I really love the fact that Pokemon does eschew that point, especially since a lot of anime portray adults as useless, or decrepit by the time they hit their late teens.
A good, wholesome episode. Par for the course with AG.
